Deep in our hearts, love and loneliness are actually the same emotion; they follow each other like shadows, inseparable. The more lonely we feel, the more intense our longing for love becomes.
In a dreamscape pieced together from a vast expanse of hollow memory fragments, Li Yue finally found those few shards that were particularly etched into her mind. It was a pitch-black night in Yakutsk; she had set aside her exhaustion and, with a trace of a pleasant mood, cooked a pot of stew, only to be disturbed by assassins during that rare moment of peace.
Then there was a gloomy afternoon where she had fallen asleep on the sofa in her pajamas. That time, she had slept so lightly that the moment someone reached the door, she snapped awake.
She remembered the empty small villa, the blood-soaked stables, and the scorching sensation when her heart began to beat once more. She felt as if she remembered everything, yet also as if everything was about to be forgotten.
All those things in the past... in the span of a long life, they were but a fleeting shadow... not worth mentioning...
No, that’s not right. It shouldn't be like this.
She looked at the boundless black abyss beneath the dream fragments. A giant snake swam within it, its eyes watching her without any strange emotion, just watching, as if it were looking into a mirror.
She took a step back, and the pitch-black sky of the dream began to brighten bit by bit, as if the long night were ending and the sun were about to leap forth.
It’s so blinding...
She shielded the scorching light with one hand, only to find that everything seemed to remain just as bright.
“Mmm...” Li Yue slowly opened her eyes. She held a hand over her eyes as the subtle light from outside filtered in. The bright morning sun made it difficult for her to keep them open; it was early morning, just as the sun had begun to rise.
“Yesterday... what happened? Why don't I have any memory of it at all...” Li Yue slowly sat up, bringing the blanket with her, which immediately allowed a draft of cold air to seep in.
“A Yue, sleep a little longer... There’s still plenty of time before we have to go to class...” Clo’s soft, muffled voice came from under the covers, and a pair of snowy-white arms wrapped around her waist, as if pulling her back to prevent her from leaving.
“Alright then...” Li Yue shrank back into the covers. Looking at Clo’s dazed, sleeping face, she felt her heart rate speeding up, her sleepiness fading bit by bit.
Clo’s eyes opened a sliver, her deep blue pupils holding a hint of a smile as she looked at her through her lashes, seemingly carrying a trace of secret joy.
“Do you really want to know what happened last night~?” Clo’s voice was laced with a bit of laziness, a bit of amusement, and a bit of glee.
“Fine, fine, just tell me.” Li Yue puffed out her cheeks. Their faces were very close, close enough to feel each other’s breath on their skin, a ticklish sensation that seemed to tug at her heartstrings.
“Mmm... I suppose I could tell you.” Clo smiled. “But do you really want to know?”
“Of course.”
“Then here I go~”
“Eh... mm!”
Clo nudged closer to Li Yue, her arms winding around Li Yue’s back as she pressed her lips gently against hers.
“Now we’re even~”
“That’s what happened. You actually kissed me first yesterday~” Clo smiled and shrank back into the covers. Seeing Li Yue’s stunned expression, she couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle.
“Ha~” Clo let out a yawn and buried her head back under the blanket. Before long, her breathing steadied again. Li Yue, who had been frozen for a long while, suddenly remembered to breathe. She took a soft breath; the world was incredibly quiet, and she could only hear the sound of her own heart—thump-thump, thump-thump—drowning out the chirping of the birds outside the window.
Li Yue slowly got out of bed, washed up, brushed her hair, and changed her clothes. Every movement was mechanical, her gaze fixed straight ahead as if her brain hadn't yet regained the ability to think, simply performing her daily habits by rote.
Sizzle, sizzle. Eggs and bacon fried in the skillet, small droplets of oil popping. The aroma of toasted bread wafted through the air in waves. She sliced fruits and vegetables, added a few splashes of dressing, and then applied a layer of preservation magic before placing the salad into the icebox.
Her face was flushed. While she ate breakfast, she pressed the back of her other hand against her cheek to try and cool it down.
Her eyes drifted from time to time toward the sofa in the living room. On the table in front of it sat a wine bottle. Li Yue put down her utensils, walked over, and glanced at the label. She felt like it looked familiar, but she truly couldn't recall anything.
“What on earth did I do yesterday... Never... I’m never getting drunk again...” She covered her face and crouched down in a corner, a sound like a whistling kettle escaping her lips.
“A Yue... where are you~? Why does it sound like a kettle is boiling?” Clo yawned, trailing her sleep robe as she walked from the bedroom into the living room. She looked lethargic and hadn't even put on slippers, her fair, bare feet making a patter-patter sound on the floor.
“Ahem, what is it...?” Li Yue slowly stood up, using a sliver of her divinity to force herself to calm down. The flush on her face hadn't entirely dissipated, making her look a bit like the drunken Li Yue from the day before.
“Remember the Cecilia flowers you sent me? The flower crown is finished~!” A snowy-white flower crown appeared in Clo’s hand, strung together by emerald-green stems. “Ta-da~!”
“...” Clo placed the flower crown onto the head of Li Yue, whose cheeks were already burning hot. She gave a shallow smile and took a few steps back, seemingly very satisfied with her masterpiece.
“What is... this?” Li Yue turned her face away, seemingly trying to hide her bashful expression.
“It’s a token of my love~” Clo gave a mischievous grin and hugged Li Yue’s arm, leaning her body against her.
“Mmm... let go!”
“A Yue, you’re so cute when you blush~”
“It’s just... because it’s too hot with you holding me like this...”
“Heh heh~”
A Yue really is cute when she blushes. Even though she always looks cold on the outside, with no expression on her face and eyes that seem indifferent to everything, she blushes so quickly if you just tease her a little. So cute, hehe~
I really wish... we could stay like this forever...
Rate on N.U.
