A Taste of Wine

When Daidalos's final concert began, the Canaan was speeding across the gray plains at three hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. Over the past two weeks, Ash and his companions had accelerated their travels at an astonishing rate, pushing their plan's progress to ninety percent. Soon, they would complete a full loop around the Stars. The secret behind their increased efficiency was simple: they had eliminated hotel stays, sleeping on the high-speed train instead so they could hit the ground running the moment they stepped onto the platform. In truth, they could have done this from the very beginning, but Ash had vetoed such a relentless itinerary. He felt that everyone was already on edge, and an overly packed schedule would keep their nerves taut and prevent them from resting. More importantly, they were saving the world, not posting vacation photos for friends. They couldn't treat this like a whirlwind sightseeing tour, checking off tourist attractions one after another. If Ash was to commit these cities to memory, he first needed to be relaxed—rushing through them would make him feel like he was on a business trip, which would lead him to just go through the motions. Furthermore, even though they had chosen the most comfortable business class seats on the train, sleeping in business class still couldn't hold a candle to a proper king-sized hotel bed. Ash was a staunch advocate of double beds—even when sleeping alone, he insisted on having one. He could only fall asleep if he had room to roll around! Besides, with no telling when the Angel Hunt would begin, striking a balance between work and rest seemed wiser: taking their time across the realm of Stars and taking in every kind of scenery. Yet, on the day they departed Changqiao City, having slept thoroughly on the train, they naturally began touring the moment they arrived. From that day on, Feili and Niya proposed sticking to this resting arrangement—sleeping on the train whenever possible to save time and speed up their progress. Apart from Ash, everyone else agreed with this minor change. Vichy had even argued quite self-righteously: "The world is teetering on the brink of destruction, so how could we possibly sleep peacefully? Master, your mindset is the problem here! For the sake of saving the world, you'll just have to make this little sacrifice!" And so, in Carriage One of the Canaan, Ash slept soundly. Even with two familiar guests resting upon him, he acted as though he were oblivious. Feili wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her legs together, straightened her back, and gave a small stretch, letting out a lazy hum. She paid no mind to her ample chest pressing tightly against Ash. Her sleep quality had been wonderful lately; the moment she embraced Ash, her mind relaxed completely. Sleeping alone in a hotel had actually kept her awake. She had considered asking to share a bed with him directly, but as bold as she had become, the thought still made her shy. More crucially, she doubted Niya would tolerate her connecting with Ash. Sleeping together like this, out in the open, was likely the limit of what Niya could accept. Then again, Niya wasn't the main obstacle—it wasn't as if Feili couldn't slip away from her. The real reason Feili hadn't pushed for the next step was simply that the current Ash was far too amusing and easy to tease. She tiptoed off to wash her face, brush her teeth, and apply mandarin-scented lip gloss. When she returned, she burrowed right back into Ash's arms, pulling the towel blanket over their heads. Ash's eyes remained shut in deep slumber. Feili's lips curled into a smile as she watched him, looking just like a gourmet appraising a dish that smelled and looked exquisite. She tapped his chin with a finger, nudging his face toward her, and lightly pecked his lips. Once, twice, three times. Feili kept her eyes wide open, studying Ash's expression. When she saw his eyelashes quiver ever so slightly, she knew he was awake. Yet Ash kept his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, presenting an air of total surrender. Covered by the towel blanket, Feili felt no inhibitions. She pressed her lips to his in a deep, lingering kiss, coating his lips with her gloss. This was their current dynamic—though they had bared their deepest thoughts to each other at Flawed Light Happy World, their relationship had not entered a new stage. In fact, Ash seemed to be rolling back the clock. At this juncture, Ash simply couldn't take things further with them. The Stars hung in the balance, and he bore the fate of the entire world on his shoulders. Indulging in romance during such a tense period really was putting the cart before the horse. Besides, with Feili and Niya both here, he either made no progress at all, or had to advance with both of them simultaneously. And advancing with three people was an order of magnitude more exhausting than advancing with two. Feili didn't expect Ash to settle for advancing only with them, either. If he were capable of abandoning the pipe dream of advancing with multiple people, he would have become the Sword Princess's personal plaything long ago, leaving Feili with no chance whatsoever. Therefore, until everything was resolved, rolling their relationship back to that of comrades-in-arms was the rational choice. Yet the most crucial reason wasn't them, nor was it this world. It was the Sword Princess and the Witch in the other world. It was worth noting that when Ash had shared his feelings with them, it hadn't been to push their relationship forward; he had simply wanted to reciprocate their sincerity, letting them know their efforts were not in vain. But he stopped right there. Ash knew full well that the Sword Princess and the Witch were fighting in the Starry Kingdom to rescue him. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly allow himself to dally with Feili and Niya? If it hadn't been for Feili's emotional breakdown and Niya's running away from home, Ash likely would have delayed showing his heart until the very last moment. Feili could even guess Ash's true intentions—before returning and coming clean to the Sword Princess and the Witch, he would never actively advance his relationships. Even if Feili slipped into his bedroom, Ash would definitely play dead to the end, refusing to wake no matter what she did to him. Though come the next day, he would probably rather sleep hugging Harvey than sleep alone. Yet that felt unfair to Feili and Niya as well. Ash knew he was indebted to them, so when they insisted on sleeping with him on the train, he pretended to be asleep and tacitly allowed it. His unspoken excuse was: *I'm asleep, I don't know anything, and if I don't know, it never happened.* After all, this was a public space. Feili and the others couldn't possibly go too far, right? At first, they truly hadn't gone too far—until Feili realized she could pull the towel blanket over their heads to deceive herself and others. Suddenly, the scope and depth of the game expanded dramatically. As long as nobody saw it, it never happened! Feili kissed the corner of his lips, his eyes, his cheeks. Seeing Ash's face blush faintly and his eyelashes tremble, she found him so adorable she could hardly suppress a laugh. The little lamb licked her lips and leaned in again, but this time she wasn't content with just brushing lips; her soft tongue awkwardly tried to slip inside. Ash reacted strongly, letting out a soft grunt while keeping his teeth clamped tight to hold the line. Undeterred, Feili was about to mount another assault when Ash gave a loud grunt and turned his head away, facing Niya instead! Feili froze. Her first instinct was to wonder if she had crossed the line, but she quickly pouted in annoyance. *It's not like we haven't french-kissed before—why be so resistant? And how dare you push back against me? That's too much. I'll teach you a lesson!* Feili seemed timid, but that was only around strangers. Once she grew familiar with someone and figured out their boundaries and weaknesses, she grew bold enough to dance along the edge, throwing tantrums at those who doted on her and showing her little-devil side. She lifted the towel blanket to take a peek, spotting a bottle of red wine Ash had been sipping before going to bed. She tilted it back and took a hearty gulp, filling her mouth. Then she leaned against Ash's neck, using her wine-slicked tongue to gently lap at his smooth skin. Ash blushed all the way to his ears, his shoulders twitching faintly. It was clearly ticklish. But with nowhere to run, he had to focus entirely on suppressing the urge to squirm, completely failing to notice Feili licking her way up his neck. *Swish!* In a flash, Feili pinned him down, cupping his cheek to pull his face toward hers before kissing him forcefully. The red wine pooled on her tongue poured straight into his mouth, breaching his iron defense in an instant. "Mmh... mmh..." Ash's body shuddered, his nose humming continuously as though signaling *I'm waking up, I'm really waking up!* Yet his hand was clasped tightly by Feili's fingers, his legs were straddled by long legs clad in white stockings, and his chest was pressed beneath soft, supple curves. He couldn't get up at all! Feili wasn't afraid of him throwing a temper tantrum. She teased him without restraint, her warm breath washing over his face as overflowing wine trickled down the corner of his mouth. There was no way Ash would open his eyes. The moment he did, it would mean he couldn't even keep up the pretense, forcing him to take things to the next level with Feili. But as long as he kept his eyes shut, he could pretend he had been asleep and knew nothing, and when he woke up, they would still just be close comrades. That was why Feili acted so brazenly. *Keep sleeping then, and I'll keep doing as I please. Wake up and resist if you have the guts—otherwise, just hold it in!* *Hmph, let's see if you dare turn your head away next time!* Only when she couldn't taste any wine left in her mouth did Feili finally release him with a soft pop. Ash rolled over almost instantly, turning his back to her. He seemed genuinely vexed. Feili didn't mind; resting contentedly against his back, she used her sleeve to wipe his face, conscientiously clearing the traces of the battlefield. After all, someone else had to use him too. With Feili moving so vigorously, Niya on the other side had naturally woken up long ago. But she was entirely different from Feili. Feili seemed timid yet acted with decisive swiftness in matters of affection, while Niya acted bold and brash, only to shrink back and flee when confronted with emotional issues. If Feili became proactive upon seeing Ash turn passive, Niya only became more passive. So over the past two weeks, she hadn't done anything, simply lying quietly beside Ash. Although seeing Feili go further and further made her slightly uncomfortable, she said nothing, quietly savoring these rare moments of intimacy. Watching Ash turn to face her, Niya lightly brushed the tip of his nose with her finger, then curled her petite frame into his arms to go back to sleep. *Snap!* A crisp sound of shattering echoed across the entirety of the Stars. Everyone bolted upright, throwing open the curtains to look outside. "What is that...?" Vichy stared up at the sky curtain. "A vortex?" Across the boundless sky curtain of the Stars, a vortex of high-hanging red clouds had appeared, vividly visible from everywhere. "It's a hole," Rose spoke up suddenly. The others realized it too. As the dark night struggled to engulf the vortex, the pure crimson within was actually the radiance shining through from the Ruby Mountain! A hole had been smashed through the sky curtain of the Stars—large enough that they could almost see the Ruby Mountain itself! "The Sword Princess and the Witch have made their move!" Ash instantly grasped the situation in the other world. "But it's not enough! The sky curtain has self-repairing capabilities, and they couldn't pierce its barrier in one shot!" "Vichy!" Vichy drew a deep breath. "Everything is ready! We can activate at any moment!" "Igola, Harvey!" "Mentally prepared to step into Hell? Always have been." Igola crossed his arms, speaking calmly. Ash flicked out a short sword and slashed upward, carving a hole through the ceiling. "Feili!" Feili rushed over, and he hoisted her up onto the train roof. Ash was just about to climb up after her when someone caught the hem of his coat. He looked back to see Niya pursing her lips, her eyes glistening. She gazed at him helplessly, looking like an abandoned little hedgehog, her thumb, index, and middle fingers gripping his coat tightly. This very moment was their farewell. Whether they succeeded or failed, it would mark the end of this journey. Ash thought she wouldn't let go, but in the next second, Niya released her grip. With no time to lose, before Niya's astonished eyes, Ash wrapped an arm around her waist and planted a fleeting, tender kiss upon her lips. Then, he scrambled up onto the train roof without delay. Niya touched her lips with a finger. Beyond her joy, she couldn't help but pout, glaring crossly up toward Feili on the roof. That kiss tasted of wine.