The little bug never dreamed that one day she would become a "cushion."
She could feel Mei's temperature, feel Mei's softness, feel another side of Mei, but the one bringing about these changes was that rotten man.
And Mei, really, why was she screaming so loud?
Did she think that by being loud, she could cover up the awkwardness?
I don't want to hear Mei's voice, lost in abandon because of that guy!!
"Kiana, you look a little pale..." Bronya asked with concern.
Clang—!
In the kitchen, Mei, who was preparing a meal, accidentally let a plate slip from her hands.
The crisp sound pulled Kiana, who had been lost in her reverie, back to reality.
Kiana was also feeling awful all over. It was probably because that dog Ye Feng hadn't touched her from start to finish, only making the little bug watch, or rather... be a cushion.
The result was good, in the end. Mei had agreed to "this marriage."
But something still felt strange.
"Ah? No, I'm fine. I probably just didn't sleep well last night. Um, Mei, I'll help you clean up the shards."
Kiana stood up, walked into the kitchen, and came up behind Mei.
The little bug looked at the girl before her. She had never imagined Mei's body could be so soft, or so... scalding hot.
"Eh? N-No, you don't have to..."
Seeing Kiana approach, Mei shied away as if she'd received an electric shock.
Mei was wearing an apron, looking so gentle and virtuous, but right now her mind was filled with a blurry, mosaic-censored animation.
"Mei?"
Kiana looked at her with wide eyes, as if she couldn't understand why Mei was acting this way.
Mei guiltily avoided Kiana's gaze. "Um... I can handle it myself."
"Ehehe, what does it matter? Does Mei still need to be so polite with me?"
Kiana insisted on helping Mei clean up the ceramic bowl fragments from the floor.
Mei found it hard to refuse again.
Bronya looked up and stared at the two of them. Were they getting stranger and stranger?
On the way to their classroom, Kiana put her brilliant intellect to full use and managed to shake off Bronya, finally creating some space for just her and Mei.
The autumn air was crisp and clear. The two of them walked side-by-side down a small path covered in red maple leaves.
An awkward atmosphere spread between them like thorny vines.
Mei kept her head down, not saying a word.
Mei didn't understand how Kiana, after everything that happened last night, could still act as if nothing had happened at all.
Mei, at least, couldn't do it.
Even if she had agreed to Kiana's proposal, she needed time to slowly process it.
"Mei..."
"Ah? Y-Yes, I'm here..."
Mei looked flustered, her small hands constantly fiddling with her hair to make herself look busy.
"About last night..."
"Ah, ah, I know. Kiana, you don't have to say any more."
She had already agreed.
Just don't make her keep thinking about the shameful events of yesterday.
"Um, Mei, listen to me. I must have been hypnotized by Ye Feng yesterday to do that kind of thing..."
Kiana felt it was necessary to salvage her image.
No, you weren't!
Under the authority granted by Ye Feng, Mei could see Kiana's status bar.
It clearly showed that she was constantly in a state of arousal.
Even right now... Mei secretly glanced at the top of Kiana's head.
Mmm... there's nothing there.
Ah, right. They were outside now, so she couldn't see it.
But Mei could sense Kiana's current "heat."
Just like that time.
It was quiet all around, and only then did Mei realize that they were the only two on this path. Panic seized her heart, and she inexplicably quickened her pace.
"Wait, Mei, don't walk so fast."
Kiana hurried to catch up. As her thighs rubbed together, the Honeysuckle Pattern on her lower abdomen glowed with a crimson light.
Speaking of which, starting this week, Ye Feng hadn't touched Kiana at all.
Even during yesterday's exhilarating battle, Kiana was merely a spectator, no... perhaps a "supporter" was more accurate?
Kiana moved forward and grabbed Mei's wrist.
Mei felt as if Kiana's hand was even hotter than Feng-kun's fluids.
She remembered Kiana's nightly frenzies directed at her, remembered how Kiana had grown hotter and hotter beneath her last night...
"Don't—!"
Panic flared in Mei's heart, and she violently flung the little bug's hand away.
Kiana froze on the spot, her azure pupils just staring at Mei.
Regret and self-blame immediately flashed across Mei's face. She lowered her gaze. "N-No, that's not it, Kiana, don't misunderstand, I was just..."
"Ahaha, I know."
Kiana reacted quickly, rubbing the back of her head with a silly grin.
"I get it. Of course I know Mei didn't do it on purpose. It's all that dog Ye Feng's fault!"
"Feng, Feng-kun... No, it's all my fault..."
Mei clasped her small hands over her chest.
Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes held the unique melancholy of a girl from the Far East.
She looked truly pitiable.
Kiana, with her glowing Honeysuckle Pattern, felt the urge to kiss her.
"Mei is not at fault at all!" Kiana declared loudly, her hands on her hips.
"Um, I'm sorry... Kiana..."
"Eh?"
Why?
"I've wanted to apologize to you for a long time. After finally saying it, I feel so much more relieved... I'm such a selfish, bad woman."
"Ah, that's not true at all! If it's because of that dog Ye Feng, then there's even less need to apologize. I care about you more than a guy like that."
"...."
Mei's eyes widened as she stared directly at Kiana.
"Kiana, you..."
"What I mean is, from now on, all of us should live happily together. Anyway, Mei isn't allowed to run away, and you're not allowed to dislike me."
Mei was stunned for a moment, then said, "How could I ever dislike Kiana..."
"Really?"
"Really."
"No matter what I do to Mei, you won't dislike me?"
"That..."
On this deserted path, looking into Kiana's fiery eyes, Mei felt a little scared.
Kiana pouted, unconvinced. "But that dog Ye Feng can do whatever he wants to Mei!"
Mei blushed and said shyly, "...Feng-kun is different."
"Hmph, I don't care."
Kiana seethed inwardly.
But regardless, after this conversation, the awkwardness between Kiana and Mei had indeed lessened significantly.
Not only that, but their relationship felt even more intimate than before.
And this was precisely the advice Ye Feng had given her: strike while the iron is hot. Before Mei had time to react, pester her relentlessly and push things to the next stage.
Kiana was just completing the task Ye Feng had assigned her—and that's what Kiana hated.
But the little bug had no choice but to do it!
Damn it!
How humiliating! Not only did she have to act as a cushion for her love rival, but she also had to do as he said. And the most crucial part was, she too had been reduced to his plaything!