Lying there staring at the ceiling, Shu began his mental preparation.
This is to survive... this is for my irreplaceable life...
So, I'm sorry, Kiana!
Shu took a deep breath, and his brain, having just jolted awake, shifted into high gear for the first time today.
Compared to moving the leg, the higher priority was freeing his hand.
This was the most fundamental step.
As long as he could pull his hand free, he would have room to maneuver and more leverage. Then he could easily lift Kiana's leg and gracefully make his exit!
It was a simple logic. Shu's thinking was simple, and the chain of logic was simple.
As for how exactly he was going to pry Kiana's hand open, or whether lifting the leg or pulling out his hand would actually be easier...
His brain still hadn't fully recovered from the dream.
Regardless, pulling his hand out came first.
He slowly raised his free hand, attempting to rescue the captured wrist.
However, Kiana's five fingers were clamped down tight, like she was holding onto a precious treasure she was terrified of losing if she let go.
As if she had actually lost it before...
Shu tried to move slightly, but the wrist remained as unresponsive and immovable as a boulder, as if it had been cursed.
He tried applying a little more force.
Those five fingers suppressed his wrist completely, heavy as the Five Finger Mountain.
It's come to this— Shu took a deep breath. Using both hands together, he yanked outward with all his might—
Kiana's hand didn't budge an inch.
It truly possessed the unyielding presence of a towering cliff.
Instead, she seemed to be disturbed by Shu's movements. She nuzzled closer to him, and as a result, the leg pressed down even firmer.
Shu: "..."
He suddenly realized a problem:
He didn't seem... to be as strong as Kiana.
This isn't right.
No matter what, he was an adult male, and no matter what, Kiana was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl weighing only 48 kilograms...
What? A Kaslana?
Oh, never mind then.
...
Wait, that makes it even worse!!
When she wakes up, won't the slap she unleashes in her humiliated fury literally spike my head away like a volleyball?!
Shu didn't want to think about it anymore.
He only knew that in the face of absolute power, his struggles appeared exceptionally ridiculous, perhaps even a little cute.
But he couldn't give up.
He wanted to live.
He had never looked forward to something so much in his life, and life always finds a way.
Heh... a mere Kiana, can she really keep me pinned down forever?
Can she really suppress me for a lifetime?!
Hmph!
Shu felt his machismo burning. Today, he was going to show Kiana who was the master of this house!! Who the real adult was!!
He took another deep breath, his eyes as resolute as if he were about to elbow-drop the four Chaos Gods of the Warp.
At the same time, his entire understanding of "Kiana" was processed by his brilliant brain cells into a master plan!
An Idea King was born!
Since, in terms of sheer strength, humans cannot overcome a mighty Kaslana.
Then—
What about tickling?!
Shu moved abruptly. His relatively free hand decisively reached toward Kiana's body, curled his fingers at her ribs and waist, and gave her a light tickle!
Kiana's peaceful sleeping face instantly contorted.
No matter how strong the power of the Kaslana family was, it couldn't grant immunity to tickling.
Because this was a form of attack that transcended power scaling!
It was the ultimate weapon of the weak against the strong—URAAAA!
As Kiana's expression twisted, her body also began to writhe uncomfortably. At the same time, the demonic claw gripping Shu's wrist finally loosened!
Now's the time!
Shu's pupils contracted sharply.
In the instant Kiana let go due to the tickling, time seemed to stretch infinitely.
He saw it—the opening!
The opening leading to freedom... lasting a mere 0.3 seconds... fleeting and ephemeral!
Countless thoughts exploded in his mind—
Today's situation is either her or me!
If heaven gives and you do not take, you will suffer the consequences!
If not now, then when!
His freed hands shot out, carrying the accumulated oppression of the entire morning—a full three minutes and forty-seven seconds!
Come on! Burn the boats!
A desperate last stand!
If I don't succeed, I die trying!
His fingers precisely hooked under the bend of Kiana's knee—
At this moment, he was no longer an ordinary young man.
He was a Spartan warrior, a ghost of Thermopylae, a martyr who chose to rebel even in desperate straits!
For freedom!
For dignity!
For not being treated as a body pillow!
He exerted all his strength—
HEAVE—!!!
Muscles bulging! Blood pumping! Veins popping!
Kiana's writhing body stilled. She frowned, and all of Shu's efforts instantly vanished like a popped bubble.
"Oof—"
Shu let out a breath of stale air, feeling as if he had been completely crushed under the Five Finger Mountain.
Following the extreme excitement came extreme autism.
Lying there, Shu moved his daily "three self-reflections" forward to this morning.
Am I really this weak?
He looked down at his hands.
Then he looked up at the ceiling.
He got his answer.
Yeah, I'm weak as hell.
Before he could finish dwelling on this tragic answer, he suddenly felt the weight on his body lighten.
The leg that had been pressing on him for half the day lifted on its own.
Shu was overjoyed.
He hurriedly pushed himself up into a sitting position, preparing to use this opportunity to flee this dangerous place—
And then he froze.
Because even though he was sitting up, Kiana's face was still right next to him. He could see it just by turning his head.
The distance between their faces was less than twenty centimeters, so close that Shu could clearly see the curl of her eyelashes.
Shu's heart declared a traffic restriction and went on strike for the day.
He stared wide-eyed at the face mere inches away.
Kiana was also looking at him.
Her arms were crossed over her chest... more accurately, she was clutching the spot on her ribs where she had just been tickled.
Her eyes were wide and round, her cheeks puffed out, staring straight at him just like that.
And to Shu—
Reflected in those clear blue eyes was the accusation: "You actually tickled me?!"
And even more so, the interrogation: "What did you do to me?"
Oh boy, I'm dead.
He maintained his newly-sat-up posture, locked eyes with Kiana, and tried to disguise himself as an innocent bystander using an innocent expression.
But Kiana clearly wasn't fooled by Shu's "innocent" look. Clutching the spot she was tickled, her gaze toward Shu grew increasingly hostile.
At this very moment, this Kaslana, feeling her territory had been violated, had only one thought in her head.
He's provoking me!
"Shu...—!!" A dangerous purr rolled from her throat. The next second, under Shu's horrified gaze, Kiana pounced directly at him like a lioness.
"Wai—" Shu's voice was abruptly cut off because Kiana's first move was to cover his mouth with her hand. It was exactly like how she had stifled Shu's screams back in Nagazora City, executed with practiced ease.
Then, Kiana pinned Shu down directly. She flashed the flexibility of her fingers in front of his eyes, and then lowered that hand—which danced like a convulsing octopus—onto his body.
"Mmph—!!!"
The start of a beautiful day.
Beginning with Shu's muffled, breaking laughter.