The girls’ dormitory was shrouded in darkness, the covers moved slightly, and Dubian Che poked his head out.
He remained still, listening intently to the even breathing of the other three girls.
It seemed that no one was awakened by the movement just now.
Dubian Che’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he easily located Kiyono Lin’s bed as he scanned the other two prepared beds.
She was lying on her right side, a few strands of long hair brushing against her nose and mouth, so beautiful that even the moonlight streaming through the window seemed to purposefully spotlight her.
Through the gaps in her black hair, her tightly closed eyelids were faintly visible.
Dubian Che drew back into the covers, looking down at Xiaoquan Aonai, whose expression of shock had not yet fully faded.
In order not to wake the others, Dubian Che leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Teacher, please, if Meiji finds out, I’m done for."
Xiaoquan Aonai snapped back to reality, just about to speak, when she suddenly noticed the weight on her body.
"Get off," she said quietly with a flushed face.
"Ah, sorry!" Dubian Che rolled off Xiaoquan Aonai.
"Dubian, just tell me the truth."
Xiaoquan Aonai turned her face slightly and was about to speak when she saw Dubian Che’s face pillowed on hers, so close due to the cramped covers, only five centimeters away from her own.
Her heart raced uncontrollably, the air inside the covers swiftly becoming stifling, and she desperately wanted to stick her head out for air.
Dubian Che faintly sensed Xiaoquan Aonai’s discomfort and instinctively thought she was angry.
He grabbed Xiaoquan Aonai’s hand, "Teacher, however you scold me is fine! Please keep this matter a secret! I’m begging you!"
The heat from his face, her hand completely engulfed, was a boy’s hand this big?
Her face flushed, and she struggled to say, "Dubian, first let go of the teacher."
Xiaoquan Aonai’s voice was hoarse, her breathing heavier than usual, and Dubian Che realized something was amiss.
Though inexperienced, having seen Jiutiao Meijie and Mayi Asuka emotionally moved before and possessing above-average learning abilities, he quickly guessed Xiaoquan Aonai’s probable state.
Far from letting go, Dubian Che went even further.
He released Xiaoquan Aonai’s hands and, like a coddled child, hugged her body and buried his face in her collarbone.
"If teacher doesn’t agree, I won’t let go!"
"Dubian, be obedient!"
"Please, promise me~" Dubian Che could no longer control his tone, no matter how nauseating it was.
He had pretended to be a child before, in terms of acting, no one could beat his experienced approach—sometimes forgetting his real age didn’t bother him, he even purposefully accentuated it.
Xiaoquan Aonai wanted to push away Dubian Che, who was acting like a child in her arms, but worried about waking the others.
"Let go first," she said softly.
"No!" Dubian Che clung like a koala, "Teacher~~, just this one request, please, okay?"
Xiaoquan Aonai kept her hands on Dubian Che’s shoulders, maintaining a distance between their bodies.
She pushed weakly, at her wit’s end, "Dubian, let go of teacher first, and we can talk outside, okay?"
Dubian Che wouldn’t be fooled so easily.
Every once in a while, Xiaoquan Aonai would lecture him: be faithful, don’t just flirt with girls because you’re good-looking.
His face buried in her chest, he feigned pouting and deliberately raised his voice slightly, mumbling, "If teacher doesn’t agree, I’m not leaving tonight!"
"Shh—keep your voice down."
Finally, Xiaoquan Aonai surrendered, mumbling a vague, "Okay, teacher agrees."
"You’re not lying?" Dubian Che raised his head from her chest, looking at her.
"...I’m not lying." Xiaoquan Aonai forced her head up, avoiding face-to-face contact.
"I trust teacher, you would never lie to a student." After guilt-tripping her, Dubian Che let go of her hands and feet.
He peeked out again, confirming that the other three were still breathing normally, then quietly left the covers, taking his slippers and crawling towards the door.
Xiaoquan Aonai also poked her head out, her face bright red as she breathed heavily.
Once the cool air slightly reduced her temperature and her mind cleared, she too carefully got up and walked toward the door.
Just standing up, she saw Dubian Che with his slippers, crawling on the ground, which seemed so ridiculous and amusing that she felt slightly less angry.
Outside the room, the two silently walked toward the flat ground in front of the main hall.
Passing by a vending machine surrounded by moths, Dubian Che bought a Coke to replenish his sugars and a bottle of water for Xiaoquan Aonai.
The moon seemed larger on the flat ground, and Dubian Che could clearly see the ground five meters away.
They sat down on a wooden bench together.
The Coke was ice-cold, and the aluminum can quickly covered with condensation. Dubian Che pulled open the tab and took a big gulp.
Xiaoquan Aonai watched him drink, taking small sips of her water.
"Dubian." She paused her drinking.
"Yes," Dubian Che replied like a student called into the principal’s office for misbehavior.
"When you were not dating Jiutiao, I told you many times to be faithful. Why do you still do this?" Xiaoquan Aonai’s tone grew increasingly angry.
"Because... I couldn’t control myself," Dubian Che stared at his Coke.
"Couldn’t control..." Xiaoquan Aonai’s tone suddenly slowed, she sighed in resignation, "Kiyono is very beautiful, and it’s indeed very hard for a boy to control himself if approached."
"Right?!" Dubian Che immediately felt justified.