Autumn had already set in, and the sky grew dark earlier.
In the deep twilight of dusk, the cries of the cicadas rose and fell.
Kiana didn't go to the infirmary; she went straight back to the dormitory.
She was smart and understood her "symptoms" perfectly. Going to the infirmary would be social death.
She leaned against the wall for a good while to recover her senses. She had to get out of there before the bell rang.
Kiana, who had been standing still, finally moved, supporting herself against the wall as she slowly descended the stairs.
She made the arduous journey back to the dormitory, went into the bathroom, and locked the door from the inside. Only then did her weak and slender body suddenly go slack, her jelly-like legs no longer able to support her weight.
Trembling, she slowly crumpled, finally collapsing to the floor in a W-sit.
"...I held on... Finally... home..."
She murmured, her voice weak and powerless. The sound, devoid of any discernible emotion, gradually faded until only her cherry-pink lips moved silently, muttering words unknown.
If Kiana had never seen the "light," she could have endured the "darkness."
To have been able to endure it all the way here was truly remarkable.
Kiana herself felt it was a miracle that she hadn't shed a single drop of sweat on the way back.
So, it was finally—reward time.
Kiana leaned back against the door, white strands of hair stuck to her cheeks. Her moist eyes were half-open as she looked up, biting her cherry lips tightly, her pair of long, beautiful legs frantically stretching out straight...
The sun slowly set, the last rays of the evening glow sinking below the sea's surface, as if shy, not daring to look directly at the scene in the cramped bathroom.
The night was clear, the moon hanging among the branches.
There was a combat simulation tonight, so Mei and the others probably wouldn't be back until after 10 PM.
In the quiet room, the bathroom's ventilation system hummed continuously.
At some point, Kiana, now sitting on the sofa, suddenly snapped back to her senses.
Her expression was uncertain as she looked at her own hand.
Just now, her small hand had been soaked again and again, washed with shower gel again and again...
After a long silence, a bewitching, alluring blush gradually appeared on her small face, which was filled with conflict and struggle.
Kiana lay flat on the sofa, and the hand resting on her chest couldn't help but slowly move down to her lower abdomen.
The number has decreased again...
Does the number decrease in my own world too?
Kiana was in a competition with Jingliu. Both started from 100, and the little bug was already approaching the halfway mark.
No, that wasn't the issue...
Kiana discovered that no matter what she did, it was nothing compared to the feeling Ye Feng gave her.
Even after doing it again and again, even when her body felt completely drained, even when her legs had turned to jelly...
It still didn't compare to a single hair on Ye Feng's head.
In fact, the more she rewarded herself, the emptier she felt.
And the more she wanted it.
"How... could this be..."
Kiana bit her cherry lips with her pearly teeth, her almond eyes shimmering as she writhed on the sofa.
"——No!"
Kiana shot upright.
Smack— she slapped her own cheeks hard with both hands to wake herself up.
"Kiana... don't you lose to desire..."
To be precise.
She couldn't lose to Ye Feng!
Kiana glanced at the clock on the wall; it was still a while before the simulation training ended.
She took another shower, got dressed again, and on unsteady feet, she also went to the simulation training room.
Lying around alone made it easy to overthink things.
So, she would just get moving!
Disperse her energy, consume her energy.
Then she wouldn't have so much free time to think about random nonsense.
"Kiana, didn't you take leave?"
Himeko looked at Kiana, who was walking a bit unsteadily, and couldn't help but say, "You don't look like you're in good shape. Don't tell me you came to train too?"
Kiana placed her hands on her hips, forcing herself to rally her spirits. "Ha, I'm fine! See, fists the size of sandbags, capable of beating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast to death."
"..."
Mei and Bronya also walked over, their faces full of concern and worry.
"Kiana is being this serious? I'm truly impressed. But Bronya suggests it would be better for you to go back and rest now. Bronya just scanned your body, and your basic vital signs are not looking good."
"That's right, Kiana. Working hard is important, but you need to balance work and rest."
But Kiana just waved her hand dismissively, determined to have her own way. She had only one word.
"——Fight!"
---o---
Seele opened her eyes to find herself in a spacious, elegant, and bright grand hall.
Clear sunlight streamed in through massive arched windows. She stared blankly at her own reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window before her.
Seele was wearing new clothes.
It was a formal dress with a blue base.
Exquisite and elegant.
The blue transitioned from a deep, almost purple hue on the torso to a light, bright azure at the hem. Paired with the large, layered folds of the skirt, which resembled waves crashing on the shore, it inevitably brought to mind elements of the ocean.
And the gradient-colored, ocean-blue long gloves added a touch of noble and magnificent temperament to Seele.
This was an outfit that should have appeared at a high-class banquet, yet here it was, worn by a girl from a small place.
"This..."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Ye Feng appeared at the doorway, walking towards her along the luxurious red carpet.
"...Brother Ye Feng..." Seele whispered.
It seemed she had come to this strange world again.
"Good morning, Seele."
"...G-good morning."
Is it morning?
Seele didn't know. She vaguely remembered going to bed around ten o'clock.
The moment she closed her eyes, she appeared here.
"...What's... with the clothes Seele is wearing?"
"I thought they would suit you very well, so I changed them for you."
"Eh?"
Seele froze for a moment.
"...Brother Ye Feng helped Seele... change?"
"That's right."
Receiving an affirmative answer, the pure young girl's cheeks instantly turned red, as cute as an apple.
She lowered her head, her fingers nervously placed on her chest.
"Don't worry, changing outfits is very convenient here. See, you just have to click here."
Ye Feng summoned the [Dressing Room] panel and demonstrated for Seele.
Ye Feng changed into a Zhongshan suit.
Seeing this, Seele felt a sense of relief.
However, what Seele didn't notice was that Ye Feng never said he had used the [Dressing Room] on her.
"Do you think it looks good, Seele?"
"Mm... yes, it's beautiful..."
"Right? You should take good care of this dress, Seele. It might come in handy in the future."
"Are you really giving such a beautiful dress to Seele?"
PS: I didn't really notice before, but has this book really reached 400,000 characters already?
There's still a lot of content I haven't written. I feel like I can write for a long time.