Chapter 243 - 243: I'm Here to Join This Family, Not to Break It Up

Serval fell silent, her gaze dropping to the floorboards as Leon's words hung in the air.

Logically, he was right. With resources and living space being so abundant here on the Xianzhou Luofu, there was no practical reason for her to keep crashing in his room. It was time for her to move out and get her own space.

Yet, a stubborn knot of reluctance tightened in her chest, heavy and uncomfortable.

"Are you driving me away?" Serval asked. When she finally looked up at him, her usually vibrant blue eyes were clouded with uncertainty, and her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Of course not." Leon blinked in surprise before a warm, easy smile spread across his face. "It's just that, well... if you don't mind the arrangement, I certainly don't."

He honestly couldn't care less if the blonde rocker decided to permanently occupy his living space. But there were optics to consider. If Serval didn't care about the rumors, that was one thing. But while the crew of the Astral Express weren't exactly a bunch of gossiping busybodies, there were limits to their obliviousness. If she kept shamelessly mooching off his room day in and day out, even someone as dense as March 7th would eventually connect the dots.

[March 7th: Say that again?]

[Long Night Moon: Say that again?]

Serval exhaled a long breath, brushing a stray blonde lock behind her ear. "Whew... sorry. I lost my composure a bit there." She hesitated, her fingers nervously tracing the seam of her sleeve. "It's just that... seeing it get more and more lively around you lately, with all these incredible people... I guess I'm a bit jealous."

A faint, rosy flush crept up her neck and settled on her cheeks. Admitting something so vulnerable and blunt to Leon sent a strange, fluttering ripple through her chest. A fleeting thought crossed her mind—she couldn't help but wonder what Cocolia would say if her old friend were standing here watching this unfold.

"Jealous?" Leon's brow arched. He suddenly lowered his voice, stepping into her personal space with a wicked glint dancing in his eyes. "I knew it. You really are just coveting my body." He spread his arms in a mock gesture of surrender. "Go ahead. Take advantage of me. I don't mind."

Serval froze for a split second, her brain short-circuiting, before she threw her head back and burst into genuine, ringing laughter.

The ridiculous banter felt like a direct callback to the day she had first demanded to board the Express. The sheer embarrassment and the wild, heart-fluttering sensation of that moment came rushing back, as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

As her laughter subsided, a softer, more earnest expression settled on her features. "So, when you said back then... that you liked me too. Was it true?" she asked softly, her blue eyes searching his. She had replayed that specific moment in her head countless times.

"What do you think?" Leon countered smoothly. He clicked his tongue in mock disapproval. "Honestly, you really disappointed me back then. If I recall correctly, a certain someone secretly kissed me, then immediately spun on her heel and bolted."

He took another step forward, closing the remaining distance between them. Reaching out, he gently hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "Don't you think it's a bit irresponsible to just run away right after stealing a kiss?"

The heat in Serval's cheeks flared into a full-blown inferno. Her heart hammered against her ribs, skipping several frantic beats under the intensity of his stare. She stood trapped in his orbit for a long moment before finally swatting his mischievous hand away.

"I—I'm going to wash up first!" she stammered.

Shoving her feet into her slippers, she practically fled across the room, her footsteps thumping rapidly against the floorboards as she made a beeline for the bathroom.

Just as she grabbed the handle to pull the door shut, Leon's shadow fell over her. With two quick, effortless strides, he slipped inside the bathroom right behind her.

"What... what do you think you're doing in here?" Serval's eyes went wide, her back pressing against the tiled wall in sudden, flustered helplessness.

"Isn't it a terrible waste of resources to shower alone?" Leon reasoned, his tone entirely too serious for the wicked, predatory smirk playing on his lips. "We should do it together. To save water, of course."

"I absolutely will not! Get out... get out right now!" Serval squeaked. Her pointed ears burned a brilliant shade of crimson as she shoved both hands against his chest.

Leon chuckled, offering zero resistance as he let her push him backward out the door like an obedient, oversized puppet. With a soft click, the bathroom door was firmly shut in his face.

Leon merely smiled to himself, turning on his heel to head toward his own bedroom. There was an en-suite bathroom in there anyway; they could simply wash up at the same time.

Through the wall, the muffled sound of running water began to trickle.

Inside her bathroom, Serval leaned against the sink, taking a deep, shuddering breath to steady her racing pulse. She raised a hand, her fingertips lightly brushing her own chin where Leon had touched her just moments ago. The phantom heat of his skin lingered. She had mentally prepared herself for this step a long time ago, running through the scenario in her head over and over. Yet, now that the moment was actually here, she couldn't stop the nervous butterflies rioting in her stomach.

After dawdling under the warm spray for as long as she could reasonably justify, she finally stepped out, wrapping herself tightly in a plush bathrobe.

She padded back into the living area, only to find it completely empty. Leon was nowhere to be seen. Had he gone back to his room?

Swallowing hard, Serval crossed the floor and stopped in front of his bedroom door. She raised her knuckles and knocked gently.

The door opened instantly. Before she could utter a word, a strong hand gripped her wrist and pulled her inside. The world spun for a second before she crashed against a solid, warm chest. Strong arms enveloped her, and all the tension drained from her muscles, leaving her entirely pliant. Her breathing hitched, turning ragged as Leon's lips found hers. Swept up in his overwhelming momentum, a soft, helpless moan escaped her throat.

Sensing her trembling inexperience, Leon immediately understood his role. He needed to shoulder the heavy, solemn responsibility of a seasoned veteran guiding a complete novice. It was a sacred duty, and as a man of principle, he absolutely would not shrink from it. After all, the most optimal dynamic was an expert leading a beginner—if two clueless novices fumbled around in the dark, it would just be a disaster.

Naturally, Leon executed his duties with absolute perfection. With practiced patience and gentle guidance, he handled the turbulent waters of their intimacy, ensuring that Serval's initial discomfort quickly melted away. Soon enough, the nervous rocker fully grasped the deep, intoxicating joys of his 'training regimen', surrendering completely to the long, passionate night.

Much later, the room was quiet save for the sound of their synchronized breathing.

"Tell me..." Serval murmured, her voice slightly hoarse. She lay comfortably against Leon's bare chest, her index finger unconsciously tracing idle circles over his skin. "Do I count as a bad woman for doing this?"

Leon looked down at her, his face the very picture of baffled innocence. "How could you possibly think that? You're here to join this family, not to break it up."

Serval paused, her finger freezing on his chest. "..."

A second later, she buried her face in his shoulder and laughed out loud, her shoulders shaking with mirth. The sheer audacity of his logic was staggering, yet that lingering, subtle knot of insecurity that had plagued her all evening instantly vanished, completely obliterated by his shameless one-liner.

"You..." She gasped for air, wiping a tear from her eye. "Honestly, who else in the entire universe but you would say something so ridiculous?"

'I'm here to join this family, not to break it up...' She repeated the phrase softly under her breath. As the laughter subsided, a bizarre, insidious sense of agreement began to take root in her mind. Help, she thought wildly. Why does that actually make a terrifying amount of sense? It was a masterstroke of shameless sophistry, yet it worked flawlessly.

"Don't tell me you disagree?" Leon asked, his tone implying that his logic was the fundamental law of the cosmos.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what I think," Serval conceded, rolling her eyes playfully. She propped her chin on his chest, her expression turning a fraction more serious. "But, jokes aside, some things still need to be cleared up. Ruan Mei and Yukong... what exactly is their relationship with you?" Her smile remained, but her blue eyes carried a sharp, obvious hint of inquiry.

"Yukong?" Leon sighed dramatically, running a hand through his hair. "Look, when your man is this devastatingly handsome, powerful, and reliable, isn't it only natural for others to fall for him? I really can't help being this popular." He chuckled, entirely unrepentant.

"Narcissist," Serval muttered, lightly flicking his collarbone. "And what about Ruan Mei?" she pressed, refusing to let him deflect.

"You actually caught onto that?" Leon blinked, genuinely surprised. Ruan Mei was notoriously aloof, and her behavior around others had been so carefully restrained that he assumed her involvement was a perfectly kept secret.

"Woman's intuition." Serval blinked innocently.

Leon sighed in defeat, though his lips twitched upward. "Alright, fine. Technically speaking... you should probably call her Big Sister."

"Big Sister?" Serval's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Wait. Was she first, or was Cocolia first?"

"Ruan Mei was first."

"Pfft—!" Serval clapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders trembling as she tried to stifle a laugh. "You're kidding! So even the great Supreme Guardian Cocolia is just a 'latecomer'?"

"You could certainly say that," Leon nodded sagely.

"Oh, that is too good. The next time I see Cocolia, I am absolutely calling her 'Second Sister' to her face." A mischievous grin lit up Serval's features before she paused, looking at him tentatively. "But... she really is the Second Sister, right?"

Seeing right through her thinly veiled probing, Leon smiled fondly and reached up to pinch her cheek. "That's right. She's the Second Sister. Which makes you the Third Sister. Surprised?"

"Not really," Serval admitted, leaning into his touch. "I actually guessed as much."

She shifted, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as her voice dropped to a quiet, uncertain murmur. "Will Ruan Mei... accept this? Accept me?"

Initially, she had assumed Cocolia was her only 'competition'. That hadn't worried her in the slightest—Cocolia was practically her oldest friend, and the Supreme Guardian had actively been trying to 'recruit' her into Leon's orbit anyway. But Ruan Mei was an entirely different story. Serval didn't understand the eccentric scholar's personality at all. The rumors across the cosmos always claimed that the temperaments of the Genius Society members were dangerously unpredictable and utterly alien. How was she supposed to get along with someone like that in the future?

"Don't overthink it," Leon soothed, his hand gently stroking her blonde hair. His voice was warm and grounding in the quiet room. "Ruan Mei is a peerless genius. She saw through all your little thoughts and glances days ago."

It was the absolute truth. Nothing escaped Ruan Mei's calculating, observant eyes. The mere fact that she hadn't intervened or made a fuss was, in her own unique way, a form of tacit consent. If she had truly wanted to block Serval, Ruan Mei could have easily claimed Leon's time and occupied this very spot last night.

But there was simply no helping it. Ruan Mei, driven by her relentless curiosity and possessiveness, had stubbornly attempted to monopolize Leon's stamina for an entire week straight. The harsh reality of that experiment was that the brilliant scholar ended up in a thoroughly exhausted, physically miserable state.

In the silent, unspoken contest of endurance, Ruan Mei had been thoroughly 'persuaded' by Leon's overwhelming physical prowess to accept some extra help.

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