Chapter 86: My Three-Stage Staff Momentum is Full

Red only just now noticed the time.

It was already close to eleven at night.

According to Litt’s usual routine, she ought to be asleep by this hour.

But it seemed she’d been too busy at

the church today, working too late and too hard, so now she’d fallen asleep completely off guard.

“Litt, wake up. Go back to your room before you sleep.”

Even when Red gently pushed her shoulder, there was still no sign of her waking up.

And because of that gentle push, the girl’s body, already unsteady, simply toppled right over.

Red instinctively caught her, but now their position had changed from her leaning on his shoulder to Red holding Litt in his arms.

Bad…

What should he do now?

Red’s mind was running at full speed, trying to find a solution.

Last time Litt had passed out drunk, she’d at least had a bit of consciousness left.

This time, she was truly dead to the world.

And… was Litt’s body always this soft?

There was even a faint Flower Fragrance, as if she’d changed her Bath Lotion.

Feeling the scent of the girl in his arms, Red held his breath.

He considered himself a healthy man, and with a defenseless girl like this in his arms, it was honestly hard to restrain himself.

Simply put, his Three-Stage Staff Momentum was fully charged.

But the problem was—this was Litt!

If it were someone else, say, Letia, then he’d probably have already made a move.

Forget it, he wasn’t interested in monkeys.

More importantly, Red had the distinct feeling that something was watching him from the shadows, making his skin crawl.

That must be the Watcher responsible for Litt’s safety, right?

Red forced himself to snap out of it and pushed aside those little thoughts.

After a quick moment of thought, he muttered to himself, “Let’s just get Litt back to her Bedroom first.”

Red could have tried to forcefully wake Litt up on the spot, but… he really didn’t want to do that.

He could have just stood there awkwardly holding her, but that would get his arms sore, and if Litt woke up in that position, it would be way too embarrassing.

The last and most reasonable choice was to carry Litt back to her Bedroom.

Just like when he carried her back after she’d been drunk.

After all, it wasn’t the first time—nothing to be afraid of.

With that thought, Red carefully picked up Litt.

Moving as gently and quietly as possible, he tiptoed up to the second floor and came to Litt’s Bedroom door.

But when he gently turned the handle and tried to push the door open, Red froze—the door was locked.

Once he realized this, he felt a strange sense of relief mixed with a faint sadness.

He was glad Litt finally had a bit of awareness to protect herself.

But he was sad that the one she was guarding against might be him.

After all, last time he’d accidentally barged in and seen some sights he probably shouldn’t have.

Now wasn’t the time to think about that.

The urgent thing was to find the Key.

But with Litt in his arms, he could only awkwardly fumble for her dress pocket, his movements stiff and restricted.

“Mm… ”

Maybe the fabric tickled her, because Litt frowned slightly in his arms, her eyelashes trembling.

No…

Red immediately stopped, holding his breath.

If he kept searching, he’d probably wake her up.

In this situation, it seemed there was only one option left.

He would have to take her to his own room…

Let it be known beforehand, Red swore to the heavens that nothing improper or shameful would happen.

He couldn’t bring himself to lay a hand on this pure, angelic girl, even if he wanted to.

The guilt was just too much.

Red simply wanted to let Litt sleep in his bed and he’d take the Sofa.

So, Red took a deep breath, steadied himself, and gently moved into his own room, laying Litt down on his bed.

Nightbright Town’s nights were still a little cold.

He pulled over his own Duvet and a thick Wool Blanket, carefully and tightly tucking Litt in, making sure everything was in place before finally letting out a breath of relief.

At that moment, in the quiet Bedroom, Red could only hear Litt’s slow, even breathing.

It was clear she was sleeping very soundly.

Just looking at her cute sleeping face, Red felt his heart pounding again, a strange happiness rising inside.

Maybe this was what it felt like to be trusted?

How about… just a little touch?

Red slowly reached out, wanting to pat Litt’s head, but halfway there, he pulled back with a wry smile.

What was he even thinking?

After checking one last time that Litt was covered up properly, Red tiptoed out of the room.

Inside, all remained quiet, only Litt’s steady breathing echoing softly.

This time, she wasn’t faking.

She was truly asleep.

Morning came, and the warm sunlight filtered through the curtains into the Bedroom.

Litt slowly opened her eyes.

She sat up in bed, looking at the unfamiliar but oddly familiar Duvet covering her, a faint confusion in her sleepy gaze.

This… wasn’t her own Duvet, was it?

Wait, when did she fall asleep last night, anyway?

Litt tried to remember what happened, and soon it came back to her.

She’d played all day, drank a lot of red wine, and after her bath, she’d gotten so sleepy that she just dozed off on the Sofa.

But… this wasn’t the living room, either.

She tried to recall last night, but since she’d really fallen asleep, she couldn’t remember much.

Just a few fragments, not much.

After a short while spent waking up, she finally realized whose bed she was lying in.

Wasn’t this Red’s room?!

Litt was instantly thrown into chaos.

She didn’t really believe Red, that little shy guy, would have the guts to do anything bold to his own white moonlight, but… what if?

Panicked, Litt quickly checked her clothes, especially her Mask, making sure everything was fine.

But before she could relax, soft footsteps sounded outside the door.

Startled, Litt dove back under the Duvet, closed her eyes, and pretended nothing had happened.

“Creak… ”

The door opened.

Even without looking, Litt knew it was Red coming into the room.

As the footsteps drew nearer, Litt felt Red sit down beside her.

After waiting a moment, he slowly, hesitantly, reached out and poked her cheek—nine parts hesitation, one part curiosity.

The cool, silky feel was almost addictive for Red.

His intention had been to wake Litt for breakfast, but now it seemed he’d gotten distracted from his goal.

Especially when the half-asleep Litt nuzzled his finger with her face, Red felt… his rationality was melting away, his resolve put to the test.

He worried that if he let Litt nuzzle for much longer, his Staff Momentum would fill up again.

Luckily, this tender moment didn’t last long.

After a while, Litte seemed to finally wake up.

Red saw the white-robed nun slowly open her eyes, blink at him, and look a little confused about what was going on.

Their eyes met, and she seemed to realize that Red’s finger was poking her cheek.

But no…

Rather than Red poking her, it was more like she’d nuzzled up to his finger herself.

Realizing this, Litt’s whole face turned red, and like a startled hamster, she quickly buried her head under the Duvet, only her big, watery eyes peeking out at Red.

“Um… Have we… already… reached that level of relationship?“

“No.”

Red’s answer was firm and instant, almost without thinking.

“Last night, after my bath, I saw you’d fallen asleep on the Sofa. I tried to carry you to your Bedroom, but couldn’t find your Bedroom Key, so as a last resort, I brought you to my room. I didn’t do anything. Just now I only tried to wake you up.”

Red rattled off his explanation in one breath, eager to prove his innocence and avoid any misunderstandings.

“One more time, I did nothing, Litt. You have to believe me.”

“Mmm~”

From under the Duvet, Litt made a cute, ambiguous sound, but seemed to accept Red’s explanation.

“But, Red…”

“What is it?”

Hearing Litt’s hesitant voice, Red thought she had something important to say and pricked up his ears.

While he waited, Lite finally spoke, blushing furiously.

“Um… Could you leave for a minute? I think… I might’ve accidentally taken off my Bathrobe while I was sleeping, and if… if you don’t go out… I… I won’t be able to change clothes.”

“????”

Red’s expression instantly froze, the shockwave almost physical, leaving his mind a complete blank.

W-what?

The Bathrobe… came off?!

Only now did he notice, at the edge of the Duvet, a slender white strap with a lace border drooping limply from under the cover.

There was no doubt—that was part of Litt’s Bathrobe.

Which meant, right now, under his Duvet, Litt was…

Red felt his brain shaking, his whole being shutting down.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the fallen strap again, nor imagine the “heart-stopping” scene under the covers.

“Hmm?”

Litt blinked her innocent, clear eyes in confusion at Red’s petrified look and his face turning purple.

She seemed totally unaware of what kind of storm her “the Bathrobe came off” line had kicked up in Red’s mind, and simply hugged the Duvet, like a little bug in a cocoon, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.

“So… so… Red… please…”

“I’m going! I’m leaving now!”

Red bolted from the room, hunched over.

He really couldn’t let his Staff Momentum stack up any further.