Yaeno Muteki was as good as her word.
With unquestionable strength, she easily scooped the still-dazed Myriad Dreams into a bridal carry and walked toward her own bed.
Myriad Dreams' heart almost leaped out of her chest.
Countless chaotic thoughts and potential "developments" flashed through her mind, her body becoming as stiff as a stone.
However, the further "developments" she had anticipated did not occur.
Yaeno Muteki simply placed her gently on the inner side of the bed and then lay down herself.
She extended her arms, pulling Myriad Dreams firmly into her embrace in an extremely tight, almost imprisoning posture.
Her cheek pressed against the back of Myriad Dreams' neck, and she let out a satisfied sigh, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world.
"Go to sleep, Dreams-chan." Her voice carried a sleepy rasp, yet it contained a tone that brooked no refusal.
Myriad Dreams remained frozen in this overly intimate embrace.
Behind her was Yaeno Muteki's warm body temperature, in her ear was the sound of steady breathing, and around her nose lingered a faint scent: Cool, yet mixed with the slight tang of sweat.
Everything was too close. Close enough to surpass any safe distance, close enough to keep her brain in a state of high tension.
Her heart beat like a drum. She didn't dare move a muscle.
Thus, she stayed awake, eyes open in the darkness, battling her own turbulent thoughts until the moonlight grew thin at four in the morning.
Only then did extreme exhaustion finally pull her into a heavy, groggy sleep.
The next morning, Myriad Dreams woke up sporting two obvious dark circles under her eyes.
She felt a weight on her body.
Looking down, she saw that Yaeno Muteki's arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist, and one leg was draped over her domineeringly, as if fearing she might escape in her sleep.
This feeling of being completely enveloped and possessed made her feel a bit suffocated, yet it carried a strange sense of... security?
She let out a helpless sigh and lightly poked Yaeno Muteki's arm with her finger.
"Muteki... it's time to get up. I can't move like this..."
Yaeno Muteki's eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.
The morning sunlight spilled across her face.
Those eyes that had burned with a dark fire last night were now clear and gentle, as if the paranoid, aggressive version of her from the night before had been nothing but a dream.
She didn't let go immediately.
Instead, maintaining the position, she gave Myriad Dreams a tender smile filled with a hint of apology and even more satisfaction.
"I'm sorry, Dreams-chan. I might have... lost my composure a bit last night."
Her voice had returned to its usual steady tone, but deep within her eyes, a trace of an undetectable undercurrent seemed to remain.
"I am not a paranoid person, nor do I have the right to force your gaze to stay only on me..."
She paused, loosening her arm slightly but still maintaining the embrace, looking at Myriad Dreams with earnest eyes:
"But in the future... please don't treat me with such disparity, okay? I also hope... to become someone you are willing to approach proactively and share your daily life with."
Looking at this almost "virtuous and gentle" demeanor— a version of Yaeno Muteki who seemed like a completely different person from last night— Myriad Dreams was momentarily dazed.
The stark contrast even made her wonder if everything last night had been a nightmare, but the soreness in her body and her dark circles were very real.
Her heart softened, and she nodded.
"Mmm, I promise."
Upon hearing the affirmative answer, the smile on Yaeno Muteki's face bloomed instantly, as if that paranoid girl from yesterday truly never existed.
"That's wonderful."
She finally released her arms and got up briskly, as if everything had returned to normal.
However, from an angle Myriad Dreams couldn't see, as she turned to tidy the bed, the tender smile on the corner of her mouth quietly curled into a tiny, subtle arc that suggested a scheme had succeeded.
'For the first step, this is enough... I can't scare her away.'
'There is still plenty of time ahead...'