The room remained silent, with only the soft intertwining breaths of the two people.
Click!
Suddenly, a crisp switch sound broke the silence.
The sudden strong light made Serie, deeply nestled in the soft pillow, frown unhappily.
Like a startled cat, she let out a muffled grunt, instinctively burying her face in the quilt, revealing only a few strands of messy black hair.
"Hey! Modie! The sun's already high! Lazybones!" A clear, slightly helpless female voice rang out.
A tall figure stood by the bed; it was Claudia.
Her ink-black long hair was casually draped, making her skin appear even fairer.
Her green eyes now held a look of slight disdain mixed with a hint of doting as she gazed at the white cocoon curled up on the bed.
Today was the weekend.
Claudia had purposely woken up early, thinking of dragging her "good friend" out for a nice meal.
She mumbled, "You can't sleep forever, even on weekends."
As she spoke, she reached out and pulled back the tightly wrapped down comforter from Serie!
"Get up—Uh?!"
Claudia's urging voice abruptly stopped, and her beautiful green eyes widened instantly.
When the quilt was pulled back, Serie's curled-up figure was indeed there, as expected.
But... she wasn't alone!
Yuki was curled up beside Serie, her small face flushed from sleep, her breathing even.
She was like a small animal that had found a warm harbor.
One arm was naturally wrapped around Serie's slender, soft waist, and her cheek was even comfortably nestled in Serie's neck.
The two were extremely close, their posture intimate and unguarded.
When did Yuki sneak in?!
She was actually sleeping so soundly while hugging Modie?!
Claudia's fur bristled as she stared at Yuki's hand wrapped around Serie's waist, finding it extremely unsightly.
She desperately wanted to reach out, pull Yuki up, shake her awake, and question her, but when her gaze fell upon Serie's sleeping face—her brow furrowed after the quilt was removed, yet showing no signs of waking—that impulse was forcibly suppressed.
Modie seems to be sleeping very deeply...
But why can Yuki?
If Yuki can, then I can too!
Almost as if possessed, Claudia pursed her lips.
She didn't wake anyone; instead, she went all in, quickly kicked off her high-heeled boots, pulled back the other side of the quilt, and slipped in!
The down comforter fell back down, covering the figures of the three girls.
Claudia lay stiffly on Serie's other side, but the faint, sweet scent of Serie still wafted into her nostrils.
She could clearly hear Serie's steady breathing beside her and also feel Yuki's presence on the other side.
The sourness in her heart did not disappear; instead, it became even more subtle due to this strange "threesome."
She closed her eyes, trying to calm her slightly racing heartbeat.
Time flowed in silence.
After about another half an hour, Serie's long eyelashes fluttered gently a few times.
She finally slowly opened her eyes, disturbed by the overly crowded sleeping environment.
Her ink-black eyes were still veiled with a layer of lingering sleepiness.
Mist swirled, making her appear exceptionally dazed.
Her consciousness returned very slowly.
She first blinked blankly, feeling the warm touch and weight coming from both sides of her body.
She tilted her head slightly.
To her left was Claudia's exquisitely contoured profile, her dark hair spread across the pillow, eyes closed, but her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Her usual sharpness and arrogance had vanished at this moment.
She slept defenselessly, this guileless appearance making Claudia seem even more endearing.
Then, tilting her head slightly to the right, what met her eyes were Yuki's fluffy twin ponytails and her small face, sleeping without any regard for appearance.
Huh?
Serie's brain froze for a few seconds.
Last night, she had clearly gone to bed alone...
When did Yuki arrive?
And when did Claudia sneak in?
What were they doing?
A hint of confusion had just arisen when it was overshadowed by another, stronger thought.
Ah... right.
Today is the weekend.
This realization was like a warm current, instantly dispelling all confusion and questions.
Who cares how it became like this?
Weekends are for indulging in lazy sleep!
Having friends accompany her in bed—isn't this double... oh no, triple the joy?
Serie's lips unconsciously curved into a satisfied, lazy arc, like a cat basking in the sun.
She didn't push anyone away; instead, she tightened her arms, pulling the two warm "pillows" on either side—whether it was Yuki, who had secretly snuck in, or Claudia, who was inexplicably also lying there—closer into her embrace.
If Heinuma Hayato were to see this scene, his expression would surely be quite something.
Serie found a more comfortable position, rubbed her cheek against the soft pillow, and contentedly closed her eyes again.
Mm, happy weekend.
Keep sleeping.
While Serie slept, far away in Saint Martan...
Goluthos, it's time to get up.
The air was filled with the scent of old paper, dry earth, and a hint of blood orange incense.
Serie opened her eyes in Goluthos's body.
What met her eyes was an unfamiliar concrete ceiling.
She was briefly disoriented, feeling the rough texture of the bedsheet against her skin, and... the chill of nothing on her body.
Serie sat up, her pure white hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders.
She pulled the thin quilt higher, covering her naked body, revealing only her beautifully sculpted collarbones and rounded shoulders.
She looked around.
The room was small, its furnishings simple to the point of austerity.
The walls were almost entirely covered with yellowed document reproductions, blurry photos of ruins, and hand-drawn maps.
In the corner, several open wooden crates were stacked, containing carefully wrapped pottery shards and metal artifacts of unknown purpose.
A large, old wooden table occupied the other side of the room, covered with notebooks, rolled-up parchments, and several small measuring tools.
The entire space looked more like a temporary workstation for a frontline archaeologist than a rebel leader's bedroom.
Yes, this was Chloe's room.
This was Serie's first time in Chloe's room.
Chloe was hunched over the wooden table, working; her smooth black hair was casually tied back into a neat ponytail, revealing her long neck.
Perhaps it was just a feeling, but Chloe seemed to have gotten much fairer.
Chloe seemed to have sensitive skin; she tanned quickly but would turn white again after a few days indoors.
Her distinctly jointed fingers tapped on a notebook, occasionally pausing as if in thought.
Sensing the gaze from behind her, Chloe turned around.
"Awake?" Her voice was low and husky, still with the remnants of sleep. "Did you sleep well?"
Serie nodded gently.
The open-air hot spring last night... it really had a miraculous effect, no wonder she slept so soundly.
"That's good." Chloe chuckled softly, then, as if remembering something, her brows furrowed slightly, and her tone became serious: "I'm researching the Fear Eater Rose in the flower field. Clearing them by burning is too costly, and I'm afraid it might cause a chain reaction."
"After all, there's a densely populated residential area not far away."
"I'm trying to find a way to completely neutralize them."
You want to neutralize these Fear Eater Rose that contain a large number of Gluttony Counts?
Serie's eyes lit up at the words; it couldn't be easier!
Serie pointed vigorously at her mouth, then made an exaggerated "chomp" motion, as if swallowing something whole.
Don't bother looking! Leave it to me! I can eat them all!
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[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"