"Mmm…"
As consciousness slowly returned to Clara in the early morning, the first thing she registered was a sensation of being tightly constricted, making it somewhat difficult to breathe all over.
"Hnn… so uncomfortable…"
Wearily opening her eyes, Clara was met with the sight of Firefly clinging to her like an octopus, arms and legs wrapped tightly around her body. The impressive swell of Firefly's chest was pressed firmly against Clara's face, making breathing a genuine struggle.
"..."
Looking at the scene before her, Clara felt a wave of relief that she wasn't exactly an ordinary person and didn't strictly need to breathe.
Otherwise, with Firefly's particular sleeping style, she might have been in the middle of a lovely dream, only for her breathing to gradually grow labored before she was strangled to death in her sleep by Firefly right then and there…
Gazing at Firefly, who was still breathing evenly in slumber, Clara didn't wake her directly. Instead, she gently pried the limbs entwined around her—first the hands, then the feet.
Moving slowly and carefully, managing not to make a sound or disturb Firefly's sleep, she gradually slid out of bed.
Clara pulled the covers back up, then walked to the washbasin to begin her morning routine.
"Mmm…"
Not long after Clara left, Firefly's eyes also fluttered open.
"Huh… that's weird? Where's my body pillow?"
Still groggy from sleep, Firefly looked around for the soft, faintly milky-scented body pillow from her dreams.
"Hm? Wait, where's Clara?"
After a fruitless search, Firefly snapped fully awake. Discovering that Clara, who had shared the bed with her, was now missing, a jolt of panic shot through her.
She hurriedly got out of bed and called out,
"Clara? Clara, are you here?"
"…"
Clara, currently in the middle of brushing her teeth with a mouth full of foamy toothpaste, heard Firefly's call but couldn't be bothered to answer.
"Clara! Clara!"
Getting no response after her first call, Firefly's internal alarm bells rang louder. She raised her voice and called out again.
"…"
Just like before, feeling the minty foam in her mouth and hearing Firefly's calls, Clara remained silent, unwilling to respond.
"Clara…"
Hearing no reply from Clara, Firefly—now convinced Clara had left her—felt her eyes grow misty, tears quickly welling up and threatening to spill.
Then, an object composed of white, gold, and black parts materialized in her hand. It seemed to be the transformation device for the Sam Armor.
Firefly raised the device to the side of her head, and faint sparks began to crackle around her body.
"Huh?"
Clara at the washbasin seemed to sense something. Puzzled, she took a few steps back, turning her gaze toward the bed.
"What the—?"
Seeing Firefly on the verge of completing her transformation, Clara spat out the water and toothpaste foam in her mouth.
"What's wrong with this crazy woman?" she thought, her mind reeling. Why was Firefly resorting to transformation at the drop of a hat?
But there was no time left to ponder. If Firefly succeeded in transforming into [Sam], the resulting flames would likely reduce this cheaply-built hotel room to ashes in no time.
To prevent such a disaster, Clara flashed to a spot behind Firefly in an instant. Then, eyeing the back of Firefly's head, she summoned a baseball bat into her hand and brought it down with a swing.
Thwack!
"Like Moths to the flame, rush toward death… Ouch!"
Perhaps because she couldn't bring herself to actually hurt Firefly, Clara hadn't put much force into the swing. It was just enough to interrupt the transformation process.
Therefore, Firefly didn't get knocked out on the spot. Instead, she just clutched her head and turned to look.
"Clara…"
Upon seeing it was Clara, the tears Firefly had been holding back finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"I thought you'd abandoned me…"
Firefly opened her arms, pulling Clara into a tight embrace, and began to sob loudly.
Clara: ?
Seriously? I was just brushing my teeth. Why are you crying?
"Shh… it's okay, don't cry. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere…"
Though Clara had no idea what could have possibly gone through Firefly's mind in those few short minutes, now didn't seem the time to dwell on it.
Clara reached out and patted Firefly's back, comforting her like a mother soothing a distraught child.
"There, there~ How about we stop crying, hmm?"
"If you stop crying, I'll treat you to a feast tonight, okay?"
"Really?"
The motherly coaxing tactic proved quite effective. Hearing Clara's offer, Firefly's tears stopped almost immediately. She loosened her grip and looked at Clara for confirmation.
"Would I lie to you?"
"Then I… I want to eat…"
"Whatever you want, name it." Clara patted her own modest chest with an air of grand generosity. "Whether it's Belobog's local specialties, the most luxurious cosmic fine-dining, or the simple, smoky delights from a street food stall."
"I can take you to eat it all."
"I want to eat… I want to eat… you."
After saying this, Firefly gazed at Clara with tender affection, her eyes so soft they seemed to shimmer with moisture.
Well… Firefly had just been crying, and her tear-streaks weren't dry yet, so that shimmer might not just be emotion—it was probably actual tears.
"..."
Hearing this, Clara was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
"Is that okay~?"
"I want to~"
Seeing Clara fall silent, Firefly turned on the charm, her voice taking on a sweet, pleading tone.
"..."
Listening to that voice, Clara fell silent once more. Then, with an utterly serious expression, she stared at Firefly, her lips parting slightly as she slowly uttered three words:
"Eat sh*t."
Firefly: …
…
A/N: It seems it might be a bit difficult for Firefly to "win over" Clara within a hundred chapters. Writing at a normal pace, it will probably only happen a few chapters after the conclusion of the Jarilo-VI arc.
That would be around chapter 120 or so.
My previous mention of 'within a hundred chapters' was just a rough estimate. I can now confirm—sorry, I miscalculated! /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
Honestly, it's mainly because the earlier parts dragged on a little. If I hadn't padded those chapters out, Firefly could have won Clara over within a hundred chapters. But padding is human nature! Asking me not to pad at all? Impossible, utterly impossible! >.< (Just muttering to myself here.)
For example, right now, I'm putting words that belong in an 'Author's Note' right into the main text.
High EQ interpretation: Putting it in the main text ensures everyone sees it, making things clear at a glance.
Low EQ interpretation: Word count was a bit short, so I'm padding the main text a little, hehe~
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 2 chapters per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
patreon.com/intraneer
Give power stones please I survive solely off of number go up.