In that moment, a scorching atmosphere enveloped the space between them.
Thump... thump... thump...
Whether it was Elysia or Durandal, all they could hear now was the violent pounding within their own chests. Everything from the outside world had faded away.
Elysia said nothing, but her actions, along with that gaze filled with encouragement and yearning, seemed to speak volumes.
Durandal's mind was a complete blank.
Her movements felt completely divorced from her conscious control, yet also as if they were obeying some deep-seated instinct.
Just as Durandal could feel the scorching warmth of Elysia's breath, just as the two were about to completely cross that boundary between companions, between friends—Mobius, who had just returned from outside and heard the commotion, thinking Fire Moth had acted faster than expected, hastily left Klein behind and rushed toward the end of the corridor.
She slid the door open with a sharp pull. "What's going—"
Mid-sentence, Mobius snapped the door shut again. "Sorry, I didn't see anything!"
Moments later, Klein caught up.
Having also heard the noise, she asked with concern, "Doctor, what happened?"
Hearing this, Mobius recalled the scene she had just witnessed.
Those two inside... they were about to kiss, weren't they?
Now, facing Klein's question, Mobius found her gaze inexplicably drawn to the other girl's lips, parting and closing as she spoke.
A faint blush rose on Mobius's cheeks, pale from long hours in the lab.
"Nothing. Let's get back now!"
Mobius wasn't sure what she was worried about, but she grabbed Klein's hand and hurriedly pulled her back to Room No. 3, which they shared.
Inside the room, Durandal and Elysia had already separated.
They now sat on their respective futons, their faces flushed a deep crimson. An expression of chagrin was etched on both their features.
Durandal's regrets needed no explanation.
She kept questioning herself inwardly, asking why she had done such a thing.
Her mind was in turmoil.
What worried her most was how Elysia would view her after this.
Could they still be trusted comrades, working together in good faith to fight the Honkai?
As for Elysia's regret, it was simpler.
Why hadn't she locked the sliding door when they entered the room?
Sure, they might still have been interrupted by knocking, but that would have been better than this—not only interrupted, but seen!
The problem was, she and Durandal hadn't even had time to do anything!
And so, the two sat rigidly until dinnertime, when Connie—who had missed the wonderful scene—came to call them to the main hall of the Inn for the communal meal.
According to the plan, everyone from the Schicksal group would be reserving a public bath tonight.
They'd put on swimsuits and soak together to strengthen their bonds, so dinner was naturally a group affair rather than free time.
Connie's arrival finally broke the silence in Room No. 8.
Both Durandal and Elysia let out long, quiet sighs of relief, got up, and followed Connie to the main hall.
It had to be said, the inn's dining hall served excellent food. However, three people present found the meal somewhat flavorless.
Durandal and Elysia were obvious cases.
As for Mobius, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She was wondering if stumbling upon those two would make her a target.
Moreover, the scene she had witnessed, and later, the image of Klein's cherry lips moving as she spoke, kept replaying in Mobius's mind, refusing to fade.
This feeling was even more unsettling than hitting a bottleneck in an experiment, or being called away to a meeting mid-experiment back in Fire Moth.
She didn't understand what was happening to her. After hastily swallowing a few bites, she excused herself, saying she needed to change, and returned to her room.
Seeing this, Klein quickly set down her bowl and chopsticks and followed.
Inside Room No. 3, Klein looked at Mobius with concern. "Doctor, what's wrong? Was the dinner not to your liking?"
Mobius brushed it off. "Mhm, just not in the mood for a proper meal."
Hearing this, Klein understood.
She then turned, opened her suitcase, and got busy.
About ten minutes later, Mobius twitched her nose as a familiar, enticing aroma wafted toward her.
"You brought this along?"
Mobius said, her tone a mix of exasperation and wonder, as she looked at the cup of instant noodles Klein presented to her.
"Yes. I was worried you might not be used to the food here, so I brought one of your favorite flavors."
Pausing briefly, Klein added, "But eating this kind of junk food isn't good for you, so I only brought one cup. After this, it's gone, and you'll have to eat the proper food here."
Listening to Klein's slightly child-cajoling tone, Mobius felt an inexplicable calm settle over her.
With those chaotic thoughts pushed aside, she did indeed feel hungry now.
Without further fuss, she took the cup from Klein and started eating.
Meanwhile, in Room No. 8 at the end of the corridor, the scene was quite different.
After entering the room, Elysia looked at Durandal's disheveled futon, bent down, and began straightening it with practiced ease.
Seeing this, Durandal quickly said, "Elysia, I can do that myself."
Elysia continued her work without pause. "Oh? But I wouldn't want to take another tumble."
Seizing the opportunity, they resumed their conversation, and the thick, suffocating awkwardness and other subtle emotions from before instantly dissipated for the most part.
After spending some time neatly laying out Durandal's futon, Elysia turned to her own suitcase and pulled out a pink swimsuit.
Seeing this, Durandal hurriedly stood up and headed for the door.
"I'm going outside for some air."
Watching Durandal's retreating back—her pace almost clumsy in its stiffness—Elysia felt both amused and a little exasperated.
"Actually, there's a changing room at the back of the room. You didn't need to go out."
Hearing this, Durandal's steps faltered.
"I really just want some fresh air."
With that, she still left.
This time, however, she didn't walk with that same stiff, synchronized stride.
'Really now, I've made myself so clear. Did it still not get through to her?'
A fleeting shadow of loneliness passed over Elysia's face, but soon, her smile returned.
'Even if her mind hasn't caught up yet, her body's instincts were quite honest, weren't they~?'
She had seen every one of Durandal's reactions earlier.
Though for some reason the other girl seemed to be consciously resisting, Elysia believed that one day, she would honestly face her true self.
--+--