"Is Wednesday... shy?"
Vic blinked blankly, looking like a primary school student stumped by a complex math problem. His fingers unconsciously scratched his perpetually messy black hair.
"But... why?"
He mumbled, his tone filled with genuine confusion.
"During those days at Hotel Transylvania, didn't we stick together every day?"
"We squeezed into one bed, shared breakfast, and even... uh, we had some intimate contact too. She didn't react this strongly back then, did she?"
He tried hard to recall every detail of the summer at the hotel.
Although Wednesday always maintained her icy demeanor, her reaction to his closeness or slight "boundary-crossing" was, at most, an eye roll or a sharp verbal jab.
She definitely never did what she just did—which was practically... fleeing in panic?
"Idiot!"
Enid rolled her eyes at him, exasperated.
Her eyes held a mix of "you're hopeless" resignation and a trace of "serves you right" Schadenfreude.
She poked a slender finger hard into Vic's chest, as if trying to poke his dense brain awake.
"That was then, this is now! Back then, a certain someone's 'Succubus Training' was still in the theoretical exploration stage. You were at most an 'Entry-Level' succubus with limited lethality!"
She lowered her voice deliberately, a faint blush rising on her cheeks, continuing to "enlighten" this guy whose emotional nerves were thicker than power cables.
"But now? A certain someone not only studied the 'Secret Arts Chapter' of the Guide as bedtime reading, but dared to read those... those shameful practical details aloud in front of us!"
"Wednesday... she was 'triggered' by you! Get it? It's like suddenly pumping super-high voltage into a precision instrument. It's a testament to her composure that she didn't short-circuit and burn out on the spot!"
Vic's peach-blossom eyes widened instantly. His face was written with "Maximum Injustice," and his voice went up an octave:
"Me? I'm innocent, okay! Wasn't it Wednesday who forced me to read it? I was reading it in pure agony, just hoping one of you would be kind enough to yell stop!"
"Who knew... who knew you guys would listen with such... such 'rapt attention'?!"
He put heavy emphasis on the words "rapt attention," his eyes glancing pointedly at Enid.
"Who... who was listening with rapt attention?!"
Enid reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on. Her cheeks turned crimson swish. Embarrassed and angry, she glared at Vic and reached out to pinch his waist.
Vic's hand was quicker. He grabbed Enid's wrist mid-attack and smoothly pulled her into his arms.
"Ah!" Enid let out a soft cry, falling defenselessly into his warm embrace.
Her "murderous" momentum dissolved instantly into nothingness.
"Still trying to pinch me?"
Vic looked down at Enid, who had instantly transformed from a claw-baring wolf pup into a bewildered bunny in his arms. He raised an eyebrow smugly, the corner of his mouth hooking into a wicked grin.
"Seems like someone got exposed and is now angry from embarrassment?"
"You're talking nonsense! I am not!"
Enid's cheeks were scarlet, like a ripe apple. She struggled, trying to escape his hold.
But Vic's arms held her tight. Her struggle felt more like a coquettish refusal—no, stop, don't stop.
"No?"
Vic dragged out the syllable, leaning his head closer.
His warm breath brushed over Enid's sensitive ear. His voice was pressed low, carrying a bewitching magnetism.
"Then who was it earlier, listening to me read those 'shameful practical details,' with eyes wider than my chocolate milkshake cup, holding her breath?"
He remembered clearly. Even though Enid pretended to look down and fiddle with her clothes, her pricked-up ears and slightly flushed neck hadn't escaped his eyes.
"I... I was listening critically! I was supervising you to make sure you didn't misinterpret the essence of the textbook!"
Enid stiffened her neck to argue irrationally, but her shifting eyes and increasingly hot face betrayed her completely.
"Oh~ Listening critically~"
Vic nodded as if enlightened, the teasing in his eyes deepening.
"Then may I ask, Student Enid, what critical results did you achieve? Do we need to... practice a little to verify your critical conclusions?"
As he spoke, his free hand restlessly and gently squeezed her waist, carrying an obvious implication.
"Practice your head! You big pervert! Let me go!"
Enid burned all over with shame. She pounded his solid chest with her small fists, but the force was like tickling him.
Watching Enid struggle shyly in his arms, Vic's smile deepened.
Instead of letting go, he tightened his arms, holding his soft, fragrant girlfriend even closer.
"Let you go?"
He dragged out his tone, his voice carrying a wicked smugness.
"I don't waaaaant to. I'm so scaaared. I was frightened badly by that 'decapitated photo' just now. My heart is very fragile; it needs proper comforting~"
He nuzzled his chin gently against the top of Enid's soft hair, inhaling the fresh scent of sunshine and grass from her.
The chill from the "death threat" earlier had long been driven away by the warmth in his arms.
"Pfft! Who believes your heart is fragile!"
Enid looked up with her flushed face, glaring at him with watery blue eyes, her tone coquettish.
"You were whistling just now! I was the one scared to death!"
Although she said that, her struggle weakened significantly. Her body relaxed involuntarily, snuggling closer to Vic's warm chest.
"Whistling was just putting on a brave face~"
Vic changed his tune smoothly, switching his expression to pitiful.
"Actually, I was scared to death inside. Look, my heartbeat hasn't even calmed down yet..."
He took Enid's hand and pressed it against his left chest.
Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she felt the powerful, rapid beating of his heart against her palm. Thump, thump, thump, like a little drum.
Enid's hand trembled slightly. She wanted to pull back as if burned, but Vic's large hand held hers firmly in place.
She could clearly feel that vigorous vitality, and...
This guy is definitely speeding up his heart on purpose, right?! The bad egg!
"You... you rogue!"
Enid's face turned even redder, the flush spreading to her ears. Her voice was so soft it had zero intimidation factor.
"Only a rogue for you."
Vic chuckled low. While her mind was wavering, he lowered his head and quickly planted a chocolate-flavored kiss on her pink lips.
Enid went rigid, then slumped as if all her strength had been drained. She leaned softly into his embrace, burying her burning face in his neck, mumbling:
"Annoying guy..."
Just then, that faint, intermittent squeak... squeak... sound started again.
This time it seemed clearer, mixed with a sound like... subtle chewing?
Vic and Enid pricked up their ears simultaneously.
"What is that sound?"
Enid looked up, a trace of alertness flashing in her blue eyes, temporarily pulling away from the ambiguous atmosphere.
Vic frowned too, tilting his head to listen.
The sound seemed to be coming from... underneath Wednesday's carved wooden bed?
He let go of Enid, made a "shh" gesture, and approached the bed carefully with light steps.
Enid followed nervously behind him.
Vic crouched down, lifted the hanging sheet, and looked under the bed—
By the dim light coming from the window, he saw a black mouse holding a small piece of stale crouton, gnawing on it vigorously, making the crunch crunch sound.
"Uh... it's a mouse."
Vic breathed a sigh of relief, reporting with a wry smile.
"Looks like... a pretty arrogant mouse."
"A mouse?"
Enid leaned over to look. She wasn't afraid of them, just found them a bit gross.
Neither Vic nor Enid noticed that behind them, the brass handle of the dormitory's oak door turned silently downward by half a circle.
The hinges made an almost inaudible sound as the door opened a crack wide enough for a person to pass, then closed silently again, as if pushed by a gentle breeze.
The entire process was light, practiced, and triggered no alarm.