The next morning.
Sunlight from the Creator's Sun filtered through the gaps in the tent.
When Chen Mian woke up, he found himself holding something soft. Opening his eyes, he saw Flora, who had somehow crawled into his arms at some point during the night. Currently, her hands were tightly wrapped around his waist, and her entire body was curled up against him. Her breathing was steady, and a faint smile even played on her lips.
Maintaining his sleeping posture, he looked down at her.
Well... just like Loviki, Flora's sleeping posture was not exactly well-behaved.
Perhaps because Chen Mian's position shifted slightly when he woke up, Flora snuggled a little closer to him. A few stray strands of hair drifted and clung to her lips as she moved.
Chen Mian reached out to brush the hair away from her face, pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, and closed his eyes again with a smile.
...
Flora slept exceptionally well today, experiencing a profound sense of peace in her dreams.
This was because, while asleep, she could constantly catch a pleasant scent—likely a mix of laundry soap and Moonlight Grass, which smelled just like Mr. Chen Mian.
Smiling, she slowly opened her eyes, only for her body to suddenly stiffen as her vision cleared.
She found herself lying right in Chen Mian's arms. To make matters worse, her hands were tightly wrapped around his waist.
Flora slowly lifted her head and saw that Chen Mian was still asleep. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, she carefully began to slide her hands away from his waist.
Just as her hands left his waist, he shifted slightly, causing Flora to freeze once more.
Seeing that he hadn't woken up, she breathed another sigh of relief. She slowly backed away until her face was clear of his chest.
Only then did she slowly sit up. It was at this moment she realized her heart could beat this fast.
Flora sat there for a long time before her racing heartbeat finally began to settle down.
She looked down at Chen Mian, who was still sleeping on his side. After staring for a long while, she finally averted her gaze, her ears and cheeks burning red.
She then gently pulled the blankets over Chen Mian and Loviki before slipping out of the tent with utmost care.
Flora walked to the lakeside, scooped up a handful of water, splashed it gently onto her face, and exhaled a deep breath.
The reflection in the water showed a flushed face, her eyes filled with obvious panic.
Thank goodness Mr. Chen Mian didn't realize I was hugging him in my sleep... otherwise, he would definitely hate me.
After a while, the aroma of mushroom soup began to drift through the air.
...
“Just nine more intersections and we'll be there,” Chen Mian said, glancing at the treasure map.
Having finished breakfast, the three of them were once again on their way to their destination.
“Finally... though nine intersections is still pretty far,” Loviki replied, adjusting her backpack while observing their surroundings. “But we've been walking for so long today and haven't run into any weird mushrooms. We're completely out of them.”
“Loviki, I recall you were absolutely adamant about not eating them yesterday.”
“Was I? I don't remember,” Loviki replied with a pout. Then, slowing her pace, she looked back at the quiet Flora with a hint of confusion. “Flora, why do you seem so distracted today?”
“Huh? What?” Flora snapped out of her daze and looked up.
“I said, what have you been thinking about since this morning?”
“N-Nothing really.”
“Then why are your ears red again?”
“A-Are they?” Flora instinctively covered her ears.
“You're acting weird! What on earth happened?”
“Loviki,” Chen Mian's voice called out from ahead.
“Hmm?”
“The long-legged mushroom you wanted is over there.” Chen Mian pointed toward a large tree ahead.
Loviki followed his finger and saw a palm-sized red mushroom at the base of the tree, quietly shuffling toward the grass on its two short, thin mycelium legs.
Soon, the mushroom was secured in Loviki's grasp.
“Aren't you being a bit too enthusiastic about this?” Chen Mian asked, watching the mushroom struggle in Loviki's hand.
“Yes! Because it's really delicious!”
“What happened to your resolve from before, where you'd rather die than eat it?”
“It was thoroughly defeated by the aroma of grilled mushroom skewers,” Loviki replied righteously.
Standing at the very back, Flora watched Loviki's figure before casting a quick, fleeting glance at Chen Mian.
She had always been a quiet sleeper, so this situation was completely unexpected.
But if he found out that I secretly hugged him... would he find it strange?
“Flora, don't fall behind,” Chen Mian's voice drifted back.
“Okay!” Flora quickened her pace to catch up.
The three continued along the path.
Today, the dungeon forest was quieter than yesterday. The frequency of unusual plants was lower, and they only occasionally encountered small passing animals, most of which were non-aggressive.
Flora walked at the very back, twirling a plant stem she had picked up somewhere, absentmindedly brushing it against the wild flowers along the path.
As they walked, she noticed Chen Mian slowing his pace until he was walking side by side with her.
Loviki was now the one walking ahead.
Her heart rate picked up again, and she felt a sudden wave of nervousness.
“Flora.”
“Hmm?” Flora looked up, slightly tense.
“There's a leaf in your hair.” Flora blinked, reaching up to feel her hair, but she couldn't find it.
“On the left.” Chen Mian reached out and plucked it for her. It was a small, slightly yellowed leaf.
Flora took the leaf, her ears flushing a deeper shade of red.
“By the way, when you were asleep last night, you were lying on my arm.” He could naturally guess what Flora was fretting over.
Flora's heart skipped a beat, and she froze in her tracks. “I-I didn't do it on purpose! I really didn't know... why...”
“Yeah, I know.” The corners of Chen Mian's mouth curved upward. “But even if you did, it's fine. For all we know, I might have been the one who pulled you over.”
“Next time, you don't have to quietly slip away. Just tell me.”
Flora stood frozen for several seconds. By the time she snapped out of it, Chen Mian was already walking ahead. She felt her heart hammering furiously in her chest.
After a moment, Flora jogged to catch up. This time, she didn't trail behind, but walked right by his side.
“...I was worried you'd hate me.”
“That's impossible.”
Loviki glanced back from the front. Seeing the two of them walking side by side, she raised an eyebrow. “Why are you two suddenly walking so close together?”
Flora slipped the hand holding the leaf into her pocket, a smile gracing her face.
“Flora, you still haven't told me what you've been thinking about.”
“It's a secret!”
“No way! Now I want to know even more!”
As they crossed the final intersection, a colossal ancient tree came into view, along with a library built right inside its hollow trunk.
Inscribed upon it in magic were the words: “Witch's Home.”
They had arrived at the treasure site of the fourth floor.
Rate on N.U.
