This sudden turn of events completely exceeded Greg's expectations, leaving him at a loss for how to react.
In his mind, Nightmare's voice suddenly became excited:
“Hah! I knew it! Quick, now's the time! Whisper in her ear: Serafina is a bitch disguised as a big-breasted woman!”
“Don't forget what I told you before, don't make trouble for me right now!” Greg yelled in his mind.
Silvia's cheeks were flushed with an enticing blush, and her pink eyes shimmered with a watery luster, holding an expression utterly different from her usual self—now bold and fervent.
She was breathing shallowly, her chest rising and falling with each breath, yet the weight pressing down on Greg didn't lighten in the slightest.
“I-I’m sorry, Senior Greg...”
Her voice trembled slightly, but she showed no intention of getting off him:
“But... could you please... just stay with me like this for a little while?”
With that, she slowly leaned down, burying her head against Greg's chest.
Her cheek pressed against his chest, her nose gently brushing against the fabric's texture. Then she took a deep breath, as if to inhale his scent completely into her lungs, storing it in the deepest parts of her memory.
Her breath was warm and lingering, passing through the thin fabric to Greg's skin, causing a faint shiver.
During the days leading up to the Hundred Academy Exchange, Silvia had barely managed to see Greg.
She had her own training to complete, her own assignments to prepare, while Greg was holed up in the lab all day, conducting some mysterious research.
This left her only able to occasionally hear about his recent activities from Victoria.
But what truly tormented her wasn't the loneliness of not seeing him.
It was the thought that whenever she couldn't see Greg, her good friend Victoria was able to be in the same space as him, doing the same things, researching together, discussing together, experiencing those moments she couldn't be a part of.
This thought was like a seed, constantly spreading in her heart, taking root and sprouting, growing thorns named jealousy.
She knew these feelings were wrong; Victoria was her good friend, and the two of them liked each other. She shouldn't harbor jealousy because of this.
But she couldn't control herself.
The more she suppressed it, the stronger and more twisted that emotion became, eventually transforming into this uncontrollable impulse in the present moment.
This long-suppressed emotion, at this moment of being alone with Greg, finally broke through the dam of reason.
“Gulp.”
Lying on the bed, Greg swallowed, feeling the warm breath and soft sensation on his chest. His mind raced, yet he still couldn't grasp an answer.
What exactly was the relationship between him and Silvia right now?
To call them lovers, they had never officially defined their relationship.
But if he said they were just close friends—then he would despise himself.
After all, they had been through so much; she had shown her vulnerability to him, and he had protected her time and again.
That bond, surpassing ordinary friendship, was truly real.
Just as his thoughts were in a turmoil, Silvia's actions gradually grew bolder.
Her hand, which had initially just rested on his chest, now began to slowly move upwards, her fingertips lightly tracing his collarbone, touching his neck.
Her breath grew hotter, fanning against his skin, bringing a tingling sensation.
Greg gradually stopped hearing Nightmare's incessant chattering in his mind.
His senses were overwhelmed by the girl's scent and warmth on him, his heart pounded like a drum in his chest, and his body grew hotter and hotter.
He could feel her fingers gently stroking the side of his neck, he could feel her hair falling beside his cheek, bringing a ticklish sensation.
“S-Senior Greg...”
Silvia suddenly lifted her head.
Her cheeks were crimson, her pink eyes misty with a hazy sheen, her gaze blurry and affectionate, staring directly into his eyes.
Her lips were slightly parted, revealing a hint of white teeth, her breathing rapid and scalding.
The distance between them grew shorter and shorter, so close that he could count each of her eyelashes, so close that he could feel the subtle tremor in her breath.
Her lips were less than a finger's width from his.
Just as their lips were about to touch—
“Bang!”
A muffled thud, accompanied by a clamor of arguments, came from the corridor outside the cabin, dousing the near-boiling moment like cold water.
...
“Hey, you lowly commoner, stop wandering around the academy's airship, okay? What if you accidentally break something? Can you afford to pay for it?”
The speaker was a third-year female student, dressed in a finely tailored academy uniform, her chin slightly raised as she looked down at the gray-haired girl in front of her with a condescending gaze.
Beside her stood two companions, also exuding an aristocratic air. The three of them fanned out, cornering Victoria at the bend of the corridor.
“That's right, commoners like you should stay in your rooms and not come out to make a spectacle of yourselves.”
Another girl echoed, her tone filled with undisguised contempt.
The third girl scanned Victoria up and down, then sneered:
“I really don't know how you got chosen as a representative. Could it be that you pulled some strings?”
Victoria stood her ground, her gray eyes calmly observing the three of them.
She had originally gone to Silvia's room, worried about her, only to find she wasn't there.
Unable to rest easy, she decided to look around the airship for a bit. Before she had gone far, these three Seniors she didn't know at all had cornered her.
Victoria was not the kind of soft person who would let herself be bullied. She took a deep breath, preparing to retort—
“The exchange is about to begin, but you lot are still busy with internal squabbles? I'm the one who truly doesn't know how you were chosen to be here.”
A familiar voice came from the side, laced with undisguised sarcasm.
Greg walked over from the other end of the corridor, a pink figure accompanying him: Silvia.
The two walked side by side, stopping beside Victoria.
Greg's appearance immediately dampened their arrogance.
They were already displeased because Victoria, a commoner girl whose looks far surpassed theirs, was very close to Greg, who had recently become famous.
So when Greg openly sided with her, they were somewhat taken aback.
“You guys came just in ti—”
Victoria had initially been pleased by their appearance, but a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
She tilted her head slightly, her gray eyes sweeping back and forth between the two of them, then asked:
“By the way, have you two... been together this whole time?”
Greg's footsteps paused.
Silvia's eyelashes quivered slightly.
Both fell silent simultaneously.
Rate on N.U.
