Sylvia was taken aback by this and looked Robin up and down:
"You knew about that?"
"No, I felt a familiar signature on you. Are you alright? My brother didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Robin looked rather anxious, even a bit distressed, and the way she looked at Sylvia filled with a touch of guilt. Perhaps it was the realization that her own brother had made a move against Sylvia that troubled her so deeply.
"I'm fine, really. Actually, it was quite the opposite..."
Sylvia wanted to offer a little comfort, but Robin didn't even wait for her to finish. She grabbed Sylvia's hand and started pulling her outside.
"Come with me first. I need to purge the power he left on you! My brother has gone too far; how could he treat you like this?"
Robin was genuinely angry. She recognized that technique, of course.
It was Sunday's preferred method for eliminating those who didn't align with his views. He usually employed it when screening for IPC spies or interrogating them.
It was something the Dreammaster had taught him. Robin had been present at the time, but her vision for the future differed from Sunday's.
She had simply memorized the defensive measures and the counter-methods without ever learning how to actually execute the technique herself.
"Oh..."
Sylvia could feel the lingering traces of that power that hadn't dissipated yet. But since she wasn't actually being hindered by it and the energy was fading on its own, and because she had no personal method to deal with such things, she hadn't given it much thought.
She certainly hadn't expected Robin to react so intensely.
Robin pulled her into a nearby room. Although the exterior looked a bit aged, the interior was furnished in a clean and cozy way. It was clear that the owner took great care of it.
Once Robin pushed her onto the sofa, Sylvia couldn't help but look around.
"Is this where you live?"
"Yes, Mr. Micah gave me this place. It's quite close to that rooftop."
Robin nodded, kicked off her heels, stood up, and stepped directly across Sylvia, sitting on her lap.
"..."
Sylvia was forced to tilt her head back against the sofa; otherwise, her low-cut, off-the-shoulder dress would have pressed her soft skin directly against Sylvia's face.
"Um... Miss Robin, isn't this a little too close?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't study this properly back then, so I can't execute it using just words like my brother does."
Robin knew it was becoming intimate, but she was at a loss. She hadn't been trained for this; her childhood dream had been to sing to her heart's content, and most of her energy had gone into that.
In other situations, she might have managed—her understanding of Harmony was not weak, and she could usually just perform a "tuning" to resolve issues.
But this was a technique cast by Sunday, a master of Harmony. It was exquisite in its design, and couldn't be purged with a simple, ordinary "tuning."
She had only caught snippets of his more aggressive, offensive techniques while listening in on him when she had the time. It was a miracle she remembered as much as she did; she didn't dare hope to perform it well.
Robin's face turned red as she removed her gloves. She cupped Sylvia's neck with her palms, lowered her head, and pressed her forehead against Sylvia's.
"Whew..."
Her moist eyes trembled slightly. In this extreme proximity, Robin felt even shyer.
"Th-then, I'm going to start!"
Robin's voice trembled, betraying her nerves. Sylvia looked straight into her eyes, feeling the warmth of Robin's breath.
"Go ahead."
As soon as she finished speaking, a faint light bloomed between Robin's hands. Even her eyes began to shimmer with an inexplicable charm.
A unique and marvelous power radiated from her hands, her forehead, and even the sound of her breathing. It was almost like a "resonance" across dimensions, gradually aligning Sylvia and Robin's states, making them harmonious and synchronized.
Sylvia could feel that it was the same ability Sunday had used, yet the sensation was worlds apart.
Robin's touch was clearly much gentler—though that might just be because Sylvia wasn't resisting the "tuning" at all.
As they synchronized, the power lingering in Sylvia's body began to dissolve. However, the progress was slow.
Robin noticed this, and not wanting to appear incompetent—and perhaps wanting to be a bit closer to Sylvia—she flushed even deeper, pressed her upper body tightly against her, and squeezed into Sylvia's embrace.
"Mm... I'm sorry, I have to get even closer."
"You already are," Sylvia replied, instinctively hugging Robin's back.
It was truly reflexive; she had hugged Mei that way many times when she sat on her lap, so it was only natural for her hands to move on their own.
But Robin's delicate body shivered several times in tension.
"D-don't talk. Let me focus."
"Right."
Seeing Robin's face growing redder by the second, Sylvia didn't call her out on it. She smiled and kept her mouth shut.
It had to be said that once the contact area increased, the efficiency of the purging skyrocketed. What would have taken an entire night now only required a short while.
Robin could judge the timing of the spell perfectly, but maintaining this close proximity for nearly twenty minutes still made her heart race uncontrollably.
"Th-that... please, please hold this position. It might take a while..."
Robin felt like a dishonest flirt.
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, ending in a whisper against Sylvia's skin that only made the atmosphere more enticing. Sylvia couldn't help but feel her own cheeks heat up.
Robin's body was growing warmer, and her heartbeat felt like it was thrumming through their clothes directly into Sylvia's chest.
"Ha..."
Sylvia exhaled unconsciously, and a warm, raspy breath washed over Robin's face.
"Gulp..."
Robin was the first to lose her composure, swallowing hard.
Swish—
Her wings reflexively moved to cover her face, but since the two were pressed so closely, the wings couldn't curl inward.
Instead, they pressed firmly against the back of Sylvia's head, blocking her vision and narrowing their world until there was nothing left but each other's eyes.
"..."
Sylvia's mind went blank. If she didn't detach her thoughts, she might not be able to restrain herself.
Meanwhile, Robin grew bolder, admiring Sylvia's face. Robin was used to wearing makeup, so at first glance, people might think she was the prettier one.
But in Robin's eyes, Sylvia's unadorned face held a more profound charm.
She's so beautiful... I want to kiss her.
Once that thought emerged, it spread through her heart like a wildfire. If I kiss her secretly, she won't notice, right?
Robin watched Sylvia's vacant, unfocused eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Should I? Would she be angry?
But she was so beautiful, and they were so close; her nose was filled with the scent of her. This can't be my fault, can it? It's all because Sylvia is so pretty, so good-smelling... surely it's okay for girls to be a little close.
Robin's mind raced, quickly shifting the blame onto Sylvia. And then, she tilted her nose slightly, shifting from a forehead-to-forehead position, leaning closer and closer to Sylvia's lips.
She moved inch by inch. Her nervous eyes remained fixed on Sylvia's, terrified that she might snap out of it. Yet, she also feared that if she kissed her and Sylvia didn't react, she would be devastated.
Her mind was in chaos, but her lips had already inadvertently brushed against a pair of soft, warm ones.
"Mm..."
She had actually done it. Robin couldn't help but exclaim in her heart. So soft. And so sweet.
"Mm—?!"
No matter how spaced out she had been, Sylvia naturally reacted to being kissed.
Her eyes refocused, only to be met by the sight of Robin's beautiful eyes, framed perfectly by the white feathers surrounding them. Sylvia realized then that this was supposed to be a "tuning," wasn't it? Does your tuning require kissing?
P-please, don't move!
Just as Sylvia went to help Robin pull back, the songbird used her "tuning" to transmit her words directly into Sylvia's mind through their resonance.
She didn't know where she found the strength, but she gripped Sylvia's neck tightly, making it impossible for Sylvia to pry her off.
"Gulp..."
It was a tentative, fleeting kiss. It didn't pry open her teeth or explore with her tongue, but through the slight shivering of her body, her flushed cheeks, and her ragged breathing, Sylvia could feel Robin's intense nervousness.
Of course, there was also the redness of her face and the flurry of emotions being transmitted through the tuning.
It was like a little girl pouring out her heart—anxious, yet sincere. The intensity of her feelings caught Sylvia off guard.
In Sylvia's eyes, what she had done for Robin shouldn't have been that significant.
She had always viewed Robin as a mature young woman who had endured a life far from stable, one often fraught with danger. She wasn't a sheltered princess; it made sense for her to be grateful, but how could such profound feelings have developed?
Sylvia didn't fully understand; she didn't think the Harmony's "tuning" was supposed to be this transparently bidirectional. Still, she raised her hand and stroked Robin's head.
"..."
Robin shivered again at the touch. She tightened her grip on Sylvia's neck, trying to press even closer.
Robin felt Sylvia's confusion, but she didn't know how else to express her gratitude and love. Perhaps in Sylvia's eyes, her actions were just normal.
But whether it was facing Phantylia, the Family, or the potential threat of the IPC—each was a titan of power.
A normal person would have fled, or at least weighed the pros and cons. Even Sparkle would have only interfered if she thought it was "fun."
But Sylvia hadn't. From the moment Robin began investigating the traitor to the point where she was essentially standing against the entire Family, Sylvia had supported her unwaveringly, without a hint of doubt.
Perhaps Sylvia didn't truly understand.
When Robin discovered that the real Family was worlds apart from the one she admired, she felt like she had been betrayed by her own family. To put it dramatically, she felt like her faith was crumbling.
In Sylvia's mind, Robin was a popular playable character; such a character must possess a resilient core.
Even without her intervention, Robin would have surely recovered from the blow, held fast to her ideals, and worked with the protagonist group to resolve the incident.
But that was viewing things from a god's-eye perspective.
From Robin's point of view, when she was at her lowest, needing help the most, Sylvia was the one who—without reason—was willing to support her and believe, without wavering, that Robin was "correct."
Especially over the last few days here in the Dreamflux Reef, where they were almost entirely cut off from the world. For the first time in a long time, Robin had been able to focus on what was right in front of her, undisturbed.
When she first thought of Sylvia and wished that Sylvia would appear to keep her company, Robin realized one thing: she really liked her. Sylvia's presence brought her an irreplaceable sense of security.
So, when she saw Sylvia appear before her today, she had instinctively reached out and hugged her.
And so, when purging the power Sunday had left behind, she had committed an impulsive act that was so unlike her.
But her shyness held her back; Robin ultimately couldn't summon the courage to go further.
Especially when Sylvia was startled and tried to pull away, it had exhausted the last of Robin's courage just to send the plea to not let go and to hold her tight.
She didn't have the strength to complete a mature kiss.
Perhaps if Sylvia had taken the initiative, Robin would have gone along with it. But after receiving Robin's emotions, Sylvia simply raised her hand and gently stroked her head—just as she always did.
--+--
Time passed. When the power in Sylvia's body was finally purged, Robin reluctantly loosened her grip and tentatively raised her head.
Now that the tide had receded and reason had reclaimed her consciousness, Robin didn't know what to do.
She began to panic. Would Sylvia be angry? Would she think I'm a bad girl? Will she hate me for this? Or will she just turn and walk away?
Robin lowered her eyelids, no longer daring to look into Sylvia's eyes. She even felt a fleeting desire to run away and bury herself somewhere. She was too embarrassed to face her.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL