NOVPUBCat boss stood agape.
Did Teacher Da Lan hoodwink you again?
It couldn’t comprehend what the three individuals were thinking, but it could sense the ambiance becoming distorted.
But how much longer would you three continue in this tangled state on the floor?
The cat boss felt its face turn red.
Not far away.
"Excuse me, could the two of you get off me? You’re really heavy."
Lanci’s voice sounded strangled.
"!"
Hyperion’s face flushed even redder, she wanted to get up but realized she was trapped between Lanci and Talia, struggling to move without embarrassment.
Lanci glanced at Hyperion as if to comfort her, it’s not that you are heavy.
"?"
Talia’s previously unchanging cold cheeks turned red. She stared at Lanci in disbelief, her trembling hand was ready to slap him, but she held back and quickly stood up.
She felt if they remained entangled on the floor and the door opened again, she really might perish with Lanci.
Talia instinctively looked down at her flat stomach, it couldn’t possibly be heavy.
Because Hyperion was lying on the top half of Lanci, only a small portion of weight was on him. In contrast, she was sitting on Lanci, almost all of her body weight was on him, which was why Lanci felt she was heavier.
It must be so.
"..."
After Hyperion got up, she averted her gaze, helped Lanci get up, stepped back and leaned against a wall, avoiding the others.
Her lips still trembling as the memory of what happened rushed back, making her feel as though she could burst into tears.
Hyperion didn’t know why Lanci and Tata were so mentally stable.
They could act as if nothing happened, making her feel more mortified.
That’s when Hyperion noticed something strange.
There was a strange gaze in the room.
Upon following the gaze, she saw Cat boss standing agape, staring at them.
Not just Hyperion, Lanci and Tata also began to realize how long they had been observed by the Cat boss.
Now, the three were staring at the cat.
And the cat continued to stare back at the three.
Beads of sweat formed on the Cat boss’s forehead.
It felt endangered.
The atmosphere in the room hinted at - A black cat had seen more than it was supposed to.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
It barked several times, pretending not to understand anything.
It scratched the carpet and bolted.
The room fell back into silence for quite a while.
The focus actually wasn’t the Cat boss.
The main problem was, no one knew how to start talking.
Once someone spoke up, it would be about dissecting what happened between the three of them, making it more awkward.
Outside the window, the sun rose a bit higher, turning the beige curtains a shade of pale gold as the sweet song of canaries echoed from the branches.
"Let’s forget it. As long as everyone is safe, let’s go home."
Talia finally said.
What else could she even say?
The three exchanged brief glances before avoiding each other’s gazes again.
Continuing to stay in this room would only make the Wilfort family more suspicious.
"We’re here already, let’s stay in Nanwantina for a few days, then go back."
Lanci sighed weakly, sitting on the bed.
Having just returned from a long trip from the Northern Continent, he wanted to rest.
If he were to commute from Nanwantina and the Royal Capital at this point, he would feel like a special forces soldier.
The rare trip back to Nanwantina made him loath his return to Ichrite Academy.
"I’m alright..."
Hyperion was in complete turmoil, unable to move past the recent incident.
She had never had such close encounters with boys before.
Though it was all an act to help Lanci, she now felt she had improvised too much.
There must never be a next time.
They are dear friends, and friends don’t cross certain boundaries, unless it’s a dire situation to save him.
"I’ll stay in a hotel."
Talia resumed her normal flat emotionless tone.
She glanced at Hyperion, essentially asking, are you staying with him or me tonight.
"..."
Hyperion should’ve chosen to stay with Talia in the hotel.
But she felt that at this time, whether she stayed with Lanci or Talia, it would be awkward.
"I’ll stay at Lanci’s place."
Hyperion responded.
At least staying at Lanci’s house, she could stay calmly in the guest room without facing anyone.
"Understood."
Talia’s voice became softer, ready to leave Lanci’s bedroom and, of course, leave the Welfort family.
She had no right to disturb Lanci and Hyperion.
Since Hyperion enjoyed being with Lanci, she would not have any out of line interactions with Lanci.
Despite this, she didn’t know why, but she felt a bit choked up and unwilling, clear emotions she shouldn’t have had.
When she arrived at Welfort’s house,
The butler, Hans, told her that Lanci had been very self-destructive for a while.
It was meeting her that sparked his interest. He began to reinvent himself and became better every day.
Every day Lanci spent with her, he became happier, as if he had a whimsical idea in his heart every day.
Talia didn’t understand what emotion besides anger that arose in her heart after learning about this and seeing the painting in Lanci’s room.
She was the one who hurt Lanci, and Hyperion was the one who protected Lanci. She didn’t want this, but she couldn’t forgive Lanci, she regretted it and hated her indecision, but she didn’t understand her feelings.
Her steps were slow, as if walking in a muddy field.
Talia didn’t want to compete with Hyperion for anything, but she realized that she had always misunderstood Lanci as belonging only to her.
She always felt that the human world was too fast, even emotions were not an exception, though she tried very hard to keep pace with Lanci.
She gradually understood that her heartfelt care was not in line with this era.
Lanci would not wait for her to figure out the answer.
"Actually, a room has been prepared for you at home, Tata. When you have time, you need to teach me new magic and also protect Hyperion."
Lanci suddenly said this from behind Talia.
Of course.
When she returned to Boss Cat Restaurant, there would be more surprises waiting for Tata. He wanted to see with his own eyes the surprised expression on Tata’s face. He couldn’t let Tata just walk away like this.
"..."
Hyperion glanced at Lanci.
She had no evidence, but she inexplicably felt that Lanci, who had just survived, was starting to act out again.
Sometimes Hyperion would guess that Lanci enjoyed this sense of excitement from surviving, and perhaps only Tata could give him a little heartbeat.
Lanci, who never had any emotional fluctuation, might become addicted to the heartbeat that comes with Tata, without even realizing it himself.
Without Tata, Lanci’s godliness would increase, but when he was with Tata, he seemed more and more like a person.
According to a thing called a "car", which Lanci had introduced to Professor Bolao, the Dean of the Magic Engineering College, besides a brake to slow down and an accelerator to speed up, there also is something called a clutch. Even without a clutch the car could still run, but the essence of the car would change and evolve into another type of car.
Hyperion now felt that Tata was like a clutch to Lanci.
But.
Tata is both a good medicine to bring back Lanci’s humanity and a dangerous poison.
Hyperion was convinced that Lanci, every single time, if he didn’t make either himself or one of Tata’s act out, he would only become more and more daring to play.
The more Hyperion thought about it, the more afraid she became.
By the time Tata is really driven mad by Lanci, she didn’t know to what extent she would have to go to save Lanci from Tata’s hands!
"..."
Talia’s footsteps paused, but she did not turn around.
"We have the best chef in town here at our mansion."
"He excels in the unique cuisine of the Nanwantian Border, made from only the finest ingredients."
"I guarantee it’s a flavor that other city-states can’t offer."
"We also have the finest cheese mango mille-feuille, mocha hazelnut crispy egg tarts, platinum strawberry mousse cake..."
Behind Talia, Lanci counted on his fingers and started explaining to her.
Although it did not seem like he was trying to retain Talia, the intention was inexplicably clear.
"..."
Listening to Lanci’s incessant words.
Talia’s eyes seemed to flicker a faint emotional change, then she furrowed her brows.
"Didn’t you tell me something like this before?"
Talia finally turned around to look at him and asked.
"You actually remember."
Lanci said, surprised.
Talia stared at Lanci, not responding.
It was only a year ago, how could she not remember it.
To humans, a year is indeed considered a long time. From her perspective, meeting Lanci just seemed to have happened last week.
"Then I suppose I’ll stay."
As if giving in, Talia replied.
If it were her from a year ago, she might have thought she was crazy to accept Lanci’s kindness.
However, she shouldn’t judge by her own senses, she needs to learn the speed of humans.
Perhaps it would be awkward for the three of them to stay together at Welfort’s house.
But she didn’t want to avoid anything either.
Futhermore.
The people in Lanci’s family were very strict with their words. No one would know about what happened today, it could be taken as an end to the matter.
