"Kars? Why aren't you sleeping?" Patchouli was a bit surprised by Kars's appearance, but she didn't overthink it, and certainly didn't suspect him of spying. Considering her current state, she instinctively covered her chest with her hands.
"I couldn't sleep because of my nap today, so I came here to find you." And then he walked in on this. Why is Patchouli here instead of the bathroom? Oh, is she too lazy to walk that far…? Considering Patchouli's nature, for someone who disliked physical activity, using magic to clean herself was far more convenient than walking to the bathroom. This explained the current situation.
"Lady Patchouli, I've brought the clothes." Koakuma arrived at the doorway at that moment with a change of clothes. She then saw Kars standing at the door and glanced at Patchouli inside the room, instantly realizing that Kars had walked in on Patchouli cleaning herself.
Koakuma first went inside to deliver the clothes, then closed the door behind her, and looked at the slightly red-faced Kars. "You didn't deliberately come here to spy on Lady Patchouli, did you?" she teased, an amused expression on her face.
"What are you talking about?! How was I supposed to know Patchouli was doing that?! And have you ever seen a voyeur who just opens the door and walks in?! Is that even spying?! You idiot, Koakuma!" And to think she would accuse him of being that kind of person! That was truly outrageous!
"Alright, alright, I was just teasing you. That expression of yours was just so rare." The slightly shy look Kars had shown was something Koakuma had never seen before. It made her want to tease him a bit more to see if she could make him even shyer, but unfortunately, it hadn't worked.
"Anyone would feel awkward walking in on that, right?" Kars averted his gaze and replied. Although he had only seen her back, Patchouli's inherent allure was enough to make Kars blush, even at that glimpse.
"But you weren't shy at all when I unbuttoned my shirt before." Koakuma recalled the time when she unbuttoned her shirt a bit when Kars came to her room, hoping to see him blush. Why hadn't he shown any awkwardness then? He had just stared intently.
"Why would I be shy about that? You told me you were showing me, so why would I be shy? Besides, yours isn't as good as Patchouli's." Kars's matter-of-fact response felt like a dagger to Koakuma's heart. What do you mean mine isn't something to be shy about?! Are you completely dismissing my charm?! I, Koakuma, am plenty charming!
"You brat! Why do you think I don't have any charm?!" The indignant Koakuma angrily pulled Kars's cheeks to vent her frustration. Didn't she have any pride?!
"I'm just telling the truth!" Even under Koakuma's attack, Kars stuck to his opinion. Besides, what he said was a fact. At that time, he genuinely didn't feel there was anything to be shy about.
"That just makes it worse to hear!!"
"Koakuma, what are you doing?" Patchouli, having emerged from the room, asked, seeing Koakuma mercilessly attacking Kars's face.
"I… I am punishing this fellow who doesn't knock before entering someone's room!" Koakuma quickly offered an explanation, which was technically true. Kars never thought to knock before entering a room, so her explanation was valid.
Once Kars's face was freed from Koakuma's grasp, he rubbed it a few times and then immediately ran to Patchouli, hugging her and burying his face in her stomach. As for feeling awkward about touching Patchouli after what happened earlier? Impossible!
"Since you can't sleep, stay here and watch me write a magic book." Patchouli led Kars to a chair. As usual, she had Kars sit in her lap, took a pen, and began writing down magic spells on a blank page.
Kars stared at the magic Patchouli was recording, completely baffled. However, he quickly gave up trying to understand it. Not only was he uninterested, but it was most likely something he couldn't learn anyway. Why waste mental energy thinking about it?
"Wait, wasn't I here to waste mental energy?" He was so energetic that he wanted to find something to do to tire himself out and eventually fall asleep. However, after watching Patchouli write for a bit longer, Kars gave up again. He couldn't understand any of it, so how could he think about it? It only gave him a headache with no benefit.
"Patchouli, do you do this every night?"
"Yes. I record every new magic I develop. It's one of the few pleasures I have, just like you enjoy sunbathing, Kars."
"I see. It's really amazing that you can come up with so much, Patchouli." Kars sighed. Just watching Patchouli record magic wasn't making him sleepy at all. But since he chose to stay and keep her company, Kars sat quietly until Koakuma came to remind Patchouli that she needed to rest.
"I know. In a little bit." Although she replied, Kars felt Patchouli had no intention of stopping soon.
"Patchouli, why don't you try to lull me to sleep?" Kars suggested, having come up with an idea. This made Patchouli stop writing.
"Lull you to sleep?" Patchouli had never tried this before and wasn't sure if she could do it, but she nodded and agreed. She put down her pen and carried Kars back to her room. Koakuma watched the scene, wishing she could do the same thing.
Back in Patchouli's room, Patchouli had Kars lie in her arms. Remembering how Remilia used to lull Kars to sleep when he was a baby, she reached out and stroked his head, humming an unfamiliar melody. Listening to Patchouli's humming made Kars feel very comfortable. He wrapped his arms around her body and instinctively nestled his face against her chest.
This time, Kars wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the texture felt much softer than usual. And he felt something small protruding, and that small protrusion was…
Kars: (๑°⌓°๑)
Patchouli: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)