After coaxing Yaeno Muteki— who had finally calmed down and even drifted off with a faint, peaceful smile— to sleep, Myriad Dreams returned to her own bed, feeling both exhausted and relaxed.
Looking at Muteki's sleeping face, which remained slightly turned toward her even in slumber, the last bit of flustered annoyance she felt from being forcibly kissed melted into a sense of helpless tenderness.
"She really is... a trouble-making fool..." she muttered under her breath, her lips curling upward uncontrollably before she, too, sank into dreamland.
...
Early the next morning, sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
In a rare turn of events, Myriad Dreams was the first to wake.
She washed up quietly, terrified of waking Muteki, who was still sleeping soundly in the next bed.
Just as she was tidying her signature ponytail in front of the mirror, the screen of her phone on the sink lit up with a crisp notification chime.
Myriad Dreams picked it up for a quick look, the sender was none other than Gold Ship.
The content was as erratic as ever:
"Myriad, Myriad! Huge news! The Gold Family Deluxe Limited Edition · Summer · Super · Invincible · Secret Gathering will be held in grand fashion this weekend!"
"As an honorary member of this family (self-appointed), you absolutely! Definitely! Must! come participate! Anyone who doesn't show up has to eat little Golshi's specially-made food."
This was followed by several indecipherable emojis and a picture that looked like a crude Photoshop job, where Myriad Dreams' head had been pasted onto a Gold Family group photo.
Myriad Dreams' lip twitched slightly.
Her mind instantly flashed back to the previous times she had been dragged into so-called "Gold Family Gatherings."
The displays of "individuality" from the Gold family members where everyone showed off their unique quirks, and the memory that stood out most vividly...
Last time, she had barely stepped into the venue and hadn't even had the chance to say hello before Stay Gold lunged at her with an enthusiastic flying pounce and bit her tail to "verify her identity."
She had no desire to relive that illusion of having accidentally wandered into a bizarre wildlife park.
"Read. Ignore."
Myriad Dreams made a calm judgment.
She set her phone to silent and flipped it screen-down on the counter, deciding to pretend she had never seen the message.
It was far more practical to think about how to handle Muteki, who would likely be blushing intensely once she woke up.
Meanwhile, at the perpetually unpredictable Gold family mansion.
Stay Gold leaned in next to Gold Ship, her large eyes blinking as she asked, "Ship-chan, well? Did little sister Myriad reply?"
Gold Ship looked at the clear "Read" receipt on the screen and the reply box that had remained empty for several minutes.
Far from being discouraged, she broke into a grin even more excited than if she had discovered a new toy.
"She read it and didn't reply~" she announced in a theatrical, operatic tone.
Upon hearing this, Stay Gold wasn't disappointed either.
Instead, her eyes sparkled with the same "chaos-loving" light as Gold Ship.
She licked her lips, as if recalling the exquisite texture of biting into that big, fluffy tail last time.
"Heh~~ Read and no reply, huh..."
Stay Gold put her hands on her hips, her face sporting a cunning smile that was a mix of admiration and a "determined to win" attitude.
"This little sister really has a stubborn personality! I like it!"
She turned to Gold Ship, slapped her hard on the shoulder, and announced with high spirits:
"It seems a normal invitation won't move our distinguished honorary member."
"No other choice then—"
StayGold and Gold Ship looked at each other and spoke in unison, their faces wearing identical "troublemaking" smiles that would make anyone familiar with them feel a chill down their spine:
"We'll just have to 'invite' her in person!"
A sudden chill seemed to travel through the invisible network signals, crossing space to accurately settle on the back of Myriad Dreams as she sat quietly enjoying breakfast in the dining hall, making her shiver involuntarily.
"?"
Myriad Dreams looked up in confusion, glancing at the bright sunshine outside the window.
"Strange. Is the air conditioning on too high?"