His eyes, already wide from Kiana's surprise attack, bulged even further.
He had thought he wouldn't lose his composure like this again.
But who could have anticipated that Kiana would actually suggest something even more outrageous than taking a bath in a stranger's house without locking the door?
"Wh—What?!"
"Sleep together!" Kiana said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "The bed is so big, sleeping two people is totally fine! This way, you won't have to worry about me being all alone!"
Shu violently executed a tactical evasion, staring in disbelief at her matter-of-fact expression.
What did it mean to be completely open and shameless?
Kiana was as brazenly confident as a student who miraculously happened to have finished the exact homework assignment chosen for a surprise inspection!
Shu's brain short-circuited, but his mouth began firing off on auto-pilot.
"What kind of indecency is this?" Shu had no idea why this was the first thing out of his mouth, but it felt right on the tip of his tongue.
"Men and women should maintain proper distance! An unmarried man and woman sharing a room is already pushing the limit, how can we—how can we share the same bed?! The ancient sages said, 'Neither tie your shoes in a melon patch, nor adjust your crown under a plum tree, lest you invite suspicion!' Such overstepping of boundaries is a breach of etiquette, a lapse in morality, a—"
Kiana tilted her head, looking at him.
Yep! Didn't understand a single word—!
But Kiana realized she didn't really need to understand.
Her gaze silently shifted downwards, landing on Shu's ears.
They were bright red.
Red from the tips all the way to the roots.
Kiana's eyes and the corners of her mouth slowly curved into crescents.
"Hehe~"
Shu immediately snapped his mouth shut, a wave of desolation washing over his heart.
"Shu?"
Shu looked at her, his face taut with vigilance.
Kiana's smile grew wider.
"Don't worry, I absolutely won't try anything funny~"
She's doing this on purpose, isn't she? Shu looked at that Anya-esque smug smirk and instantly cemented his theory.
She was absolutely doing this on purpose!
And as facts would prove, Kiana's performance was exceptionally effective. Shu's face suddenly burned hot.
Just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Kiana's follow-up attack arrived.
"Oh?"
She dragged out the syllable.
"Could it be..."
She leaned in closer.
"...that Shu is the one who wants to secretly do something funny?"
Shu's breath violently hitched.
It wasn't the embarrassment of having some hidden motive exposed. Even though his mind did wander for a second, he swore to the heavens he didn't have even the slightest impure thought—he only felt pure, unadulterated fear.
He was simply choking on her teasing attitude, unable to catch his breath.
Wow, since when did Kiana become such a menace?!
Kiana maintained her smile, quietly admiring Shu as he fumbled through eight different nervous twitches a second. She watched him start to speak several times, only to swallow his words, ultimately failing to utter a single syllable.
Kiana's smile gradually became... became blissful.
Wait, what?! Why blissful?!
Shu didn't have time to ponder such questions, because Kiana had already reached out and shoved him into the bedroom.
"Alright, alright. Since you're sleepy, it's time for bed."
"Wait..." Shu tried to struggle, but Kiana's attitude was unusually unyielding. Leaving him with almost no room to resist, she forcefully pushed him inside.
Pushing Shu into the bedroom, Kiana casually flipped the wall switch.
CLICK.
The bedroom lights flickered to life, bathing the entire room in a warm yellow glow.
Kiana still didn't let go.
She hugged Shu tightly from behind, wrapping both arms around his waist so he couldn't escape. Then, she poked her head over his shoulder and began to seriously examine the room she was entering for the very first time.
They say a bedroom is a person's most private sanctuary... though whether it was Shu's quarters in the Fire-Moth or his room on the Hyperion, they had practically become her own personal backyards.
But this was Kiana's first time in this particular room.
"Huh?"
First, she sniffed the air, a little surprised.
She caught a faint, delicate fragrance—like the scent of perfume?
Shu actually used perfume?
It was actually character impression perfume... though he never used it. Shu had bought it purely for display.
Even completely immobilized by Kiana's grip, he could still feel her small movements behind him. Hearing her confused hum and the sound of her sniffing, Shu easily deduced what Kiana was wondering about.
Kiana didn't dwell on why Shu's room smelled like perfume. Her gaze swept across the entire space.
The bed was quite large, the sheets made neatly.
The wardrobe was white, its doors tightly shut.
There were two nightstands; the left one held a desk lamp, while the right one was completely bare.
The desk sat by the window, hosting an obviously expensive computer setup, alongside a bookshelf packed to the brim...
And then...
That was it.
Just that.
No decorative paintings, no knick-knacks, no photos—nothing that reflected the owner's personality.
The whole room felt empty, like an unlived-in showroom.
Kiana furrowed her brows.
"Shu," her voice came from behind him. "Why is your room so empty?"
Shu's body stiffened slightly.
"...Empty?"
"Empty," Kiana nodded affirmatively. "There's nothing here. Do you actually live in here?"
Shu was silent for a second.
"...Yeah."
She didn't buy it.
Hmph, don't think Kiana Kaslana doesn't know what kind of things you hide, Shu!
She had secretly peeked at—er... accidentally glimpsed the Book of Time before!
Kiana's gaze began sweeping the room like a searchlight, quickly locking onto several targets.
The wardrobe was closed; there was definitely something inside.
The nightstand drawers could be pulled open.
There might be storage boxes under the desk.
And under the bed—
Her eyes scanned the gap beneath the bed. It was a pity she couldn't bend down and peek under right now, otherwise she'd definitely find the good stuff!
At an angle Shu couldn't see, the corners of Kiana's mouth slowly curled up.
She withdrew her gaze and continued pushing Shu towards the bed.
"Alright, alright, sleep first, sleep first—"
Pushed from behind, Shu stumbled forward.
He was already in his pajamas and slippers, so he didn't even need to change clothes.
Kiana shoved him straight onto the bed—
THUD.
Shu collapsed onto the mattress.
The soft bedding caught his fall. And finally, he regained his freedom.
Shu swiftly rolled over, raising his hands in front of him to form a barrier between himself and Kiana. His expression was as resolute as a soldier taking a final stand.
"I haven't washed up for bed yet!"
He fired off the words like a machine gun.
Kiana was currently holding a pillow, preparing to smack him out cold like bouncing a ball. Hearing Shu's final desperate struggle, her movements froze.
She paused.
Blinked.
Then she remembered—
Oh right, I haven't washed up either.
The two of them maintained their bizarre postures, staring at each other.
Shu lying on the bed, hands raised in defense.
Kiana standing by the bed, pillow hoisted like a weapon.
Blinking. Caught in a deadlocked stare.
In the very next moment, the two of them were standing side-by-side in front of the bathroom sink, a toothbrush in each of their hands, mechanically going through their washing routine while staring at their twin reflections in the mirror.