Liu Yuan closed her eyes, and her vision sank into darkness.
Beside her, Furina's racing heartbeat gradually slowed, the steam above her head fading away.
She stood up, carefully turning toward Liu Yuan.
After confirming that Liu Yuan had indeed closed her eyes, Furina exhaled a long, shaky breath of relief.
But the instant she remembered her posture from earlier, her face flamed red again — completely out of her control.
After a long moment, Furina finally managed to calm her thoughts. She looked at Liu Yuan, whose deep blue eyes remained closed, her breathing calm and even. That composed image made Furina glance twice… then thrice.
Her gaze drifted downward. The soft measuring tape lay coiled on the floor — her original tool for measuring Liu Yuan's body data.
Except now, Furina's mind was a total mess.
She hesitated, torn between continuing or abandoning the whole thing. The measuring methods she'd learned from Eloffe were… ambiguous at best, deeply questionable at worst — but undeniably precise.
Still… those actions were way too suspicious!
As she mentally rehearsed the next steps, she realized most of them involved zero-distance touching.
That's a problem! A huge problem!
But…
Her cheeks warmed again as she glanced at Liu Yuan — standing there with her eyes closed, completely still, completely trusting. The sight stirred something inside Furina.
A dangerous thought slipped into her mind.
"How about… continue measuring?"
She bit her lip, but the idea refused to leave. Her gaze locked on the soft ruler on the floor like a moth drawn to flame.
Inside her mind, two tiny Furinas appeared, one on each shoulder—
One shouting, "Furina! You can't! Have you no shame? No decency?! Stop this nonsense!"
The other smirking slyly, "This is your chance, Furina! When will you ever get such a perfect excuse to get close to Liu Yuan again? Don't you want to? Don't you?!"
The two argued endlessly, leaving Furina dizzy and stuck in the middle.
Until, at last, she opened her eyes, decision made.
She looked at Liu Yuan, then at the soft ruler on the ground. After a long pause, a flicker of determination crossed her face.
Just this once… It'll only be this once!
Furina told herself firmly, then swiftly picked up the measuring tape.
"L-Liu Yuan!"
Her voice cracked slightly, so she raised it to hide the nervous tremor beneath.
"What's wrong?"
Liu Yuan's gentle voice came in reply, calm and unbothered.
"I… I'm going to measure your body data next! You have to follow my instructions, okay?!"
The guilt in her chest grew heavier. Lying to Liu Yuan felt wrong— so very wrong —but this feeling wasn't like the ones she faked when acting as the Hydro Archon. This… felt too real.
Liu Yuan sensed the odd tone but didn't pry. She simply nodded once, her voice soft and obedient.
"Understood."
Furina blinked and took a deep breath.
Come on, Furina. Stay calm. Don't let her notice anything weird!
Holding the soft ruler in both hands, she slowly approached Liu Yuan again.
Earlier, when she measured the waist, her brain had crashed so badly that she'd forgotten to even record the data.
This time, she focused — well, tried to. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached around and wrapped the tape across Liu Yuan's waist.
And then… she hugged her.
Her heartbeat exploded. The legitimate excuse of "measuring" made her feel both guilty and secretly thrilled.
It was quick — barely two or three seconds — because Furina didn't want Liu Yuan to notice how fast her own heart was pounding.
Okay. Next was the chest circumference…
But as she raised her gaze, she realized a problem—
Their height difference.
She stood much shorter than Liu Yuan. Trying to measure properly meant she'd have to stand on her toes, pressing almost her entire body against the taller woman.
That would be far too obvious!
Furina's mind screamed no, even while her heart whispered yes.
After a moment of internal chaos, she cleared her throat and said, "Um… Liu Yuan, crouch down a little. I need to measure your chest circumference."
Liu Yuan nodded and bent forward slightly.
Furina inched closer.
This hug… felt completely different.
Compared to wrapping her arms around Liu Yuan's waist earlier, this time their closeness was intoxicating. Their faces were now inches apart.
So close…
She could see the length of Liu Yuan's eyelashes, how soft her lips looked, how peaceful her face was when relaxed.
Her breath caught.
Liu Yuan with her eyes closed was even more beautiful — serene, quiet, almost ethereal.
Without realizing it, Furina leaned forward, drawn in by some invisible force.
Just a little more and—
No!
Her rational mind snapped back, jerking her to reality. She hastily looped the tape around Liu Yuan's chest, scribbled the number down, and jumped back as if burned.
Her face burned hotter than a forge.
What the hell was I doing just now?!
I almost kissed her!
Her thoughts spiraled into chaos.
It was the first time she had ever been so close to Liu Yuan — so close she could feel her breath against her skin — and she didn't know what had come over her.
When she came back to her senses, she realized she'd actually been on tiptoe, leaning her whole body against Liu Yuan's. If she'd tilted her chin just a little higher…
Their lips would've touched.
Just a little more.
Furina's heart raced, half in panic, half in something far more dangerous.
What if she'd noticed?
Would she think I did it on purpose?
Would she realize I… like her?
Her thoughts tangled until they hurt.
She didn't know if Liu Yuan liked her back. She didn't even know what Liu Yuan thought of her.
All she knew was — she was terrified.
Terrified that this fragile closeness might shatter.
She'd grown too used to Liu Yuan's presence… too dependent on her warmth.
And now, as she looked at the calm young woman with her eyes still closed, Furina's heart ached — full of affection and confusion, her mismatched eyes trembling with emotion.
.
.
.
_