As her face flushed crimson, Firefly's small hand, which had been resting atop Sylvia's palm, whipped back instantly.
She then shifted the controller into her now-retrieved hand, placing it gently against her stomach as if unsure what to do with herself.
Her other hand—the one that had just given up the controller—rose to fuss with the bangs on her forehead, a gesture meant to either distract or feign nonchalance.
"S-sorry… I misunderstood."
"It's fine. You probably haven't experienced playing games together like this before, right? Everyone has a first time. How about we try the high-five again?"
Sylvia didn't pull her hand back right away. Just holding hands wasn't enough to make her feel particularly shy.
Besides, Firefly already looked embarrassed enough that Sylvia herself hardly felt flustered at all. If anything, she found Firefly just then utterly adorable—enough to stir an impulse to hug her tight and give her a good, affectionate squeeze.
Still, she offered Firefly an easy way out, saving her from actually turning into a steaming, blushing mess.
Firefly was truly mortified.
She was so embarrassed she didn't know what to do with either of her hands.
It wasn't that she didn't know what a high-five was—it was just that, whether her mind blanked or something else came over her, the moment she saw Sylvia raise her hand, her first thought wasn't to meet it.
Instead, she found herself thinking how pretty Sylvia's hand looked… and then just reached out and placed her own over it.
After snatching her hand back in a rush, Firefly was so flustered she nearly steamed on the spot.
But thankfully, Sylvia's calm and natural demeanor, along with that graceful exit she'd offered, helped Firefly gradually settle down.
Though her cheeks were still bright red, she raised her hand again and gave Sylvia's palm a soft, deliberate slap.
Pat—
It wasn't a loud sound, but it reached both Sylvia's and Firefly's ears clearly.
Firefly didn't dare look at Sylvia, but the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably, and she let out a quiet, happy laugh.
"Thank you~"
As for Sylvia, she smiled too, raising her arms in a long, lazy stretch.
They'd been playing for several system hours, and their fingers were starting to ache.
"Let's take a little break."
"Mhm, mhm."
Firefly nodded, exhaled deeply, then copied Sylvia by stretching out herself with a full, satisfied motion.
Her eyes drifted to the game screen, where the clear animation had already finished playing. Today, she'd experienced a kind of fun she'd never really known before.
Someone like Silver Wolf preferred challenging high-difficulty content, but those kinds of games never really held Firefly's attention much.
"By the way, are you heading back today? Or would you like to stay over at my place tonight?"
Sylvia glanced at the time. Here on The Blue, it was already late at night—though she wasn't sure what Firefly's sleep schedule had been like lately.
Then again, at their level, going a few days without sleep wasn't really an issue.
"Ah, um… Is that okay? I've never stayed over anywhere before."
Firefly spread her hands slightly, fingertips touching lightly together. She looked at Sylvia with a mix of bashfulness and anticipation.
She'd never experienced staying at a friend's house.
In the past, she'd daydreamed about it sometimes, but even setting aside whether she had such friends to begin with, her physical condition never allowed her to sleep in a proper bed.
Lately, her health had improved, but with the Stellaron Hunters…
Silver Wolf was definitely out of the question.
Kafka, though gentle, always kept a certain distance—staying over was hardly imaginable.
As for Blade and Elio, well, no need to even mention them.
"Of course it's okay. It's no trouble at all."
Sylvia blinked at Firefly and agreed with a smile.
As she spoke, she stood up and began heading toward the bedroom.
"I'll get you a set of sleepwear. We can freshen up afterward."
"Freshen up?"
Hearing the phrase, Firefly paused, looking slightly puzzled.
Seeing her reaction, Sylvia couldn't help pausing too.
What's with that questioning tone…
Firefly seemed to catch herself and laughed softly, scratching her cheek.
"SAM has its own cleaning and circulation systems. In the past, I hardly ever left the armor, and I never really had to take it off just to clean my body."
Sylvia raised an eyebrow. SAM had functions like that too?
But if that was the case—
"Then, during that period before…"
Firefly nodded.
"Mhm. Every time I put on SAM, it automatically cleanses my body."
"Got it, got it. That really is convenient."
Sylvia rubbed her chin. If SAM's armor was that versatile, she kind of wanted one for herself.
"Then I'll just bring you a set of sleepwear to change into."
If SAM handled cleaning automatically, there was no real need to insist on a trip to the bath.
Still, changing into sleepwear was a must.
After fetching the sleepwear and handing it to Firefly, Sylvia said, "I'll go wash up then. You can change into these."
Hugging the soft fabric, Firefly looked at Sylvia a bit shyly.
"Since it's a rare chance… could I try it too?"
"Try what? Bathing?"
Sylvia looked at her with mild amusement. Bathing wasn't exactly a special activity.
SAM's cleaning tech probably wasn't anything extraordinary, either—it was just that Sylvia herself preferred more old-fashioned showers and baths.
But clearly, for someone as curious about everything as Firefly—and with the means to satisfy that curiosity—such a simple, effortless experience wasn't something she'd let slip by.
"Yeah! We could wash up together. And Sylvia, you smell really nice—what do you use?"
Clutching the sleepwear, Firefly scooted closer to Sylvia, practically buzzing with excitement.
She looked less like someone about to take a bath and more like a kid heading to an amusement park.
Sylvia had a strong suspicion Firefly wasn't just interested in playing with water—she wanted to experience what it was like to squeeze into a bathroom and bathe with a good friend.
"…"
Hearing that, Sylvia felt a sudden pang in her chest.
That something so ordinary could excite Firefly this much… just what kind of harsh life had she been living back when she was still fighting the Swarm?
The Republic of Glamoth really had no decency, intentionally engineering something like Entropy Loss Syndrome to torment people.
This time, Sylvia couldn't hold back. She reached out and gently ruffled Firefly's hair.
She didn't have the heart to refuse such a simple request from the girl.
"I don't use perfume—it's just the scent from my bath products. If you're curious, why not give it a try?"
As she spoke, Sylvia had already taken Firefly's hand, leading her toward the bathroom.
Though still a little surprised by the sudden head pat, Firefly was quickly distracted by Sylvia's reply.
"Really? Are there other scents too? Ah, but SAM's cleaning protocol would probably wash all those fragrances right away… that's a bit of a shame."
"It's nothing expensive, no need to feel too sorry about it. Once it's gone, you can just use it again."
Sylvia glanced back and saw Firefly genuinely looked a little regretful.
It was somewhat amusing, but as she watched Firefly, Sylvia's gaze grew even softer.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.