The next day, the village's white rooster strained its neck, crowed twice at the pale dawn sky, then was abruptly silenced by a grumbling hand clamping around its neck.
The morning sun shone on Depascal's white land, piercing through the thin mist.
Drowsily, Kiana opened her eyes, slurped the drool at the corner of her mouth, looked blankly at Mei in her arms, then down at Bronya sandwiched between them.
Smacking her lips, Kiana sat up straight and looked around.
The three of them were squeezed onto the bed. They hadn't turned much during the night and were sleeping soundly.
The bed opposite was empty, the quilt neatly folded, showing no signs of anyone having slept there.
Kiana sat sluggishly for a moment, then flopped back down and closed her eyes again.
Just a little more sleep...
---||---
Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Shu sat on the edge like a stone statue, sporting two dark circles under his eyes and hair like a bird's nest, staring blankly into the distance with dead fish eyes.
Beside him, a few old roof tiles were arranged in a peculiar shape, along with two small stone towers and a tiny house assembled from twigs...
Only true boredom could produce such things...
Couldn't be helped... The [Excitement] buff he gave himself last night was a bit too strong, leaving him feeling like he had swallowed a pound of strong black coffee, completely devoid of sleepiness.
Plus, he wasn't someone with a regular sleep schedule to begin with. Once the thought "I need to stay up late" entered his mind, his body naturally prepared for an all-nighter.
So he hadn't slept at all, sitting bored on the roof the entire night.
This thin mist had started appearing late last night. As the surrounding temperature rose, the mist grew thicker. By now, Shu could no longer see the river several kilometers away.
Roughly scratching his head again, the tangled hair pulled painfully at his scalp. Shu muffled a groan and began tidying his messy hair with his hands, smoothing down all the strands he could reach.
Sleeping for a night usually just leaves you groggy when you first wake up. Staying up all night leaves you groggy the entire next day.
Shu felt his body probably couldn't handle another all-nighter... He had never felt this tired after staying up just one night...
Speaking of which, it's daylight now, right... Should I go wake Kiana and the others...
"Clang—"
"Bronya, what are you doing!"
The sound of something heavy hitting the floor suddenly came from inside the house. Shu's hand trembled, pulling painfully at his hair again, shocking him awake.
Leaping down from the roof, he landed, turned, and rushed into the room.
Inside the room, Bronya stood on the bed with a murderous expression, holding a small pistol aimed at Kiana on the floor.
Kiana sat on the floor, rubbing her butt with one hand and her lower back with the other, sucking in cold air, looking bewilderedly at Bronya, who seemed like a completely different person.
She had just closed her eyes, not even starting her second sleep, when she suddenly felt immense force on her waist, kicking her off the bed.
Caught off guard and still groggy, she was kicked off the bed by the startled Bronya.
"Hiss... Bronya, what are you doing!" Kiana rubbed herself for a while before realizing what had happened, shouting discontentedly at Bronya on the bed.
Could she be so unlucky as to encounter Bronya sleepwalking and practicing rabbit kicks during the day?
"Who are you?" Bronya asked warily, staring alertly at the "stranger" on the floor who had appeared on their bed sometime during the night.
The small pistol in her hand was kept close, never taken off even while sleeping. It was tiny, her last resort weapon.
She raised her other hand, shielding the awakened Mei behind her, while simultaneously observing the surroundings.
Mei, shielded behind Bronya, looked blankly at Kiana on the floor, then at the small girl protecting her, appearing utterly helpless.
"Huh?" Kiana made a confused sound. "Bronya, did you sleep yourself stupid? It's me, Kiana!"
"Kiana..." Bronya repeated the name, then firmly shook her head. "Bronya does not know anyone named Kiana, nor why you appeared on Bronya and Sister Mei's bed..."
Although Bronya's denial was firm, the gun previously pointed at Kiana drooped slightly.
Kiana's eyes widened. "Bronya, what kind of joke is this! Weren't we sleeping together last night?! Mei can testify too!"
Mei, behind Bronya, immediately nodded, but looking at the gray-haired girl protecting her, she spoke hesitantly, "But... I remember I was only with Kiana..."
Both Kiana and Bronya froze, the two who were just confronting each other now looked at Mei in surprise.
"Weren't the three of us sleeping together?" Kiana exclaimed.
"Sister Mei, Bronya slept with you last night..." Bronya also explained, somewhat flustered.
Mei looked at Bronya, thought for a long time, but finally shook her head. "I only remember Kiana... Sorry..."
"What's wrong?" Just then, Shu pushed the door open, his face serious as he scanned the room.
The three were all wearing light clothing, having removed their heavy armor.
Kiana was on the floor, looking anxious... Mei sat on the bed... looking completely bewildered... And Bronya sat on the bed... wait, why was she holding a gun?!
"You guys..." Shu looked surprisedly at the chaotic scene inside, standing at the doorway, unsure for a moment what had happened or what he should do.
"Bronya, put the gun down first..." Helplessly, Shu could only tell Bronya to put the gun down first. He saw that Bronya had already released the safety; one pull of the trigger and it would fire...
"Who the hell are you!!" But just then, Kiana on the floor suddenly clutched her chest and let out a sharp shriek.
Shu: "?"
Shu glanced at Kiana on the floor, one hand protectively over her chest, the other clenched into a fist hidden by her side, ready to strike. She seemed prepared to land a heavy blow if he approached...
Shu had no intention of getting close enough to take that hit. He looked at the shocked Mei, then at Bronya who wore an "as expected" expression, and finally at the flushed and indignant Kiana, falling into contemplation.
"Kiana... Did you forget something?"