"Get away from me!" Erina Nakiri, annoyed by this guy, picked up the pillow from beside the bed and threw it down.
"Hey, don't be like that. I just want to sleep on the bed. Is it that hard?" Renz twisted his lips. "I don't know why, I used to be so used to sleeping on the floor."
"Now I can't fall asleep at all." Renz casually caught the pillow Erina threw down and immediately put it to use. "Oh, right, aren't you hungry? Why don't you go to the kitchen and make something?"
"I don't know why, I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore. Maybe you just annoyed me into fullness," Erina said irritably. There had indeed been a sharp pain just now, but after lying down for a while, the pain disappeared. As for being hungry, it was only a mild hunger. Besides, by habit, Erina rarely ate at night; it was healthier and less likely to cause weight gain. She didn't know why she suddenly felt that pain.
"How about we go to the hospital tomorrow to get it checked?" Renz whispered.
"It's not that serious, is it?" Erina thought about it. "It's quite normal."
Silence fell again, and they ran out of things to talk about.
Renz took out his phone. A faint glow illuminated his face. He silently turned the phone's volume to mute and opened a game. The floor was cool, and he couldn't sleep, so he might as well distract himself with a game. Perhaps if he played until he was tired, he'd close his eyes and fall asleep. Future mobile games were diverse, each more flashy than the last. Renz quickly learned the game rules. After one or two rounds, he already knew how to control the chaos.
Holding the phone screen, his fingers constantly darting across the display, Renz's mental state became more energized as he played.
"Are you asleep yet?" Erina's voice broke the silence. Renz wanted to sleep but couldn't due to physical reasons. Erina was genuinely suffering from insomnia. She couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried.
"No," Renz replied, having held the same position for a long time. He rolled over, his entire body feeling a bit numb. "Do I look like I can sleep like this?" After playing games, he just got more and more energized; it was quite absurd. Now, even if he tried, he might not be able to sleep.
"It's not impossible to let you sleep on the bed tonight," Erina mumbled, not quite sure how she managed to say such a thing. She couldn't sleep, and it was late; she was a bit muddled. Looking at Renz wrapped in a down jacket, sleeping on the floor, she felt he was much more miserable than her. On the first day he arrived, he was looking up all sorts of personal information, and besides that, he had to take care of the children, researching child-rearing manuals. Then, when she and Rina argued, Renz even had to step in to mediate. He faced all sorts of troubles.
The one who willingly suffered losses was always Renz. Eating instant noodles, sleeping on the floor... although sometimes she didn't understand what he was saying, everything Renz did showed he was trying to take a step back.
Erina wasn't blind; she had noticed all along. Honestly, after these few days of interaction, Erina didn't dislike Renz at all. Many of Renz's actions were within the acceptable range for Erina to imagine living together.
"You let me sleep, and I'll sleep? What about my dignity?" Renz scoffed.
"You're infuriating! Sleep or don't sleep!" Erina wished she could throw the other pillow down too, but then she'd have no pillow herself, so she held back. The words had barely left her mouth when Renz threw off the down jacket he was wrapped in, the outer zipper clattering crisply on the floor. Renz flopped onto the bed, a serene, comfortable smile on his face.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't sleep on the bed?" Erina almost shouted.
"I still have to maintain a little decorum verbally," Renz coughed. "Don't worry, I know this is your test for me."
"This bed, from what I can tell, is quite large."
"I've left myself some room to maneuver. I'll sleep pressed against the edge of the bed. Given the size of this bed, even if I roll over, I won't touch you."
"As a professional gamer, calculating skill release distances is a very easy thing to do."
This girl, so many little schemes. She said she wouldn't let him sleep on the bed, but in the end, wasn't she just testing his character? Tonight, if Renz accidentally touched Erina on the bed, she'd probably block him. Hmph, too bad you, Erina, will never realize one thing: my ability to control distance, whether in a game or in reality, is top-notch!
You underestimate a professional gamer! Maneuver! Battle ON!
Renz pressed himself against the leftmost edge of the bed. If he rolled to the left, he'd fall right off. Of course, even if he rolled one space to the right, he wouldn't touch Erina, who was sleeping in the middle of the bed. That would require rolling at least two spaces. But would Renz roll two spaces? That was impossible. Trying to mess with me? I'm on the fifth dimension!
Wow. This bed was too soft. Was this what life was like for the rich? The bed looked super expensive, and sleeping on it was definitely much more comfortable than his small, dilapidated bed.
Erina was bewildered. She had thought she'd be very nervous if Renz slept on the bed, but unexpectedly, she wasn't nervous at all. That guy was just dodging frantically, like he was playing dodgeball. And she was the dodgeball. For example... Erina reached out to poke him. Renz instantly flinched, rolling to the left edge, half his body already tipping outwards.
Maximum effort! I was a young man whose reaction speed was measured at 0.09 seconds during club evaluations. You're still far from being able to touch me.
However, it was useless. No matter how big the bed, Erina, sleeping in the very center, could reach out and poke him if she really tried.
"What are you doing?" Renz asked, startled by the poke, thinking Erina needed something.
"Nothing, go to sleep," Erina closed her eyes, hoping no unexpected accidents would happen by morning. If Renz dared to be dishonest, Erina decided she would revoke his right to reside in this villa.
Yes. That's how it would be. Even if Renz begged her, she wouldn't show him any mercy. Letting him sleep on the bed tonight was just because she, Lady Erina, pitied him!
Meanwhile, in the next room, Alice Nakiri's eyes were wide open. She had been on the verge of falling asleep. But in the dead of night, she suddenly heard something drop to the floor, and a few indistinguishable bits of conversation, which inevitably led to her imagination running wild.
---
What will be the outcome of Erina's "test" of Renz's character on the bed? And what will Alice make of the strange sounds and cryptic conversations coming from their room, fueling her already wild imagination?
---Support with power stones