185: lips and teeth intertwined

Outside, the moonlight was like water, and the starry sky hung low.

The misty steam of the hot spring rose curling into the night air, like a hazy and warm invitation, enveloping that small area in a dreamlike halo.

"Erina..."

A voice heavy with sleepiness and helplessness came muffled from the mist-covered pool water.

"I was almost asleep, why did you only come now!"

Lin Luo was soaking lazily in the hot spring, with only his head and shoulders exposed, his hair wet and plastered to his forehead.

He had waited for nearly an hour, from full of anticipation to drowsy, and the hot spring water had almost soaked away his temper.

They had agreed that he would come over first, and once the Second Generation and Akane Kubo Momo were resting, Erina would sneak over.

Who would have thought that this wait would last an hour. He almost thought the Young Miss had changed her mind at the last minute and fallen asleep herself.

Under the moonlight, Erina finally appeared.

She was draped in a large bath towel, wrapping herself quite securely, revealing only a section of her fair, slender calves and delicate ankles.

She sat somewhat nervously on the smooth stone by the pool's edge, not entering the water immediately, but instead carefully dipping her pair of fair, tender feet into the warm water, gently stirring the surface and creating subtle ripples.

Hearing Lin Luo's complaint, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered in defense: "I had to wait until they were all resting and completely asleep... If they saw us, what would that look like..."

Her voice grew lower and lower, carrying obvious embarrassment.

The moonlight outlined her silhouette as she sat by the pool, wet golden hair tips clinging to her neck, and the beautiful lines of her shoulders and neck vaguely visible beneath the bath towel.

She bowed her head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow under her eyes, her toes curling and stretching unconsciously; clearly, her inner state was far less composed than she appeared.

Lin Luo watched her look of being both shy and pretending to be calm, the gloom of waiting for an hour dissipated instantly by more than half.

He deliberately sighed, but his tone was gentle:

"Fine, fine, the Young Miss has considered everything thoroughly. Then... can you come down now? The water is really very comfortable. If I wait any longer, I'm afraid I'll really fall into a deep sleep, and then I'll have to trouble you to fish me out."

He reached out his hand towards her, palm up, making a gesture of invitation.

The rising steam blurred his brows and eyes, but made those smiling eyes appear exceptionally bright and gentle under the moonlight.

Erina bit her lower lip and looked around vigilantly—there was only the sound of the wind, insect chirps, and the faint bubbling of the hot spring. The windows of the stone house were pitch black; the Second Generation and Akane Kubo Momo were clearly already in dreamland.

She took a deep breath, as if having made a great decision, and finally released her grip on the bath towel, letting it slide off and pile onto the stone by the pool.

The moonlight spilled onto her without reservation, outlining her perfectly proportioned, jade-like beautiful curves.

She slid into the water quickly and lightly, the warm spring water instantly enveloping her whole body, causing her to let out an almost imperceptible sigh of comfort.

After entering the water, she immediately swam to the diagonal position furthest from Lin Luo, leaning against the pool wall, with only her shoulders and above exposed. Her purple eyes glanced at him with vigilance and a hint of panic, as if warning him not to come closer.

Lin Luo watched her action of quickly marking out a "safe distance" like a startled little animal, and couldn't help but laugh lowly, the vibration of his chest causing ripples on the water surface.

"Okay, okay, I won't come over." He cooperatively raised his hands in surrender, leaned back comfortably against the pool wall, and looked up at the starry sky, "Just like this, talking, looking at the stars, that's okay, right?"

Erina's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. She also learned from Lin Luo and tilted her head back.

In the deep night sky, the galaxy was brilliant. Far from the light pollution of the mundane world, the stars here were exceptionally clear and bright, as if within reach.

The warm spring water soothed her skin, dispelling the chill of the night wind, and allowed her body, which had been tense all day, to gradually relax.

In the quiet valley, there were only the faint sounds of their breathing and the gentle lapping of the water. A strange, reassuring tranquility permeated the air.

"...The stars, there are so many." After a while, Erina sighed softly, her tone carrying a trace of imperceptible relaxation and intoxication.

"Mm." Lin Luo responded, withdrawing his gaze from the starry sky and landing it on the figure opposite, whose outline was blurred by the steam, his voice gentle, "Much clearer than what we see in the city."

After a brief silence, Erina suddenly asked in a low voice: "Hey, today... down in the Bottomless Abyss, you didn't really run into anything particularly dangerous, did you?"

Although Lin Luo looked unscathed when he returned, and even brought back "Stardust" and good news, she still harbored a lingering, belated worry in her heart. After all, that was the "Bottomless Abyss" that even First Generation Melk had to treat with caution.

Lin Luo heard the concern in her tone, felt a warmth in his heart, and smiled: "Don't worry, I'm very capable. I just had a fight, ate some crab, chatted, got the stone, and then... came back." He deliberately spoke lightly.

"Who, who is worried about you!" Erina immediately retorted, then felt she had overreacted, and as a cover, buried half of her face in the water, blowing a few bubbles, glub glub.

Lin Luo watched her cute appearance, his smile deepening. He didn't tease her further, but changed the subject: "By the way, after you used the 'Stardust', how did it feel? Did it help with your research on cooking?"

Mentioning cooking, Erina's attention was immediately diverted.

Her eyes lit up, and she forgot her previous shyness, starting to earnestly share her feelings and thoughts: "It's extremely helpful! That effect of purifying and amplifying the layers of taste is very unique; it's almost like injecting a halo of 'Soul' into the ingredients."

She spoke eloquently. Under the moonlight, those purple eyes sparkled with focused and charming radiance; that was the unique charm belonging to the cooking Genius, Nakiri Erina.

Lin Luo listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a word or two. The hot spring steam curled, starlight twinkled, and the night was gentle.

The two of them, separated by the swirling mist and the diagonal distance, chatted about cooking, about what they had seen and heard, and about some trivial matters.

The initial shyness and tension had, unknowingly, been melted away by this warm spring water, the tranquil night, and their natural conversation.

Time passed quietly. When Erina was talking about an idea regarding spice ratios, she suddenly felt the water ripple gently beside her.

She turned her head vigilantly, only to find that Lin Luo had quietly swam to a spot not far from her at some point. Although he still maintained a polite distance, it was much closer than the diagonal line from before.

"Why did you come over!" She subconsciously wanted to pull away again.

"I've been soaking in the water for a long time, just stretching my limbs a bit."

Lin Luo looked innocent, even stretching his arms with great seriousness, and then pointed to the starry sky, "And look, from this angle, the shape formed by those few stars connected together, doesn't it look a bit like... Cupid's arrow?"

Erina looked carefully in the direction he was pointing, only to see that the cluster of stars was clearly closer to the outline of a tilted water pitcher; how did it look like a bow and arrow?

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Nonsense, how does it look like that at all."

The water rippled gently due to his approach, and the distance between the two shortened unknowingly.

Lin Luo's gaze did not linger on the starry sky, but naturally fell upon her.

Under the intertwining of moonlight and water reflection, the simple yet exquisite light-colored swimsuit on her outlined beautiful lines, and a few strands of wet golden hair clung to her neck and collarbone, making her skin appear even more fair and translucent.

"This swimsuit of yours," he suddenly spoke softly, his tone filled with sincere appreciation, "is very beautiful."

Erina's body stiffened slightly, and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, hotter than the heat of the hot spring.

She subconsciously wanted to hug herself, but felt that would look like she cared too much, so she could only force composure, turning her head away and muttering softly: "...As, as if I needed you to say that."

But this time, she did not speak up to chase him away, nor did she deliberately retreat.

The swirling steam seemed to weave into a gentle net, enveloping the two in this small, isolated world.

"Erina."

Lin Luo's voice sounded again, softer than before, like a feather dropped into the pool, spreading out in the rippling water and hazy mist.

His gaze landed on her slightly pursed cherry-colored lips, which looked as if they were stained with dew, focused and gentle.

Erina's heart trembled, and she subconsciously turned her head, her purple eyes meeting his gaze, which was close at hand.

She felt his hand slowly approaching underwater, his fingertips carrying the warm temperature of the pool water, gently touching her fingers.

She did not dodge.

His fingers, with unquestionable gentleness and firmness, passed through her finger gaps, slowly locking in, completing the posture of interlocked fingers. Their palms were closely pressed together, heat transferring between them, and they could even feel the beating of each other's pulses, through the hot spring water, one beat after another, clearly and powerfully tapping on their hearts.

Warm lips gently covered her softness.

At first, it was just a gentle touch, testing, rubbing. Erina accepted it stiffly and nervously, her fingers tightening unconsciously.

The kiss gradually deepened. Lin Luo guided her, gently prying open her teeth, his tongue lightly touching, bringing about more intimate entanglement. The hot spring water seemed to heat up along with them, the rising steam tightly wrapping around the two of them.

This was a kiss filled with steam, starlight, and tenderness. There was no plundering, only exploration; no impatience, only longevity.

Lin Luo's hand slowly moved up from underwater, stroking her smooth back, his fingertips lingering in the hollow of her spine, bringing a slight shudder. His palm finally stopped at her waist, applying slight force, pressing her closer to himself.

Erina could clearly feel the temperature of his chest and the outline of his firm muscles, as well as certain gradually obvious changes underwater. This realization made her whole body go soft, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid, but she couldn't summon even a bit of strength to push him away.

The kiss became increasingly deep and lingering. Lin Luo gently sucked on her lower lip, his tongue meticulously tracing every soft part of her oral cavity, drawing in her sweetness. His other hand wasn't idle either, his fingertips brushing against the skin at the edge of her swimsuit, lingering on her waist and ribs, bringing about waves of tingling electric currents.

Erina unconsciously let out a faint whimper, her body completely relying on his support. The hot spring water rippled as they grew increasingly intimate, the sound of the water faint yet alluring.

For a long time, until Erina felt somewhat oxygen-deprived and gently pushed his chest, Lin Luo reluctantly released her lips, but their foreheads remained pressed against each other, their breathing intertwined hotly.