At this very moment.
Yunduo also couldn't sleep.
No one knew what the future would hold.
The established future had been changed; according to the original world's trajectory, they shouldn't even have appeared in Haiyuan City right now.
So, she put on black pajamas and walked out of the bedroom.
"Hello, I'm just coming out for some air."
Yunduo spoke softly as she passed by the female soldiers on guard.
"Please make sure not to leave the base at night; the Honkai Beasts in Haiyuan City are very fierce at night."
The female soldier piloting a mech mistook Yunduo for an Anti-Entropy researcher, so she informed her seriously.
Yunduo smiled slightly and walked toward the distance.
Before her was an underwater tunnel, thousands of meters below the surface, connecting the base to the Sea of Quantas Eye.
The pressure of the seawater was entirely held back; even deep in the abyss, one could breathe normally.
This was enough to see Anti-Entropy's superb technological strength and abundant funds.
If it weren't for the Honkai, this place would probably have been developed into an underwater tourist city, right?
Yunduo walked with light steps, passing through the incandescent light of searchlights and seeing the azure seawater outside the passage from all directions.
Besides the seawater, there were also some deep-sea fish, which were incredibly ugly.
Some had no eyes, some didn't even have faces, and some were bioluminescent.
Additionally, some floating jellyfish were also common, and one could vaguely discover the existence of opaque organisms within the transparent ripples of the water.
Of course, from time to time, the fleeting shadow of a Honkai Beast would also be spotted.
"Clack... clack..."
Her footsteps produced light echoes in the silent, seemingly endless underwater passage.
Suddenly, Yunduo heard a set of rapid footsteps.
When she looked up, she found it was the skipping Rozaliya and the calm-faced Liliya beside her.
The two of them showed curious looks upon seeing Yunduo.
The former's eyes lit up immediately, seemingly not expecting anyone else to be out in the middle of the night.
Liliya blinked and recognized Yunduo.
"Big sister~ Yahoo! Can't you sleep either?"
Stopping in front of Yunduo, Rozaliya, wearing a thin coat, shouted loudly.
She wore an off-the-shoulder short skirt with a pink base and a black brooch, a white glove on her right hand, and equally pure white silk stockings; the tip of her tender pink Tail swayed back and forth, appearing like a small pink heart.
It made one's heart itch just looking at it, wanting to grab her little Tail, rub it gently in one's palm, and warm the whole Tail with one's own heat; if it turned into a little cherry, one wondered if it would be sweet.
The clothes were very revealing; if she weren't a child, it would definitely be quite suggestive.
"Rozaliya, don't talk so loudly, you'll scare the big sister,"
Beside her, Liliya said in a low, childish voice.
Dressed almost exactly like Rozaliya, a hard horn grew from her head, and an ink-black Tail hung downwards.
As the younger sister, she was calm, composed, and expressionless, always liking to bully and tease her older sister Rozaliya.
She was actually a child herself, but her act of being mature made her even cuter.
In this regard, she was quite similar to Theresa.
It's just that one is acting old, while the other is acting young.
Yunduo nodded upon hearing this. "Are you two the same?"
"Yeah, yeah~ Liliya goes to bed at seven every day and wakes up at one or two. To stay in sync with her, I sleep then too, so I wake up really early every day. Mmm~ there's nothing to do."
"It's clearly because Rozaliya gets very sleepy after eating dinner; it doesn't have much to do with Liliya's sleeping time."
"Eh~ isn't it only natural to get sleepy after eating? Scientists said it's best not to exercise after eating and to let the stomach work at full power to digest food; that way, you'll even get thinner."
"...Rozaliya, stop making excuses for your laziness."
Listening to the two little lolis talking in harmony, Yunduo felt as if she were at the Anti-Entropy branch of the Deyun Society.
"By the way, since you can't sleep anyway, big sister, you're Sister Bronya's friend, right?"
"Why don't we play hide-and-seek together? We just ran into Sister Bronya, but she said she had to go back and do her homework," Rozaliya said regretfully.
"Homework?"
Yunduo understood; this was Bronya's lie.
Who would want to play hide-and-seek with two little kids at three or four in the morning?
Except for lolicons, of course.
Suddenly, she noticed the longing expression in Rozaliya's eyes.
Since she was bored anyway, Yunduo agreed.
First, they played Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Yunduo and Rozaliya won.
So, Liliya was the one who had to find them.
Yunduo looked into the distance; this was a straight deep-sea tunnel with nowhere to hide.
So they all went back into the bedroom together.
The hide-and-seek area was limited to Yunduo's bedroom and the bedroom shared by Rozaliya and Liliya.
Running outside was not allowed... so they went into Rozaliya's bedroom.
Yunduo looked around and found no good hiding spots, so she asked Rozaliya, who was also deep in thought:
"Where should we hide? Inside the wardrobe?"
"The wardrobe... that's so cliché. Liliya would definitely find us in an instant, right?"
Rozaliya shook her head, her spinning azure eyes scanning the surroundings.
Suddenly, she saw the elevated bed; there was just enough space underneath.
However, that was the small bed where she and Liliya slept, and the gap below was very small, so it would be a bit cramped for two people to crawl in.
But there was no time to overthink it; Liliya's footsteps were drawing closer step by step, so a decision had to be made quickly.
Unable to find anywhere else, Rozaliya simply grabbed Yunduo's arm and said, "Big sister, let's hide under the bed!"
"...Eh?"
Yunduo was dazed, and before she could think, she was pulled under the bed by the strength on her shoulder.
For some reason, she and Rozaliya managed to crawl in quite easily.
—There were no instances of getting stuck against the bedboard due to protruding body parts.
For a moment, Yunduo didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
It must be cleaned often, as there was no dust, but it was pitch black, and the mattress being so close created a sense of oppression.
The space under the bed was very small, so Yunduo curled up as much as possible, trying not to take up too much room.
But the space was so narrow that she was forced to hold Rozaliya.
Sensing the warmth and softness in her arms, Yunduo suddenly realized that if she looked at it from another perspective...
She was actually playing an erotic-sounding game with a loli she just met at three in the morning, hiding under a bed and holding her in her arms... Luckily she was a girl. If she were a boy, she'd definitely be locked in a dark room, right?
It's fine, it's fine.
Anyway, there's none of that 'H-manga' plot happening, like suddenly getting hard, then pulling off the underwear, showing a dangerous smile, and doing 'hey-ho hey-ho' while Rozaliya has a terrified expression with tears in the corners of her eyes, and finally taking secret photos for blackmail.
That kind of plot definitely doesn't exist.
It's a 'no-dick' discussion!
Suddenly, Yunduo felt a phantom pain in her limb. Looking down, she realized that a certain part of Rozaliya had accidentally poked her little tummy. Oh no!
Have I become an H-manga heroine?!!
Yunduo blinked, this thought flashing through her mind.
She smelled a faint milky fragrance; a sweet scent drifted from Rozaliya's fair neck, invading Yunduo's nose.
The tiny body in her arms was like a small ball of warm marshmallow that she could lower her head and taste at any time.
As Rozaliya rubbed restlessly, her warm breath soaked Yunduo's clothes, making her feel itchy and making her body feel hot.
It was already narrow under the bedboard, and even slight friction generated heat. Rozaliya let out a soft muffled sound, fair sweat trickled from her forehead, and her pink lips were moist, making one want to steal a kiss.
But to be fair, as a Honkai Beast Tail, it was still very hard.
"It's so hard... can you move your Tail away a bit?" Yunduo said in a low voice, worried about attracting Liliya.
"Eh? It's not my Tail."
In Rozaliya's peach-pink eyes, an unclear expression flickered.
It's not her Tail.
No way?!!
Could it be 'that'?
Yunduo couldn't see clearly, so she carefully fumbled with her right hand and quietly pulled out the small phone Rozaliya had in her pocket.
"Snap!"
The phone fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.
There was also the sound of the camera automatically taking a photo.
Yunduo: "..."
Rozaliya: "..."
The scene became awkward for a moment.
"Eh eh eh~ This camera opened automatically! Rozaliya didn't think about secretly taking photos of Big Sister to give to Sister Bronya in exchange for snacks... there was no such... such plot, okay?"
Seeing that things were going south, Rozaliya tried her best to make an excuse.
A seductive crimson flush appeared on her face, like a ripe red persimmon in autumn.
As if!
Even Theresa wouldn't believe that line, right?
But how did she know that she had a relationship with Bronya?
"Why would you think of taking my photo to Bronya for a reward?" Yunduo asked, puzzled.
As she spoke, she tried to squeeze back a bit to put some distance between her and Rozaliya.
But a certain pink-haired girl was mischievous; seeing Yunduo lean back, her eyes darted around, and she wickedly squeezed toward her.
Seeing this, Yunduo stopped retreating and stayed halfway, not letting Rozaliya move.
"Of course I can tell. The look of liking someone can't be hidden. It's like how Rozaliya looks at Liliya—that kind of emotion when you look at someone makes your heart feel as sweet as eating candy; even just a glance makes you jump with joy."
"I've seen many people, and many adults don't understand it as clearly as I do, hmph~"
Rozaliya explained in a low, milky-soft voice.
"By the way~ you're going to the Sea of Quantas Eye tomorrow, right?"
"Sister Bronya said she's going to save Sister Seele. I'm a bit worried about her."
"Did you guess this too?" Yunduo was confused.
"Sister Bronya said so. But it's obvious anyway; although I'm small, don't take me for a fool. Who would come to the dark and cold Sea of Quantas City to do scientific research?" Rozaliya gave a slight eye-roll, showing a bit of childish charm.
Yunduo nodded, agreeing with her thought.
This side of Rozaliya felt like a different person.
"By the way, since I've explained it to you, Big Sister, will you agree to a small request of mine?" Rozaliya said.
"What request? Tell me first, and I'll consider it."
"It's... my intuition is very sharp. I see you, Big Sister, as just an ordinary B-Rank Valkyrie, right? And tomorrow you'll definitely all go to the Sea of Quantas Eye together. If something happens to you, Sister Bronya will definitely be very sad."
"So, can you let us protect you tomorrow? Don't worry, no one will know about this."
Surprisingly, Yunduo heard these words from Rozaliya's mouth.
For a moment, her emotions were complicated.
Great~ she's treating me like a weakling.
Is my Incarnation form not strong enough, or is the Herrscher of Thunder not demonic enough?
In the end, Yunduo reluctantly agreed.
Anyway, tomorrow she'd let Rozaliya and Liliya act as her temporary bodyguards.
—Even though she felt it wasn't necessary.
After saying this, the two stopped talking much.
Because they both heard a series of light footsteps slowly approaching.
Accompanied by a cold and cute murmuring voice: "Where could Rozaliya be hiding?"
"Not in the wardrobe."
That voice came from beside the bed.
It seemed Liliya hadn't thought of the place where the two were hiding yet.
Hearing the sound of the wardrobe being opened, Rozaliya's breathing became noticeably more rapid. Her warm breath, carrying a milky scent, brushed against Yunduo's cheek and moistened it, making her like a little steam engine.
Just then, Yunduo suddenly saw Rozaliya's Tail swaying out from under the bedboard.
If this continued, as long as Liliya glanced at the floor, they would definitely be discovered at once.
A strange competitive spirit surged in her heart. Yunduo tried not to make a sound and, under Rozaliya's bewildered gaze, reached her already cramped right hand past her shoulder and grabbed that mischievous little pink Tail.
"Mmh~"
Rozaliya let out an inexplicable muffled groan.
As soon as she touched it, the warm, smooth, and tender feel surprised Yunduo.
Even though it was a Honkai Beast Tail, the entire white end was very smooth, with tiny hairs fluttering, much like a cat's.
The tip was a triangular shape similar to a claw machine's claw. When she pinched it lightly with her fingertips, she could feel a slight trembling.
It felt incredibly good to the touch!
Especially the junction between the Tail end and the tip; the tender flesh there was even smoother, being the transition between soft and firm.
Yunduo couldn't put it down, specifically using her fingers to pinch the junction of the little Tail and then gently rubbing it.
The warm sensation was transmitted back and forth, and sweat moistened her fingertips.
"Mmh... Mmh!"
It was only after she had played with it a few times that she realized Rozaliya's body was also trembling slightly at some point.
Moreover, with every pinch from Yunduo, she would jerk violently.
Her breathing was completely disordered, and Rozaliya's pink eyes were dazed and confused, as if cute little hearts were appearing in them.
She was as limp as a puddle of mud.
Yunduo: "..."
She seemed to have done something extraordinary.
Before Yunduo could let go of the Tail in her hand, she felt the light above her head brighten.
The bedsheet covering the underside of the bed was suddenly flipped open, and Liliya's cold, milky voice suddenly rang out.
"I found you!"
Yunduo looked up and saw Liliya, who had stuck her head in.
She saw Yunduo holding the Tail in her palm and Rozaliya, who was completely drained of strength.
Seeing the two of them in such a compromising position, her eyes widened into perfect circles.
The look of liking someone can't be hidden.
The look in one's eyes when they want to kill someone is the same.
Yunduo: "...Ehe~"
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