"Clara, I wanna…"
"No, you don't."
"But I really do! I'll be gentle this time, I promise."
"Buzz off!"
Having tasted the sweetness once, Firefly was now completely hooked.
Even though she'd promised Clara earlier that she'd never force her if Clara was truly unwilling…
…she never said she couldn't coax or wheedle her way into a yes~
If she just tried hard enough, with enough persistence, Clara was bound to surrender eventually!
"Clara~ Pretty please? Just once, okay?"
"We already got halfway there earlier, why not just finish what we started?"
Firefly kept trailing right behind Clara. If Clara sped up, she sped up. If Clara slowed down, she slowed down. If Clara turned a corner, she turned right with her.
She was committed to this shameless act.
Clara stopped walking and looked back at Firefly behind her, letting out a helpless sigh.
"You said before that if I didn't agree, you'd never do… that to me."
"That's why I'm trying to get you to agree now…" Firefly replied, clasping her hands and fidgeting with her fingers, putting on an utterly innocent face.
Clara just stared.
"Hmph. Well, let me make myself perfectly clear then. I do not agree."
Clara gave a cold humph, stating it plainly. If she gave in the moment Firefly asked, wouldn't that make her seem like she had no pride at all?
If Firefly got what she wanted so easily, she probably wouldn't learn to cherish her later…
Wait, why do I care if she cherishes me?
Clara quickly shook her head and started walking again.
"Aww, alright then~"
Hearing Clara's direct refusal, Firefly didn't press further.
Because in her mind, a perfect plan was already forming.
Based on Clara's reaction earlier when she'd kissed her forcefully, she could tell…
Clara did have feelings for her!!!
Since that was the case, everything else would be easy. All she needed now was the right moment, a chance for Clara to open her heart.
Then, Firefly could finally do what she wanted~
She already had it all figured out. A date! A confession! And then…
First blood!
Will it glow?
It'll glow!
Firefly thought to herself confidently. Judging by Clara's reactions so far, her chances of 'glowing' were practically a hundred percent!
So, Firefly's mind began to wander, picturing the happy, sweet, wonderful life she'd have with Clara after a successful confession.
Firefly wore a smug, scheming little smile.
Clara just watched her silently…
Unbeknownst to Firefly, while she was lost in her daydreams, she completely failed to notice that every shift in her expression was being watched closely by Clara.
However, since Clara wouldn't pry into Firefly's memories, she had no idea what was actually going on in her head. She just assumed it was something trivial and didn't pay it much mind.
…
"Whoa, Clara! You're okay, that's great!"
The moment Clara and Firefly stepped into Belobog, they saw March 7th running toward them, with Dan Heng, Stelle, and Welt following behind.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Clara asked, puzzled by March's exclamation.
"Whoa, you really don't know?" Seeing Clara unharmed and genuinely confused, March 7th let out a small sigh of relief.
"It's about Cocolia."
"Your Supreme Guardian."
"She's actually a huge villain!"
"Oh? Is that so? Could you explain in more detail?" Hearing this, Clara put on a convincingly clueless look, pretending not to understand what March was talking about.
"Well, it's like this…"
March 7th gave Clara a quick summary of Cocolia's various actions.
"Long story short, Cocolia hid the truth about the Stellaron."
"And the Stellaron is what caused the Fragmentum to spread across Belobog!"
"Ohhh~" Clara immediately adopted an expression of sudden understanding. "I see… So Cocolia kept a lot from me too…"
"Right, right! So we're on our way to confront Cocolia now!" Seeing Clara's adorably naive expression, March 7th ended up spilling everything—what she should've said and what she probably shouldn't have.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely bring peace to Jarilo-VI!"
"..."
Dan Heng, Stelle, and Welt had just walked up in time to hear March blurt everything out. The corners of their mouths twitched slightly.
"Hello," Clara greeted the three with a nod.
Hmm, wait, not three… There was another figure lurking behind Dan Heng…
Sampo?
Escaped again, huh?
Noticing Clara's gaze, Sampo shrank back, trying to hide completely behind Dan Heng.
'Can't see me, can't see me, can't see me…'
Clara didn't pay him any further attention, nor did she call for the Silvermane Guards. She just gave him a faint glance before addressing the group.
"I saw Cocolia leave the city earlier, heading toward the snow plains in the suburbs."
"But where exactly she went, I don't know."
"The snow plains? Understood." Welt nodded at Clara's information. "We shouldn't delay. Let's get moving immediately."
"Goodbye, Miss Clara."
After speaking, Welt signaled to March and the others. A sense of foreboding had been weighing on him, as if something terrifying was about to happen… so he didn't dare waste any more time.
"See you later, little Clara! Wait for our good news!"
March 7th waved cheerfully at Clara before hurrying off after Welt and the rest.
Dan Heng: …
As he left, Dan Heng cast one more glance at Clara, though he said nothing.
…
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