A milky-white aura gathered around Xinhai's fingers as he gently rubbed Eevee's little belly, his movements soft and careful, afraid of disturbing the little one's sweet dreams.
"Vee... (~﹃~)~.zZ"
Eevee curled up slightly in its sleep, its little paws unconsciously wrapping around his finger as a contented hum escaped its throat.
Xinhai looked at the little one's utterly defenseless sleeping face, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. But then he checked the time—it was already late, and the little ones were sleepy too. It was time to head back.
He raised his head, looked at Ryosuke Onodera and the other two, and said softly, "Ryosuke, Yuma, Rika, I should get going."
He glanced down at Eevee and the two little ones in Gardevoir's arms, a trace of apology in his voice. "They're all asleep. If we stay any longer, I'm afraid they'll catch a chill."
Ryosuke Onodera looked over at that, his gaze falling on Eevee's round little belly, and he could not help laughing.
"True enough. Your 'Fuzzball' contestant has completely entered standby mode." He lowered his voice, afraid of waking the little one. "You should head back first, then. We can talk about tomorrow's auction tomorrow."
"An auction? There's an auction tomorrow?" Xinhai paused slightly, confusion flashing in his eyes.
Yuma Kamiya set down his wineglass and looked at Xinhai, surprise in his voice. "Xinhai, didn't you read the invitation?"
Xinhai shook his head and admitted frankly, "I only glanced at the first page. I didn't read the rest carefully."
Yuma Kamiya smiled and explained, "Tonight's banquet is only the first event. There'll be a charity auction tomorrow night, and I hear quite a few good things will be up for sale."
He paused, took a sip of champagne, and continued, "The day after tomorrow, there'll