SWWW Chapter 231: Goddess's Hug and Witch's Warmth
TL/N: Back to normal schedule now!
The same evening after their one-day trip to Asgard.
Late at night, inside the hot spring hotel.
In one of the rooms, Xiao Huang the little orange cat had curled up in a corner by the courtyard, hugging the glass jar that held Jarro the starfish, and was already fast asleep.
A red cloak floated quietly down, lifting a corner of its silky fabric to gently cover the small cat's body like a blanket.
Those two… truly a love-hate pair.
Xi Nian yawned tiredly, turned off the last bedside lamp, and the room fell into stillness, lit only by the faint silver glow of the moon outside.
Wearing the loose local sleepwear, Xi Nian was about to lie down on the tatami when suddenly, faint footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.
Don't tell me it's another supernatural event?
Xi Nian, who had just laid down, opened his eyes and looked toward the paper sliding wall. Through the thin paper, he could see a shadow approaching the door of his room.
Come to think of it, Japan has plenty of urban legends…
The Eight-Foot Woman, ghostly maidens… In a world like this, could they actually be real?
Creak—
The door slid open softly, snapping Xi Nian out of his imagination.
Blinking, he quickly pulled the blanket up to his face, peeking through a gap at the figure standing in the doorway.
Well… not exactly an urban legend, but close enough.
A tall, graceful woman stepped inside. She was wearing a loose, thin white nightgown, her long black hair spilling like ink down her shoulders, perfectly framing her elegant features. From her exposed neckline down to her bare feet, her body outlined a divine and flawless figure.
A goddess… not too different from a spirit.
"Already in bed so early?"
Diana walked in casually and closed the door behind her.
"Just feeling tired today."
Xi Nian's eyes betrayed him, wandering downward. The hem of her sheer gown swayed around her thighs, revealing her long, slender legs as she moved gracefully across the room, bathed in silver moonlight from the courtyard.
In that moment, Diana looked as if she were covered in a veil of moonlight, every part of her radiating beauty. Her calm eyes fell on him in the darkness.
"Auntie, here to review the day?"
Xi Nian lifted the edge of the blanket on his left side and said casually, "Come in, it's cold outside."
"You mean you're cold."
Diana clearly saw through his thought, yet she still lay half into the blanket, pulling it up over her legs and waist.
"Exactly. I'm cold."
Xi Nian chuckled, and just like that, the room felt warmer, like violets blooming under the moonlight.
The bed on the tatami became instantly more comfortable too, erasing the unfamiliarity of a foreign place.
As long as Auntie was here, it felt like home.
Xi Nian was lost in this thought when suddenly, he felt long, smooth arms slip around him, embracing him softly with the faint scent of violets.
"Uh…?"
He froze, lying stiff as warm breath brushed against his ear.
Normally, he was the one clinging to Diana for a hug, but this time, she had taken the initiative.
He hadn't expected that at all.
"Sleep first. No review tonight," Diana murmured lazily beside his ear.
"…Alright."
Xi Nian's body stiffened, afraid to move, feeling very much like a pillow being hugged by a goddess.
Still… she wasn't wrong.
Today's events didn't need reviewing anyway.
After all, most of what happened had been experienced while merged as one—Xi Nian, Diana, and Venom. Their thoughts and feelings had already been completely shared.
…
The night deepened. Clouds covered the moon, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Xi Nian was debating whether or not to move his fingers when, suddenly, footsteps once again echoed from the hallway outside.
Uh oh.
This can't be…
His drowsiness vanished instantly as a knock sounded on the door.
"Young Master Xi Nian, may I come in?"
A soft, sweet voice came through the paper door.
It was Wanda.
"Come in—"
Instinctively, Xi Nian responded, thinking it was urgent. But then he realized—
Now wasn't exactly the best time.
"Wait—!"
He tried to correct himself, but Wanda had already slid the door open.
As expected of a goddess.
In that instant, Diana moved incredibly fast and quietly, slipping completely under the blanket without a sound.
But once hidden, she froze. Why was she hiding?
Perhaps because she didn't want Wanda to see her in this state—her usual image of elegance, wisdom, and maturity replaced by something vulnerable, a woman seeking comfort in an embrace.
…
Xi Nian turned his gaze to the girl entering the room. Even in the dim light, he could still make her out.
Wanda stepped in, wearing a floral-patterned kimono provided by the hotel. Compared to her usual red dress, which made her look noble and elegant, in this she looked much more cute and obedient. Her bare, fair feet slipped out of wooden sandals, her crimson hair tied simply at the ends with a red ribbon.
Scarlet hair. A maid in a kimono.
Adorable.
Xi Nian felt another dream from his past life had just been fulfilled.
"Wanda, you are…?"
He noticed she was holding a pillow in her arms.
"This is… what Miss Diana said earlier. To… warm your bed."
Wanda puffed her cheeks, clearly nervous but determined.
There was no turning back now.
Kicking off her sandals, she stepped forward, pulled back the blanket on the other side of the tatami bed, and slipped inside.
It was a little forceful, but more like she was afraid she'd lose her courage if she hesitated.
"…"
Xi Nian was stunned for a moment, then remembered.
Earlier that afternoon, in the Asgardian hall, his aunt had indeed mentioned something like this.
Back then, it had been just to provoke Wanda's soul into returning—but apparently she had taken it to heart.
"Auntie, this is the pit you dug yourself. Can't blame me now…" Xi Nian thought to himself, glancing at the blanket puffed up on his left.
Fortunately, the room was dark, and the highly anxious Wanda didn't notice.
She lay on his right side, back facing him, curled up tightly, her face burning red.
Xi Nian looked left, then right. With two girls on either side of him, he didn't dare move a muscle, sighing heavily in his heart.
How am I supposed to sleep like this?
…
In the corner of the room, Jarro opened his single clear eye from inside the glass jar held by Xiao Huang.
He looked at the bed with its three lumps under the blanket, then quickly shut his eye again.
This family…
He couldn't bear to watch.
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