Let him go, it didn’t matter anymore. If Autlandz wanted to leave, then so be it. It was actually quite nice to have some alone time with Sylvia.
Sairi returned to the tent and found Sylvia completely buried under the blanket. From what she remembered, Sylvia hadn’t been like this just a moment ago.
Sairi lowered herself and slowly crawled closer, wanting to see what was wrong with Sylvia.
Just as Sairi neared the bedding, a hand suddenly shot out from under the blanket and wrapped around Sairi’s back.
At the same time, the blanket snapped upwards, and in a flash, Sylvia pulled Sairi under the covers.
“Ah!” The sharp-eyed Sylvia was awake! She must have noticed when Sairi left just now!
Sylvia pressed Sairi firmly against her chest.
“Mmm…”
Sairi tried to make a sound, but being pressed so tightly, all she could manage was a muffled whimper.
After a moment, Sylvia finally loosened her hold, only to see Sairi’s face flushed bright red.
“Guh, Sylvia-nee-san, you’re awake! Uh, I just went to the bathroom, hehe (* ́w蠱)”
“Lying.”
“Ah, uh…”
“Sairi-chan really has no talent for lying. When you lie, your eyes dart nervously, your fingers fidget unconsciously, and your little habits increase.”
Wow, Sylvia was watching her so closely? Sairi didn’t even realize she had these quirks.
“Alright, well, actually I went after Autlandz just now. He suddenly decided to leave.”
“Let him go. That’s his freedom.”
Perhaps it was because Autlandz’s departure played right into Sylvia’s hands, but inside, Sylvia was quietly delighted. Of course, not a single expression betrayed her on her face.
“Then Sylvia-nee-san isn’t worried about him? What if something happens to him?”
“Sigh, he’s a highly skilled magician. Most people can’t touch him. Besides, every family has its own difficulties. Instead of worrying, you should pray that we make it safely to the Blood Spirit Empire.”
Sylvia’s words were true—Autlandz was indeed very strong. Even if someone could defeat others, Autlandz would surely find a chance to escape.
While Sairi was still thinking, Sylvia tugged the blanket, fully covering them both.
The thin layer of blanket felt like a sacred barrier, isolating them from the outside world and creating a private realm where Sairi and Sylvia were tightly wrapped together.
Sairi lay on her back, while Sylvia turned to her side, lazily draping an arm across Sairi’s waist.
A trace of amusement flickered in Sylvia’s eyes as she gazed at Sairi’s face, as if admiring a rare treasure—like a lion surveying its domain.
Sairi glanced sideways at Sylvia’s expression, meeting her gaze. She was a bit puzzled by Sylvia’s behavior today.
Then Sylvia reached out a finger and began to mimic “petting a cat.”
Sylvia’s fingertip gently traced the strands of hair scattered across Sairi’s forehead, tucking them behind her ear with a delicate, restrained touch.
“You went out in such a hurry, look—your hair’s all messed up, some strands even tangled.”
Her fingertip occasionally brushed Sairi’s forehead, tickling softly.
“Well, that’s because Autlandz left so suddenly. I thought something might have happened?”
Sairi felt Sylvia’s gentleness, the sensation of hair being brushed reaching her mind and making her a little nervous.
So she tried to turn over and change position.
“Don’t move…”
Sylvia’s voice was low and tinged with affection. Her palm slid down, covering Sairi’s shoulder, tugging gently at her clothes.
“You were moving too roughly. Look at your shirt—it slipped off and exposed such a big shoulder. How improper.”
Sylvia noticed Sairi’s shoulder was still cold and her muscles tense.
Then Sylvia’s fingers pressed with just the right amount of strength, kneading the tight muscles.
Before long, the stiffness in Sairi’s shoulders began to soften under Sylvia’s massage.
“So comfortable…”
Unexpectedly, Sylvia was great at massage. Sairi’s shoulders felt much better.
But who would have guessed that the next second Sylvia would suddenly pinch the flesh on Sairi’s shoulder hard.
“Eek!”
Sairi let out a short, surprised whimper, instinctively curling up, but Sylvia held her firmly, preventing any movement.
“Sylvia-nee-san, why did you suddenly pinch me!”
Sylvia lowered herself, pressing closer.
“This is to see if my massage helped. See? Your shoulder’s relaxed a lot, right?”
Well… Sairi did feel much more relaxed, the stiffness was definitely gone.
“You’re so bad! Sylvia-nee-san, even if it’s for massage, you mostly just want to tease me, don’t you? Sairi knows Sylvia’s nature—there’s definitely some other intention here.”
“Sairi-chan, why do you think so badly of me? If you’re naughty, you need to be punished!”
With that, Sylvia suddenly tickled Sairi’s armpits, launching a full-on tickle attack.
Every rub and gentle stroke from Sylvia made Sairi burst into laughter.
Of course, she was mostly overwhelmed with embarrassment and confusion.
“Stop it, Sylvia-nee-san! It’s so ticklish… no, you can’t do that!”
Though it was difficult, Sairi managed to say it.
“Endure it. Sairi-chan’s been so cold these past few days. I want to hug and cuddle you, hold you tight, and spoil you!”
Uh… Had Sylvia lost all self-control?
No, both of them were girls. What was going on with Sylvia? Could Sylvia be… attracted to girls?
“What? Sairi-chan doesn’t like Sylvia?”
“Huh? Of course not! I’ve never disliked Sylvia-nee-san!”
“Then why are you resisting so much?”
“But… isn’t this a bit too intimate?”
Sairi really didn’t understand. Not only was she blind in her past life and male, but she had almost no social experience. So she wasn’t familiar with affectionate interactions between friends.
Sylvia took advantage of this.
“Don’t you know? Cute girls often have this kind of close contact.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Of course. Girls hold hands during the day, go shopping and play together, and eat and rest together at night. It’s perfectly normal!”
“I see! Sylvia-nee-san really understands!”
Hearing Sylvia’s explanation, Sairi felt her worries ease. If Sylvia said so, then she believed it.
After all, if not Sylvia, then who else to trust?
Even if someone else doubted Sylvia, they’d surely get scolded badly by her tonight.
“Then can you be a little gentler, Sylvia-nee-san? It feels kind of… ambiguous this way.”
“What’s there to fear? We’re not doing anything inappropriate, just tickling. Boys do even crazier things—stacking on each other, starting all sorts of games—and we’re both girls. What’s to worry about?”
“That’s true, but Sylvia-nee-san keeps touching me and presses so close. It still feels a bit awkward.”
“Just think of us as besties.”
“Besties?”
Sairi thought she had heard the term before. It described an intimate friendship between girls, similar to the “bro” relationship among boys.
So that’s how Sylvia saw her. Well, as long as they weren’t lovers, that was fine.
Sylvia then intensified her actions, pressing her face against Sairi’s and rubbing up and down.
Since Sairi still unconsciously retained many habits from her past life as a male—casual, sprawling sleep poses, an awkward gait with feet turned outward, even crossing her legs while wearing a skirt—
she had no defense against Sylvia’s pinches and face presses.
She could only gently brush against Sylvia’s chest, letting out a muffled sound through her nose.
Sylvia felt the softness in her embrace and Sairi’s negligible resistance. Seeing Sairi’s dreamy eyes and flushed cheeks, a triumphant smile curved at the corner of her lips.
She lowered her head softly and pressed a warm kiss onto Sairi’s smooth forehead. At that moment, the world seemed to freeze.
What was that from Sylvia just now?
“Eh, what ‘eh’? These are normal actions between good friends. Just a kiss on the head, not a real kiss. Don’t overthink it.”
Sylvia knew Sairi’s tendency to imagine things and reminded her carefully.
Sairi could only half-believe the explanation.
Sylvia then relaxed her body, loosening her embrace slightly. Her warm breath continued to stimulate Sairi’s senses.
Sylvia’s gentle hug was strangely comforting, almost lulling her to sleep, intoxicating her.
Though Sairi felt she should be the one on top, leading the way.
***
Time passed—perhaps a few minutes, perhaps longer in this blissful state—until Sairi noticed Sylvia’s body soften.
Sylvia let out an almost inaudible sigh, lazy and satisfied, gently brushing her cheek against Sairi’s temple before closing her eyes.
“Finally done.”
Sairi’s voice was husky, wrapped in warmth, almost swallowed by the narrow space between them. She could feel Sylvia’s chest vibrate—a silent affirmation.
Sylvia said nothing, only tightened the arm wrapped around Sairi, pressing them even closer from chest to waist, nearly inseparable.
She turned her head, breath softly caressing Sairi’s temple, stirring her heart like a silent rest note.
“Let’s end it here tonight. When we reach the Blood Spirit Empire, we’ll have fun, eat delicious food, and enjoy ourselves. For now, goodnight, Jiang.”
Sylvia’s gentle words marked the end of their intimate moments for the night.
She knew Sairi was somewhat innocent and couldn’t be told everything at once. She also understood Sairi’s hesitance; a gradual approach was best.
Sairi shifted slightly—not to escape, but to find a more comfortable position so they could both fall deeper into sleep.
Her cheek naturally nestled into Sylvia’s embrace, warm and safe. Sylvia’s chin rested gently atop Sairi’s head, forming a perfect curve of closeness.
They fell silent, only the sound of wind rustling through grass and their sparse breaths filling the quiet night.
The temperature inside the blanket reached a perfect balance, wrapping them in warmth and shielding them from the chill of night (which wasn’t too cold, just a bit cooler than daytime).
Sylvia completely relaxed, her breathing slow and deep, heavy with drowsiness.
Sairi felt the warmth of Sylvia’s breath and her eyelids grew heavier. Sylvia’s steady heartbeat became the perfect lullaby, tapping softly through the quiet night and at the edge of her consciousness.
Her last sliver of awareness slipped away without notice, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Sairi couldn’t quite figure out her feelings toward Sylvia. But during this time together, she was genuinely happy.
What if she really lost herself one day? Sairi didn’t know.
She only knew not to cross the red line called “lovers.” Before that, she just wanted to hold tightly onto Sylvia’s “big leg”—though she wasn’t even sure how much of that was true.
What she looked forward to most now was their life ahead in the Blood Spirit Empire—adventuring together, defeating the scary vampires she imagined (if there really were any), tasting the empire’s delicacies, and creating beautiful memories together.
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