The corridor of the Control Bureau's study area was bustling and crowded during peak hours.
Serie naturally reached out and gently linked her arm through Claudia's.
Her fingers were slightly cool, carrying a hint of unconscious reliance, her fingertips subtly resting in the crook of Claudia's arm.
Serie leaned in slightly, their arms touching, and their steps unconsciously began to synchronize.
Claudia felt the small hand linked with hers, her steps paused for a moment, then returned to normal.
Only her straight back seemed to stiffen a little more.
She didn't look at Serie, her gaze fixed forward, her red lips forming an almost imperceptible curve, her voice carrying a usual languor, a deliberately lowered tone with a sandpapery texture: "Oh, why are you holding on so tight?"
She tilted her head slightly, a strand of raven-black hair cascading down her cheek, a playful glint in the corner of her eye, "Weren't you just acting like you'd rather die than yield? Why are you clinging on like a little charm now? Don't tell me... you're really planning to latch onto me?"
Upon hearing this, Serie not only didn't let go but pressed her arm even closer, as if this action was perfectly natural. She tilted her head slightly, her cheek almost brushing Claudia's shoulder line, her warm breath sweeping across the side of Claudia's neck:
"Aren't you a bit too self-absorbed?"
This Claudia was truly narcissistic enough.
"I'm like this with everyone," Serie added lightly, delivering another jab, "So don't think too much into it."
That indifferent, heartless look of "I'm like this with everyone" was like a tiny thorn, precisely pricking Claudia's most awkward nerve.
"..." Claudia choked, a mix of annoyance and feeling slighted rushing to her head.
She abruptly turned her face away, as if in a huff, and suddenly quickened her pace!
The arm she was linked with also deliberately pulled forward with some force.
"Eh?!" Serie was completely unprepared for this sudden acceleration.
She wasn't very tall to begin with, nor did she have long legs like Claudia.
Losing her balance, pulled by the force, her feet immediately stumbled. Her gasp was still caught in her throat, and after barely keeping up for a few steps, she uncontrollably lunged forward, crashing squarely into Claudia's embrace!
"Pfft—" A clear, utterly delighted chuckle came from just above Serie's head.
Serie's cheek was pressed against the expensive fabric on Claudia's chest, her nose instantly enveloped by the crisp scent of cedar.
She could feel the subtle vibration in Claudia's chest from that soft chuckle.
"Heh..." Claudia lowered her head, looking at the somewhat disheveled Serie in her arms, her ear tips slightly red. A mischievous, triumphant gleam flickered in her beautiful green eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled high.
So childish!
Serie cursed inwardly.
Quite well-endowed...
But so childish!
"Are you sick?!" Serie raised her head and cursed.
Just at that moment, Claudia looked at Serie's slightly flushed cheeks, the trembling voice tinged with a hint of panic and anger, and her fingers still unconsciously clutching Claudia's clothes without letting go...
An extremely strange and subtle feeling, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, rippled outwards.
Dr. Lynette... no wonder she cared so much about this little thing...
A scene flashed inexplicably in her mind: Dr. Lynette's expression when looking at Serie, a mix of helplessness, indulgence, and... a sense of being needed.
A strange sense of satisfaction, which she herself subconsciously resisted admitting, quietly blossomed in her heart.
It was as if this "little thing" in her arms, with her current slight dishevelment and helplessness, was a special... trophy exclusively for her?
This feeling was fleeting, gone too quickly for her to grasp more.
Claudia quickly reined in her overly obvious smile, letting out a disdainful snort, but she didn't immediately push Serie away.
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