The next morning, Snezhnaya was beginning to break.
Bai You slowly awoke in a hazy warmth.
At first, she felt warm all over, and every bone in her body felt loose and soft, making her unable to exert any strength.
Then her hearing returned first—she heard a very light and steady breath very close by, one breath at a time, brushing against the top of her hair, carrying a warm breath.
She groggily opened her eyes, her vision not yet focused, and the first thing she saw was a light-colored fabric, and beneath it, the lines that rose and fell gently with her breath.
Bai You's mind wasn't fully activated yet. She subconsciously moved, trying to turn over, only to find that her right hand was resting on something—no, not resting on it, but her entire arm was wrapped around it.
His five fingers were still slightly curled, as if afraid that something would escape, and he held tightly to the other person's waist.
Her legs were also restless; one leg was bent and resting on the other person's calf.
He clung to Varesa like a little octopus.
Bai You froze.
Her gaze slowly moved upwards, from the slightly heaving chest to the slender collarbone, and then to the softly shaped chin.
Finally, I met a pair of smiling, incredibly gentle eyes.
Varesa had already woken up.
She lay on her side, one hand under her head, the other resting on the back of Bai You's hand that was wrapped around her waist, her fingertips gently stroking it.
She just stared quietly at the person in front of her, and after what seemed like an eternity, the smile in her eyes was almost overflowing.
"Awake?" Her voice was hoarse from just waking up, low and soft, like a feather brushing against Bai You's eardrums.
Bai You's face instantly turned red from her ears to the roots of her neck.
"I... I--" She frantically tried to pull her arm back, but the more she tried, the more confused she became, and her elbow accidentally hit the edge of the bed, making her hiss in pain.
"Slow down, what's the rush?" Varesa chuckled softly and reached out to rub the spot where she had bumped her head.
The tone was unmistakably teasing. "Who was it that swore last night, 'Tonight it'll be my turn to hold you while you sleep'? You held me all night, and now you're shy?"
"I'm not shy!" Bai You stubbornly retorted, burying half her face in the pillow, leaving only her bright, watery eyes showing. "It's just... my hand is numb."
"Oh--" Varesa drawled, moving even closer, her warm breath brushing against Bai You's forehead.
"Would you like me to massage it for you?"
"No, no need!" Bai You buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled, "Stay away from me!"
Varesa laughed so hard her shoulders were shaking, but she didn't actually back away. Instead, she reached out and scooped the little bundle of joy, blanket and all, into her arms, gently resting her chin on the top of Voyanisa's head.
"Okay, okay, I'll move away." She said this, but her arms tightened around her even more.
"But what can I do? Someone hugged me all night last night, and now I want to hug them back."
"You're cheating!" Bai You protested sullenly in her arms, but didn't actually break free.
"[Hey, it's so sweet so early in the morning,]" the system's cheeky voice popped out at an inopportune moment.
[Host, you slept with her in your arms all night last night, never letting go. What are you pretending to be innocent for now?]
"Can you please not show up at a time like this?!" Bai You roared inwardly.
"[I'm just reminding you,'" the system yawned.
[By the way, it's time to check in today. Are you checking in or not? If not, I'm going back to sleep.]
Bai You then remembered that there was such a thing as checking in, and silently said "check in" to herself.
[Check-in successful! Today's reward: Moon Fragment x1, already stored in your spatial storage bag. Please check it yourself.]
"... Moon Fragment? What's that?" Bai You was taken aback.
[You'll see for yourself.]
Alright, I won't disturb you two anymore. Go back to sleep. Goodnight.
"It's morning now."
"[It's all the same to me.]" The system's voice gradually faded.
Just as Bai You came to her senses, Varesa's amused voice came from above. "What are you daydreaming about?"
"N-nothing!" Bai You quickly looked up and met Varesa's face, which was so close to hers, and her heart skipped a beat.
The two people were standing too close.
Up close, Bai You could see the number of individual eyelashes on Varesa's head and smell the faint fragrance in her hair.
He could even feel her warm breath brushing against his lips as she spoke.
Varesa did not back down.
She looked down at Bai You, the smile in her eyes deepening little by little, so gentle it seemed to melt anyone's heart.
" Bai You," she called softly.
"... Hmm?"
Did you sleep well last night?
Bai You's heart started racing. She turned her face away and whispered, "... Okay."
"Me too." Varesa's voice was soft, but earnest.
"Being held by you while I sleep is such a strange and unique experience."
Bai You's ears turned red again. She didn't dare look directly at Varesa, so she buried her face in Varesa's arms and whispered, "Then... then I'll hold you while you sleep from now on."
"No, I'll sleep more comfortably holding you."
"... Take turns!"
Varesa chuckled softly, the sound coming from her chest and tickling Bai You's ears.
(Just thinking about that again, hahahahahahaha)
She tightened her arms, holding the person in her arms even closer, and the two of them stayed in the warm bed like that, neither of them bringing up the matter of getting out of bed.
The book is almost finished; less than 1% of readers have already read the first few chapters.
I'll try to maintain four or five updates a day for the next few days, gradually making up for the extra updates for the gifts, and also revising the parts that weren't well written earlier, while also optimizing the previous chapters.
Thank you everyone for your support! つ♡⊂