["Shu... you said..." A childish voice echoed by his ear. Though light and pleasant, every word sounded exceptionally harsh to Shu.
Before him was a world enveloped in a soft white light. It was a small room. Through the white haze, he could vaguely make out a tiled floor, a piano, and even a painting on an easel in the corner...
The small room was surprisingly well-furnished. This completeness didn't refer to "vital organs," as few people couldn't live without these things.
Piano, guzheng, easel, violin...
The walls were a blaze of orange and crimson, covered densely with countless award certificates. And in the most prominent spot in the room, an exquisite glass display cabinet stood.
Various trophies were arranged inside, creating a dazzling display with the certificates on the wall, involuntarily evoking a sense of inferiority in the onlooker.
And when one saw the "National," "World-Class," and other such prefixes on those certificates and trophies, that sense of inferiority intensified.
And the owner of the room, a slender figure in white, stood casually in the center.
The dazzling yet not piercing white light emanated from her. This light was too strong... it even overshadowed the brilliance of the certificates and trophies.
"Shu? Are you listening?" she asked softly, seemingly worried about the dazed Shu before her.
Shu snapped back to reality, nodding instinctively. Then he averted his gaze from her, looking at the certificates, then the trophies, and finally, his eyes settled on the unfinished painting in the furthest corner.
"Good, as long as you're listening..." She sighed in relief, took a step back, and gently twirled before Shu, but the question she asked wasn't "Do I look pretty today?"
"Shu... if one day, you had to leave... where would you choose to leave from?"]
---||---
Shu slowly opened his eyes. A faint fragrance was the first thing that entered his nostrils.
...Shampoo, mixed with a hint of some unidentifiable scent.
He blinked. His blurry vision gradually sharpened, but only from large color blocks to a mosaic.
However, from the white hair before him and the voice by his ear, he could deduce that the person currently carrying him on their back was Kiana Kaslana.
Wait, if Kiana is carrying me, then who is that person in Kiana's clothes wandering/swaying around in front?
Two Kianas? I remember I fell asleep from exhaustion, not got drunk, right?
Since when did Kiana dye her hair purple?
Wait, purple hair?
Shu's consciousness gradually cleared. The next moment, a splitting headache flashed through him, making him let out a small, involuntary "tsk."
"Eh?" Shu's sound was right by Kiana's ear. She immediately caught his movement and instinctively turned her head to look at Shu, whose head was resting on her shoulder.
Shu reflexively lifted his head, avoiding Kiana's face as she leaned in.
"You're awake!" Kiana didn't see him when she turned, but feeling Shu's significant movement, she exclaimed in pleasant surprise, then added cautiously, "It wasn't because I was carrying you uncomfortably that I woke you up, was it?"
Shu was silent for a moment. Kiana was still walking forward while asking, as if completely unconcerned that she was carrying Shu.
The current situation was—Shu's hands were on Kiana's shoulders to keep himself steady, his upper body straight to avoid being face-to-face with Kiana, his legs held by Kiana...
This posture was naturally fine for someone like Kiana who was prone to being clingy, but he was Shu, someone accustomed to maintaining an idol's image.
What would the people from Fire Moth think if they saw this scene?
If Otto saw this scene, how would he... torment him?!
"Put me down first," Shu said calmly.
Kiana was puzzled but still lowered Shu. After stretching her arms, she said to Shu, "Shu, you seem a bit thin."
Shu stumbled slightly, looking at Kiana in shock.
The other two, who had been silent, also cast strange glances.
Kiana seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, a lightbulb went off in her head, and she understood what she wanted to say.
"I feel like you're only a little heavier than Mei! About... a few kilograms?" Kiana even made a weighing gesture, then compared their heights. "Even though you're half a head taller than Mei..."
"And carrying Mei feels soft..."
Kiana's mouth was promptly covered by Mei. Mei gave a forced laugh, then turned to Shu and asked seriously, "Shu, are you alright?"
Shu shook his head, indicating he was mostly fine. "Did I sleep for a long time?"
"About two hours or so," Bronya Zaychik silently emerged from the side. "You slept on the bed for about an hour, and then on Kiana's back for another hour."
Is that so?
Shu also stretched his body. Mei handed him a pair of glasses. Shu paused, glanced at Mei as he took them, then put them on.
The world before him instantly became clear. Shu sighed in relief. Kiana, however, for some reason, suddenly seemed a bit nervous.
"Mei, why did you give Shu glasses?" Kiana looked at Shu's glasses, then at Mei and Bronya, feigning composure as she asked.
"Because Shu is a bit nearsighted... We were all back on the train, so it's normal to grab a pair of glasses..." Mei looked at Kiana with some confusion instead. "Kiana, you didn't notice?"
"Ah? Oh, so that's how it is..." Kiana visibly relaxed. She chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head, peeked secretly at Shu, then nodded. "Yeah... that's it! I really didn't notice Shu was nearsighted..."
Shu and the other two tilted their heads, looking at Kiana, who was clearly trying to cover something up, with an inexplicable expression.
Something's not right...
"What's wrong? I... I just wasn't paying attention usually, didn't observe carefully, I was careless, that's why I didn't know Shu was actually nearsighted, no, wait, didn't know Shu was nearsighted from the very beginning!"
Kiana couldn't stand the three of them staring at her and quickly "argued" defensively.
"Kiana said careless," Bronya seized on the word.
"Kiana is actually criticizing herself? And over such a small matter?" Mei found it hard to believe.
"Kiana, you..." Shu didn't know what to say, he could only adjust his glasses. "Am I someone with very low presence?"
"Of course not! I just..." Kiana fumed, finally losing it. She whipped her head around, refusing to look at any of them, and puffed out her cheeks in a silent sulk.
"I just thought Mei had noticed too..." she muttered, her voice audible only to herself.