Under the bright airport lights, the small circle of four people seemed to form a self-contained, low-pressure typhoon eye.
Touch Gold felt the unrelenting tug on her clothes from Dreams, and seeing the sparks practically flying between the gazes clashing on either side of her, her sleepiness was completely gone, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness and an urge to immediately leave.
"So..."
Silver Charm was the first to break the suffocating silence.
She put on that bright, dazzling smile again— the one that made people subtly feel something was off— and her gaze swept between Dreams and Yaeno Muteki.
"Dreams-chan, is this the 'surprise' you brought? A... 'roommate'?
She deliberately put a meaningful emphasis on the word "roommate," clearly not entirely believing this simple definition of their relationship.
Yaeno Muteki let out a cold snort.
Instead of answering Silver Charm directly, she slightly tilted her head, confirming out of the corner of her eye that Dream swas still tightly clutching Touch Gold's hem (which made her frown even deeper).
Only then did she look back at Silver Charm, her voice hard.
"Where Dreams is, I naturally am, to prevent any unnecessary... trouble from approaching."
The word "trouble" was practically aimed directly at Silver Charm.
Dreams felt her headache worsen.
She took a deep breath, trying to play the mediator, although she knew the hope was slim.
"Charm, Muteki is just... well, she's worried about me traveling alone."
"Muteki, Charm is just being hospitable, there's no malice..."
She felt a little guilty saying this, especially seeing Silver Charm's increasingly brilliant smile and the deeper chill in Muteki's eyes.
"Hospitable? Of course I am!"
Silver Charm seemed to miss Dreams's attempt at mediation.
Instead, she took a small step forward, trying to bypass the wall that was Yaeno Muteki and face Dreams directly.
Her sapphire eyes sparkled with sincerity (and a hint of cunning).
"I've prepared so many fun places, just waiting for you, Dreams-chan! We can go to the beach, to my favorite training track, and to some awesome restaurants..."
With every item she mentioned, Yaeno Muteki's expression darkened by a degree.
When Silver Charm mentioned "favorite training track," Muteki's fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if it were a signal that some exclusive territory had been invaded.
"Training track?"
Yaeno Muteki finally spoke again, interrupting Silver Charm's enthusiastic list, her voice carrying a subtle tension and competitive edge.
"Dreams's training has her own plans and arrangements, she doesn't need outsiders telling her what to do."
"Outsider?"
Silver Charm blinked, her smile unchanged, but the warmth in her tone dropped a few degrees.
"I was hardly an outsider when Dreams and I kissed on the racetrack."
"Besides, isn't exchanging training tips a perfectly normal thing between friends?"
As she spoke, she tried to look at Dream again: "Right, Dreams-chan?"
The pressure instantly shifted back to Dream.
She could feel Muteki's gaze beside her, filled with the silent warning, "Agree and see what happens."
Meanwhile, Silver Charm looked full of expectation and brooked no refusal.
Just as Dreams was stammering, unsure how to answer this loaded question, Touch Gold, whom she was still gripping, finally let out the clearest sigh of the day.
The frustration and exhaustion in the sound nearly overflowed.
"Hey.."
Touch Gold spoke slowly, successfully drawing the attention of the three women slightly toward her.
She still looked lazy and half-asleep, but her golden eyes held the clarity of someone who was fed up.
"Ladies, can we... leave the airport first? It's crowded here, and the air isn't great."
She paused meaningfully: "Also, my dress is about to be stretched out of shape by Dreams. It's very expensive."
This overly practical, even mood-killing statement, was like a small stone thrown into a pot of boiling oil.
While it didn't calm the sputtering, it strangely froze the tense atmosphere for a moment.
Only then did Dreams snap out of her daze, quickly easing her grip.
Alhough her fingers still loosely hooked Touch Gold's clothing as if it were her last lifeline.
"Ah, right, right! Let's go outside first, we shouldn't be blocking the way."
She quickly agreed, trying to move past the impasse.
Silver Charm looked at Dreams's flustered expression, glanced at Yaeno Muteki, who was still blocking the way like a door guard, and finally focused on Touch Gold, who seemed the most harmless and the most eager to escape.
She suddenly smiled, her expression gaining a hint of amusement.
"Alright then~"
She turned around first, her silver hair tracing a dazzling arc in the air.
"The car is outside. However..." She looked back, offering Dreams (and Muteki beside her) a sweet yet challenging smile, "The seating might be a little tight. I didn't expect extras."
Upon hearing this, Yaeno Muteki merely curled her lip coldly, responding clearly but softly: "Don't trouble yourself. I will be closely accompanying Dreams."
Myriad Dreams, caught in the middle, and Touch Gold, who was utterly resigned and just wanted a place to catch up on sleep, exchanged a glance.
Touch Gold mouthed silently to Dream: "You owe me, big time."
Dreams returned a wry smile.
The journey to the accommodation arranged by Silver Charm began in this strange atmosphere of surface calm masking internal conflict.
And Touch Gold could already foresee that this trip of hers was destined to be anything but peaceful.