Novel Full Chapter 878 - Taming the Fifth Year - Commitment
Chapter 878 – Taming the Fifth Year – Commitment
Although everything was better now, the girls didn’t treat her like always, that was evident in every interaction.
There was a certain atmosphere of worry permeating the room when they thought Luna wasn’t paying attention.
Looks they exchanged when believing she didn’t notice. Conversations stopped abruptly when she entered the room at an inopportune moment. Excessive care in how they formulated comments to avoid touching topics that might be sensitive.
Each instance was small… But the accumulated weight was now considerable.
They were walking on eggshells. Trying so hard not to hurt her that every interaction felt a bit less than natural.
It was frustrating in ways Luna couldn’t express without sounding ungrateful for the genuine concern it represented.
She understood it came from a place of love and desire to protect her from any additional pain.
Larissa’s protective instinct was particularly strong. Had been since Luna returned to the room. Manifested as hypervigilance about Luna’s emotional state, constant monitoring for signs of distress.
Liora’s concern was more subtle. Showed through careful word choices, through offering support obliquely rather than directly, through being available without being intrusive.
Matilda and Maria were somewhere between. Defaulted to treating Luna with extra gentleness that felt infantilizing despite good intentions.
But simultaneously Luna hated being treated like she was fragile. Like the revelation about her situation had transformed her into something needing handling with extreme care.
She wasn’t broken. Wasn’t about to shatter if someone mentioned the topic anymore…
But convincing them of that was difficult when they’d seen her at her lowest point. When their fear of her returning to that state and making distance again overrode their ability to treat her normally.
If she insisted she was fine and brought the topic, they’d think she was acting tough or in denial. If she admitted she struggled, they’d increase this protective behavior. No good options.
So she accepted it, tried to be patient… Hoped eventually they’d relax enough to stop treating her like delicate glass.
Only Mayo remained mostly Mayo, that at least was constant. Comforting amid changes in dynamics.
Though still complicated in certain ways.
Still made inappropriate comments causing everyone to roll their eyes. Still had energy seeming inexhaustible even after everything. Still possessed that particular brand of chaos that made her simultaneously endearing and exhausting.
But even she contained herself slightly more than before. Not by her choice…
Automatic censorship from the other girls would be activating when a comment she’d normally release without thinking touched too close to topics sensitive for Luna.
Example:
Mayo had been about to make a joke about family pressure…
And Matilda and Maria punished her more aggressively
Not meanly. Just… firmly.
“Ow! What…”
“Think before speaking,” Matilda had said flatly. “That’s the new rule for you.”
Mayo had looked confused for maybe 2 seconds. Then understanding had dawned. “She is fine. I wasn’t…”
“I am,” Luna had interrupted. “It’s fine. I like her acting normally better.”
But it wasn’t fine. Not because the comment hurt, but because the correction itself reminded her she was being treated differently. Yet it was better than the alternative.
Better than isolation. Better than carrying everything alone.
Not ideal. Not comfortable.
But better. And better was enough for now.
Because through all that, there was a persistent sensation emanating from all the girls in the room.
Sense that despite the situation’s gravity, despite complexities lacking obvious solutions, everything would be okay eventually.
That him…
Ren would find a way to help and fix everything in ways they couldn’t completely anticipate but trusted would happen because it was Ren and he always found ways to accomplish the impossible when it mattered.
Not blind faith.
Confidence built on evidence of what they’d seen Ren achieve during years of doing impossible things repeatedly.
If anyone could find a solution to the problem Luna faced, it would be Ren.
That was a conviction all of them shared without needing to explicitly articulate in words.
And since that day after hearing Luna say “It’s fine. I like her acting normally better.” They relaxed a bit.
Everything was getting better…
♢♢♢♢
Luna felt Ren would somehow make everything work out.
It should have been annoying. Should have felt like pressure. Should have made her uncomfortable with how much expectation she was placing on one person.
But instead it was… comforting.
Knowing the faith wasn’t just her being desperate and irrational.
She couldn’t stop pondering of him and…
“Luna,” Liora called from her bed, “stop thinking so loudly. Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“I’m not thinking loudly,” Luna protested automatically while getting so flushed she thanked the lights for being out.
“You’re thinking so loudly I can hear it from here,” Liora countered. “And it’s keeping me awake.”
“That’s not how thinking works.”
“It is when you’re making that face.”
“What face?”
“I can see in the dark, remember? My bonds are half regenerated, spiritual energy is back in my eyes… Your face says ‘I’m worrying about seventeen things simultaneously and none of them have solutions’ face,” Larissa supplied from her bed. “We’re familiar with it.”
Luna touched her own face reflexively. Was she making an expression? She hadn’t noticed.
“See?” Liora said with satisfaction. “Thinking loudly.”
Mayo laughed softly from her corner. “Leave her alone. Tomorrow’s a big day. She’s allowed to worry.”
“She’s allowed,” Matilda agreed, “but it won’t help her sleep.”
“Nothing helps,” Maria added philosophically. “But worrying just makes you tired before the actual problem arrives.”
“Are you actually that concerned about tomorrow?” Larissa asked, jumping and sitting on the edge of Luna’s bed uninvited. “Or are you worried about what comes after?”
It was a question cutting directly to root rather than dancing around the periphery. New Larissa approach.
Maybe she liked her better when treating her with too much care?
Luna considered lying. Considered several evasions that would have maintained a more comfortable status quo.
Then remembered she’d promised herself, after returning to this room, after accepting that isolation was cowardice… that she’d stop hiding from people who genuinely cared.
“Both,” she admitted. “Tomorrow is… Min and I can probably beat Ren if we coordinate properly. His ice is concerning but manageable. But if we win…”
“So basically you want but don’t want to win,” Mayo observed.
“Basically,” Luna agreed quietly.