Amber remained in a coughing posture with her hand over her mouth, her face and hair once again covered in water droplets.
What was worse was that the jet of water hadn’t just hit her face; it had flowed down her neck, and her underwear—which she had finally managed to get half-dry by the campfire—was now…
completely soaked through again!
The wet fabric clung tightly to her skin, outlining her silhouette even more clearly.
Skirk: “…”
She stared at the noticeably darkened water stain on Amber’s chest and Amber’s expression—a mix of shock, coughing, and a hint of speechlessness.
Her mind went completely blank.
She could even feel her toes curling frantically inside her boots, wishing she could immediately dig a hole all the way to Celestia to crawl into!
[…Host,] the System spoke in an extremely calm (and therefore scarier) electronic voice, [this System now has reason to suspect that you are intentionally creating ‘wet T-shirt incidents’ to achieve some ulterior motive.
Your behavioral patterns…
are very dangerous.
(눈_눈)]
“I didn’t!
I’m not!
Don’t talk nonsense!”
Skirk issued a desperate triple denial in her mind, her cheeks so red they looked ready to bleed.
Her eyes were as panicked as a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she didn’t dare look at Amber’s chest again.
She felt her male soul letting out a final wail before being thoroughly crushed into dust by this succession of social deaths!
“Cough, cough…
cough, cough, cough…”
Amber finally caught her breath.
She wiped the water from her face and looked down at her once again soaked…
underwear.
Her expression became extremely subtle.
She looked up, staring with an indescribable gaze at the silver-haired “culprit” opposite her, who was currently curled into a ball and wishing she could vanish on the spot.
“…Um, Miss Skirk,” Amber’s voice held a touch of helplessness and amusement, “I know you have a lot of ‘water,’ but…
could you perhaps control the direction and target a little?
Also…
this,” she pointed at her soaked underwear, a rare, barely perceptible blush creeping onto her Wheat-colored cheeks, “this really needs to be dealt with.”
She sighed, stood up, and walked over to Skirk.
Skirk flinched, thinking Amber was about to strike.
“If you please,” Amber’s tone was calm but brooked no argument, “turn around.”
“Ah?
Oh!
Right!
Okay!”
As if receiving a grand pardon, Skirk immediately spun 180 degrees like a robot with its switch flipped.
She stood with her back to Amber, her body ramrod straight and stiff as a pillar driven into the ground.
She even subconsciously raised her hands to cover her eyes (even though she couldn’t see anything with her back turned), repenting frantically in her heart:
“I’m sorry, Amber!
I’m sorry, Mondstadt!
I’m sorry, Traveler!
I really didn’t mean it!
I just…
I just can’t control these damn hands and this damn water!”
[Host, I suggest you cover your ears too.
After all…
the sound of drying…] the System “kindly” reminded her again.
“Shut up!
Don’t say it!” Skirk screamed internally.
The rustling sound of fabric rubbing came from behind her.
Skirk felt her ears Burning intensely as her imagination began to run wild uncontrollably.
She tried desperately to think of other things: Slimes, Sweet Madame, large Transport Trucks…
but Amber’s healthy, vibrant figure kept flickering in her mind.
“It’s over, it’s over…
Silky, you’re finished…” she thought miserably.
“Where is that male willpower you were so proud of?
How did it turn into this?
Could it be…
could it be that the body really influences the soul?
Am I going to become a real lesbi—ptui ptui ptui!
What am I thinking!”
A chill crawled up her spine, and she couldn’t help but let out a visible shudder.
[Ding!
Detected a slight fluctuation in the compatibility between the Host’s soul and body!
Please rest assured, Host, this is a normal phenomenon of initial poor integration!
As time passes and your power increases, your soul will…
er, better adapt to the physiological and psychological feedback mechanisms of this body!
In short—it will get better!
(≧∇≦)ﾉ]
The System used a cheerful tone to say something that wasn’t reassuring at all.
“Better my foot!” Skirk wailed internally.
“This is clearly getting worse!”
“Hey, are you cold?”
Amber’s concerned voice came from behind.
Then followed a wave of warm pyro element fluctuations, accompanied by the faint’sizzling’ sound of water vaporizing.
“No…
no!
I’m not cold!”
Skirk immediately denied it, her voice still tense.
“All done.” Amber’s voice returned to a relaxed tone.
“You can turn around now.”
This time…
there shouldn’t be any more ‘accidental’ water spraying, right?” Her tone carried a hint of teasing.
Stiffly, like a rusty robot, Skirk turned around bit by bit.
She saw that Amber had already put her dried shirt and coat back on, standing with her hands on her hips, looking at her with a half-smile.
That troublesome underwear…
must have been dried with pyro already.
“No…
no more!
Definitely no more!” Skirk shook her head like a rattle, her face still flushed.
Seeing Skirk’s nervous, red-faced state, Amber found it somewhat funny and a little cute.
She pointed toward the campfire:
“There’s still some time before dawn.
Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit?
You must be tired after being tossed around all night.”
As if granted a reprieve, Skirk cautiously edged toward the campfire and chose the spot furthest from Amber to sit.
She pulled her knees to her chest, curling into a ball to minimize her presence.
Amber sat down as well and poked at the campfire, making the flames burn brighter.
A brief silence fell between the two, filled only by the crackling of the Burning wood.
The awkward atmosphere felt almost tangible, swirling around Skirk.
To alleviate the awkwardness (mostly her own), Skirk tried to empty her mind and stared at the dancing flames.
Fatigue washed over her like a tide; once her tense nerves relaxed, sleepiness became impossible to resist.
Wrapped in the warmth of the campfire, she held her knees, her head nodding bit by bit, until she finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
…
After an unknown amount of time, a cool morning breeze brushed against her cheek.
Drowsily, Skirk felt what her cheek was resting on…
It was soft, warm, and carried a pleasant scent like sunlight and green grass.
She subconsciously nuzzled against it, finding a more comfortable position.
Wait…
this texture…
isn’t right!
She snapped her eyes open!
What met her eyes was a patch of warm red fabric, and…
The slightly rising and falling, elastic curve outlined beneath the fabric.
Her gaze slowly shifted upward—
Amber’s bright face, wearing an expression of slight helplessness and amusement, was presented clearly right before her eyes!
She had actually fallen asleep using Amber’s lap as a pillow!
Moreover, her sleeping posture was extremely unrefined; half her body was slumped over Amber, and one hand was even unconsciously resting on Amber’s waist!
Skirk was instantly petrified!
Her pupils shook!
Amber blinked her large Amber eyes, her tone carrying the lethargy of having just woken up and a hint of teasing: “Good morning, Miss Skirk.
You…
slept quite soundly?”
Skirk: “…” She felt she could perform a spontaneous combustion on the spot or immediately jump off Starfell Valley.