Chapter 499

However, apart from that, it seems to be no different from the previous times.

She was still sitting next to this woman, who would drink while listening attentively or not, as she recounted her recent troubles or happy moments.

Sometimes, if you don't have anything to say, just sitting there is fine.

She seemed somewhat happy today:

That's it.

"Recently, I feel like I'm gradually integrating into other people's lives, making friends, and being able to chat and do things with others normally..."

She talked about the changes she had recently experienced in her life.

For example, family relationships, classmate relationships, friend relationships, and relationships with people you like.

This also includes her own declining attendance rate as a Magic girl.

Although there were moments of disappointment, she felt mostly satisfied.

"Well, I feel like high school life is getting better little by little, but... this kind of life might end soon."

In the end, she became a little uncertain again.

After all, this semester is almost over.

After she finished speaking, she looked at Miss Lily beside her. Miss Lily didn't seem to be listening very carefully today; she was just staring at her own reflection in the wine bottle.

Kirishima Ai noticed that Miss Lily seemed less drunk than usual today; the usual cheerful, silly smile was nowhere to be seen on her face.

There was only a face that seemed clear-headed, yet slightly melancholic.

However, for some reason, Kirishima Ai felt that Miss Lily might be unusually drunk today.

"Miss Lily, what's wrong?"

She waited a while, then found a suitable opportunity and asked softly.

"Um..."

Upon hearing this, the gray-haired woman, who was sitting, raised her legs, placed the wine bottle on them, hugged her knees, and rested her chin on one hand, seemingly in a daze, saying:

I had a really bad dream.

Her voice was low, husky, and melancholic, yet pleasant to the ear; you could tell she was a mature adult who smoked and drank.

Kirishima Ai was curious.

"Dream?"

Was it a dream...?

Miss Lily looks sad and troubled today, and Kirishima Ai naturally wishes that the roles could be reversed sometimes, so that she could also let Miss Lily confide some of her sad things.

She moved slightly closer to Miss Lily:

What kind of dream was it?

She waited a while, unsure whether the woman was too drunk or carefully choosing her answer.

The gray-haired woman's purple eyes seemed silent and thoughtful.

After that, the tone of her narration was like an air conditioner in winter, making you feel as if you and everyone else were freezing.

In the quiet Materials Room, Kirishima Ai listened to the woman's words.

"Many people wept, many people left."

Kirishima Ai blinked.

She listened to the woman's calm description, which seemed so natural, yet it was actually quite strange.

"I've been able to hear those sounds for a long time."

Does it mean I frequently have nightmares?

But it seems that's not the case.

So she patiently listened to Miss Lily recount the fragments of her dream.

"In dreams, those monsters born from desire sometimes carry the voices of the deceased, sometimes the cries of others, and sometimes, they embody small, fleeting wishes."

"The Fairies that sing in the wind, whether Asuka or flowers, are not just laughing."

"They are more often in sorrow, like the waves."

"I felt like I was being overwhelmed by those sounds..."

When the woman recounted these things, there were no other voices in the world.

There was no wind, no flowers, and Asuka in the Materials Room.

A place of tranquility.

Kirishima Ai didn't hear the crying sound as Lily had said, but she seemed to understand what Lily had dreamed about.

Does it mean that Miss Lily herself can hear the sad feelings of others?

What happened next surprised Kirishima Ai even more.

"I think I also dreamt that a girl who looked a lot like you died, which made me very sad."

"I?"

Kirishima Ai looked bewildered.

That was truly... a strange dream.

After that, a brief silence fell over the Materials Room.

The woman gently rested her chin on one hand, gazing at Kirishima Ai as if recalling the difference between the girl before her and the one in her dream.

However, she quickly looked away.

Kirishima Ai lowered her head, thinking about what the woman had just said, looking slightly hesitant and conflicted.

She wanted to say something to comfort Miss Lily, but feeling embarrassed and a little awkward, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking to Miss Lily:

"Look, I'm right here, I won't suddenly disappear... if you're dreaming about me, Miss Lily."

Kirishima Ai realized once again how bad she was at expressing herself.

It doesn't seem to have much of a comforting effect.

However, a woman's mood can change in an instant when she's drunk.

The gray-haired beauty beside me seemed to have transformed the weather from overcast to sunny in an instant, the gloom vanishing and replaced by brightness.

On their faces, the melancholy and dejection of the previous second turned into joy and humor in the next.

At that moment, Miss Lily looked quite charming.

"Hmm, is that so?"

She seemed to have thought of something and asked lightly.

"Yes... yes." Kirishima Ai said matter-of-factly.

Then she saw Miss Lily looking at her with a malicious, drunken gaze.

"Then, let me give you a kiss to confirm?"

As she spoke, Miss Lily revealed a seductive, serpentine, carnivorous grin.

Kirishima Ai blinked in surprise.

Then she realized what was happening, shook her head a few times, and immediately raised both hands to cover her face.

"Absolutely not."

Afterward, she calmly moved back a few steps, maintaining the position of covering her face, and said with utmost caution:

"Miss Lily, I already have someone I like, so you're not allowed to kiss me casually."

Her face flushed slightly as she stared intently at the disqualified female teacher in front of her, who seemed poised to commit a crime at any moment.

Kirishima Ai still remembers how this drunken woman so casually stole her first kiss.

She was caught off guard then and there was nothing she could do, but this time she absolutely cannot let Miss Lily succeed.

"Tch, what's so great about your teacher? There's nothing particularly likable about him."

Miss Lily expressed her disdain for the object of Kirishima Ai's affections.

Kirishima Ai, still somewhat unconvinced, said:

"I just like it."

"Hmph."

Miss Lily snorted.

For some reason, Miss Lily's mood seemed to have suddenly improved a lot.

Her previous melancholy vanished completely, as if the joy of being drunk had once again taken over, and she reverted to the drunken angelic form that Kirishima Ai remembered.

After a while, Miss Lily's deep purple eyes were still fixed on Kirishima Ai's face, as if that young and beautiful face was worth admiring a little longer.

The woman in front of him suddenly opened her arms.

"Can I hug you?"

Give me a hug?

In that case... Kirishima Ai could consider it.

After all, she and Miss Lily did have a very good relationship.

And long ago, Miss Lily also comforted herself with hugs.

Just as she was considering whether to agree, she felt a pair of cool, slender female arms embrace her.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

The woman was indeed very tall and could easily hold Kirishima Ai in her arms, clearly distinguishing her from an adult. Her breasts were also very soft, exuding a pleasant fragrance and a not-too-unpleasant smell of alcohol.

The gray-haired woman had already embraced Kirishima Ai, her face gently caressing Kirishima Ai's head, her hazy, drunken eyes lowered. Kirishima Ai felt as if her hair could touch the other woman's breath.

Miss Lily does seem to really need some comfort right now.

Kirishima Ai patted Lily's head, feeling the woman's large body pressing against her, which was slightly uncomfortable yet also made her feel embarrassed.

When Ms. Lily found Kirishima Ai so docilely being held in her arms, she enjoyed it for a while.

After that, she thought about it.

I'm suddenly feeling a little unhappy.

Feeling the girl's presence, the gray-haired woman, for some reason, said something rather willful.

It's like she's a little jealous.

Kirishima Ai immediately showed a look of disgust and pushed the woman away.

What exactly do you want?

This woman is incredibly troublesome and unreasonable.

And who is he jealous of?

Hearing Kirishima Ai's complaints, Miss Lily immediately leaned on Kirishima Ai's shoulder, her face hidden by her long gray hair, and giggled foolishly.

After replenishing her youthful energy, Miss Lily also regained her vitality.

She ended the slightly longer embrace, sat back down, and began to slowly but steadily sip her wine, holding it in both hands.

Glug glug glug...

Tun Tun Tun...

After finishing the bottle of liquor, she was like Cinderella whose Magic had been extended, and even began to hum a song softly.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore."

She completely relaxed and stopped thinking about those unpleasant things.

The atmosphere in the Materials Room became much lighter.

Kirishima Ai wore a helpless yet amused expression, then her gaze shifted, as if she had vaguely realized something.