However, Elysia hadn't been writing for long before Durandal moved her hands away from the keyboard, saved the document, and closed the laptop.
Elysia: "?"
"You've been on a flight all night and didn't rest during the day either. It's time to sleep now."
Durandal reminded her.
Once Durandal mentioned it, even though it was only nine in the evening, sleepiness did indeed begin to wash over her.
But the thought of sharing a bed with Durandal tonight made Elysia's face grow unbearably warm.
How strange… It wasn't as though she'd never slept beside another girl before…
This time, Durandal watched as Elysia's face gradually turned red.
Then, Elysia watched as Durandal walked over to the window.
This time, Durandal opened the window wide. A biting cold wind howled into the room, and in no time at all, the warmth from the heater vanished completely.
Clad only in thin sleepwear, Elysia soon found herself shivering in the chilly air.
"Durandal, what are you…"
Elysia glared at Durandal, as if demanding an explanation for such an act.
"Aren't you feeling hot?"
Durandal pointed at Elysia's face and said seriously, "I was feeling quite warm earlier too when I was drying your hair. So when I went to hang up the towel, I opened the window wider. A bit of cold air helped. You should come over and cool down too."
Elysia: "…"
Was this really about heat?
Well, regardless of what had caused it before, if her face was red now, it was definitely out of sheer irritation!
After that, right under Durandal's bewildered gaze, Elysia climbed straight into bed and tightly wrapped herself up in the blanket.
Unsure of what she had done to upset the other girl, Durandal could only glance helplessly at the window, ultimately giving up on the idea of opening it any further.
Durandal walked over to the bedside, hesitated for a moment, and then got into bed as well.
She turned off the room light, lay down, and tugged at the blanket beside her.
"What?"
Elysia's voice emerged from within the blanket, sounding somewhat muffled.
Durandal found the sound rather endearing, but she kept that thought to herself.
"There's only one blanket on this bed. You've wrapped yourself up in it entirely—what am I supposed to cover myself with?"
"Weren't you so hot you needed to open the window? You'll be fine without a blanket!"
Elysia shot back.
Durandal: ?
Wasn't it she who felt hot?
Well, admittedly, she had felt a bit warm earlier.
But her main intention had been for Elysia's sake.
However, Durandal suddenly noticed that the blanket Elysia had tightly wrapped around herself had loosened slightly.
She tried tugging it toward her side and found it came easily.
In the end, Durandal managed to pull half of the blanket over and cover herself with it.
Perhaps because this portion had been pressed against Elysia's body, Durandal felt as though she were enveloped in Elysia's unique, sweet fragrance.
This time, it wasn't just her face—even her heart began to feel warm.
Even someone as dense as Durandal could sense something was off at this point.
What was going on? How could she be having… those kinds of thoughts about Elysia?
Durandal attributed this reaction to some sort of physiological response common to adolescent girls.
After all, this body was indeed at that age.
No, she couldn't let her hormones sway her like this, couldn't let improper desires arise for a friend.
Durandal thought perhaps it was because she hadn't been training enough lately, causing this young body to become overly energetic.
In that case, once this trip was over and she returned to Nagazora, doubling her daily training regimen should prevent similar physiological reactions in the future.
As for why she felt physical desire for another girl like Elysia… Well, wasn't it obvious? She was a lesbian. Had been even before transmigrating.
So, regardless of whether it would help or not, Durandal began silently reciting mental mantras to clear her mind, things like calming chants.
Perhaps she truly was tired, because soon enough, Durandal's breathing became steady and deep.
And right after Durandal fell asleep, a small head quietly emerged from the blankets beside her.
Elysia's bright eyes were now fixed on Durandal's sleeping profile.
She reached out a hand, as if wanting to touch something.
But in the end, she withdrew it.
Resting her hand against her cheek, she stared unblinkingly at the other girl.
And just like that, before she knew it, she too drifted into dreams.
Early the next morning, guided by her internal clock, Durandal opened her eyes right on time.
She was about to get up to wash up and find a place to practice some martial arts when she realized she seemed to be holding something soft and fragrant in her arms.
Still somewhat groggy, Durandal thought it might be a pillow or a body pillow, so she gave it a gentle squeeze, finding the texture quite pleasing.
However, the moment she did so, a barely suppressed, delicate moan reached her ears.
Durandal jolted awake, looked down, and found Elysia gazing up at her with eyes glistening with moisture—like a vulnerable young creature, utterly pitiable.
Only then did Durandal realize what had happened.
She had slept with Elysia last night!
And in her sleep, she had mistaken the other girl for a body pillow!
She had even squeezed her just now…
Looking down to see where her hand was, Durandal finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was neither too high nor too low—not the peaks nor the curves, but just the slender waist.
Of course, after the relief came a swift reaction. Durandal immediately sprang away.
"Sorry!"
With just those two words, she bolted into the bathroom.
Watching Durandal's almost panicked retreat, Elysia sat up in bed.
It seemed… this was the first time the other had been defeated in their little exchanges…
Elysia lightly bit her lower lip. It looked like verbal tactics were useless against that blockhead. She'd have to bring out the real weapons.
But if it came to real weapons…
Recalling the earlier scene, Elysia suddenly felt the urge to go open the window herself.
Actually, she had woken up earlier than Durandal.
The reason? She'd been cold.
The blanket had been completely stolen by a certain blockhead, who was then hugging it like a body pillow.
So Elysia had tried to reclaim the blanket.
She succeeded in getting the blanket back, but ended up offering herself as a substitute—becoming a human body pillow.
Moreover, Elysia was well aware of Durandal's internal clock.
Knowing the other girl would wake soon, Elysia had chosen to pretend to be asleep.
She just hadn't expected the first thing Durandal would do upon waking was… use her hands!
Already on edge, Elysia couldn't help but let out a sound when suddenly assaulted like that, leading to the scene that had just unfolded.
--+--
A/N: Durandal's sleeping habits are terrible: she buries her face in the pillow, kicks the blankets off the bed five times a night, and when she isn't tossing and turning, she drools enough to soak the sheets.
Since this Durandal differs somewhat from the original, she's been characterized here as a blanket-thief who also likes to sleep while hugging a pillow.
--+--