After washing up, Lian drifted to the table like morning mist; Alicia sat there already, in casual wear, fresh as spring water, no hint of sweat, a faint fragrance blooming.
Warmth pricked Lian’s chest before thought; was this so I wouldn’t worry? Hm… she can be careful, especially when it’s about Ling.
Alicia noticed her and waved, a willow leaf beckoning the breeze.
“Come sit over here.”
Lian smiled and curled into Alicia’s lap like a sun-seeking cat; Alicia lowered her head and breathed in the petite girl’s clean scent, spring on her skin.
Ah—bliss—post-workout and a sweet scent is life’s soft indulgence; with this soul-soothing warmth, I could train five more hours.
Embarrassment fluttered over Lian’s scalp like a shy sparrow, but she didn’t stop her; it was Alicia, after all, and she didn’t want another sore heart like yesterday.
“Miss Alicia, Miss Ling, please dine,” Remi chimed in, voice like a silver bell.
Lian took the warm tray Remi handed over, hearth-light in her palms, and smiled. “Thank you, Sa— Remi.”
Just as Lian reached for her chopsticks, Alicia lifted another pair, quick as a dragonfly, and held a bite to Lian’s lips.
Lian hadn’t even reacted before the food slipped in, small as a plum; she shot Alicia a mildly offended look, then let the wave pass without words.
From then on, Alicia fed her, rhythm gentle as rain; Lian melted, not lifting a finger, the comfort a lazy sunbeam across her shoulders.
Remi noticed and smirked, a blade of grass bending in disdain; grown this tall and still getting spoon-fed—so childish.
“Big Sis, ah—”
“Ah—”
Remi chewed what her own sister offered and thought the same, irony sweet as candied haw.
“Let’s go, we’re rolling out!” Alicia slid on tea-brown shades, autumn leaves over her eyes; behind her, Lian trembled like a leaf in wind, as the engine snarled and the pedal sank toward the road to school (Underworld).
A girl at full throttle, the street a silver river…
Bleagh— Lian braced both hands on the ground, a seasick boat on dry land, dry heaves scraping her throat.
“I gave you a heads-up this time; how are you still carsick?”
Alicia couldn’t fathom it, wind-in-hair joy bright as noon; who gets nauseous at something so fun?
“Don’t… make me repeat… so many times… normal people can’t survive your driving!”
“But… look at Remi and them—totally fine.” She pointed; they stood steady as pines, no wobble, no pallor.
Lian stared, thunderstruck; was it really only her? Come on—she can chain spatial teleports without a ripple, but a car knocks her flat? Nature refuses to make sense.
“Okay, okay. This time I’ll carry you to class. No more complaints.”
Warmth rushed up Lian’s neck like sunrise, but Alicia didn’t wait; she scooped Lian into a princess carry and flowed into the crowd like a reed through water.
Students turned as if a flock took wing; the campus net soon crowned her as Alicia’s official consort, headlines fluttering like banners. Lian knew nothing; the moment she rose, her head heated, and memory went blank, a curtain dropping mid-scene. Don’t blame me—blame Ling’s strange body. Why does a single princess carry knock me out, when nestling in Alicia’s lap never does? This is Ling’s fault, all of it!
In class, Lian sank her awareness into the mindspace, heart steady as a lantern; around her, only a primordial black, no star, no breath—Ling wouldn’t answer, not yet. So until Ling reaches out, Lian must play Ling, a stand-in under moonlight.
All morning, Lian faked sleep, stone-still as a brush stand; to be Ling, she had to look the part. The pain of pretending bit like a stiff pillow; eyes closed, thoughts emptied like a clear pond, time crawling like a snail. A bad angle stabbed her back and waist, little needles of ache.
Only Alicia, seeing Lian sleep through the morning, found a sliver of peace, a thread of old memory; it wasn’t the same, but this sleeping silhouette overlapped with the Ling she knew, like two clouds briefly merging.
Lunch bell rang, and the broadcast cracked the air, a drum over the courtyard. “Student council members, assemble at the council office! Repeating—student council members, assemble at the council office!”
Annoyance rippled first, then thought; huh? What now? Whatever—doesn’t concern me.
Snap— Alicia’s fingers closed on Lian’s wrist, a hawk catching a ribbon, and hauled her up. “We’re going, Ling! Work to do. Remi, you guys eat without us.”
Confusion sprayed sparks in Lian’s head; “Why me? Isn’t that student council business?”
Alicia paused mid-step, eyes tilting, curious as a bird. “Aren’t you the vice president of the student council?”
The air froze, an ice lake without ripples.
“EH—?!” The shout ripped the sky like lightning.
