He opened his eyes as the sunlight pierced through the curtains, blinding him. He found himself staring at the ceiling of his room, feeling strangely tired.
Feeling tired first thing in the morning was rare for him, but considering he had been helping the Dimension Faction, his fatigue was justified.
Usually, it wasn't exhausting to use Serenity on other people of the same level. Miyu and Rober were Seventh Level Empaths, so it was easy for Nova to maintain Serenity on them. However, with Kayn and Abby, it was a completely different story.
'Oh, man.'
He shifted to the side, noticing something soft and warm curled against him. At first, he didn't understand what was next to him until he woke up completely. He was surprised to see Miyu, who had a tender smile on her lips.
She looked quite relaxed.
'Holy cats... I forgot you were here.'
It was the first time this had ever happened to him. Due to exhaustion and alcohol in his blood, he was completely distracted. When he returned home, he no longer remembered that Miyu was here.
'How am I getting out of this? She's going to kill me if she wakes up!'
Miyu is very perceptive. She was probably sober by now, so her senses must be back to normal.
Moving even an inch would be a death sentence, so he looked around for a solution.
'I don't even want to imagine what Mom would say if she found out.'
Looking like a pervert in front of the most important person in a guy's life is serious business.
'Maybe I can slip out this way.'
He tried to wiggle between Miyu's arms like a squirming worm. He was very careful not to make any sudden movements.
Her body was a bit flat, but she had her charms—soft and warm. Although it wasn't the time to think about that.
When he felt Miyu was about to wake up, he immediately froze like a statue. He held his breath and even closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He did this just in case Miyu woke up—it might save his life.
'Almost there. Just a little more.'
He tried to hurry. After several minutes, when he was finally about to leave the bed, Miyu opened her eyes. Nova once again froze, but he could no longer pretend to be asleep, as one of his feet was already touching the black carpet and his back was already bent slightly forward and out of bed.
"What? Where am I?"
She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and let out a big, exaggerated yawn. She arched her back, stretching her body. She blinked a couple of times when she saw the curtain. Then, as she looked down, she found Nova one step away from getting out of bed.
He, of course, gave up. He had been caught red-handed, and even if it was a misunderstanding, this was the end for him.
Still with his back turned, he looked over his shoulder with his right eye at Miyu and said:
"Good morning, Lady."
Nova's face matched his pose—stiff, awkward, and, in a way, pathetic.
At one point, he thought that if he stayed still, Miyu would stop looking at him—as if he were a dinosaur—but, unfortunately, the feline girl is not a dinosaur.
Due to the overly relaxed expression on Nova's face and the casual greeting, Miyu's face turned red.
With an adorable squeak, she yanked the sheets over her chest. A couple of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she thought about all the things that could have happened last night.
What happened next is something anyone would expect from a decent girl who respects herself and her body.
"You... You..."
"I know. I can explain."
'Nope. I can't. I'm dead!'
His fate was simply already decided.
"Damn jerk!"
She raised her hand high. Immediately after, she slapped Nova with all her might. The poor boy flew off the bed, crashing loudly into the wardrobe.
The slap first cracked through the room, then the sharp thud of him hitting the wardrobe followed.
That alerted Nova's mother, who went from being in the kitchen preparing breakfast to standing in front of the door, seeing her son half dead on the floor and Miyu looking at him with a red face of shame.
***
Nova's face was red and swollen. His right cheek was sore and marked by Miyu's powerful slap.
Come on, man, his body isn't as tough as Rober's. The canine boy can withstand an explosion without serious injury, but Nova would have died twice before imagining himself exploding next to an Aberration.
Now he was sitting in the dining room. There was a small round brown table with four matching padded chairs. The room was lit by natural sunlight streaming through the window.
As for Miyu, she was there too, but she was trying not to look at the guy she found sleeping next to her this morning.
'If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed at Kayn's house.'
Too late for regrets, he looked at his mother.
'She looks very calm. Am I in trouble?'
The question was not whether he was in trouble, but how big the trouble he got himself into was.
"I'm sorry for making so much noise, Mrs. Adelaide," Miyu apologized in a very low voice.
Although she did not look at Nova at any point, she seemed to feel guilty for causing trouble for the mother of this unwitting pervert.
"It's okay. Don't feel bad. You're always welcome here. With Nova here, everything is always very quiet, so I really appreciate your company."
"Oh. I... I see..."
Adelaide had never said anything like that before. It made Miyu feel even more embarrassed and shy.
Nova also raised an eyebrow in surprise. He leaned back in his chair and watched as his mother filled a glass with water at the sink.
She lifted the glass and the water inside began to freeze.
A crackling sound came from the glass. The next moment, Adelaide took out the ice and put it in a plastic bag. She covered the plastic bag with a handkerchief and, with a slight squeeze, broke the ice into pieces.
Then she walked over to Nova and sat down beside him.
"Put this on your face."
"Oh. Thanks, Mom."
He took the bag of ice without protest. He put the ice on his face and closed his eyes.
With Adelaide's calm and homely attitude, Nova felt that he would be okay. It seemed that he was saved, for now.
"Now you're going to explain to me what you were doing to Miyu."
'Damnit.'
No. He wasn't saved. The time for public execution had come.
***
While Nova was about to be executed in the square, in another faraway place, Viktor, Adelaide's younger brother and Nova's uncle, smiled relaxed.
The strong wind blew through his hair. His smug eyes rested on the distance of the city. Just below him were large fields of flowers of all colors that stretched out forming different beautiful shapes.
All the flowers shimmered, as if radiating the sun's energy. Accompanied by the beautiful color of the blue sky, it looked like a dreamlike paradise with a pleasant sweet and floral aroma.
Viktor's gaze became nostalgic as he approached this area. He was riding a large beast that flapped its thin, articulated wings as it flew over the fields of flowers.
The beast's body was very thin, its bones showing through black scales, like a strange, glossy exoskeleton. To tell the truth, it was too thin, like a giant insect, but the beast had reptilian features: slanted eyes and fangs in a dangerous, voluminous snout.
"I'm back, Lightflower!"
He spread his arms out to the sides, as if he wanted to embrace his homeland. He even looked like a child excited to see his friends again.
"Go faster, Maia. We can't be late, or the Aberrations will destroy the city."
Maia, a powerful and kind dragon, sighed a little purple air. It increased its speed and rose high into the air. Soon, its speed increased even more, breaking the sound barrier above the white clouds.
When that happened, the iris in Viktor's eyes turned a slight bright orange.
Viktor was using his Spectrum to increase the speed of his dragon friend.
Thanks to this, he arrived at Lightflower a little earlier.