Chapter 16: The Unshakable Slumber and a Mischievous Kiss

The warm, tranquil atmosphere enveloped Kazami Jin like a soft blanket.

Xia Yue rested her head on Jin’s shoulder, her breathing even and deep, her sleeping face as serene as a delicate porcelain doll.

Lin Wan, too, had settled into quietude, curled up in the opposite corner of the sofa, seemingly lulled into drowsiness by the pervasive peace.

The movie’s credits had long finished rolling, leaving only a faint, ethereal blue glow flickering across the screen.

Jin exhaled softly, feeling the comforting weight on her shoulder and observing the unguarded slumber of the two women beside her, a tender spot in her heart stirred as if by a feather’s touch.

With utmost care, she subtly attempted to adjust her posture, hoping not to disturb Xia Yue, intending to simply nestle into the sofa and drift off to sleep herself.

****

However, the very moment her body relaxed and leaned back—

A warm hand, imbued with undeniable force and intent, silently and precisely covered her shapely rear, even adding a light, almost evaluative squeeze.

Jin’s body instantly stiffened, as if a jolt of electricity had coursed through her.

She spun her head around abruptly, meeting Lin Wan’s eyes, which glinted with cunning and a certain perilous light in the dimness.

Lin Wan had, at some point, drawn incredibly close, not a trace of sleepiness remaining on her face.

A mischievous smirk played on her lips as she lowered her voice, her breath brushing against Jin’s ear, laced with triumph and an air of indisputability:

“Jin~ are you really going to sleep already? Did you… forget something?”

‘Forgot what?’

Jin’s mind, reeling from the sudden assault and intimate proximity, seemed to momentarily shut down.

She gazed at Lin Wan’s face, mere inches away, her own flustered expression clearly reflected in those eyes.

Lin Wan’s warm breath feathered against the back of Jin’s ear, feeling like tiny hooks.

Jin instinctively recoiled, attempting to shrink back, yet with the sofa backrest behind her and Lin Wan’s body pressing in front—radiating a post-bath freshness mingled with her own sweet, warm scent—there was nowhere to escape.

“But, but last night wasn’t that already…?” Jin’s voice trembled slightly as she tried to remind Lin Wan that the “punishment” born of worry the previous night had already significantly eased their tension, implying that perhaps those excessive “contract clauses” could now be…

“Last night was last night~” Lin Wan interrupted, her fingers even daring to trace the curve of Jin’s rear, eliciting a faint shiver from her.

“Worry is one thing, but the necessary ‘discipline’ and ‘intimacy’ cannot be neglected, not even one bit~ This is all to deepen the ‘bond’ between us~”

She deliberately emphasized the word “bond,” her eyes conveying an unmistakable message: ‘You can’t escape.’

“W-wait a minute! Lin Wan! Xia Yue is still here…” Jin futilely attempted to summon a rescuer, instinctively and with a pleading urgency, gently shaking Xia Yue, who was still resting on her shoulder with her free hand.

“A’Yue? A’Yue!” she whispered.

However, Xia Yue seemed to be in the deepest of hibernations; her breathing rhythm remained utterly unchanged, and not even an eyelash fluttered.

Her serene sleeping face, bathed in the faint blue light of the screen, appeared utterly peaceful, creating a desperate contrast with the “crisis” Jin was currently facing.

‘High performance… punctual and efficient… Jin truly wished to curse this damnable trait at this moment!’

“You were just looking at me with those eyes again, and now you’re putting on this act, Jin. You’re quite the clever one, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t!” Jin twisted in indignant shame, trying to escape the mischievous hand.

“It’s no use~” Lin Wan chuckled, relishing Jin’s futile struggles.

“A’Yue’s forced sleep is unshakable; unless there’s a pre-set high-intensity energy alarm, she wouldn’t wake up even if firecrackers were set off right next to her ear~”

As she spoke, Lin Wan leaned in completely.

Already close, she now leveraged her physical advantage, gently but with an undeniable force, pressing Jin—who was still attempting to rouse Xia Yue—down onto the soft sofa cushions!

“Ugh!” Jin let out a short gasp, her hands instinctively pushing against Lin Wan’s chest, but the disparity in their strength left her feeling utterly helpless.

Though Lin Wan possessed a petite figure, her physical prowess as a Magical Girl was hardly something Jin, a ‘weakling witch,’ could contend with.

Lin Wan gazed down at Jin, who was trapped beneath her, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide with panic yet tinged with a resigned despair.

Lin Wan’s smile grew even more radiant, like a mischievous imp who had finally captured her beloved prey.

Lin Wan leaned in, her nose almost touching the side of Jin’s neck, her voice dropping to a low, husky whisper:

“Caught red-handed, aren’t we~”

Her free hand lifted, gently pinching Jin’s chin, forcing her to tilt her head slightly and meet her gaze.

“Naughty children who try to escape must be punished~”

Jin looked up at Lin Wan’s face, so close above her.

Those eyes, usually vibrant with playful light, now resembled still, deep pools, swirling with emotions she couldn’t decipher but that sent a tremor of unease through her.

She tried to avert her gaze, but Lin Wan’s fingers held her chin firmly in place.

“Let go… Xia…” She futilely uttered the sleeper’s name once more, her voice now tinged with a pathetic whimper.

Lin Wan gently caressed Jin’s lower lip, the touch soft and tender.

Jin’s eyes widened abruptly, and it felt as though all the blood in her body rushed to the touched spot, her skin instantly growing scorching hot.

She let out a muffled “Mm,” her remaining words swallowed back.

Lin Wan, however, did not delve deeper.

Watching Jin’s face flush crimson and her eyes grow moist with panic, she seemed to derive immense satisfaction, a laugh rumbling from her throat.

“Don’t…” Jin finally managed a semblance of resistance, yet her voice was impossibly soft, sounding less like a refusal and more like an invitation.

Lin Wan’s gaze darkened entirely.

She lowered her head, and this time, it was no longer a fleeting peck.

With an irresistible force, she sealed Jin’s unspoken words.

Jin’s eyes fluttered shut, her long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings in the wind, and fragmented, suppressed whimpers escaped her nostrils.

Kazami Jin, gazing at Lin Wan’s magnified face before her, then glancing sideways at Xia Yue, who slept soundly as if entirely oblivious, was overwhelmed by a profound sense of absurdity and powerlessness.

‘Just a moment ago, it felt like home, warm and safe; the next, she had fallen victim to a “poisonous hand.

And there was no escape, no one to call for help.

Her first kiss… just gone, just like that?’