The moon hung high, casting a glow over the night as dark as ink.
The city was alive with towering skyscrapers and flickering neon lights.
On the overpass, cars flowed like a river of light, their headlights turning into fleeting streaks.
By the time Luca returned to the hospital, it was already well past midnight.
He quietly climbed over the wall to enter the premises, only to bump into an elderly man casually tending to the flowers in the corner of the courtyard.
The two of them made eye contact and exchanged an awkward yet polite smile.
It was an uncomfortable but cordial exchange.
Passing through the corridor, Luca returned to his hospital room, which was empty.
Originally, Donald and the others had wanted to stay and take care of Luca, but he had declined.
He was a healthy young man, with all his limbs intact and handsome features.
Not some elderly man in his seventies or eighties who needed help just to pee. He didn’t need anyone to look after him.
Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The absence of the game made the night unbearable.
Luca felt as though he was wasting his life away, filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt.
Every moment felt like being fried in hot oil, even his very breath felt sinful.
Without the game, he couldn’t stand a second longer.
Furrowing his brow, Luca wondered whether he should try to find a way to sneak back to play.
Just then, the door to his room suddenly opened.
Warm light from the hallway spilled into the dim white hospital room.
A petite figure slipped inside.
Then, with a soft click, she shut the door behind her.
She hesitated for a moment, as if unsure, and then with another soft click, she locked the door.
Only then did she nod in satisfaction.
At first, Luca thought it was a nurse coming in, so he didn’t think much of it.
But soon, he realized something was off.
Hiss!
Why was this nurse getting into his bed?
Was he that warm and cuddly?
Slap! Luca gave himself a hard slap.
Damn it, was this really the time to be thinking like this?
Even if it was a nurse, she couldn’t just steal his blankets!
He was about to get up and defend his territory.
“What are you doing?” A crisp voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
It was Susie.
At the same time, he caught the faint fragrance of her body mixed with the scent of laundry detergent.
Luca had known that scent for years; his nose was sharper than a dog’s.
“What are you doing here?” He turned around.
The two were now incredibly close, their breaths mingling as they hovered just inches from each other’s faces.
“I came to play a game with you. I knew you’d be bored, so I brought the old game console we used to play with when we were kids,” Susie said, lifting up a Nintendo handheld game console.
The soft moonlight streamed through the window, bathing Susie’s fair, slightly flushed face. Luca could make out the delicate details of her features.
He saw her fair, radiant skin, and those large, sparkling eyes that seemed almost capable of speaking for themselves.
And then, the way she looked at him—her eyes were as clear as gemstones, transparent and pure.
Her eyebrows and eyes slightly curved, and she smiled with a hint of pride. “Don’t worry, Uncle and Aunt, and Mom and Dad didn’t see me. I sneaked out. This time, no one will disturb us.”
Looking at her delicate and charming appearance, something dormant within Luca seemed to be ignited, as if a blade of dogtail grass was scratching at his heart, over and over, creating a ticklish sensation that unsettled his mind.
He paused for a moment, then reached out to take the game console from Susie’s small hands.
“What era is this? Even a dog wouldn’t play such childish games,” Luca said, pulling her slender waist into his arms, holding her close. Then, he leaned in toward her slightly flustered and shy eyes, smiling as he said, “How about we play an adult’s game today?”
“W-What adult’s game…? I don’t know how…” Susie turned her gaze away, the shyness in her eyes quickly spreading to her cheeks, and her voice became as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
“It’s okay, I’ll teach you,” Luca replied with a laugh.
Seeing that she was blushing and had gone silent.
He gently leaned in and pressed a light kiss on Susie’s soft, red lips, the fruity fragrance reaching his nose.
Susie’s face turned a deeper shade of red, and she felt as though her face was on fire. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes, which were filled with an aggressive intensity. She could only close her eyes, awkwardly responding in kind.
The temperature between them was rising at an alarming rate. What Susie felt, Luca couldn’t tell, but he knew his own heart rate was racing uncontrollably, climbing steadily until it exceeded two hundred beats per minute.
Because the ECG monitor was right in front of him, Luca could clearly see his heart rate. The rush of dopamine and hormones made his hands—hands that had killed countless people and monsters—tremble.
No wonder people online say women can slow down a man’s reaction time—turns out it’s true. Luca figured that, at this moment, even if a violent rabbit came charging at him, he’d probably be slow enough to get hit with a couple of good blows.
Luca couldn’t tell how long the awkward kiss lasted, but he could feel himself running out of breath, gasping for air. Susie’s already delicate and petite frame felt even softer in his arms, like cotton.
Sensing that Luca had paused, she slowly opened her eyes, and her gaze shimmered with a glistening softness. It was clear now—when a young woman’s eyes are filled to the brim with springtime innocence and deep affection, they really can ensnare a man’s soul, making him lose control, unable to break free.
“W-What’s next… what do we do now?” Her voice was so soft that Luca almost couldn’t catch it. The delicate way she spoke nearly seemed to say, Do whatever you want with me.
“Witch, daring to mess with my emotions… Today, you will pay the price!” Luca growled fiercely. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest.
His large hand found the bridge to the abyss at her back, preparing to sever her last hope with a decisive move.
But after fumbling around for what felt like forever, Luca, in a panic, broke into a sweat and still couldn’t figure it out.
Damn it, this is inhumane!
Why does one damn clasp have to be so complicated?!
Luca cursed a hundred times in his head.
In the end, it was Susie who gave him a sideways glance, then reached down and undid it herself.
Luca, feeling utterly embarrassed, quickly spun around, holding her tightly and flipping her under him.
Soon, their clothes were discarded, and they were laid bare before each other.
Only one final barrier remained to be breached.
“Dammit,” Luca suddenly slapped his forehead, a flash of frustration crossing his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Susie, propping herself up on his chest, looked up at him with a confused look in her eyes.
Luca scratched his head, saying, “I forgot something.”
The sniper had given him several key items for the mission, but he’d somehow lost them.
It was like going into battle and forgetting to bring ammunition.
“This?” Susie pursed her lips, holding out her small hand.
A tiny balloon appeared before Luca’s eyes—it was the one he had taken from the sniper as a spoil of war. The packaging was crumpled, as if it had been squeezed or wet, clearly having been in someone’s hand for a while.
“Wait, how do you have this?” Luca was bewildered, his mind registering that something wasn’t right.
“You’re asking me? Are you playing or not? If not, I’m leaving!” Susie suddenly shifted from her earlier shy demeanor. Despite her face turning as red as a tomato, she lifted her chin proudly.
“So you did do it on purpose?” Luca glanced at the small balloon, then at Susie beneath him, a sense of absurdity hitting him, as though he had picked up the wrong script.
“So what if I am!” Susie shot back, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve made the first move, and you’re still not willing? How long do you expect me to wait?”
After saying this, she glanced at Luca, whose face was flushed with frustration. She blinked, then suddenly burst into a soft, teasing laugh.
It was a rare win for her—especially one that felt so satisfying.
She stretched out her soft, pale arms and wrapped them around Luca’s neck, pressing her entire body against his. In a gentle, teasing voice, she whispered in his ear, “Luca, are you sure you’re okay? If you are, why haven’t you made a move all these years?”
“That’s a cheap trick!” Luca took a deep breath, still fuming inside.
Cheap or not, it was hard to resist when her face was so close.
He looked at the girl, whose eyes were shaped like crescent moons, then grabbed the item from her hands with a firm motion. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, “I’ll show you today—it’s not that I can’t touch you, it’s just that… mmm!!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Susie kissed him, cutting him off.
The moonlight illuminated their entwined, glowing bodies.
The brief pause in the battle was now over, and the flames of desire were rekindled.
Susie had the upper hand from the start, and Luca found himself struggling.
It was a hard-fought fight, and though he eventually emerged victorious, it was a close and painful win.
In the second round, Luca launched a fierce counterattack, forcing Susie to beg for mercy, her voice trembling in distress.
However, just as he let his guard down, she struck back with a surprise move, increasing the intensity of the battle.
Luca threw everything he had into defense, but in the end, he was narrowly defeated by Susie.
In the third round, Luca learned from his earlier mistakes. He began the attack with the force of a raging dragon, unstoppable and fierce.
No matter what tricks or schemes Susie tried, Luca held his ground, no longer falling for her tricks.
In the final push, he launched a full-on assault, ultimately overpowering Susie and winning the match.
The room was filled with the sounds of panting and moaning as the bed creaked incessantly under the weight of their struggle.
Both of them were experienced players with exceptional skills.
But in the end, Luca’s strength proved to be a little more than Susie could handle.
By the time the sky was beginning to lighten, Susie was completely exhausted.
She had no choice but to reluctantly surrender, wrapping her arms around Luca’s and falling into a deep sleep.
Luca gently brushed the messy strands of hair from her face, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He looked around at the disheveled room, clothes scattered all over the floor, and felt a headache coming on.
They’d had so much fun, but he had forgotten how to get Susie out of here.
After all, dawn was almost upon them.
There was no time to dwell on it, so Luca quickly began tidying up the room.
Fortunately, he’d set up a barrier last night, or else neither of them would be able to leave this morning.
Once the room was presentable, he looked over at Susie, who was sound asleep on the bed. Checking the sky, he realized he still had some time. He decided he would take her home first.
Gently waking Susie, who was still half-asleep, he helped her get dressed and put her jacket on. Luca then opened the window, and, holding her in his arms, jumped out from the twelfth floor.
At the moment they leapt, a pair of ethereal, wind-like wings appeared behind Luca. They were thin as gossamer—too delicate for proper flight—but just enough to let them glide together.
When they landed, Luca bent his legs slightly, then leaped again with explosive force, soaring more than ten meters into the air, high enough to run across rooftops like a parkour expert.
An elderly man who was cleaning the street below witnessed the scene and nearly dropped his jaw in shock.
He wiped his glasses, muttering to himself, “The young people these days really know how to have fun.”
The first light of dawn slowly pushed away the darkness.
The two figures moved gracefully through the maze of high-rise buildings in Celephais, rising and falling.
Like elves racing toward the light.
