Chapter 18: Hoping This Moment Lasts Forever

Meanwhile, Harp lingered at the entrance of the bathroom, lost in her thoughts and grinning absentmindedly.

“Miss… Miss told me to wash up first…!”

A kind teacher who had saved her life and treated her without discrimination.

A precious teacher who had introduced her to the warmth she had never known before.

Though sometimes a bit absentminded, she was an admirable figure, mature and dependable.

When that teacher smiled at her, looking right into her eyes, Harp thought her heart might stop.

“I can’t believe the moment of truth came this quickly.”

Not even a full day—less than 24 hours had passed since then, and already…

Miss had suggested something so bold!

“What in the world is going to happen?”

The idea of the two of them being alone in bed together hinted at something monumental.

Thump, thump.

Harp could feel her heart pounding harder and faster than ever before.

From the day she was born to the moments she had faced death—nothing had made her feel as tense as this.

“Hoo…”

Her imagination began to run wild again, spiraling with all sorts of scenarios.

What would they do together?

Would they hold hands tightly and talk until one of them fell asleep?

Maybe they’d exchange sweet smiles, gazing at each other the entire time?

Gasp! What if… what if they hugged and fell asleep in each other’s arms?!

“T-That would be way too embarrassing…”

Harp’s face was already as red as a ripe carrot.

Was it from the warmth of the bathwater?

Or was it the anticipation and excitement for what might lie ahead?

“Agh, I need to finish quickly!”

Miss was waiting for her, so she had to hurry.

“Hoo…”

Why was she so nervous about something like this?

Harp tried to calm her racing heart, steadying her trembling hands as she slowly opened the bathroom door.

But…

“Miss, I’m all done with my bath… Huh?”

The shy, expectant look on her face vanished the moment she stepped into the bedroom, replaced by utter shock at the scene before her.

“…Miss? Miss?!”

“Zzz… hrrrk…”

There she was—Miss Eve, sprawled out across the bed, taking up every inch of it, peacefully asleep with a little drool glistening on her cheek.

“Wh-what is… What’s going on here?”

Harp blinked, utterly confused by the unexpected situation.

“Miss! What about our promise?!”

“Mm… heheh…”

No matter how many times she called out, Eve was clearly in a deep sleep, muttering in her dreams and rolling slightly to one side.

What do I do now?

Her teacher, the one she admired so much, had fallen asleep—a completely unforeseen turn of events.

Harp, overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, stood there fidgeting with her fingers.

And then, suddenly—

“…Heh… Harp!”

“Wah?! W-whoa!”

Out of nowhere, Eve murmured Harp’s name, then reached out and pulled her onto the bed, wrapping her arms around the startled girl.

“H-Heh…”

“Ah!”

Harp, caught off guard by the affectionate gesture, couldn’t muster the strength to resist.

She was drawn in and gently enveloped in Eve’s embrace.

Her heart raced faster than ever.

In the end, the two ended up in a position where they were holding each other on the same bed.

“Miss, are you awake?”

“…Zzz…”

“Ah, guess not…”

Harp whispered the question, wondering if Eve might have woken up, but all she received in response was the sound of soft, warm breathing.

It seemed what had just happened was nothing more than a sleep-induced reflex.

Gasp!

Realizing that Eve was still fast asleep, Harp’s mind became a swirling mess of thoughts.

Earlier, she had been too shocked to register it, but now she realized the situation was exactly like the ones she’d been daydreaming about.

The moonlight reflected off Eve’s snow-white hair, making it shimmer beautifully.

Her soft, pale skin glowed faintly under the starlight, making her seem almost ethereal.

The sweet, comforting scent of warm milk filled the air, making Harp feel lightheaded and dazed.

The soft warmth of Eve’s gentle breaths brushed against Harp’s lips, tickling her faintly.

The sensations—smooth skin against her back, her stomach, her shoulder—sent shivers through Harp’s body.

This must be happiness.

If happiness could be captured in a moment, surely this was it.

Harp’s cheeks flushed a deep, carrot-red, her skin burning from the shared warmth of their embrace.

Her head swam in the heat, and before she knew it, she was making the same goofy expression and muttering nonsense just like Eve’s sleep talk.

…May this moment last forever.

Harp wished and wished again for time to freeze, for this precious moment to remain unchanged.

But as always, good moments seem to pass far too quickly.

The morning sun rose, casting its golden light through the curtainless window.

The night that had felt like it might last forever was gone, just like that.

Wriggle, wriggle.

As the bright sunlight touched Eve’s face, her body twitched slightly.

Harp, noticing the subtle movements, recognized it as a sign that Eve was about to wake up.

Gently, she slipped out of her teacher’s embrace.

“Mmnnngh…”

The moment Harp freed herself, she felt the warmth and comforting scent she’d enjoyed all night begin to fade.

It was bittersweet, but she consoled herself.

There would be countless days ahead to cherish similar moments, and with a soft sigh, she licked her lips in quiet anticipation for the future.

“Early bird, rise and shine!”

Eve suddenly shot up with a loud yell, springing off the bed.

Meanwhile, Harp, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, rubbed her eyes lazily and hugged the blanket Eve had been using.

Such a nice smell.

The blanket, still imbued with Eve’s subtle scent, seemed to cling to Harp as she held it tighter.

It wasn’t as strong as the original source, but the gentle warmth of the morning sunlight mixed with Eve’s milky, comforting aroma was enough to fill Harp with a peaceful joy.

Just breathing it in made her fatigue melt away.

Even though she hadn’t slept a wink the night before, she didn’t feel tired at all.

Could this be magic?

Had Miss Eve cast some kind of spell on her?

Or maybe Harp herself had fallen under a spell of her own emotions.

“Harp, Harp! Time to get up. The sun’s already high in the sky!”

“Miss… just a little more…?”

“Harp’s not a morning person, huh? Alright, fine. Sleep a bit longer. I’ll wake you up once breakfast is ready, okay?”

“Thank you… so much…”

Perhaps it was because she’d gone to bed early last night, but Eve seemed unusually full of energy this morning.

“Yaaaawn… Not tired at all! Alright, time to get cooking.”

Judging by how Eve kept yawning so much, it seemed she was pretending not to be tired in an effort to set a good example as the headmistress in front of Harp.

“Sleep well.”

“Yes…”

After carefully tucking the blanket back over Harp, Eve walked lightly toward the kitchen, her steps soft and cheerful.

“Haaaaah…”

Harp stretched her long limbs lazily and pulled the blanket up over her head.

She’d already recharged her “Miss Eve Power” the night before, so she thought, Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a bit.

Wait a minute.

As Harp shifted around, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, a stray thought from earlier resurfaced in her mind.

“I’ll wake you up once breakfast is ready.”

“Gasp!”

Her drowsy mind suddenly snapped to attention, her hazy limbs jolting to life as though electricity was coursing through them.

No way. This can’t happen.

Eve cooking breakfast? Absolutely not.

After all, hadn’t Harp secretly used magic to assist with dinner last night?

Not again!

She recalled the chaos from yesterday.

She’d extinguished the flames when the food nearly caught fire and spread to the walls.

She’d restored the charred salad to its original form with a repair spell.

She’d even conjured apples into an apple pie that hadn’t included any apples.

That had all been Eve—well-meaning but disastrous.

If Eve was left to cook without anyone there to help her now, the outcome was as clear as day. It would be… a catastrophe.

“Too dangerous.”

That was the honest truth, though Harp felt a little guilty thinking it.

To be fair, the food tasted good.

She could admit that much.

But the process…

The process was terrifying.

“Miss! Don’t worry about breakfast!!”

“What the—?! It turned into a steamed dish again!”

“…Ah.”

Bursting through the bedroom door and shouting at the top of her lungs, Harp realized it was too late.

Completely too late.

“Huh? Harp? Why are you awake already? Oh, I get it—you must’ve woken up because the smell of breakfast was so good, huh?”

“A-ah, y-yeah! That’s it. I got hungry all of a sudden…”

Trying to keep things natural, Harp nervously joined in the conversation while frantically scanning the room.

No burning walls.

No charred food.

No mysteriously missing ingredients.

Phew.

“Our Harp must’ve been starving if you’re sighing like that! C’mon, sit down—it’s nice and warm, just finished!”

“O-okay…!”

Thankfully, nothing was wrong.

Harp breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

It turned out breakfast was Eve’s usual go-to dish: steamed fruit.

No spreading flames, no missing chunks of food, no inexplicable disasters.

It was her most familiar recipe, and as a result, it seemed she’d managed to finish it without any issues this time.

“Let’s eat!”

“Yes, let’s!”

Unlike before, the freshly made steamed fruit was warm and inviting.

Harp took a big bite, savoring the softness and the sweet yet tangy flavor that filled her mouth.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Good!”

“Yummy!”

“Take your time. There’s no rush—we have all the time in the world to enjoy breakfast.” Eve chuckled softly.

The food was genuinely tasty.

The meals Eve made were always delicious.

Yet, the process of making them was always so strange.

Who else could burn a salad?

Who else would forget apples in an apple pie?

“Miss is really something.”

Even so, her cooking never lost its charm.

If anything, it became even more refined, with an almost addictive quality that was hard to explain.

“Ah… Nothing like ABC Soup to warm you up from the inside. Harp, do you want seconds?”

“Yes, please!”

“Alright! Let’s eat a ton and grow even taller than Alex!”

“Absolutely!”

Eve smiled brightly, and Harp found herself mirroring that smile.

This was just another one of those mornings.

The kind of happy morning that had become a constant at the orphanage.