The next day.
What pulled Rover from sleep was a girl's scream.
"Rovers! How did you two sleep last night? I picked up breakfast so we could eat togeth... KYAAA!!"
Eight in the morning.
Yangyang hadn't slept a wink after last night's events, and faint dark circles still shadowed her face as she stepped into their room. She'd spent considerable effort pulling herself together, determined to face the two of them the same as always.
But before she could finish her breakfast invitation, the sight before her hit like a freight train. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints and a shriek escaped her lips.
There on the single bed, both Rovers lay wrapped in the same blanket, tangled together in sleep. His handsome face was buried against her chest, and her slender arms cradled his head close.
The blanket had shifted sideways at some point, leaving both pairs of long legs exposed, intertwined with the same effortless intimacy as the rest of them.
Yangyang had never witnessed anything like it. Her face went scarlet, practically steaming, her eyes spiraling into blank circles as her brain short-circuited entirely.
"Rover, you... you two..."
Credit where it was due: the scene was gorgeous enough to frame.
Both Rovers were absurdly attractive. He was striking in that effortless, carved-from-marble way; she was all fierce elegance, black hair and golden eyes that radiated something almost regal. Either one alone would have turned heads anywhere they went.
Together like this, though, they were devastating. Yangyang felt the impact behind her eyes like a physical blow. She couldn't bring herself to blink.
And there was something else. Curled up together, the two of them looked like a pair of black cats nestled in for a nap. Beyond the sheer beauty of it, the scene was... oddly adorable. Her fingers itched to pull out her Pangu Terminal and snap a photo.
But that wasn't the sort of thing she could ever bring herself to do.
By the time her brain rebooted, Yangyang was already fleeing the room.
"I... I'll wait for you in the living room!"
No matter. What Yangyang couldn't bring herself to do, the blue butterfly now hovering by the bedroom window had already accomplished.
Shorekeeper had captured a hundred screenshots in those few seconds.
Encryption. Backup. Save. The full suite of operations, completed in an instant.
"Hmm, why did Yangyang run off?"
"No idea. She looked like she didn't sleep well, though."
Blissfully oblivious, neither of them connected the dots. She handed his Sword back to him, then smiled.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?"
"Mm, pretty well... but I want to lie here a bit longer."
His thoughts drifted, slightly dazed.
Last night I dreamed we held each other close.
And waking up, I found we really had.
She was right there, inches away, and that face, the kind of face you could only call magnificent, was even more beautiful than the dream. Morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across her, making her glow.
Back in his previous life, Rover had never been one to linger in bed. He was the type who could throw off a warm blanket in the dead of winter without a second thought, pure willpower. But now... he wanted to stay a little longer.
"That makes sense. The sun's up, but it hasn't been long since we exchanged last night. You must still be tired."
She brushed the black hair from his forehead as she spoke.
"Maybe. But don't wait for me. Go eat, the food Yangyang brought will get cold. And you've still got that checkup at Baizhi's place. I'll rest a bit more and catch up."
"Alright. Those two dangerous ones outside... I'll try to draw them away. They shouldn't try anything inside the city."
Her expression shifted subtly as she glanced toward the window.
She hadn't expected them to keep watch the entire night.
And neither of them had left, even now.
What level of stalker does that?!
Taking turns keeping watch had been effective, but it couldn't go on forever. She'd already resolved to find an opportunity to deal with them.
She pulled the curtains shut for him, blocking the sunlight, then joined Yangyang for breakfast. Afterward, the two of them headed for the Huaxu Academy where Baizhi was stationed. Before leaving, she tucked Jinhsi's token into her things.
She planned to ask for a second opinion on whatever it meant.
But after she and Yangyang left...
"Well. This is a little ridiculous."
Rover closed his eyes and tried to drift off again, only to discover he wasn't tired at all. Since becoming a Rover, his body had reached absurd levels of physical capability, recovery included. A brief nap seemed to be all he needed to run at full capacity for an entire day.
Which meant his desire to linger in bed had nothing to do with exhaustion. It was her. Sleeping in her arms had been so comfortable it made him lazy.
She was the same way, if he was being honest. Her body was every bit as enhanced as his, needing barely any sleep, yet last night she'd accidentally overslept in his arms.
Now that she was gone, though, there was no reason to stay.
He rose, pulled on the black fitted outfit known as Wandering Traveler, and drew the curtains back to let the light flood in. Two presences had vanished from the vicinity.
Looks like they split up to follow us separately...
Since he and she were moving independently now, the stalkers had divided as well. A quick scan with his peripheral senses confirmed it: Scar and Sanhua had gone after her.
Which left him with...
A blue butterfly perched on the windowsill.
Well, well. If it isn't our dear Shorekeeper~
He recognized her instantly.
The corner of his mouth tried to curve upward, but he fought it down.
Disguising herself as a butterfly was clever. But having raised Shorekeeper to Sequence 6 in his previous life, Rover knew exactly what set her butterfly form apart from the real thing: the faint blue luminescence, and wings that looked almost like they were burning.
Ethereal. Beautiful.
Here's hoping the future doesn't involve any tragic butterfly-body-severing plotlines.
"Good morning, beautiful butterfly." He pushed the window open, feigning ignorance of who she was. Chin propped on one hand, he gazed at the creature, more radiant than any Morpho butterfly ever photographed, and raised his Pangu Terminal for a snapshot. Then he extended a single finger toward her.
"...!!"
Shorekeeper had given in to temptation, drifting close to get a better look at the two Rovers. In butterfly form, she'd assumed she was undetectable.
And she didn't regret the decision. Thanks to her boldness, she'd harvested over a hundred pristine images.
But when the window swung open, her first instinct was to flee. She never expected him to greet her. And that outstretched finger... was he inviting her to land?
Her wings trembled with nervous energy.
It's not time to reveal myself yet. But right now I'm only a butterfly passing by. He doesn't know who I am. This doesn't break our agreement. Yes. Exactly. This is fine.
Three seconds of self-persuasion later, the butterfly wreathed in brilliant blue flame fluttered eagerly to his fingertip.
Rover laughed softly. He bit down on the edge of his glove and tugged it off, then stroked her wings with his bare finger, gentle and careful, as if handling something precious and impossibly fragile.
The Shorekeeper, in butterfly form, settled obediently on his fingertip.
Joy she couldn't name welled up from somewhere deep and uncontrollable.
She wished this stolen moment could last a little longer.
But meanwhile...
"Tch!"
"Hmph!"
Not far from Yangyang's home, perched on a tree branch, sat Camellya. Crouched in the bushes below, the Spider Lily wraith seethed. Both Floral women watched the blue butterfly enjoying its pleasant little moment with the dark-haired boy by the window, and the sound of their displeasure carried in unison.