Night at the Nevermore dormitory. Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass window, casting twisted, colorful shadows on the floor.
On the "Super Bed" spliced together, the three of them occupied their respective spaces in a delicate balance.
Enid lay on her side, her blue eyes twinkling with curiosity in the dim light, staring unblinkingly at Vic, who lay on the outermost edge.
This guy... from finishing washing up to lying down obediently, the entire process was unnaturally quiet.
He didn't try to squeeze into the middle, didn't whine about being cold and needing a hug, and didn't even insist on planting a goodnight kiss on her or Wednesday's forehead like usual.
He just lay there flat on his back, hands crossed over his chest, breathing evenly, eyes closed—a standard pose of "I am asleep, do not disturb."
This was extremely abnormal!
Enid couldn't help but whisper to Wednesday, who was lying in the middle and also staring at the ceiling with open eyes:
"Wednesday... what's wrong with Vic today? Why is he so... well-behaved?"
She paused, her tone carrying disbelief and a subtle disappointment she didn't even notice herself.
"I was prepared for him to act shamelessly, play pitiful, and then push his luck... and he just went to sleep like that?"
It felt like bracing for a storm, only to find a clear, moonlit night outside the window. It left her feeling strangely empty.
Wednesday's pitch-black eyes turned to Enid in the dark. Calm and waveless, her cool voice brushed over the silence like night wind over ice:
"Why~"
She tilted her head slightly, her pale face looking like exquisite porcelain under the moonlight.
"Do you wish for Vic to do... certain things you have been secretly anticipating?"
Swish—Enid's face turned bright red instantly. Thankfully, the darkness provided cover.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she almost bounced off the bed. Her voice went up half an octave, carrying the embarrassment of having her thoughts exposed:
"Wh-what are you talking about! Who... who's anticipating! How could I possibly wish to do... do that kind of thing with Vic!"
Her voice grew weaker with guilt, the last few words practically mumbled in her mouth.
The corner of Wednesday's mouth curved into an extremely faint arc—enough to make Enid's heart skip a beat.
"I did not specify which kind of thing." Her tone was flat, yet cut like a precise scalpel. "Why so defensive, Miss Sinclair?"
"You!"
Enid choked on her anger. embarrassed and indignant, she grabbed a pillow to throw at her, but fearing the noise would wake—or rather, expose—the "sleeping" Vic, she just hugged the pillow tightly and punched it twice.
"Hmph! Ignoring you! Sleeping!"
A few seconds later, Wednesday spoke:
"I promised him that if he behaves tonight and does not cross the boundary, then tomorrow morning, when he wakes up, I will give him a small surprise."
"That's it?"
Enid's eyes widened, her long fingers unconsciously twisting the lace hem of her nightgown.
"Vic isn't that easily appeased. Are you sure this 'surprise' can keep him settled all night?"
Wednesday didn't answer immediately.
She turned to look at Vic.
On the spliced "Super Bed," Vic was lying flat in his territory in an exaggeratedly "peaceful" pose. Hands crossed on chest, breathing steady... but his eyelids were trembling slightly from the effort of feigning sleep.
"Delayed gratification is often more tempting than immediate indulgence."
Wednesday's voice was cool as the night wind, but carried an unquestionable sense of control.
"Especially for an individual with 'excessive curiosity' like Vic, an 'unknown' reward is the best sedative."
Midnight. The dorm was filled only with the steady breathing of three people.
Vic strictly obeyed the "River Chu and Han Border" Wednesday had drawn on the sheet with her dagger.
But Enid keenly noticed that every so often, Vic would sneakily open one eye a slit, glancing rapidly toward Wednesday like a guard dog calculating the time until dawn.
Even his messy black hair seemed to radiate a forced calmness covering deep anxiety.
"See, I told you he couldn't hold out for long."
Enid whispered to the seemingly asleep Wednesday, her tone carrying a helpless "I knew it."
Wednesday's long eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. She didn't open her eyes, but the corner of her lips hooked up faintly.
Psychological expectations have been successfully guided. All his energy is now focused on anticipating 'tomorrow' rather than disrupting 'tonight.' Mother's strategies... occasionally have merit.
Just then, a very faint creak came from Vic's side.
He seemed to be adjusting his posture carefully, trying to get closer to the "boundary line" without actually daring to cross it.
A barely audible sigh—a mix of grievance and longing—escaped his throat, distinct in the silent night.
Enid almost laughed out loud but was stopped by Wednesday's cold hand pressing gently on her wrist.
"Don't move."
Wednesday's voice was low as a whisper.
Sure enough, after realizing there was no reaction from their side, Vic tossed and turned for a moment before finally quieting down completely.
True sleepiness finally defeated his anxious anticipation.
When the first rays of morning light filtered through the glass, Vic was awakened by an extremely faint, yet impossible-to-ignore rustling sound.
Not an alarm clock, nor Enid's soft breathing, but more like... the swish of turning pages?
He snapped his eyes open, his heart pounding with premonition. The first thing he saw was Wednesday, already fully dressed.
She was sitting in the armchair by the window. The backlight outlined her quiet silhouette. Her fingertips were casually flipping through a book resting on her lap—
The familiar texture and color made Vic hold his breath instantly.
It was the Succubus Seduction Guide: Authentic Han Dynasty Edition.
"Good morning, Vic."
Wednesday looked up. Her dark eyes precisely caught his stunned gaze.
Her tone was flat and waveless, yet it dropped like a stone into the lake of Vic's heart.
"It seems you barely passed the 'Boundary Test.'"
Vic practically bounced off the bed, his movement stirring up a gust of wind.
"Surprise! Where's my surprise?"
He stared at Wednesday eagerly, the light in his peach-blossom eyes brighter than the morning star.
Wednesday didn't answer directly. Instead, she turned her gaze to Enid, who had also been woken up and was rubbing her eyes.
"Enid, what do you consider the most effective reward mechanism for a creature with 'excessive energy and blurred boundaries'?"
Enid blinked her misty, sleepy eyes. Seeing Vic looking like he wanted to wag a tail, she burst into a giggle pfft:
"Uh... give him what he wants most, but usually can't get easily?"
"Correct. Give him what he desires but cannot easily obtain."
Wednesday's voice was cool, but it acted like a hook, snagging Vic's entire mind.
She walked slowly toward Vic, making no sound.
The sunlight cast a long shadow behind her, making her pale face appear even deeper.
That mix of danger and temptation truly resembled Morticia Addams—
Like a black rose blooming at midnight, carrying lethal attraction.
Vic swallowed involuntarily, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He watched Wednesday approach. His usually manic peach-blossom eyes were wide and round, reflecting Wednesday's silhouette and a mix of anticipation, nervousness, and a little bewildered innocence.
Wednesday stopped by the bed, looking down at Vic, who was sitting on the edge, looking up at her.
She didn't act immediately. She just gazed at him quietly, as if inspecting a possession that was about to belong to her.
This silent scrutiny carried more pressure than any words, making Vic's heart beat faster and faster.
"Wed... Wednesday?"
Vic's voice held a trace of imperceptible tremor—like a probe, and like an invitation.
Wednesday didn't answer.
She simply leaned down slowly. Her cold fingers gently lifted Vic's chin, forcing him to meet her gaze more clearly.
Then, under Vic's breathless watch, her cool lips, carrying a unique, crisp scent, pressed onto his.
At first, the kiss was a tentative touch, like a snowflake landing on skin, carrying a distant chill.
But soon, Wednesday deepened the kiss.
She was no longer the one passively accepting or simply responding. She had taken complete control.
Her kiss carried an unquestionable predatory nature and... educational intent?
Vic felt his brain go buzz, as if fireworks had exploded inside his skull.
All thoughts, all senses were drowned by this sudden, deep kiss initiated by Wednesday.
He accepted it passively, feeling that unique coldness gradually taking on his temperature, feeling Wednesday's fingertips tracing the line of his jaw almost ghost-like.
He seemed to taste something on her lips—faintly like old parchment mixed with some cold plant.
This feeling... was completely different from his previous kisses, which were playful or wheedling.
Deeper. More... trembling.
Minutes later, Wednesday straightened up, ending the kiss.
Her expression remained haughty, even carrying the calmness of completing an experiment.
Only her slightly glistening lips and breathing a fraction faster than usual betrayed that the event wasn't entirely without impact.
Her thumb casually wiped the corner of her lip—an elegant, nonchalantly flirtatious movement, as if brushing away a speck of nonexistent dust.
Then, without looking at Vic, whose eyes were completely glazed over, she turned and walked out of the dorm room with composed steps.
Silence reigned in the dorm.
Vic sat on the bed in a daze. His eyes were misty and unfocused, his cheeks crimson.
He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his lips, where Wednesday's touch and scent seemed to linger.
"The Secret Arts Chapter..." he murmured unconsciously, his voice dreamy and floating. "Terrifyingly effective..."
He finally experienced firsthand just how... astonishingly powerful the "Union of Soul and Flesh" and "Steering Emotion through Heart" described in the Guide could be under Wednesday's practice.
And Enid, who had been curled up on the bed peeking through the duvet the whole time, was now so shy she was about to faint.
Her big blue eyes were wide, filled with shock, curiosity, and a... throbbing she didn't quite understand herself.
So... kisses can be like that?
Not Vic's sunny, direct, slightly rogue-like closeness, but like Wednesday...
Like a calm storm, an elegant conquest, a control that makes one willing to drown?
She looked at Vic's soul-left-the-body state, then recalled Wednesday's composed, precision-operation-like demeanor.
Her heart felt like it had been scratched by a kitten's paw—itchy, and inexplicably... envious?