Chapter 23: A Peaceful Day
The stars shimmered above like scattered shards of silver. My mana hammock swayed gently between two trees as I lay cocooned inside, floating just beneath the tree canopy.
Below, the campfire still glowed faintly, surrounded by the remains of last night’s romantic warzone.
’Pixia, if a man sleeps in the forest and no girl screams at him, does he really exist?’
(Host, you’re lucky they didn’t strangle you while you slept. That stew saved your life.)
I chuckled softly to myself.
Then I sensed it—
A presence. Soft. Familiar. Trying way too hard to be quiet.
Alicia.
I kept my eyes closed, waiting until she climbed up using mana steps, hovering just beside the hammock. I felt her presence shift as she reached forward—probably aiming to surprise me or snuggle in without waking me.
I moved faster.
My arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her in. She yelped as I flipped her gently onto the hammock beside me, securing the blanket around us.
