Chapter 440: The Opposite Naclis |
“…”
Loren couldn’t agree with what Reflection Naclis had said. He still believed that normal people were in the majority, even though reality had shattered that illusion time and time again.
Right now, Naclis was basically the only normal person left in the household, a perfect example of emerging unstained from the mud.
Even though she was surrounded by perverts, she remained as pure as ever.
“Master Mentor, is there anything you need?”
A sudden knock came from outside the compartment door. It was the attendant. Even on the train, their service toward Loren was impeccable.
Hearing the voice, Reflection Naclis immediately dove into the blanket, making a painfully obvious attempt to hide herself. So Loren simply decided not to let the attendant in:
“If I need anything, I’ll call for you. Don’t disturb us unless it’s important.”
“Yes…”
“Why didn’t you just hide in the shadows instead?”
“This is more exciting.”
Reflection Naclis’s response was simple, leaving Loren utterly speechless.
“Alright, alright, enough of that. When are you two going to start?”
Reflection Naclis lay on the bed, propping her chin up with both hands, swinging her legs clad in white stockings.
Her demeanor and personality were very similar to Anna’s—including the tendency to drop explosive comments like that.
But when Anna said things like that, she always wore an “I know the score” expression, while Reflection Naclis kept that innocent look on her face even while saying these things.
“Start what?”
Regardless, Reflection still wore Naclis’s face, which gave Loren an unsettling sense of dissonance. So he played dumb.
“Oh, you know, the things you two usually do. I often hide in your shadow and peek. This time, I want to watch out in the open.”
“Aaaah! Stop talking!”
Laila was more worked up than Loren. She genuinely saw Naclis as her stepdaughter. Hearing Reflection Naclis casually blurt this out, Laila wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
So Laila lunged forward and covered Reflection Naclis’s mouth, but Reflection Naclis was far too nimble. The moment Laila’s hand touched her, she dissolved into Loren’s shadow, then immediately materialized again, wrapping her arms around Loren in one incredibly smooth motion:
“Wah wah wah… she’s bullying me… I don’t want this mom…”
Reflection Naclis’s voice suddenly became cutesy and shrill, making Loren’s skin crawl.
“Can you please stop that? You’re freaking me out…”
Loren pinched Reflection Naclis’s cheek and tugged at it.
She could have easily turned into shadow and escaped like before, but she didn’t. Letting Loren pull her cheek was intentional on her part.
The most awkward one was still Laila. She had already covered her own face. Hearing Reflection Naclis say that, Laila felt too embarrassed to show herself.
“Are you going to be like those background fathers in fairy tales—ignoring your child once you get a new wife… wah…”
“Shut up.”
Loren couldn’t hold back and covered Reflection Naclis’s mouth.
So Naclis licked Loren’s palm, forcing him to pull his hand away.
Reflection Naclis didn’t give Loren a chance to speak. She clung directly to him:
“Now that the original body is finally not here, I want to stick close to you a little longer…”
She buried her face in Loren’s chest, greedily inhaling his scent, her face flushed like a stalker.
“Fine, do whatever makes you happy…”
Over the years, Loren really had been neglecting her a bit. So he let her do as she pleased.
Hearing this, Reflection Naclis broke into a blissful smile. She hugged Loren’s arm tightly, her legs coiling around his like snakes.
Loren didn’t move, letting her position him however she wanted.
Before long, Reflection Naclis’s breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep.
She was no different from a real person—she could feel joy and sadness, get tired and exhausted.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Loren remembered Naclis when she was a child. Back then, she hadn’t learned to hide her dependence on him.
“She’s actually pretty cute when she’s asleep…”
After confirming that Reflection Naclis was truly asleep, Laila came over to Loren.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at Naclis was filled with maternal warmth, even though, appearance-wise, Naclis looked far more mature than Laila.
“Let’s get some rest too. Who knows, we might have to make a move tomorrow.”
Strictly speaking, Loren’s job was to analyze and command—taking action was something the Church people needed to do. But just in case.
“Let’s sleep later.”
Laila’s face was red, and her voice was hesitant.
She had been all prepared, but then Reflection Naclis had suddenly interrupted her, throwing her off balance.
So Laila wanted to give it another try.
“But…”
Loren glanced at Reflection Naclis. The message was clear—she was still tangled around him, making it inconvenient to move. If they accidentally woke her up, it would be incredibly awkward.
“Sigh…”
Laila let out a sigh. With Reflection Naclis clinging to Loren like this, even if Laila took the initiative, it wouldn’t be convenient.
“Guess I’ll have to settle for the next best thing…”
Moving carefully, Laila helped Loren get his things out, then proceeded to give him a thorough feast. The effect was spectacular.
…
“Good morning…”
When Reflection Naclis woke up, Loren was already up. She stretched lazily, still groggy, and greeted him.
“You two didn’t do anything naughty while I was sleeping, did you?”
As she spoke, Reflection Naclis sniffed the air but didn’t catch that familiar scent.
“Of course not! Don’t bring that up!”
Laila blushed, sounding flustered and annoyed.
At the same time, she felt relieved—thank goodness she had swallowed quickly, or she really would have been caught by Reflection Naclis.
“Alright, hide yourself for now. I’ll go have someone bring the food in.”
“Okay~”
Reflection Naclis replied sweetly, then slipped into Loren’s shadow.
Loren pushed open the compartment door. The moment he opened it, he saw the attendant who had been standing guard outside, dozing against the wall.
“Excuse me, could you prepare some food?”
“Yes, Master Mentor!”
Hearing Loren’s voice, the attendant jolted awake and scrambled away.
Before long, the meal was brought in. Loren’s compartment even had a dedicated dining area.
Loren sat down at the dining table. Reflection Naclis crawled out from under the table. They locked eyes, and Loren felt a bit awkward.
“No one’s coming in anymore. You can sit at the table to eat.”
“No, no, this feels better. Please feed me~”