Chapter 47: She Was Always There, Never Gone
“I object! Aren’t we just helping you try clothes? Why are there extra requirements like this?”
Peiya was the first to speak up in protest.
“Miss Peiya, I know you might feel a bit nervous, but you’re both very beautiful. Isn’t it romantic for girls to look at each other?”
Nair pressed her hands together, almost like she was about to beg Peiya on the spot.
“Why do you think that?”
Peiya decided to keep acting tough. Making eye contact like that was just too embarrassing.
There was no way she could stare at Elise the whole time!
“Because it’s cute! Look!”
Nair pulled over a mirror. In the reflection, Peiya and Elise looked just like a newly married couple.
“Hmph, ‘cute’ isn’t a good enough reason. Since this involves both of us, shouldn’t you ask Elise first? Only if she agrees will I do it.”
Peiya bit her lip, her slightly annoyed expression actually startled Nair.
“Sorry, I got too excited just now.” Nair lowered her head and quickly apologized.
Seeing this small situation, Elise understood that Peiya was trying to protect her. She couldn’t let her down, so she returned to her usual calm and gentle manner and spoke.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Since it’s Miss Peiya’s request, my answer is naturally yes. I also hope we can have a bit more interaction. But you can choose the way, okay?”
Peiya nodded. “Alright. Then, Miss Nair, can you help find a suitable angle? And… I wasn’t trying to be mean just now.”
“Not at all. In fact, I think you were protecting Miss Elise very well.”
“Huh?”
Protect what?
Peiya was confused. She felt like Nair had misunderstood something.
Nair quickly became serious again and carefully adjusted their positions.
“First, Miss Peiya, look at Elise’s ear, yes that angle is good.”
Nair stepped back a little, then pointed at Elise.
“Elise, you can try looking at Peiya’s eyes. Yes, that’s already very good.”
Nair narrowed her eyes, trying to create the most perfect moment for them.
“Very good, very good… Miss Peiya, you know what? After hearing what you said, I suddenly realized something. Fake affection isn’t real affection. I’ve seen many newly married couples here. They want the perfect pose, but their sweetness doesn’t feel real. It’s more like they’re trying to prove to each other how much they love…”
“...Even when they look at each other, something still feels missing. But when I look at you two, I finally understand what it means to truly care about someone. Thank you, Miss Peiya, you taught me something valuable.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Peiya was completely confused by Nair’s explanation.
Wait! Why are you analyzing this so deeply? What did I even say?
Nair smiled softly. “Isn’t it obvious? Right now, you’re not even looking directly at each other, but your bodies are slowly moving closer without realizing it. thought of this composition because Miss Elise quietly loves looking at your eyes…”
“...And you… you keep trying to avoid her gaze. But that doesn’t mean you’re ignoring her. Honestly, when you defended Miss Elise just now, it really moved me. One person quietly looks at the other, while the other protects her with words. One moves, one stays still. You’re not looking at each other, yet you both carry each other in your hearts…”
“...You made me understand that sometimes, caring means someone is always there. There’s no need for forced eye contact, because deep down, you’re already looking at each other. Not with your eyes, but with your hearts. And your hearts are slowly getting closer!”
?
Peiya slowly formed a question mark in her mind. What kind of logic was that?
But Elise spoke first.
“Peiya, would you be willing to look into my eyes? This time, I’ll be the one to move. Is that okay?”
“Hey, don’t make me sound like the bad one. Fine, I’ll look. What’s the big deal?”
Peiya lifted her head and looked straight into Elise’s eyes.
Her emerald-like eyes shimmered slightly, the light flowing inside them like rippling water.
The distance between them grew closer and closer, until Peiya could clearly see her own reflection in Elise’s eyes.
…thump…
Her heart suddenly tightened.
Oh no…
Her heart was in a mess.
It felt like an archer had shot straight through their hearts from far away. Peiya stood there speechless for a moment.
She felt a bit thirsty…
Right now, she felt like a fish out of water, even trying to move was difficult.
Her eyes slowly became blank.
Elise gently patted her shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“I… what just happened to me?”
“Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
“Of course the truth!”
Peiya suddenly felt nervous. She only remembered her mind buzzing just now, but she didn’t know what exactly happened. Looking at Elise’s expression…
It felt like she had just done something really embarrassing.
Elise adjusted her mood and spoke in a calm voice, “You were staring at me just now.”
“Mm… and then?”
“And… are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Of course! What did I do?”
“Well…” Elise smiled lightly, “I don’t know if you were nervous, but while you were looking at me, you were drooling the whole time. Don’t worry, I caught it, so your clothes didn’t get dirty.”
???
“What?! What did I even do?!”
Even though she was mentally prepared, Peiya still broke down.
Drooling while staring at someone?
How was she supposed to explain that?!
“I didn’t mean to! Forget it, please forget it!”
“I can’t forget it. Want to hear the details?” Elise’s eyes flashed with a hint of mischief.
“No! Absolutely not! That’s too embarrassing, forget it! It’s black history!”
The two started joking and arguing, while Nair quietly drew beside them, capturing the moment.
Of course, she didn’t draw it exactly as it happened, she added artistic touches.
For example, she drew Peiya holding a book, slightly dozing off, while Elise gently woke her up.
As for the earlier scene, she changed it into Peiya standing with her arm raised, protecting Elise behind her.
“Perfect, I’m done. Come take a look.”
“That fast?”
Peiya stepped down from the platform, holding up her skirt as she walked over to Nair. Then she saw the two lifelike paintings.
“This… this looks so real!”
“Of course! Even if I failed art school, I’m still very skilled, okay? There’s another one too, take it as a gift.”
“Thank you.”
Peiya took the frame and ran back to Elise.
“Look! I was just dozing off, so I wasn’t drooling at all, and I definitely wasn’t drooling while looking at you, okay?”
“You care that much about this?”
Elise looked at her, not exactly mocking… but there was a little bit of teasing.
She just couldn’t help teasing Peiya, her reactions were always interesting.
If possible, she wished she could record these moments somehow. Sadly, she wasn’t like Nair and couldn’t use magic to paint.
So instead, she chose to remember them in her heart.
One day, when she felt like it, she could tell Peiya about it again slowly~
Like how there once was a girl who drooled while looking at her… though actually, she herself had drooled too, but she didn’t tell her that.
Meanwhile, Peiya was already completely embarrassed.
“Of course I care! My proud image is ruined!”
“It’s fine. No one else saw it. And I wiped it clean for you right away.”
“Ahhh, stop talking about it!”
Peiya held her head, and all the earlier nervousness disappeared.
It turned out that when you face something even more embarrassing, you somehow become braver.
Nair watched the two of them bickering and quietly finished her last painting.
In the picture, the two teased each other. Even though their words sounded harsh, like “I’m ignoring you,” their shadows were shaped like each other.