*Throb Throb*

 Loudly, Miu could feel her heartbeats. It was throbbing, aching and twisting. It made her uneasy; she turned, rustled, and eventually sighed.

 “Can’t sleep?” A calm voice suddenly called out to her.

 “Luna…” Miu quietly hushed.

 “You sound as though you’re on the verge of tears,” Luna commented.

 “Cuz I am…”

 *Chuckles*

 “…What’s so funny?” Miu pouted as she turned toward the laughing girl. “Luna, you’re quite mean, aren’t you?” Miu complained.

 “You only realised it now?”

 “…..”

 “Miu, don’t worry too much about it,” Luna tried to reassure.

 “Easy for you to say…it wasn’t exactly you who slapped a God-like being, now was it?”

 “True,” Luna bluntly answered.

 “…Luna, can we sleep together…?” Miu suddenly requested.

 “Huh…? That’s bold of you… Asking a princess that all of a sudden.”

 At the response, Miu grinned, and Luna shuddered all over her body, becoming alert.

 “Oh? Really? Should you be saying that? Haven’t you fallen asleep with Alum? Resting on his shoulders with a book in your hands? Not only that, he has a fiancé—The Saint, or…well, maybe that’s his fault too. But he doesn’t consider you anything but a friend, yet your feelings last, and you use that close friend status to snuggle up to him—”

 “Okay! Okay! I got it!” Luna replied, flustered that she’d been caught red-handed. “I never did that once they got together, okay? B-Besides, I did all of that unconsciously when I wasn’t aware of my feelings for him…”

 Miu grinned ear to ear. “I knew that, hehe.”

 “…..”

 Then, it turned quiet again, silently. Miu stared out the window, looking at the full moon rather than the moon on the bed next to hers. Even with all the momentary relief, she felt her heart act up again, and her chest tightened.

 Suddenly, she heard the sound of a rustling blanket from the bed next to hers—it was Luna who was getting out of her bed. Slowly, she walked closer to Miu until she stood next to her bed.

 “…Miu, don’t worry too much about it. It…might’ve been an impulse, but it wasn’t as though you did that out of malice, did you?” Luna said as she sat down beside her.

 “…I don’t know why I slapped him. I…I knew Mister Alester from earlier, at a beach. He was friendly…or well, easy to talk to as he just listened to me each time we met.”

 “So…you knew him since before?” Luna queried with a raised brow.

 Miu nodded. “I… Yeah, I did.” Miu honestly answered. “I figured he was older than me despite his appearance, so…I told him a bunch of things, like…venting a little…ahaha….” she admitted.

 “And then?”

 “He only listened unless I asked…I think I just wanted someone to talk to—vent this…longing and sadness. I miss Mom and Dad. I miss Freja… I miss home, even though I lived alone when I moved out to attend university…” Miu continued, her voice slowly became hoarse, tears slowly formed around her eyes, and she curled up and clenched her chest, tightly grasping onto her blanket. “Even though everyone here assumably struggles with the same thing…”

 Carefully, slowly, and gently, Luna placed her hand on Miu’s head.

 “…Luna?” Miu was surprised by the sudden gesture. “U-Umm…this is the first time someone other than Mom and Dad touched my head…”

 “Is it uncomfortable?” Luna asked.

 “N-No…not at all, it’s just…sort of embarrassing…”

 At her response, Luna chuckled, finding Miu quite cute. She usually took the lead and was assertive and cheerful yet tender and calm. However, seeing her down like this and being embarrassed when she was usually the one initiating physical contact was all too endearing, Luna thought.

 “So, you’re fine with hugging me, rubbing your cheeks against mine, but get embarrassed getting your head stroked?”

 “S-So what!?” Miu shyly exclaimed. “You’re super pretty, elegant—even if your face lacks expressions, your gestures are expressive, super adorable, and it just makes me wanna squeeze you tight!” Miu confessed.

 “…don’t you feel embarrassed saying all that?”

 “I don’t!” Miu exclaimed cheerfully. She tossed her blanket to the side and opened her arms wide. “Now, come, Luna! Give me a big tight squeeze!”

 With a blank look on Luna’s face, she poked Miu’s soft and large chest—instantly, Miu froze; her face slowly became red, her arms still spread wide, and the shape of her mouth was wavy as she was too flustered trying to utter a word.

 “I suppose this will be my pillow for the night.”

 “L-Luna…?” Miu shyly voiced.

 *Squish*             

 “Good night.”

 “H-Huh!?”

 …

  …..

 …

 Out in the hall, Noel noticed giggles coming from the girl’s room. He paused, and with a tray in his hand, he was about to knock. But sighed, and the heavy weight on his chest left.

 (Seems like I worried for nothing…) Noel gently smiled. He looked at the tray he was holding; they were all the treats Miu liked. Some were for Luna, but he mainly wanted to cheer up his childhood friend. (It feels like a waste, though…) he thought.

 “Hmm, who should I give these to? Chely likes them too but has a no sweets policy before bed—if I wanted to treat her, it had to be fresh and fruity; she’d complain that I’m trying to make her fat…but that’s kinda cute as well…should I tease her?”

 Suddenly, from a room not too far away, he noticed Alum leaving—a light bulb lit up above his head.

 “Al!” Noel cheerfully called his friend.

 But as he did, he noticed that the giggles had stopped. (Ah…sorry Miu, Luna…) he apologised in his mind. He wanted to be stealthy about it and not wanting to disturb the cheerful atmosphere. (I’m…sorta dumb ain’t I…?)

 “Mm? Noel?” Alum calmly replied. He noticed the tray in his hand and glanced at the door that he stood by. “I really like that about you,” he gently smiled.

 Surprised and flustered, Noel chuckled a little. “Man, you’ve really eased up, haven’t you?” he replied with a cheerful grin. (I mean…he did repeatedly say he loved Amethely in front of everyone—the second-hand embarrassment from that one…)

 “I suppose. But…aren’t you going to knock—”

 Abruptly, the door slide open. There stood Luna in a baby blue pyjamas with her head slightly tilted. “Why didn’t you just knock?” she asked with her brow raised.

 Not wanting her to suspect him of eavesdropping, he lightly laughed. “Ahaha…I have treats for you and Miu, but you seemed to be having so much fun, so I didn’t want to ruin it by abruptly knocking.”

 “Is that so?” Luna tilted her head the other way. She saw the tray he was holding, and a somewhat sly smile crept up on her face. “Won’t this make Chely jealous?” she teased.

 Noel grinned. “She’s not like that,” he replied.

 “Are you sure she’s just not hiding it?” Luna inquired.

 “She is, but she knows why I’m here and is probably feeling a little lonely right now,” Noel lightheartedly joked. Suddenly, he felt shudders throughout his body. Turning back, a head stuck out in the corner, ash-brown hair, light and beautiful green eyes, and pouting lips along an intense glare. “A-Ah…haha…there’s no way…I mean…”

 As he was finishing what he was saying, Miu appeared. He realised that she was about to hug him, so he hastily stored away the tray in a dimensional bag.

 “Noeeeel~ listen, listen, Luna…Luna is quite a lewd girl!” she declared as she glanced at Luna teasingly.

 “W-What?!” Luna retorted as her inexpressive face turned red. She turned to Alum, who was on the verge of laughter and tried to explain herself, but nothing came. 

 Uncertain of what was going on, Noel patted Miu on the back as he reciprocated the embrace. It reminded him of old times when she was younger and relied on him more.

 “Hahaha… Miu, what happened for you to revert back like this?” he teased with a hint of nostalgia.

 “Luna…Luna poked my boobie! She then buried her face between them, using them as pillows!”

*Poff*

 With a completely red face, Luna’s head reeked of steam. Alum, who had previously held his laughter, chuckled at Miu’s statement. Meanwhile, Noel grinned from ear to ear, generating material to use against Luna in the future. But…he then felt something stiff and metallic on his back—it could only be one person who wore such heavy armour underneath: Chely.

 “Noel…no hugging other girls unless it’s a group hug,” Chely childishly said.

 “Huh? Does that mean I can hug girls if it’s in a group setting?” Noel teased.

 “…..”

 Luna blankly stared at him, adding a snarky remark, “You’re treading on thin ice, young man,” with an evil grin.

 “…I’ll be sad if you do that…” Chely replied as she lessened the strength of her embrace. 

 Hearing her low and tender voice, Noel felt something pierce his heart. “A-Ah…um… Chely, I won’t. I was…just teasing you a little…besides, I like to squeeze you tight—although you might be more…solid than Miu…”

 Instantly, the air froze. Miu felt fear for her life and pushed herself out of Noel and Chely’s embrace. Luna had placed a palm on her forehead, thinking Noel must be some special kind of idiot. As for Chely, she didn't move a millimetre as if being frozen in place.

 Stiffly, Noel turned his head to Alum, speaking with his eyes. [Al…did I just…?] In response, Alum nodded. [You… I’ll be sure to scatter your ashes—Ame might use it to grow flowers, though.] Perplexed but not surprised, Noel retorted. [Isn’t that a bit dark!? Also, Amethely wouldn’t do that! Or would she!?]

 Then, all of a sudden, Chely’s arm guards that he previously felt on his sides disappeared, and the stiff metallic feeling on his back became soft and squishy.

 “Am…I really not soft enough…?” Chely shyly asked in a shaky voice as though she was on the verge of tears.

 Miu became embarrassed; she covered her face with her hands but peeked through her fingers. Luna had an amused expression as if gathering material to tease the two later. Meanwhile, behind Alum, there was a head sticking out of the door. With her silver-grey hair and amethyst-coloured eyes, she had a shy expression as she repeatedly tapped the crystal hairpin to capture the moment.

 “Chely, I love you,” Noel said as he turned around, embracing her tightly.

 “…..”

 “Chely, I love you,” Noel echoed his previous statement.

 Seeing this, both Alum and Amethely began to blush uncontrollably. Both probably thought he was teasing them. (Noel, you! You’re teasing us even during this?!), Miu and Luna seemed to have caught wind of their thoughts—as did Noel and Chely.

 In a heartfelt chuckle, Chely responded, “H-Huh? I-I lube yoi too!?” to tease her younger sister, who stuck her head out.

 While she wasn’t there when it happened, she was curious. But judging by Amethely and Alum’s completely red faces, she inwardly chuckled. Meanwhile, Noel grinned, his voice a little shaky as he tried to hold back his laughter.

 “Chely, I love you,” Noel said again.   

 “…u-um…I love you too,” Chely replied.

 It was getting more and more embarrassing. The two began to think, how did Amethely and Alum endure this kind of thing?

 “Chely, I love you,” Noel repeated, his face getting hotter and hotter, and he almost stammered the words.

 “Ehehe~ Noel, I love you too!” Chely exclaimed she was starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded from the embarrassment

 “Miu, I love you,” Luna said, trying to sound masculine.

 “Luna…I love you too!” Miu replied cheerfully.

—It was then Amethely snapped.

 “Awawawa!? Sis, you meanie! Noel, you dummy! Luna, you…you booby! Miu you…? Silly! Hmph!”

 Everyone burst out laughing as Amethely shut the door. Alum stood there, dumbfounded, as he covered his blushing face with his arm.

 “Seriously…you guys…” he muttered in a low voice.