Chapter 222: Chapter 222 Night at the Beach Part 01.
"Fuu, that's refreshing".
Hina exhaled in joy upon trying the bath the mansion had provided for them. With a steamed run through her skin, Hina approached the bedroom where the other had already been waiting.
However, she was hesitant to enter because of the earlier event. When the sparring unfolds, and she receives a stern reprimand, apparently, they were at such a close distance that the other members of the clubs assumed them kissing, assuming that Soma was apologizing for his conduct.
Because that rumor had spread amongst the girls, Hina felt so embarrassed and also proud because of how other people looked at her and Soma.
With renewed determination, Hina gripped the door handle tightly, twisting it before she opened it while many pairs of eyes had already been waiting for the prey to appear.
"Um, can I help you? Woah?!".
One of the female seniors who visited the first-year room began to drag her toward the vast and empty room and put Hina in the middle to prevent her from escaping.
"Eh? Eeh, what is happening?".
"Now, Junior Hina, tell us about your relationship with your boyfriend".
The earlier female senior who dragged her began to inquire at such a close distance, making Hina flustered, and her brain stopped functioning for a moment.
"Huh?! Wa-wa-wait a moment, what is this about?".
"Don't pretend; you guys are always together, even in class, and I saw you guys Lovey-dovey with him earlier in the field. That makes me piss, ah, a bit envious of you."
"Wait, did you just want to say pissed off?".
"Pipe down, Junior. We all here know how empty and sad we are for not having any relationship because of our circumstances in the Academy, so Junior Hina, would you please?".
"Um, I-I… ".
"Fufu, it seems lively in this room".
Serafina suddenly entered the room, garnering the other's attention as their eyes glued to her cute and mature sleepwear that made the entire female inside the room gulp their saliva, seeing her alluring curve and thin cloth that barely covered anything.
"Ah, Senior Sera, what kind of sleepwear is that? It was so thin. Ah, not like that, Senior, please help me out here".
"Fufu, actually, I am also curious about your relationship with Soma and these clothes. Fufu, well, you might think that I wear them to gain his attention".
"Eeeeh?!".
"Hohoo, it's rare for Serafina to say that, but Serafina is also curious, huh. Then this matter had already been sealed, so Junior Hina, please cooperate with us".
"No?!".
A wail of the lamb surrounded by the hungry female echoed from the second floor, inviting the other curiosity. Still, they retracted their intention, for they knew better than to not get involved with such a high school girl during their talk time.
*****
"Soma, where are you going? Putting your jacket on?".
"I'm going out for a while to meet and help someone".
"Ah, I see, be careful out there".
"Okay".
After finishing his small chat with Leon, Soma left his room and shut the door before walking around the corridor and stairs that would lead him to the first floor.
Soma pulled the door inside before the soft and pleasant breeze entered the room, cooling his still-freshened body after getting out of the bath.
"She told me to go into this place to help her with something, but where is it exactly?".
Earlier in the afternoon, when he finished sparring with Hina, the other members also began to light up their fighting spirit, and some of the seniors also started to challenge him to see just how strong Soma was. It was a good experience for him to broaden his horizons in Martial Arts.
However, after the sparring ended, Soma was especially pointed at by Ryuu, his club leader, asking him to help Serafina with something, so reluctantly, he is currently doing the job. But he couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling that shrouded his mind.
Slowly, Soma enjoyed his night walk while occasionally glancing at his phone to check the map route. The starry sky that painted the dark curtain above him gave a sense of tranquility that pleased his eyes and refreshed his clouded mind while enjoying the soft breeze that passed.
His feet began to plunge toward the sandy beach, Soma brown, slightly knitted as he saw the figure of a girl with silver hair wearing a light dress of white one-pieces, illuminated by the moonlight that cascaded to the land, giving her an ethereal presence like a goddess. She is standing beside the shore, looking at the scenery that she saw and admired for the first time in her life.
"Xiao lian?".
Upon hearing her name being called, Xiao Lian's body twitched briefly. Then she turned her attention to the source, only to find Soma open her eyes wide. She hurriedly took out her phone to open up her messages apps, typed the display multiple times, and sent it to the person asking her out.
{Is Soma already there? Good then, you can have time to talk with and clear the awkwardness between you. Who knows, maybe your relationship will progress further}
Xiao Lian, who saw the reply, turned pale as she began to see Soma knitting his brows, seeing a message that Serafina had sent to him.
"Tch that woman, you better remember this".
Seeing Soma's frowning face while exchanging banter with Serafina brought a sense of nostalgia in her heart as she unconsciously reached out her hand before stopping midway.
"What's the matter, Xiao Lian?".
Xiao Lian shook her head to the side and retracted her hand back as her heart began to race in conflicted thoughts about the boy in front of her. With her conflicted mind, her vision started to narrow, and she couldn't make a good judgment of what she should do in this situation. "Please, Mother. What should I do?".
Soma, who saw her contorted expression, softly sighed before he approached her weak figure. He slowly extended his right hand to try to reach out to her trembling body, but she was aware of Soma approaching, and when her gaze lifted, she reflexively retraced back, which made her face blank for a second.
"Sorry about that".
"...N-no, I didn't mean to".
"It's okay, I know it".
Xiao Lian, who realized what she had done, turned pale as the trembling on her body intensified. Soma, who saw her suffering face, began to sigh and reflect upon his action. "I should face her earlier".
Soma takes her for granted, for she is Xiao Lian, one of the powerhouses in the story just below Leon. He remembered her qualities as someone with the strongest heart and that even the whispering of demoness Lilith didn't have any effect on her.
However, he missed the important part. Xiao Lian, who was hailed as the strongest, was not as impressive in the earlier stage of the story; she tended to hold everything herself and never got herself involved with other characters until the accident brought her together with Leon.
From there, their relationship progressed slowly until she proudly stood beside the savior of the world, and with him together, she tackled any dangerous dungeon and a strong enemy that threatened humanity.
Soma steeled his heart and began to reach out to her again, which made Xiao Lian's face stiffen upon seeing his hand approaching. Xiao Lian closed her eyes and accepted her mistake in the form of punishment. Still, instead of punishment, she felt a warmth that came from his head, caressing it gently as the negative thoughts inside her mind dissipated almost instantly.
She missed the tender caresses Soma gave her. Xiao Lian slowly opened her eyes and saw Soma helplessly spreading his lips.
"Are you not going to ask anything about me?".
"...".
Seeing Xiao Lian, who got muted, Soma chuckled as he pat her smooth hair off. Soma is still unclear regarding Xiao Lian, who suddenly got attached to him, but that is a trivial matter. No matter what, he must do something to clear things up between them.
"Then, do you want to listen to this boring story of mine?".
"?!".
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