Last time, Vya caught Elysia and Eden in the middle of their "bedtime exercises."
After that, the two of them spent a long time explaining before they finally managed to fudge things over for Vya…
And then, quite naturally, the little cutie snuggled her way into the spot between them.
Feeling their softness and the incredible tenderness of her two older sisters, a look of pure contentment settled on her little face.
…
"Vya, how about you go sleep with Sister Mobius tomorrow night?"
Elysia suggested, stroking Vya's hair.
"Huh? Why?"
Vya blinked her eyes, asking.
In her innocence, she even wondered if her sister didn't want to sleep with her anymore.
"Oh, it's because Sister Mobius probably isn't sleeping properly, you know? Haven't you noticed the dark circles under her eyes lately?"
Elysia said with a laugh.
Vya thought about it. "That's true, but why don't you go yourself, Sis?"
Elysia answered without a second thought.
Of course, it wasn't like she hadn't really tried. It was just that Mobius chased her out every single time.
"It's because Sister Mobius gets too shy, of course♪~ If I went to find her, she might be even less able to sleep…"
"You don't want Sister Mobius's health to suffer from lack of sleep, do you?"
"Mhm! Vya wants all her sisters to be healthy and well!"
Elysia leaned close to Vya's ear. "So, that's where our adorable little Vya comes in~"
Elysia gave Vya's cheek a gentle pinch. "You're so cute, and Mobius likes you so much, so I'm sure you can make sure she gets a good night's sleep, right?"
"No problem, Vya will do her best!"
The little one agreed with full confidence.
This drew a soft, muffled laugh from Eden on the other side, amused by Elysia's smooth-talking忽悠.
"Alright now, it's really time to sleep properly this time, understood?"
Eden said gently to the two of them.
"Okay, Sister Eden!"
Vya closed her eyes and quickly settled into sleep.
The night passed without further incident.
And so, Vya's habit of carrying her pillow to sleep with her sisters began.
It's almost like picking concubines for the night… ahem.
…
On the other side, after making sure Carol was asleep, Hua quietly slipped out of the hospital room.
She took the elevator up to the base rooftop.
There was no wind tonight, and the moon was hidden behind dark clouds.
Hua looked down below. It was pretty dark.
If jumping down could bring a direct release… she still wouldn't jump.
She wasn't that kind of person. And besides, she probably wouldn't even die from the fall…
'It's so late. Aren't you going to sleep? What are you doing here?'
Himeko said from behind her. In her spiritual state, she had been following Hua. She was worried about Hua, that's why she tagged along. Plus, she had nothing better to do.
Even though she knew Hua couldn't hear her, she still wanted to watch over this girl who always kept everything bottled up inside.
It seemed even Hua, who was always so regimented, was having a rare bout of insomnia.
"Captain…"
Hua murmured softly.
"Huh?"
Himeko was taken aback for a moment, then realized Hua wasn't responding to her.
She noticed Hua wasn't looking at her.
She walked over to Hua's side and waved a hand.
The girl's gaze remained fixed elsewhere.
Himeko muttered to herself, 'Was I overthinking it again? But why could Vya see me?'
She hadn't forgotten what happened before, so she'd always known Vya was special.
But Elysia had told her it was a secret, so she hadn't probed further.
But what was the point of thinking about this now? She was already a "ghost."
Could she possibly come back to life?
Returning from the dead? How could that ever happen…
…
"Captain…"
Hua's voice interrupted Himeko's thoughts.
"Father…"
"Who can tell me… what should I do?"
Hua could do most things very well, even if she herself sometimes didn't think so.
And… she needed someone to tell her what to do… to point her in a direction.
These things, even Hua could understand some of them by now.
But facing the "departure" of her Captain, she still felt lost.
Himeko stepped forward, wanting to pat Hua's shoulder to comfort her, but her hand passed right through Hua's body.
'Like I said, Hua, just do what you want to do…'
…
'Go back, Hua. It's getting late.'
Himeko reminded her. She glanced at the sky; though the moon was hidden, she could still vaguely make out its approximate position.
It really was getting late.
Himeko: "…"
Hua: "…"
After a while longer, Hua did indeed head back.
Watching Hua's retreating figure, Himeko didn't follow this time. After all, some things needed this young girl to figure out on her own.
Searching for answers was part of growing up too.
Himeko sighed.
She turned and jumped off the rooftop, running off in a certain direction.
Even though she held no hope, she still wanted to go see "herself."
That Herrscher body in the depths of the Deep.
The night wind blew through her translucent form, yet brought no chill.
The night deepened. The dark clouds dispersed, and moonlight finally spilled onto the earth.
Himeko's figure looked even more transparent under the moonlight, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
But she still pressed on resolutely towards her destination, even if what awaited her might only be more questions.
…
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