Chapter 50: Tranquility

“Onee-chan, can I stay here until you’re ready to go to sleep?”

Yukina lowered her head and asked.

At first, Yukina was very unaccustomed to it, but now she had started calling Ephnel “Onee-chan” without realizing it, the address gradually shifting from deliberate to slightly more natural.

Perhaps… a part of her heart had already begun to compromise.

What was happening to her?

“Mmm…”

Ephnel hesitated slightly.

“But I might be going to bed a little late…”

“I don’t mind. I’ll go to sleep on my own if I get tired.”

“Then… don’t stay up too late.”

“Okay.”

Yukina lowered her gaze and leaned against the headboard, turning her body slightly.

“You too, Onee-chan… don’t stay up too late.”

“Alright.”

The air grew quiet again, filled with the rhythmic sound of keyboard clicks.

Yukina listened in silence, lost in a daze.

In truth, Yukina was exhausted, her body felt like it was about to fall apart, yet she just couldn’t fall asleep.

Leaning like this was a bit awkward for her waist, but it was much more comfortable for her neck.

Her thoughts were in turmoil.

She had wandered into Ephnel’s room without thinking, sharing the same space with her… She had never even imagined such a thing before.

She loved Ephnel.

It was an admiration in the romantic sense, but… this person was also her older sister.

If she allowed these feelings to fester, wouldn’t she eventually walk a path with no resolution?

Yukina sighed softly, her gaze wandering aimlessly before finally settling on the pillow at the head of the bed.

That was Ephnel’s pillow.

A very clean, not-at-all-cute white pillow, just like her style.

The middle of the pillow was slightly indented, and the bedsheet behind it had fresh creases.

Yukina remembered that Ephnel seemed to have been lying right there just before she came in.

Behind her was the very spot her sister had just been sleeping.

Yukina stared intently, subconsciously reaching out her hand, her palm gently resting on it.

The pillow was soft, made of pure cotton.

Perhaps because its owner had been away for a while, it no longer held any warmth, but the realness of its touch traveled from her palm straight to the bottom of Yukina’s heart.

Unconsciously, she had grown to be about the same height as her sister.

If she and her sister were to lie face to face, would their gazes meet at the same time their toes could just barely touch?

Palms could press against palms, lips could print upon lips, not an inch of their bodies would be missed, touched by each other’s skin, accepting each other’s warmth.

Such thoughts arose quietly, immediately occupying Yukina’s mind.

Sure enough, love couldn’t be hidden.

The moment she came into contact with that person’s presence, her mind would inevitably start to wander.

A strange palpitation spread through her heart, climbing up Yukina’s neck and cheeks.

Her breath grew hot.

The soft tapping of the keyboard still echoed in the air.

Yukina carefully raised her eyes and looked at Ephnel’s back.

Ephnel hadn’t noticed her.

She swallowed past a dry throat.

As if possessed, Yukina, like a thief, quietly lay down, resting her head sideways on Ephnel’s pillow.

It smells so good…

Ephnel’s pleasant scent was squeezed out from the cotton filling, the fragrance lingering by her ears and the tip of her nose, intertwining with her breath and strands of her hair, like layers of snowflakes enveloping her.

Yukina was momentarily entranced.

It was as if she had returned to that time, resting her head on Ephnel’s shoulder, inhaling the scent of her hair.

Like facing a gentle spring breeze, as if every cell in her body was brushed by verdant green leaves, Yukina felt a tranquility she had never experienced before.

When she was in her own room, her heart was filled with tension, excitement, and anticipation, as well as unease, anxiety, and hesitation.

These indescribable emotions fermented within her, tearing at her heart.

But immersed in Ephnel’s scent, all these thoughts were suddenly swept away.

Her tense body gradually relaxed.

The accumulated fatigue of the day rushed to her mind, climbing up every inch of her muscles.

Involuntarily, Yukina gently closed her eyes.

Before long, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

…

“I apologize, I know it’s a bit late, but there is something I must confess and apologize for right now, right here.”

“This matter concerns me, and my younger sister. I have hidden it for a long time, and I have been constantly running from it…”

“The truth is…”

…

It was a straightforward narrative, devoid of rich emotional phrasing or embellishments, simply recounting her story in a declarative tone and cleverly directing the potential blade of public opinion toward herself.

Ephnel didn’t foolishly reveal her and Yukina’s true identities.

In just a few hundred words, she very briefly explained the matter she had concealed regarding the “Absolute Accommodator,” and then apologized at the end.

Although it was a bit rough and thin, the “confession letter” was, for all intents and purposes, complete.

Ephnel gave it a final review, found no typos, then copied the edited text into her personal status bar.

After a moment’s hesitation, she finally pressed the enter key to update her account’s personal status.

“Phew…”

For no particular reason, Ephnel let out a sigh of relief.

The account she posted on was her official personal social media account, public to everyone.

Information and announcements regarding her activities, whether as “Magical Girl Ephnel” or as “Agent Ephnel,” were all updated on this account.

As Ephnel’s sole official account, the content published here carried considerable weight and credibility.

Therefore, posting here would definitely attract attention, quickly seize the topic, and rapidly disseminate the message she wanted to convey in a short amount of time.

Ephnel glanced at the number of followers on the account.

Nearly two hundred thousand.

In other words, this account undoubtedly had enough weight to draw people’s attention.

“I’ve noticed it before, but this number still feels a bit exaggerated…”

Ephnel muttered to herself with mixed feelings.

Ordinarily, Ephnel didn’t deliberately manage this account.

She merely complied with Yonomikenami’s requests to post event announcements, share informational columns related to the Erosion, or occasionally share her personal status when she had free time.

But without realizing it, Ephnel had already amassed such a large number of followers.

Meanwhile, other Agents either had no official account at all, or their follower count was only a few thousand, barely over ten thousand.

Even the official Order Organization account had just over eighty thousand followers.

Just as Masaki Hinaki had said, the popularity Ephnel had accumulated was not to be underestimated.

As a project to create an Agent-idol, Ephnel was undoubtedly a success.

Although it was opportunistic to some extent, using this method for related promotional work or relieving mental stress had indeed had a positive effect.

Ephnel sighed, stopped thinking about these tangled matters, crossed her hands above her head, and yawned.

Ding-dong—

Ephnel heard a notification sound from her computer.

Though it had only been about ten seconds since she posted, comment and share notifications popped up in the corner of the screen.

Then, the number of messages in the window shot up to “99+” like ants swarming out of their nest after finding food.

Ephnel’s lips twitched.

‘It’s already one in the morning. Don’t these people have work or school during the day? Why aren’t they asleep yet?’

By tomorrow, the number of comments and shares would surely become terrifying, right?

The voices of condemnation would fill her ears all at once.

Ephnel’s shoulders slumped.

She rubbed them, didn’t click to view the messages, and simply shut down the computer.

“I’ll just leave it to fate…”

‘I’m so sorry, Yonomikenami. All your hard work is about to go down the drain.’

Ephnel apologized from the bottom of her heart to Yonomikenami, who had supported her as her manager.

After something like this, Ephnel’s career as an Agent-idol was probably over, wasn’t it?

She felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Although she wasn’t particularly fond of this job, it’s true that no matter the object or form, people habitually hate to lose things.

But for Ephnel, even losing everything she had could never compare to Yukina.

Speaking of which, Yukina was still here.

“Yukina, I’m done here. You can go to sleep now.”

Ephnel said lazily.

But she received no response.

Ephnel turned her head and looked towards the bed, only to find Yukina lying sideways, having fallen asleep at some point.

…