The night was thick, and the fire crackled.
Samael, seated before the campfire, tossed in a few pieces of dry wood. Tilting his head, he looked at Hinako Akuta, who was hugging his arm and sleeping soundly against his shoulder, then shook his head with a soft laugh.
Earlier, she had been like a curled-up hedgehog, keeping everyone a thousand miles away with every word and action.
Yet just a few comforting words had nearly made her lower all her defenses.
And once that seemingly hard shell was torn open, this aloof and irritable Kunlun Heavenly Maiden revealed the vulnerability and softness buried deep within her.
Come to think of it, Samael could guess why.
Whether it was assisting the one chosen by fate and realizing her own worth, or returning to Kunlun Wonderland to verify her past, everything Hinako Akuta sought stemmed from the same emotion.
—The desire to be needed.
After all, for an immortal being, emptiness and loneliness were the most terrifying enemies.
So Samael simply chose a goal for her, so this woman would not keep overthinking things.
But for you to let your guard down this much... you really don't see demons as bad people, do you?
While grumbling inwardly, Samael could not resist reaching out and poking that pretty face, which had completely lost its usual coolness and looked foolishly adorable in sleep.
Smack!
Hinako Akuta, harassed in her sleep, frowned slightly but did not even lift her head as she slapped away the troublesome hand on her face.
At the same time, she shifted into a more comfortable sleeping position, her pretty face relaxing contentedly.
And in its place, she left behind a glistening wet mark.
She drooled in her sleep too...
Samael complained inwardly. Another layer of his filter for the Heavenly