"Alright, I'm done. Who's next?"
Yunduo yawned and wiped her eyes with her right hand, hiding the fact that she had wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
Those few drops of crystal-clear liquid crossed her cheeks and vanished silently.
These emotions didn't belong to her in the first place.
No one saw this scene; they were all concerned about Mei and Kiana.
Except for Bronya, who was pursing her lips nearby, her gray eyes dazed and flickering with silent points of light.
"Sister Yunduo, you're very tired... Rest for a bit. I'll give Project Bunny to you."
Yunduo had just rubbed her throbbing temples when she heard the soft instruction.
She looked to the side and saw a certain Silver Wolf staggering down from Project Bunny. Her leg injury hadn't recovered yet... so the process was unexpectedly difficult. Even though it was just one movement, it pulled at Bronya's pain, making her face turn slightly pale.
"It's fine, I'm not that tired, just a bit sleepy," Yunduo waved her hand and took Bronya's right palm, preventing her from climbing down. "Your leg injury isn't healed yet, don't come down, or you might get hurt."
Her fingertips were soft and small, like fluffy clouds that would slip away if not held tight.
"...It's okay, it doesn't hurt much. Um~ Sister Yunduo, could you help Bronya up for a moment?"
"Is that so?"
Yunduo instinctively supported Bronya and saw her squeeze to the side of Project Bunny, leaving an empty space.
That space was very small, barely enough for one person, and they would have to be pressed against Bronya.
"Why don't you sit here?"
Yunduo was a bit dazed; Shuhu discovered Bronya was tilting her neck, her pure and clean eyes reflecting her.
In the depths of those eyes, she felt as if all her hidden thoughts had nowhere to hide.
Bronya wasn't thinking of anything else; she just wanted to give her a place to rest.
It was just that simple, wanting to show someone kindness unconditionally.
Yunduo sat down gently. The seat beneath her knees was warm, carrying the scent of Bronya's long stay. Previously, this spot had always belonged to her.
An inexplicable warmth soaked into her heart. Yunduo felt strangely uneasy and awkward, wanting to make a bit more space between herself and Bronya.
Unexpectedly, a gentle whisper came by her ear: "Be careful, Sister Yunduo, don't fall off."
At the same time, Bronya reached out a hand and took Yunduo's palm.
Her palm was warm and steady, radiating the breath of life. A long-lost peace and a real sense of touch flowed through her veins, quietly settling in Yunduo's chest.
"..."
Yunduo felt her face flushing a bit. Although she was happy, she also felt a bit shy, so she turned to one side and didn't look at Bronya.
"Sister Yunduo, if you're tired in the future, Bronya will share half of Project Bunny with you."
"Ah—Th-thank you..."
"Mhm, Sister Yunduo won't be lonely either."
...Later, the rest of the group also went in to challenge.
Under Tesla's resentful expression, Theresa once again obtained a new type of mecha.
Gaia Mecha, Standard Model "MR-011GAIA".
Anti-Entropy developed and manufactured heavy mecha based on the Titan-series mecha as a prototype, replacing the Titan's original hands with heavy mechanical arms, possessing incredible destructive power.
Tesla went to challenge but was unsuccessful; instead, she suffered from Honkai Energy backlash.
If she hadn't been carrying Honkai-suppressing serum with her, she might have turned into a Death Soldier.
The remaining few did not take the challenge.
Kiana felt it wasn't right to beat herself up and figured she wouldn't succeed.
Theresa wanted to beat Kiana, but she didn't think she would succeed in the challenge and didn't have that much decisiveness.
In the evening, lying comfortably on the soft bed, Yunduo stretched.
Himeko had just asked her out for a drink and talked about the future of St. Freya Academy, even sharing many heartfelt words. Himeko mentioned her youth, saying she used to imagine it would be a romantic pink.
Yunduo felt all the alcohol she drank rushing to her head, making her feel dizzy now. With a soft sigh, lethargy spread from her bones. She was drowsy and groggy, and Remembrance seemed to be crumpled into a ball.
She had only one thought now: to sleep.
In her blurred consciousness, Yunduo almost thought she was lying on a giant marshmallow.
Inside the dormitory, Yunduo lay on the sofa. Opening her tired eyes and looking slightly to the side, she found that Bronya was also lying on the other side. Perhaps too exhausted, she was now breathing softly in her sleep.
Yunduo really couldn't move anymore. She buried the back of her head in a large, soft white pillow and closed her eyes.
Her consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
Soon.
In what seemed like an instant, her consciousness and intuition quietly shut down.
Nightmares struck again.
"The sea looks just like Seele's eyes."
"Bronya knows... the strength of Seele's heart, because Seele is like the sea, with a gentle and kind heart."
"By the way, Seele, it's almost summer. Why don't we... go see the sea together?"
"This is our very first promise."
"When we meet again, remember to return it to me."
"Mhm, Bronya has made a promise with Seele."
"Seele, Bronya is coming to find you."
"Seele, I'm sorry..."
She woke up from the nightmare; she didn't know how much time had passed.
With a headache, Yunduo felt as if her throat was burning, and warm tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
She had been prone to insomnia lately; perhaps she was overthinking.
Her lips were parched, desperately needing the moisture of cool water.
Yunduo's eyelids flickered slightly, barely opening a small slit.
She looked around and saw a goblet on the nearby table, containing half a cup of neon-colored liquid.
In the dim corner, Yunduo was like a fish about to drown, having a strong desire for the water on the table.
"Water..."
She swallowed softly, her face feeling as if it were on fire, her heart restless.
With a slight tremble of her fingers, the liquid in the goblet swayed slowly, trickling shallowly into the cup filled with colorful liquid, slowly sinking down.
Yunduo saw the crystal-clear liquid seemed to have a faint glow. In this dim corner, only this bit of shimmering light remained.
Sinking quietly, without paying attention, she thought of many things.
Her soul, devout and in need of comfort, saw her pupils slowly freeze and gradually soak into the cup... Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps rang in her ears.
A fragrant breeze brushed past her nose, and a corner of the white quilt covering her was lifted.
A faint cold wind rushed in from the corner, making Yunduo shiver involuntarily.
Her chin was still buried in the pillow, and her body didn't move; the strength of a single hand was simply too small.
In the tug-of-war between dream and reality, she placed her final bet on her withered body.
Tilting her chin slightly, her fingers already touched the wall of the cup.
Just a little more!
From where the sound came, a delicate, pink hand pinched the bottom of the cup and picked it up casually.
In her daze, she glimpsed a hand that was white with a hint of red.
That small hand was like soft marshmallow, bringing with it a fragrant breeze.
The snow-white and delicate hand was like congealed fat. The centers of the fair fingertips were slightly rounded, and the fingers were somewhat slender. The tender nails were unadorned, smooth and translucent, with small crescents appearing on the pink nail beds.
From her hazy vision, there were two lines on her palm, the two lines echoing each other, diverging from beneath her index finger all the way to the hollow of her palm. Her thumb was lightly pressed against her nose, and with every breath, she could smell a sweet, delicate fragrance... Then, that hand picked up a water cup and lifted Yunduo's head, wetting her lips with the water from the cup the second before she felt like she was parched.
"Sister Yunduo, Bronya is here."
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!