"Aha, my little bed!"
Walking into the familiar dorm room, Vic acted like a giant dog that had been cooped up all day and finally got to run free. He cheered and pounced toward his simple camp bed, which was placed near the bathroom door and looked somewhat aged.
He was filled with nostalgia, wanting to relive the feeling of rolling around on this squeaky little bed, just like he did when he left at the end of last semester.
However, the moment his body touched the mattress—
Creak—BANG!
After a series of tooth-aching groans, followed by a muffled thud.
The camp bed, which had supported countless lazy mornings last semester, finally failed to withstand his enthusiastic pounce after a summer apart.
It fell apart cleanly and decisively. Wooden slats and metal pipes scattered pitifully across the floor.
Vic lay trapped amidst a pile of fabric and broken wood. Blinking his ever-manic peach-blossom eyes, he stared at the mess before him.
His face was written with confusion and disbelief.
"Vic!"
Enid face-palmed, shaking her head helplessly. She walked over and reached out to pull the "King of Destruction" from the ruins, her eyes filled with amusement and sympathy.
"This isn't that soft, giant bed you had at Hotel Transylvania. Looks like someone is sleeping on the floor tonight."
Vic stood up steady and patted the dust off his clothes.
His gaze cycled between Enid's bed—covered with a soft duvet, looking warm and cozy—and Wednesday's bed—immaculately tidy, dark-colored, radiating an aura of abstinence.
Finally, he decisively locked onto Enid, who seemed to have the softer heart.
"Enid~"
Vic switched modes instantly. His peach-blossom eyes became watery and misty, like a large dog soaked in the rain. He dragged out his tone softly:
"Can I... can I sleep with you tonight? The floor is so cold, so hard... If you don't take me in, I'll freeze to death on Christmas Eve like the Little Match Boy..."
"What? No way!"
Two patches of red flew onto Enid's cheeks instantly. She shook her head like a rattle.
She immediately recalled Vic's Succubus Seduction Guide, especially the fact that this guy had already studied the "Secret Arts Chapter."
Let him in her bed? That would be inviting the wolf into the house! If he really dragged her into an "exam," should she agree or should she agree?
"Why not—"
Vic pouted aggrievedly, trying to reason.
"We clearly slept in the same bed back at Hotel Transylvania!"
He deliberately used phrasing that could easily be misinterpreted.
"Idiot! Don't phrase it so ambiguously!"
Enid blushed harder, glaring at him in embarrassment.
"Besides, wasn't Wednesday there too?!"
Vic seemed to grab a lifeline, his eyes lighting up.
He immediately cast a hopeful gaze toward Wednesday, who was sitting properly at her desk, expressionlessly flipping through a book of dark arts. His voice was sweet enough to cause diabetes.
"Then let's invite Wednesday to sleep together! Just like the three of us at the hotel! Squeezing together is warmer and promotes emotional bonding!"
Snap.
Wednesday closed the dark arts book in her hand. She looked up slowly, gazing calmly at Vic. No emotion could be read on her pale face.
"Given certain recent, increasingly excessive, and boundary-lacking intimate behaviors from a certain someone—"
Her fingers brushed over the faint red strawberry marks still visible on her face.
"I have grounds to highly suspect that a certain someone intends to irresponsibly practice dangerous theories from the Succubus Seduction Guide: Secret Arts Chapter within the relatively confined space of our dormitory. Therefore..."
She tilted her chin slightly, her tone decisive and unquestionable:
"Don't even think about it."
"Fine, fine..."
Seeing both "heat sources" were firm in their refusal, Vic deflated like a popped balloon.
Hunching his back, he stumbled step by step toward the wardrobe to get spare bedding, humming a self-composed, tragic tune:
"Little cabbage, yellow in the field; Vic is cold, no bed to sleep... Hmph, when I freeze to death and become the dorm's bound spirit, don't you regret it..."
Watching his overly dramatic, pitiful back, Enid's heart softened after all.
She tugged at Wednesday's sleeve, whispering:
"Wednesday... he looks really pitiful. Maybe..."
Wednesday looked at Vic's exaggerated gait—as if he were carrying the weight of the world's grievances—then glanced at Enid's reluctant expression. She sighed almost inaudibly.
"Fine, Victor Black—"
Her cool voice rang out.
"You win."
Vic's back stiffened, and his ears perked up instantly.
Wednesday leaned into Enid's ear and whispered a few words.
Enid blinked first, then revealed a smile that was understanding yet slightly teasing, and nodded.
Then, under Vic's sneaky backward glances, the two girls walked to the center of the room.
Together, they pushed Wednesday's sturdy, vintage carved wooden bed and Enid's softer, cozier upholstered bed together. Side by side, they formed an incredibly spacious "Super Bed."
"Like this..."
Wednesday clapped the dust off her hands and pointed to the massive joined sleeping platform. She looked expressionlessly at Vic, whose eyes were shining like stars.
"Satisfied?"
"Satisfied! Too satisfied! Wednesday, Enid, you guys are angels!"
The gloom on Vic's face vanished. With a cheer, he moved to pounce on them for a big hug.
"Halt."
Wednesday raised a hand, palm outward, stopping his movement.
In her other hand, she was suddenly holding a small but sharp silver dagger. With the tip, she traced an imaginary line down the exact center of the joined beds.
"Watch closely—"
Her voice was unquestionable, her eyes sharp.
"Without permission, trespassers..."
She turned her wrist lightly. The dagger twirled nimbly in her fingers, flashing cold light.
"...will bear the consequences."
Vic gulped looking at the cold glint, but the smile on his face remained as bright as a sunflower.
"Understood! I promise to behave, I won't cross the thunder pool by half a step!"
Getting into the bed is already a great victory!
As for practicing the Succubus Seduction Guide... Cough cough, strategic detours and gradual progress will do!
He happily picked up his pillow and placed it carefully on his half of the "territory."
His mind was already calculating whether he should pretend to be asleep and "accidentally" roll over in the middle of the night, or launch a new round of spoiled attacks with his "innocent" peach-blossom eyes.
"Hehe, right, I'll go get some ice to help Wednesday's strawberry marks fade."
Vic grinned, twisting the dorm doorknob. He turned his head and threw a confident wink at Wednesday, as if saying "Look at how thoughtful I am."
The moment the door cracked open—
WHOOSH!
A sharp whistling sound grazed past the tip of his nose! Carrying a chilling coldness!
THUNK!
A crossbow bolt, glinting with cold light, nailed itself viciously into the wall beside the door frame, its fletching still vibrating.
"Oh! Holy sht!"
Enid screamed in fright, her eyes widening instantly.
Vic froze in place, the playful smile on his face freezing over.
He slowly looked down at the doorknob—
A crude but effective trigger mechanism was tied there. A thin string connected to a fixed hand-crossbow trigger outside the door.
The force of opening the door had perfectly triggered the bolt launch.
"Whoa..."
Vic blinked twice, snapping out of his initial shock. Instead of being scared, he whistled.
"Start of school this year... is a little exciting."