บท 189: This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [189]
He quickly sent Rosalyne home with the excuse: "You've had a long day. Go back and rest; maybe play some cards with Makoto."
No ulterior motives there—he just preferred working without an audience.
For some reason, though, Luo Qing found himself unable to resist girls with Cryo Visions.
Could that fortune-telling he did for himself years ago really have been true?
---
Evening
After spending the day assisting Layla with various tasks, the two began searching for a quiet place for her to work on her thesis.
Unexpectedly, Layla suggested her home as the perfect spot for uninterrupted writing.
"Excuse me..."
Stepping into Layla's room, even Luo Qing—seasoned scoundrel that he was—felt a little unsettled.
This girl had no sense of self-preservation at all! She even let him into her bedroom?
Was the Matra uniform really that trustworthy?
If she fell asleep and he lost control...
Hah...
"Mr. Luo Qing, please have a seat. I'll get you some tea..."
Exhausted from the day's activities, Layla wobbled as she fetched a pot of tea. She set it on the desk before speaking softly.
"I'll just... start working on my thesis. I still have several papers to submit..."
With that, she shuffled over to her desk and began writing diligently.
Luo Qing sat on Layla's bed, the faint fragrance of her bedding filling the air. His gaze drifted to her petite frame and long, curly hair, and his heart felt a twinge of unease.
This was a girl's private room...
And it was their first meeting.
What a sin...
Though Luo Qing had been in Kamisato Ayaka's room before—and even shared an intimate moment with her—it didn't feel as morally weighty as this.
Just as his thoughts began to wander, a sudden thud broke his reverie.
Turning his head, Luo Qing saw that Layla had fallen asleep at her desk, her face resting on her papers. A small trickle of drool slid from her lips onto her thesis.
"..."
Ah, the resilience of youth. Falling asleep just like that.
Luo Qing hesitated, wondering whether he should wake her up.
Before he could decide, Layla abruptly bolted upright, muttering to herself.
"Did I fall asleep this early? I must have overdone it the past few nights..."
Noticing the drool on her papers, she mumbled, "Oh no, I got drool on them! Now I'll have to rewrite this..."
Following an unfamiliar scent in the air, Layla sniffed around until her gaze landed on Luo Qing.
Their eyes met.
"..."
"..."
"Hello—"
"PERVERT!"
Layla shrieked, summoning an orb of Cryo energy and hurling it at Luo Qing.
He sidestepped effortlessly, letting the frost hit the bed, where it left shards of ice scattered across the sheets.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?!"
Layla swung her arms, sending two more waves of Cryo energy at him.
Luo Qing dodged again, the attacks tearing through the bedding and leaving several gaping holes.
"My bed..."
Layla's voice trembled with sorrow as she glared at Luo Qing.
"That's not on me," Luo Qing said, hastily shifting the blame. "You did that yourself."
Standing up, Luo Qing was about to explain when Layla clutched her chest and backed against the desk.
"What are you trying to do? If you don't leave, I'll call the Matra—uh..."
Her voice faltered as her eyes fell on his uniform.
Oh no...
"I am a Matra. Go ahead, call me."
"..."
[+1 Frustration Value from Layla.]
Seeing Luo Qing's uniform, Layla seemed to calm down, though her face flushed red as she muttered indignantly, "Even if you're a Matra, you can't just..."
"You invited me here."
"..."
"I invited you?!"
Layla gasped, her expression shifting as she tried to recall what her "daytime self" had done earlier.
"You've got to be kidding..."
Her inner persona frowned, visibly upset by her daytime self's actions.
Not only had the other Layla assumed she was haunted and called the Matra to exorcise her, but she had also brought a strange man home on their very first meeting?!
Even if he was a Matra, that was completely reckless!
Especially when he so clearly looked like trouble...
"I see," her inner self finally said, sitting down at the desk. "Let me explain. I'm her other personality. I only come out when she's asleep.
"As for the thesis, I've been helping her because she's been too exhausted lately."
With a dismissive wave, she added, "I'm not a ghost. I don't need to be exorcised. You can leave now."
"Hmm..."
Luo Qing nodded as though satisfied, then raised his head.
"Let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
Inner Layla tilted her head in confusion.
"If you remember everything your daytime self experiences, does that mean she also remembers everything you do?"
Luo Qing's tone was casual, but his question struck a nerve.
"Of course not," Inner Layla replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm her hidden personality. When she's awake, I retreat deep into her subconscious. She has no idea I exist or what I do.
"Besides..."
She snorted, her expression tinged with disdain.
"If she remembered, do you think she'd mistake me for a ghost and bring you home?"
"Hmm... fair point," Luo Qing mused, a smile creeping across his face.
"So, no matter what I do to you, she won't remember?"
"Exactly... Wait, what?"
Inner Layla's posture stiffened as she shrank back toward the desk.
"What are you planning to do?!"
"Nothing much..."
"..."
"Just a little... punishment," Luo Qing murmured, his eyes narrowing.
"You're a Matra!" Layla exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Her instincts screamed at her to flee. Luo Qing had effortlessly dodged her attacks earlier, making it clear he was far stronger than her.
Fearing the worst, she hurled another Cryo blast at him and darted toward the door.
But before she could take more than a step, her world flipped upside down.
When her vision stabilized, she found herself bound hand and foot, lying on the bed.
Her fingers and toes were encased in restraints that suppressed her elemental power.
Standing over her, Luo Qing loomed with a calm yet unsettling gaze.
"You're not a Matra... What are you planning to do to me?"
Luo Qing smirked at her flustered and defiant expression.
Leaning in closer, he whispered softly, "Late at night, alone in a room with a man like me...
"What do you think I'll do?"
"..."
---
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