Kiera returned to her room to prepare for her sleepover with Kaze with a fluttering heart.


    However, the emotion abruptly changed when she entered the room and remembered her life.


    Aside from a set of cheap cosmetics on her desk, everything in the room was provided by Immortal Skye.


    Kiera looked into her closet and saw the other two shirts she owned. They were identical to the one was wearing--a loose ck shirt.


    Her dresser had two additional pairs of leggings, also identical to the ones she was wearing.


    She dyed her hair once a month religiously.


    The vibrancy of her hair popped against the ck clothing, making it look like a personality quirk.


    That way, no one would question why her attire never changed.


    Kiera reached into her drawer, grabbed her standard ck pair of bra and panties that were impossible to stain, and grabbed her pink pajama shirt and shorts.


    It was a fast process, as there were no choices.


    She put everything into her empty backpack and ced it by the door.


    After that, Kiera removed her silver ne carefully, stripped off her all-ck outfit, and took a shower. She tried her best not to think about anything that happened that day.


    ...


    "Are you Kiera?" A sexy woman in a professional ck business skirt asked.


    "Uh... yes." Kiera replied in awe, "I''m here to see... Kaze. Like, don''t misunderstand, I''m not--"


    Marilyn giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear charmingly by reflex. "No reason to be nervous.


    Mr. Lexicon said that you''d be having a sleepover tonight."


    "Sleepover!?" The pink-haired woman cried, "What, am I sixteen to him!?"


    "Forgive me." The secretary giggled again, apologizing for her reaction, "Mr. Lexicon informed me that you were sleeping in his bed tonically.


    He also told me that you''d meet any description of the event with scathing [wrath and chaos]."


    Kiera''s face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, and she turned away to stop away. However, the secretary lightly grabbed her hand.


    "Mr. Lexicon said this would happen to." Marilyn giggled, pulling her back. The pink-haired woman didn''t want to leave, so she wasn''t putting up a real fight. "However...."


    The fiery woman turned to the beautiful secretary with a strange look, capturing her tone. "However? What''s that strange tone for."


    "He [also] told me to tell you there is strawberry cake waiting for you." Marilyn smiled, "And to remind you that you filled out a food request form."


    Kiera blushed, and her eyes teared up lightly.


    After a few more words, Kiera walked up the stairs with the flight attendant, who got thrust into a secretary role.


    She looked around in awe, still disbelieving that she was staying in a mansion with the most famous person in the world for something other than sex.


    Hopefully.


    Probably.


    Questionably.


    Undecidedly.


    Not intentionally.


    Maybe.


    Kiera dry-swallowed nervously, trying not to think about what would happen.


    Anything was better than being alone in her room right then, so she''d probably ept anything.


    She also didn''t know what she wanted, either.


    The pink-haired teen had never had a rtionship or sex before, and her anxiety about the former killed her hormones when she got aroused.


    So she didn''t know what would happen with someone who made her feelfortable and didn''t want a rtionship.


    Marilyn knocked on Kaze''s grandiose door, intricately carved with aplete art piece.


    Kaze opened the door with a charming smile. "Hello, my tonic sleep mate."


    Kiera flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, listening to the secretary giggling with inner fury and embarrassment. "Hey, jerk."


    She crossed her arms and turned away, unable to salvage her emotional situation.


    "Come on." He smiled, "Let''s get youfortable."


    Marilyn lightly nudged her, pushing her into his room. Before she could object, the attendant gently closed the door, giggling excitedly.


    Kiera turned around, indignant and preparing to huff, but her eyes froze, and she dry-swallowed. "Is... that...."


    "Yes." Kaze smiled, holding a light-pink button-up, "Youined hours into your first training session, so you won the shirt.


    I got it custom-tailored using your application information."


    Her eyes trembled, and she reached out hesitantly, afraid it was a dream, and he''d say [psyche!] and snatch it away from her. "I...."


    He gave her the shirt with a slight smile. "It''s yours."


    Kiera felt the shirt''s luxurious fabric in awe, swallowing nervously with slight tears in her eyes. "I don''t know what to say."


    "This is where you say, [''bout time, I thought you''d never pay up, sado-maso-psycho.], or something unintelligible like that." Kazeugh-scoffed.


    She giggled awkwardly, holding back tears. "Thanks, chief."


    "Here. I also figured you''d enjoy some offensively luxurious pajamas." Kaze smiled, handing her pink silk pajamas.


    The moment her hand touched the silk, her eyes widened in shock.


    "I guess they''re handmade by Marina Waysworth herself." He continued, "I have no idea who that is, but their price tag indicates she''s world famous and overrated."


    Kiera''s eyes trembled in confusion. "Why?"


    "They''re so expensive they''re an insult to rich people everywhere." Kaze smiled, "They''re a symbol to remind you that you''re on top now.


    You''ve escaped your economic prison, and your talents will shine in the best ce on earth."


    A few tears streaked down her cheeks, making her turn away in shame. She was so emotional that she couldn''t control her outward appearance, which was ufortable.


    He smiled at her, transposing the image of a past lover onto her, one he met long after Evalyn.


    She took a few steps forward slowly, awkwardly, before stopping hesitantly, clearly wanting a hug.


    "Greedy." Kazeughed, hugging her.


    Kiera''s face heated up to an unbearable degree, and she tried pulling back, but he hugged her solidly until she gave up and hugged him back.


    "Why...." She whispered, gripping his back, "Why are you so good to me?


    You don''t berate me as you should or chastise me for insulting you.


    You dote on me and make me feel special.


    You''re so fucking considerate and ask for nothing. I don''t understand!"


    "You remind me of someone I once loved." Kaze replied gently, "You are very simr in nearly every regard, including your upbringing.


    Well, aside from that ghastly inte forum ng. She had something equally sinful, though."


    Kiera looked up at him in surprise, unbelieving that he shared information about himself, let alone about something so personal.


    Moreover, hearing that [Kaze Lexicon] fell in love with someone like her made her heart pulse.


    "I...." She whispered, still uncharacteristically speechless.


    The pink-haired woman turned away, and that''s when she saw it.


    Something so overwhelming she broke out of her emotional perplexion.


    Strawberry cake.


    A slice of white cake with threeyers of strawberry filling topped with cream cheese frosting.


    Her eyes trembled, and she dry-swallowed nervously.


    There was only one problem.


    Kiera''s brain jolted when a wave of synesthesia crashed into her.


    [Mine, bitch.]


    Sharedmunication synesthesia.


    It came from a cute woman with ck hair sitting in a frog hoodie and eating the slice of strawberry cake.


    Kiera felt an icy chill crawl down her spine when sheprehended who was eating the cake.


    It was the horrifyingly powerful cultivator best known for shredding Evalyn''s body to the brink of death daily.


    Crux took another bite ncing at the pink-haired woman with suspicion.


    Kaze tapped Kiera on the shoulder and pointed to his desk.


    Her eyes widened in overwhelming emotion when she saw half a strawberry cake and a small te with a piece already on it.


    A note that read Kiera London Snow was on the side, ensuring that she wouldn''t question whether it was hers.


    Kiera walked over and picked it up. Fragmented memories of her orphanage caretaker feeding her strawberry cake on her birthday shed before her eyes.


    She couldn''t remember thest time she had some.


    The fork on the table called to her, but she didn''t want to pick it up.


    A part of her didn''t want to eat it, fantasizing that it would never disappear.


    "There''s half a cake for you." Kazeughed breathlessly, "Save one piece.


    Crux would''ve got grumpy if I didn''t give her one more."


    Crux looked at him, eyes shing with murder, then she looked back down at the cake. Lastly, eyed the woman who inspired the cake.


    The shadow cat analyzed her meridians in fascination, unbelieving what she was looking at.


    Kiera''s cultivation was waterfalling less than two months after cultivation began. That put her cultivation on par with Evalyn, which didn''t make sense.


    "Kaze, do you have an irregr teaching technique to expedite growth?" Crux asked in Skin, their shared Sky nenguage.


    "No-pe." Kaze grinned, "Kiera and Evalyn are just two remarkably talented mortals. This one has a ster taste in food, too.


    Shouldn''t you thank her? Or at leastpliment her."


    Crux''s eyes filled with turmoil and confusion. She turned from Kaze to the cake, the cake to Kiera, and from Kiera to her meridians.


    She wanted to throw down a hard no on directlyplimenting a mortal.


    However, she knew that she''d get berated mercilessly by the emperor if she didn''tpliment her and then did soter.


    The divine beast locked eyes with Kiera, who was bewitched by her amethyst eyes.


    [This strange delight makes mortals like you bearable.]


    Kiera got felt themunication synesthesia again, jolting her into confusion. She looked at Kaze in disarray. "How do Imunicate back?"


    "Just talk to her." Kaze smiled, "The emotions are high enough here that she can understand you perfectly. It''ll help her learn English, too."


    The pink-haired teen smiled nervously. "It''s called strawberry cake. It''s my favorite food."


    "You... have ster... taste in food." Crux said in English, averting her gaze, "I like... cake."


    Hernguage was choppy but easy for Kiera to understand. Moreover, her ent was remarkably different than when she said [marvelous], [survivable], or [impressive].


    "Kiera. Offer her another piece of cake if she takes off her hood." Kaze smiled mysteriously.


    Crux didn''t understand what he said well because she wasn''tmunicating with him.


    Communication synesthesia works between people or groups, making eye contact or sharing sensory perception via touch.


    "Um... Crux." Kiera dry-swallowed, "I''ll... offer you a piece of cake if you take off your hood?"


    Crux frowned instantly, looking at Kaze with bloodthirsty eyes and then back at the pink-haired woman with a wry smile. "Two."


    Kiera''s eyes shed in disbelief. She didn''t want to give the woman one!


    Whatever was under the woman''s hood was an unknown.


    Strawberry cake was a sentimental certainty!


    She also turned to the emperor, who was attacked by both women viciously.


    Kaze gave them both a mysterious, arrogant smile that brazenly dered that he was infallible on the topic.


    After thirty seconds of awkward silence, she finally cracked, trusting Kaze.


    "Two pieces of cake." Kiera nodded.


    Crux gave her a hesitant expression, nodding, and then removed her hood.


    The pink-haired woman instantly died, resurrected, and then fell in love at first sight.


    "Are those little ears... real?" Kiera asked with glittering eyes.


    The shadow cat blushed with a wry smile, feeling like a sideshow attraction whoring her body out for mortal food.


    However, it was the most heavenly ambrosia she had ever tasted, Kiera was a prodigy, and she enjoyed the positive attention to her prideful ears.


    So she turned her head to the side and twitched them, bending them slightly.


    Kiera''s eyes exploded in overwhelming love. "I''m in love with your ears and have many questions, but... we both really want this cake. Do you want to eat some together?"


    Crux blinked twice in confusion, confused that the price for the cake was so low. She expected andslide of questions and awkward topics.


    Instead, she got offered cake.


    [I''d love some cake.]


    The two hit it off instantly, enjoying their cake together.


    Kiera nced at the shadow cat''s twitching ears lovingly.


    Crux almost let the mortal touch her ears in their cake-binging mania, but it was far too intimate and improper, so she abstained.


    Kaze watched everything with a slight smile, d that everyone was happy.


    He had never seen Crux [happy] before; she was [honor and duty] around the clock.


    Kiera reminded him of a past lover he had never seen feeling free andfortable.


    That was natural, given that she lived in the Transcendent ne, so the bloodshed necessary to get there was overbearing.


    Both were happy because they were talking freely.


    Crux hadn''t directlymunicated with anyone except him for weeks on Earth.


    Kiera hadn''t eaten cake or enjoyed afortable ce in a long time.


    So the night passed quickly until thetter realized something horrifying.


    She forgot about Kaze!


    The pink-haired woman immediately turned around, searching for him in panic.


    When she did, she met his vibrant green gaze and gentle smile.


    He was casually standing in the back with a rxed pose.


    "Standing silently in the corner, watching two women is low-key creepy A.F." Kiera said hesitantly, feeling guilty for forgetting about him but slightly weirded out, "Have you just been standing there?"


    "Yes." Kaze confirmed gently, "I haven''t had a moment to just rx for a while.


    So I''ve enjoyed watching you two have fun. It was refreshing."


    Kiera gazed at him with aplex expression. Then she looked down at thest piece of strawberry cake with a wry smile and then back at him. "Would... you like some cake?"


    The sight made his heart pulse unnaturally, catching him off guard.


    Usually, getting offered his own cake wasn''t noteworthy.


    However, for Kiera, who treasured the smallfort beyond expression, giving it up was a powerful gesture.


    Kaze smiled gently and shook his head. "Please, enjoy it. I''m not a fan of strawberry cake."


    Her eyes lit up, and she smiled again, grateful.


    After another thirty minutes of chatting, Kiera went into the bathroom to put on her offensively expensive pink designer pajamas.


    When she came out, she found the covers open and Kaze lying in a t-shirt and shorts.


    Crux was standing before the bed, looking at her. [Would you like to sleep next to him? Or next to me?]


    Kiera''s eyes trembled, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. She forgot [why] she asked to be there with everything that happened.


    After thinking about it for a couple of seconds, anxiety overtook her body, and she looked at the shadow cat. [Can I sleep next to him? ... Please?]


    Crux nodded and let her crawl into bed. The pink-haired woman''s eyes shed with shame, but she didn''t like the alternative. "Hey...."


    Kaze smiled when he saw the pink-haired woman hesitantly inch up to him. He opened his arms slightly, asking if she wanted close.


    Kiera swallowed and epted, hesitantly nuzzling against his chest. She had neverid with anyone, tonic or otherwise, but she found it natural.


    It reminded her of how he held her during the meeting, and her tension disappeared.


    Her psyche was a disaster after she got her hopes up and let her guard down at Immortal Skye, only to learn of the apocalypse.


    It devastated her.


    Everything she saw, read, and strategized about at the meeting was cycling through her brain, exasperating her anxiety.


    The world was genuinely falling apart.


    Yet she reminded Kaze of a past lover, so he treated her like one.


    Between that and being born with a unique physique, her rtionship with him was blind luck.


    However--


    Knowing that Kaze loved someone like her, despite her lowly upbringing and being an emotional trainwreck, was powerful.


    It gave her hope and faith in having a good life without constant struggle and fighting.


    Kaze smiled and held her close.


    The two were far more simr in that regard than she would ever know.