Mei: Lunelle You're playing with Fire! Lunelle: ???

But the moment Bronya's absurd demands began to involve Seele, Kiana's reaction shifted in an instant. Though she still lacked the courage to speak too loudly, her entire posture stiffened into one of fierce resistance—as if she were ready to endure public humiliation itself, just to make her refusal clear. That's right. Even if it meant social death, she would never agree!

Bronya, for her part, maintained the calm air of a seasoned schemer—like a veteran dog lying still, watching its prey. Outwardly, she held the upper hand in this exchange, but deep down, she harbored a quiet hesitation. Despite Kiana's foolishness, Bronya still feared completely severing ties with her. So, the moment Kiana showed even the faintest sign of refusal, Bronya instinctively held herself back from pushing too far.

All she really wanted was simple—just for this idiotic girl to keep her appearance in Seele's hospital ward a secret. Fortunately, Kiana didn't seem to find that request unreasonable. Without much hesitation, she nodded in agreement, much to Bronya's hidden relief. She had been dreading the possibility of being dragged out by Schicksal's enforcers for questioning.

And then, as Bronya silently pulled out her phone to continue the conversation, Kiana—though not particularly sharp—quickly got the hint. She mimicked her rival's actions and began typing away on her own phone, clearly attempting to follow Bronya's lead in this negotiation-turned-text-war.

However, when it came to speed, Kiana was hopelessly outmatched. Her clumsy thumbs tapped away far slower than Bronya's precise fingers. And thus, the so-called battle of the keyboard was lost from the start.

After all, what use was it to laboriously type one sentence, when your opponent had already shot back with five? Six? No, eight lines of counterattack?

And so, beneath Lunelle's hospital bed, a strange and silent negotiation unfolded—sealed with secrets no outsider would ever understand.

Meanwhile, seated gracefully beside the slumbering Lunelle, Mei's condition had begun to shift into something visibly… wrong.

It was a scene all too familiar—Kiana herself had experienced something similar not long ago.

Yet in Mei's case, it was worse. She had no idea why her emotions were spinning out of control. No external trigger, no logical cause. Only one conclusion remained—and this time, she knew it for certain.

The source of this turmoil... was the Herrscher personality slumbering deep within her.

"That's enough, isn't it? Haven't you already made Kiana shoulder burdens she didn't deserve?"

Her voice was low but firm, as if carving through the silence of the room. "I won't let you use my body to do anything twisted to little Lunelle ever again."

It seemed she believed no one else was present in the ward aside from her and the peacefully sleeping Lunelle. But within the depths of her consciousness, Mei could feel it—a dark and volatile presence stirring. A dangerous will, trying to hijack her thoughts. Pushing her. Whispering twisted temptations into her mind.

To touch Lunelle.

To do something unthinkable.

Mei, usually the very image of restraint and warmth, was consumed by anger this time. Her voice, though hushed, trembled with fury as she scolded the invasive Herrscher within.

But what she didn't know… was that her words weren't just for herself.

Kiana and Bronya—still hiding under the bed—had heard everything.

Bronya blinked in confusion. She didn't understand half of Mei's mutterings. But the moment she heard the name of her beloved Seele mixed into those cryptic phrases, her ears snapped to attention like a wolf catching a scent.

Kiana, on the other hand, had merely been half-listening at first—until her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

[Wait… don't tell me I was the one who got blamed for Mei's mess that morning?!]

She froze, face pale. The memory of that wretched, humiliating morning surged to the front of her mind. She had stewed in resentment countless times since then, swearing that if she ever uncovered the true culprit…

She would make them pay. In the most ridiculous, dramatic, and terrifying way imaginable.

But now, what if the one who framed her was none other than her beloved Mei?

Kiana: "Umm…"

She faltered. Her thirst for vengeance deflated all at once, like a balloon punctured by a tiny pin.

But just a moment later, she shook it off.

[Revenge? Who said anything about revenge? How laughable.]

[Would a noble, understanding, and magnanimous girl like me seek vengeance for a petty misunderstanding? Absolutely not!]

After all, even in the original timeline where she had become the Herrscher of Finality—powerful beyond comprehension—Kiana still had to sneak around just to enjoy a cup of instant noodles behind Mei's back.

No matter what era, no matter what form she took…

Kiana would always be a hopelessly obedient wife.

And just as the two girls hiding beneath the bed processed Mei's explosive confession, something even more unexpected happened.

Lunelle, who had been pulled into a deep sleep by the simulation device, suddenly stirred and opened her eyes with a groggy murmur.

"Haa~… That was fast. Didn't feel like I slept long at all. Why am I awake already?"

Still half-asleep, Lunelle yawned softly and rubbed her eyes, but something felt… off. There was a lingering sensation around her lips—one that made her feel oddly violated.

It felt like someone had… kissed her?

And not just a soft peck. It felt like someone had kissed her hard!

Was there really some degenerate bold enough to do something so obscene while she was sleeping?

What Lunelle didn't know—what she couldn't possibly imagine—was that her guess wasn't just accurate.

It was actually twice too tame.

Because in truth, there hadn't been one offender.

There had been two.

And the number was about to rise to three.

Her accidental awakening was like a spark tossed onto dry hay. Mei, already hanging on by a thread, watched Lunelle yawn in front of her so innocently, so sweetly—and completely oblivious to the chaos she was causing.

It was the final trigger.

"Lunelle…!"

"You… you're playing with fire!"

Mei's tightly controlled restraint snapped in that instant. It was like a string in her mind had finally burned through and crumbled into ash.

She lunged.

"Eh? Mei-nee…? M-Mngh?!"

Lunelle had barely registered what was happening—her vision still hazy from sleep—when Mei's face, eyes burning with an unholy mix of affection and madness, swooped into view.

Before she could get out another word, all her breath, all her freedom, was stolen away.

Lunelle: o(////｀Д′////)q! ???

...