It was late, and happy times were always brief. The clamor in the dining hall gradually faded as the drunken crowd left, supporting one another. Yavi looked at Mel, slumped over the table with flushed cheeks, and sighed softly.
"Come on, I'll take you back to your dorm." He reached out to help her up.
Mel swayed as she stood, then grabbed his arm and tilted her face up with a smile. "I'm not drunk! Really!" Her eyes sparkled with a hint of stubbornness. "My roommates are probably all asleep. It wouldn't be convenient."
Yavi frowned. "True, it's so late. They're probably asleep. What are you going to do, then?"
She suddenly leaned close, her warm breath brushing his ear with a faint scent of alcohol. "Yavi, I want to talk to you... Can we go to your place?"
Before he could answer, Mel had already grabbed his hand and stumbled toward the door. Her palm was burning hot, yet her grip was surprisingly strong, and for a moment Yavi couldn't pull free.
The night breeze was cool, and Mel's steps were unsteady, almost her entire body leaning against him. Yavi could only half-support, half-carry her through the silent campus. Along the way, Mel hummed tunelessly under her breath, occasionally looking up at him with a silly smile, her hair tickling his neck.
They finally reached his room. Yavi had barely closed the door when Mel kicked off her shoes and plunged headfirst onto his bed. Hugging the pillow, she nuzzled it and mumbled, "Your place really is more comfortable..."
Standing by the door, Yavi inexplicably felt something subtle in the atmosphere. He cleared his throat softly. "Want some water?"
Mel rolled over onto her side to look at him, her hazy eyes holding a trace of emotion he couldn't read. "Yavi," she suddenly called softly, "you were... really amazing today."
He poured a glass of water and held it out to her, making his tone light. "You've been praising me all evening."
Mel didn't take the glass. Instead, she suddenly reached out and caught his wrist. Taken by surprise, Yavi stumbled as she pulled him, spilling the glass onto the floor.
Yavi froze. The sharp clatter of the glass hitting the floor was particularly jarring in the quiet room. Mel's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, her cheek pressed against his chest. He could clearly feel her rapid breathing and burning body heat.
"Mel, you..." His voice was a little hoarse. Instinctively, he tried to pull her away, only to stop the instant he touched her shoulder.
Mel didn't let go. Instead, she held him tighter, her muffled voice carrying drunkenness and emotions long suppressed. "Yavi, you have no idea... how exhausted I've been lately." Her fingertips trembled slightly. "Everyone's watching me, waiting for me to lead them to victory, but no one knows... I'm actually scared."
Yavi fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "...I know."
"No, you don't." Mel lifted her head, her eyes slightly reddened. Drink made her gaze somewhat unfocused, yet it was especially earnest. "Only you... only you never just watch me struggle. You help me, you stand by my side, you..." Her voice gradually grew quieter, as though the words were difficult to say. In the end, she only whispered, "...you make me feel like I'm not alone."
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Yavi could feel her breath brushing the side of his neck, warm and soft. He looked down at her, his Adam's apple shifting slightly, his heartbeat deafening in his chest.
"...You're drunk." In the end, that was all he said softly, his voice deeper than usual.
But Mel smiled, a little stubbornly. "I'm not drunk." She tilted her face up, looking straight into his eyes. "Yavi, I've never been more clearheaded."
Her fingertips gently clutched his collar, as though testing him, or offering some silent invitation. Yavi's breath caught slightly as reason and impulse pulled against each other in his mind.
At that delicate moment, drunkenness finally overwhelmed her awareness completely. Her body swayed slightly, her forehead resting against his chest as she mumbled, "...Don't go."
Yavi's arms tightened a little, holding her more securely in his embrace. "I won't," he said quietly.
His right hand rose quietly, making several strange Signs in succession as a pale violet light flickered-the Axii Sign. Gentle mental waves slowly enveloped Mel. Her tense body gradually relaxed, her breathing grew long and steady, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Yavi gently lifted her into his arms, carefully removed her coat, then pulled the blanket over her and tucked it around her. Mel's lashes cast faint shadows in the moonlight, and the slightest hint of a smile still lingered at her lips, as though she were dreaming of something reassuring.
He watched quietly for a while before finally turning toward the desk. The moon outside was particularly bright, its silver light washing the room in a hazy, cool hue. Yavi leaned back in the chair and tilted his head to gaze at the night sky, his eyes deep and complicated.
The night breeze brushed the curtains with a cool touch. Yavi's fingers tapped unconsciously on the desk, while his thoughts, like the clouds outside, were clear one moment and muddled the next.
He sat like that until the eastern sky gradually turned pale. In the faint light of dawn, Mel turned over in her sleep and unconsciously murmured something. Yavi looked back, an exceedingly faint, bitter smile appearing unbidden at his lips.
-Dawn had come.
When Mel opened her eyes, there was no one else in the room.
Sunlight spilled through a gap in the curtains, casting a long, narrow streak of light on the floor. She rubbed her temples, unable to help frowning at the dull ache of her hangover. Scattered fragments of memory gradually surfaced in her mind-the victory banquet, alcohol, Yavi's room, holding him as she said...
Mel abruptly sat up, the blanket slipping off her. She quickly looked down to check her clothes and found that, apart from her coat and shoes having been removed, everything else was intact. She sighed with relief, yet inexplicably felt a little disappointed.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
"You're awake?" Yavi's voice came from the doorway. He was carrying breakfast for two. "Your head must really hurt, right?"
Mel looked up at him and saw that his expression was as usual, as though nothing from last night had happened. She opened her mouth, momentarily unsure what to say, and could only mumble, "Mm."
Yavi approached and took a bottle of thick, pale white potion from his pocket. The liquid inside shimmered with a faint whitish-gold sheen. "White Honey," he explained. "It can clear negative status effects."
He unscrewed the cap and held it to her lips. Mel hesitated for a moment before lowering her head to take a sip. The sweet but not cloying liquid slipped down her throat with a trace of coolness, easing the throbbing ache in her head almost instantly.
"Feeling better?" Yavi asked.
"Mm..." Mel nodded, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the bottle. After a moment's hesitation, she finally asked quietly, "Last night... did I say anything strange?"
Yavi's movements paused slightly before he set breakfast on the table as though nothing were amiss. "Nothing much. You just complained a little about the pressure."
Mel stared at his profile, trying to discern something from his expression, but he remained calm throughout, even wearing a trace of his usual languidness.
"Come have breakfast." He pulled out a chair, motioning for her to sit.
Mel slowly moved over, and the two sat down side by side. The aroma of steaming bread, fried eggs, and milk filled the air, yet it couldn't conceal that subtle silence.
The two quietly finished breakfast. The sunlight outside grew brighter and brighter, and a new day officially began.