After going upstairs, Xuan Xi pushed open her room door with Sige, the bed covered with newly bought bedding, folded neatly by Xuan Xi.
On the windowsill sat a pot of withered flowers, planted by Xuan Xi before she left for the Academy.
They were half-dead now, dry yellow branches standing in the pot, waiting for spring next year to sprout anew.
“You take the bed,” Xuan Xi said.
“Then where will you sleep?”
“The floor. I have a moisture-proof mat and a blanket. I can make a bed down there.”
“No need.” SigrdrÃfa unwound her scarf and draped it over the chair back, laying her coat beside it.
“We’ll sleep together. It’s not like we haven’t before.”
Xuan Xi thought of Echo Valley, of Frostmark Manor, of the floor mat on the last day in the Dormitory before the break, when Sige had said one word: “Come here.”
Her ears began to burn, the heat spreading from her earlobes all the way to the tips.
“I’ll shower first.” SigrdrÃfa walked to the bathroom door, pulled it open, and glanced back at her.
“By the way, do you have a bath towel?”
“Yes, in the cabinet.”
SigrdrÃfa went in and closed the door, and the sound of water began.
Xuan Xi stood in the room, listening to the water, unsure whether to stand or sit.
She walked to the bed and sat down, then stood up again, smoothed out the blanket, straightened the pillow.
The water sounds from the bathroom continued.
“Xuan Xi.” SigrdrÃfa’s voice came from behind the door, muffled by the bathroom echo, dull and hard to make out.
“I forgot to bring a towel in. Could you grab one for me?”
Xuan Xi pulled a clean light-blue bath towel from the cabinet.
She walked to the bathroom door and knocked once.
“Here you go.”
The door opened a crack, and warm steam rushed out through the gap, carrying the scent of SigrdrÃfa’s body wash.
Xuan Xi held the towel out, her fingers brushing against Sige’s wet hand.
Sige’s hand closed around her wrist and pulled her inside with force.
Xuan Xi was caught off guard, her whole body yanked into the bathroom.
The door shut behind her.
Steam filled the entire space.
SigrdrÃfa stood before her, wrapped in a thin bath towel, her silver-white hair soaked through, clinging to her body.
Water droplets trailed from the ends of her hair, slid along the lines of her neck, slipped past her collarbone, and vanished at the edge of the towel.
Her skin had been flushed a faint pink by the hot water.
Amethyst-like eyes gazed deeply at Xuan Xi.
“Come on. Shower with me.”
Her voice was so soft that Xuan Xi almost didn’t catch it.
“Saves water.”
Xuan Xi wanted to refuse, but somehow her clothes came off on their own.
Seeing this, her whole body began to grow hot.
She just stood there, letting Sige have her way, still clutching the towel she hadn’t managed to hand over.
SigrdrÃfa reached out and pulled her under the showerhead.
Warm water poured down from above, running through Xuan Xi’s long hair, soaking her body.
She looked at her own drenched form, then at SigrdrÃfa, whose eyes reflected her own figure—hair plastered to her face, water droplets dripping down, looking as pitiful as a cat just pulled from the water.
SigrdrÃfa curved her lips into a smile.
“My, you’re all wet,” she said.
“You did that on purpose!” Xuan Xi’s voice was muffled in the steam.
“Mhm, I did it on purpose. So what?”
Xuan Xi took a deep breath and ultimately said nothing, just looking at her.
After all, she could never win an argument against Sige (and honestly, she rather liked being this close to Sige).
Xuan Xi bit her lip, standing under the showerhead, letting the hot water rush over her body, washing away the last trace of chill.
SigrdrÃfa reached out, took the body wash from the shelf, pumped twice into her palm, rubbed her hands together until white foam seeped out between her fingers, then spread it over Xuan Xi’s shoulders.
The foam was pushed open by warm palms, gliding from shoulder to collarbone.
Her movements were light, slow, like polishing a fragile work of art.
Xuan Xi kept her head down, watching those slender, fair hands move across her body.
The foam grew thicker, covering her shoulders, her back…
Xuan Xi’s breath hitched.
Her instinct was to shrink away, but Sige pressed a hand against her to hold her still.
“Relax. Turn around,” Sige said softly.
Xuan Xi turned, and the two stood face to face under the showerhead.
SigrdrÃfa spread the body wash over her chest, palm pressed against her skin, her touch very gentle.
Xuan Xi bit her lip hard, not knowing where to look or where to put her hands.
Her fingers dug into her own palms.
SigrdrÃfa’s hand paused, “Are you nervous?”
“No.”
“But your heart is beating so fast.”
Xuan Xi’s face was completely red.
She couldn’t speak.
Sige didn’t press her.
Her hand continued downward, fingers spreading, sweeping inward from both sides, covering Xuan Xi’s entire abdomen with foam.
Xuan Xi’s stomach was more sensitive than her arms.
The moment Sige’s fingertips touched her waist, she flinched, her skin trembling and breaking out in a fine layer of goosebumps.
Seeing this, Sige’s hand paused.
She looked up at Xuan Xi, and when she saw no refusal, her fingers slid from the waist to the lower belly, fingertips resting on the softest patch of skin there.
Just as her fingers were about to continue downward, Xuan Xi made up her mind and grabbed her wrist.
The movement was sudden, fingers hooking around Sige’s wrist bone, not forceful but firm.
Xuan Xi’s palm was wet—whether from steam or sweat, she couldn’t tell.
Her five fingers trembled slightly, clearly exerting effort.
SigrdrÃfa looked up, her eyes meeting Xuan Xi’s through the steam.
Her expression held confusion, one eyebrow lifting slightly, as if asking, What’s wrong?
Xuan Xi’s face was red enough to fry an egg on, and even the skin beneath the foam covering her chest showed a hint of pink.
Water droplets hung from her eyelashes, and her lip was nearly bitten raw enough to draw blood.
That armor of stubbornness she normally wore, impenetrable as iron, had mostly evaporated in that moment, revealing the unguarded self underneath.
Her voice came out haltingly, like she’d been holding the words in for a long time.
“The rest… I… can… do it myself.”
Her fingers brushed lightly against Sige’s wrist bone—an unconscious gesture she made when nervous, though she didn’t even realize she was doing it.
SigrdrÃfa looked at her.
The corners of her mouth curled up with a mix of indulgence and resignation.
She took the showerhead down from its holder and pressed it into Xuan Xi’s hand.
“Fine.” She turned and stepped out of the shower area.
Before pulling the frosted glass door shut, she glanced back at Xuan Xi and said, “I’ll wait for you in bed.”
The door closed, and a blurred silhouette showed through the frosted glass.
The sound of the shower started up again, mixed with the faint noise of foam being rinsed away.
Amid the water sounds, a very soft sigh could be heard, whether one of relief or something else, it was hard to tell.
Before long, Xuan Xi finished washing.
She stepped onto the wooden floor, leaving a trail of wet footprints.
After drying her hair and changing into pajamas—Sige was already in her pajamas waiting in bed—Xuan Xi switched off the lamp and lay down too.
The blankets were warm.
The two of them slowly heated up the cramped space together.
Xuan Xi reached out her hand and took SigrdrÃfa’s.
“Happy New Year, Sige!” Xuan Xi said.
“Happy New Year!”
And so the two fell asleep in each other’s arms… not another word was spoken that night…