Splash—
The crisp sound of water stopped as the Herta puppets skillfully wiped Stelle and Asta's feet, covered them with clean towels, and quietly left the room with the washbasins.
"Asta, I feel like you did this on purpose."
Stelle tightened her clothes, her voice a bit sullen.
"Don't throw accusations around~"
Asta tilted her head, winking mischievously. "But, speaking of which, is it really as I thought? You two have already…"
"Mhm?"
Her eyes held a trace of playfulness, her light tone hitting the core of the matter precisely.
"No way!!"
Stelle sat up straight instinctively, her face flushing red, a rare moment of embarrassment as she frantically explained, "I'm super innocent, okay?! Biologically speaking, I was born just a month ago! A month, got it?!"
"I-I'm still a kid!"
"Hehe, teenage romance is what's worth envying~ Back when I was twelve, all the boys in school were chasing after me~"
Asta twirled a strand of hair with her finger, smiling. "Miss March 7th may not be great at socializing, but her bold and heroic personality is way more attractive to girls~"
"If you really like Miss March 7th, there's no need to be shy. Even I get a bit jealous of her sometimes, hehe~"
"You—"
Stelle's heart raced. She wanted to retort, but the words stuck in her throat. In front of Asta, she felt as transparent as a sheet of paper.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you."
Seeing Stelle's face practically steaming, Asta dropped the topic, resting her hands behind her head and staring at the ceiling, sighing, "Maybe your current situation is the best."
"You know, a person's greatest desire for something often peaks just before they get it or after they lose it."
"The true meaning of many things lies in the process of pursuing them, not the final result."
"Imagine you and Miss March 7th, two young hearts budding…"
"Stop it—" Stelle covered her ears, turning away from Asta and curling up like a shrimp.
Asta covered her mouth lightly, finding the girl beside her unexpectedly adorable—
Miss Stelle was kind of like a clueless kid in this regard.
Asta thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll use a different example."
"I'll make an exception and tell you a story from my childhood."
"Maybe in your eyes, I'm some ultra-rich heiress, but when I was a kid, my favorite drink was the super cheap Calibai. Sadly, to protect my teeth, my family only let me have it once a month."
"Back then, 'Calibai Day' every month was the day I looked forward to most."
"Later, when I grew up, my family stopped being so strict, so I drank Calibai every day—three bottles in one day at most."
"That's the pity of it. When the Calibai I used to dream about became so easy to get, I didn't like it as much anymore. The taste was the same, but it just wasn't as appealing."
Asta raised a finger mysteriously. "Know what that means?"
Stelle thought about it. "That 'anticipation' itself is a form of 'happiness'?"
Asta shook her head. "No, I mean being rich doesn't always mean happiness."
Stelle: "…"
Asta sighed. "Ever since I became an adult, I've had trillions of credits every month. No matter how I spend, I can't use it all."
"Can you understand? I want to be like normal people, staring eagerly at my shopping cart, feeling the joy of scraping together enough to buy something I love! But I can't experience that!"
"Sigh, it's been dampening my shopping desire lately."
Stelle: "…"
Stelle subtly pinched the leather sofa beneath her, imagining she was pinching a certain pink-haired girl's face. I kinda wanna hit someone.
Was all that just to flex her wealth? Hakita, you jerk…
"…Ahem, got off track, but you said it well earlier."
"'Anticipation is part of happiness.' Without it, the outcome can never meet expectations."
"In that sense, being too rich really isn't always a good thing."
Asta's brows curved as she clenched a fist toward Stelle. "So, you and Miss March 7th's 'three-legged race' should try to go as far as possible~"
"Keep it up, I'm totally shipping you two!"
Stelle's face darkened. "I said stop bringing that up!"
She turned away sulkily, facing away from Asta, but even she didn't notice her own expression: shy, embarrassed… and a hint of anticipation.
There's an old Xianzhou saying: Dwell long in a fish market, and you won't smell its stench; dwell long in an orchid chamber, and you won't smell its fragrance.
…
But Stelle wasn't the only one feeling down.
In another part of the vast galaxy, on the Xianzhou Luofu, March 7th lay on Stelle's bed, her head buried deep in the bedding.
A nagging question swirled in her mind: Have I been too hasty lately?
Thinking of the nightmare from a few days ago, even March 7th's usually calm demeanor couldn't stop her from covering her face, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
Though it was just a nightmare, it made her realize something in her heart had started to change.
"What was I thinking… Actually doing that when my presence was gone… Arghhh—"
The shameful dream made March 7th want to slap herself. Her pale legs kicked frantically, then she rolled around on the bed.
"Huff—calm down, calm down."
March 7th took several deep breaths, reminding herself of one thing: Though being with Stelle felt great, as a friend and partner, she couldn't just act on her own desires and preferences.
Meals are eaten bite by bite, and paths are walked step by step.
Now that she thought about it, she'd been a bit too self-indulgent—like hogging Stelle's bed every day and forcing her to sleep together… Pfft, no, no, no, that's pure friendship! Absolutely no inappropriate scenes!
March 7th rubbed her face hard, resolving: From today, she'd turn over a new leaf!
She couldn't impose her will on Stelle! Even sleeping together required Stelle's explicit consent.
"I need to control myself, control myself…" March 7th muttered.
Click—
Just then, the sound of the door unlocking rang out. The handle turned, and a figure March 7th had been thinking about walked in.
Stelle looked at March 7th, sprawled on the bed with slightly messy hair, and froze. Her body moved faster than her mind—
She instinctively flashed a warm smile and raised a hand in greeting:
"Hey… I'm back, March."