That completely unguarded contact gave her an unprecedented sense of security. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Qianyi's lean, powerful waist, even draping one smooth little leg over his. Then, rather mischievously, she rubbed against him twice.
"Qianyi..."
Furina closed her eyes, burying her cheek in the hollow of his neck and taking a deep breath of the scent that made her feel incomparably safe. "Will you always be here, by my side? When I wake up tomorrow morning... I mean, could this all just be a dream? After all... everything that happened today was just too wonderful."
There was a faint, almost imperceptible anxiety in the girl's voice.
For someone who had grown accustomed to crying alone every night, someone who had worn a mask and played a god upon the enormous stage known as Fontaine for five hundred years, this happiness of being wholly accepted and cherished like a treasure had come too quickly and too fiercely. She scarcely dared believe it was real.
"This isn't a dream, Furina."
Qianyi tightened his arms and pulled her into his embrace. "When you wake up tomorrow, you'll see sunlight filling this room. You'll smell the breakfast I prepared for you. You'll find me right here, going nowhere. As long as you reach out, you'll be able to hold me, just like this."
"That's good... that's good..."
Furina's voice grew softer and softer, while her breathing gradually became long and steady.
Wrapped in that warm embrace, the girl who had never truly slept peacefully in five hundred years finally cast aside all her vigilance and burdens. She sank into a deep sleep, her breathing slowly growing long and even.
After Furina fell asleep, Qianyi closed his eyes as well, intending to drift off.
However, someone clearly did not want