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One charge of the teleportation ring, when faced with danger... essentially equates to a second chance at life.
It's natural for everyone to use it sparingly.
However, Bochang doesn't treat it as precious.
The reason lies in— he is not lacking resources.
Not only does Bochang possess the Holy Shield, but now he also has a grade schooler card to ensure his survival, allowing him to take risks freely.
Others cannot afford such extravagance.
Of course...
This isn't the primary reason why March 7th and Stelle refrained from using their teleportation rings.
The key issue is that during usage, the emitted white light is exceedingly bright and easily noticeable.
It's akin to drawing attention like shouting "no silver here" while hiding something valuable.
In Bochang's room, Bailu reluctantly accepted March 7th's explanation.
After all...
The young dragon girl hadn't anticipated anyone visiting Bochang so late at night. It was already 1 AM - shouldn't they be asleep? Seeing someone wandering around in a bathrobe struck Bailu as odd; she couldn't fathom what March 7th was thinking.
"Even if that's the case... why did you interfere between Bochang and me?" The dragon maiden, perched on Bochang's waist with one hand on her hip, questioned sternly. "This matter doesn't concern you, does it?"
As she spoke, Bailu gently flicked her dragon tail, her gaze becoming increasingly sharp, exuding a powerful presence.
March 7th took a step forward, showing no sign of backing down. "How could this not concern me? As a member of the Astral Express crew, I must ensure Bochang gets proper rest. Clearly... you have already disturbed his sleep."
"We'll go to sleep right away; that way, we won't disturb his rest," Bailu suddenly lay down, pressing close to Bochang's back. He could feel the young dragon girl's breaths against his shoulder.
March 7th took a deep breath.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then what do you mean?" Bailu countered.
March 7th's expression shifted rapidly, countless retorts surging within her but getting stuck in her throat.
Bochang simply listened quietly, with no intention of interjecting.
"If you're going to play it like this... fine, then I'm sleeping here tonight too!" March 7th climbed onto the bed and settled next to Bochang.
Undeniably...the Divination Commission's guest room had quite a large bed; even with March 7th joining, there was ample space.
Bochang hadn't anticipated such a turn of events.
Neither of them seemed willing to leave.
The trouble now doubled.
"If you want to sleep here, go ahead—it doesn't concern me."
Bailu closed her eyes, completely disregarding March 7th's feelings, and even gently nuzzled against Bochang's deltoid muscle.
The pink-haired girl watched with envy; as a young woman herself, she couldn't bring herself to act like Bailu.
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: You can no longer stand by idly. Calm Bailu down by saying, "Stop teasing, Bailu. If you want to sleep here, get off me and don't cause conflict with March." - Completion Reward: Random item, ranging from a matchstick to a star destroyer. Note: Such items will...]
[Option 2: Ignore the situation, allowing tensions between Bailu and March 7th to escalate - Completion Reward: A Big Biodou from March 7th.]
[Option 3: Having them leave could be a viable choice. Say, "Both of you, go back and rest. With all this crowding, I won't be able to sleep properly." - Completion Reward: Bailu leaves, March 7th temporarily departs.]
Seeing options two and three, Bochang nearly lost his composure.
Bochang felt slightly overwhelmed.
If the conflict between Bailu and March 7th escalated, the result would be the pink-haired girl giving him a Big Biodou slap.
As for the option where both leave:
March 7th's departure was only temporary.
From these choices, Bochang could deduce that the ultimate outcome would likely be...
Bailu obediently leaving, while March 7th eventually returning.
"Given this scenario, I suppose I have no choice but to select the first option," Bochang thought aloud. "Stop messing around, Bailu. If you want to sleep here, get off me and don't cause any trouble with March."
"Ugh... alright." Bailu complied obediently, leaning to her left and lying down next to Bochang on his left side.
March 7th settled on his right.
Instantly, silence enveloped the room.
Bochang mentally sighed, «Is maintaining this balance all we can do? Stelle... sorry, it seems you'll have to stay hidden in Miyu's trash bin for a bit longer.»
With that thought,
Bochang turned over, closed his eyes, and lay quietly.
"Could someone turn off the lights?" Bailu suddenly spoke up, preempting March 7th's response.
"I'll do it," Bochang replied.
With the convenience of his Invisible Hand, turning off the light was as simple as could be.
With a click, the room went dark.
"Huh? How did you manage that?" Bailu sounded genuinely surprised.
Bochang provided a brief explanation to satisfy her curiosity.
A few minutes passed...
[Rewards being distributed — Congratulations! You have received an item: Light Bulb, a very ordinary light bulb. Note: This type of item will...]
"A light bulb? Nothing special about it at all... Quite useless."
Bochang sighed inwardly.
Detecting the faint fragrance in the air, he found himself unable to sleep easily.
Bailu's chest rose and fell steadily, her breathing deepening as soon as her head touched the pillow, indicating she had quickly settled down.
Bochang couldn't tell if she had fallen asleep yet.
Regardless... March 7th was undoubtedly awake, her delicate hands gently caressing the bedsheet.
Those movements were unmistakable.
It seemed the pink-haired girl's emotions were quite complex.
Bochang did nothing and said nothing, simply waiting quietly for sleep to engulf him amidst the darkness.
Suddenly, March 7th opened her eyes. Her hand slowly reached towards Bochang, but halfway through, she silently withdrew it, repeating this action multiple times until exhaustion finally claimed her, at which point she stopped.
Time gradually slipped away.
The long night passed.
Under the control of the Realm-Keeping Commission, the sun began its slow ascent.
Golden sunlight streamed from the east,
blanketing the earth with a shimmering layer of gold.
Prompted by the alarm clock,
Bochang stretched lazily as he sat up. Both March 7th and Bailu were still asleep; he swiftly silenced his phone to avoid waking them.
"Wow, we slept straight through until morning..."
Bochang glanced to the side.
Miyu's trash bin still stood quietly within the room, seemingly untouched.
Now, Bochang was almost certain:
Stelle must have been sleeping inside it all night.
Carefully, he lowered Bailu's dragon tail draped over him.
Quietly getting up,
Bochang maneuvered past March 7th, whose cleavage was prominently exposed as she lay half-across his path. He slipped on his shoes, approached the door, and gently pushed it open. The creaking sound did not disturb the deep slumber of the two girls.
Though they stirred slightly, neither woke up.
Bochang picked up the trash bin and walked out.
Just by its weight,
Bochang could tell that Stelle indeed spent the entire night asleep inside, enduring unnecessary discomfort.