Her eyelids twitched slightly before the young woman slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw after the darkness was an unfamiliar ceiling. Selene's head throbbed, but overall, her condition had improved significantly.
She analyzed the situation while trying to sit up on the bed. It seemed she hadn't died, and her body wasn't weak either. What about the others? Allia? Elena? Were they alright?
Not wanting to leave the young woman in doubt, as soon as she moved, the sound and force from her sitting up woke another young woman who had fallen asleep with her face buried on the bed. She had light pastel pink hair, adorned with cute small silver hairpins. It was none other than... Allia.
"Chief!" When Allia saw Selene, she was so overjoyed she wanted to leap into the other's embrace. However, Allia restrained herself, carefully observing her Chief's body as if checking whether she was still tired or in pain.
"Yes, it's me, your Chief..." Selene smiled slightly, amused by the other young woman's demeanor. She slowly leaned back against the headboard, feeling much more relaxed. Allia was fine, and Elena was probably no different. Both were safe and sound. That alone was enough for Selene.
"...What happened while I was unconscious? I remember Elena warning you about something."
Allia pondered for a moment to organize her thoughts before replying, "Sister Lian came to help us. Then, she dealt with the true form of that monster. And the good news is, we found the Director. Er... to be more precise, the Director came to us instead."
As she spoke, the young woman couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She still remembered that moment clearly. In their most desperate hour, when no one could do anything, just his appearance turned everything 180 degrees. The dire situation instantly improved, as if he were the hero who brought hope in despair, turning the impossible into possible.
Allia's face flushed even more noticeably. At that moment, she was in the Director's embrace! It was such a wonderful, warm, and addictive embrace that words couldn't describe. Just imagining herself in the Director's arms made Allia's mouth watered without her realizing it.
"Thinking strange things again, aren't we?" Seeing the dreamy look in the pink-haired young woman's eyes, Selene chuckled softly and gently tapped the other's head, not using much force. But that was enough to snap Allia out of her vivid imagination.
"I... I wasn't thinking anything strange! Chief, don't accuse me..." Despite saying that, the young woman's voice grew softer with each passing second, especially the last sentence. Whether from embarrassment or something else, Allia's courage to retort had almost completely vanished.
"You really were thinking that, weren't you?" Selene couldn't resist teasing the pink-haired young woman. The smile on her fair face widened. Seeing that smile, Allia felt as if she was completely seen through. Her heart beat at an unusually fast rhythm. She felt very uncomfortable, unable to pinpoint the cause of this discomfort, but her instincts told her so.
"Allia, even though I've always indulged you, there's one thing I cannot concede..." Selene's voice trailed off, and the silent pause quickly made the atmosphere tense. One second felt like an eternity. With every passing fraction of a second, Allia's discomfort multiplied, as if the young woman could foresee what Selene was about to say next.
"What is it, Chief?" Allia looked at her team leader warily, her expression even more serious than when fighting a calamity-level interdimensional monster. The pink-haired young woman's actions were like a cat watching another animal snatching its cherished possession.
Selene smiled gently as ever, but the next second, that smile made Allia shiver and finally understand the reason for all her discomfort. Selene said, "The Director isn't yours alone. No matter how good our relationship is, I will never let the Commander go to you... little girl."
"What is this, Chief?!! Are you going to become my rival? That's too unfair! I won't accept it! Absolutely not!" Allia protested indignantly. The young woman felt defeated from the start. This was too much! It was like a final boss coming down to deal with a new player directly. At the beginning of the game, a max-level final boss against a new player without even top-tier equipment. It didn't need to be said; this would be a difficult battle, almost impossible to win.
Selene chuckled softly, speaking shamelessly in a way that was hard to believe coming from a woman like her. "Unfair? You can't blame me. If you want to blame someone, you should blame yourself for being born later than me. Besides, what's unfair about it? I've simply had a relationship with the Commander for many years."
"That's exactly what's unfair! Why didn't I know before that Chief was this cruel?" Allia pouted in dissatisfaction, turning her face away in a huff. Her cheeks puffed out like an inflating pufferfish. It was over. She had always treated her Chief kindly and sincerely. She never expected that today, her Chief would want to compete with her for a man.
Seeing Allia's sulking expression, Selene's emotions wavered slightly. Was she being too cruel to this young woman?
The young woman quickly said, "Do you really think I'm a threat to you? Actually, I can share him with you. I'm not greedy enough to keep the Commander all to myself. So—I'm not your enemy at all, Allia. On the contrary, we're on the same team..."
"...The threat isn't from within, but from without. The Commander is a perfect man. Handsome, strong, gentle, kind, responsible, and much more. With everything I've said, many capable women will naturally be attracted to him. Clearly, we have common enemies. So... instead of burning down our own house, why don't we strengthen its defenses to face external enemies?"
Allia listened to Selene's logical words. She thought carefully, then came to the same conclusion as the other. Yes, they had common enemies, and it seemed there weren't just a few. Perhaps cooperating with her Chief wasn't a bad option.
The pink-haired young woman bit her lip. After an internal struggle, she finally accepted it. She probably couldn't keep the Director all to herself. He was too perfect. So perfect that Allia didn't dare to greedily possess him alone.
"Yes, Chief, we're on the same team." Poor Allia was easily swayed by Selene. Her thoughts were very simple. Just being able to touch the Director or be near him was enough to make the young woman happy. From the beginning, she didn't have much of a possessive mindset.
The tense atmosphere from before returned to normal. The relationship between the team leader and the team member remained perfectly stable. The two young women chatted happily, filled with soft laughter and smiles.
This felt very different from their current location... an interdimensional realm. Normally, people who came here couldn't make joyful sounds or display happy smiles.
As known, interdimensional realms are filled with interdimensional beings and many monsters. Countless dangers lurk everywhere. Therefore, it's natural for people not to be happy. This isn't a place suitable for that at all. It's more suitable for suffering.
"Chief... I'm glad you recovered quickly." A voice came from the tent entrance, a very familiar voice to both young women. Looking in that direction, they saw Elena approaching with two hot bowls of grain porridge in her slender hands.
"Elena! Thank you!" The pink-haired young woman quickly rushed to take the two bowls of grain porridge from her friend and placed them on a nearby table. It wasn't hard to guess who they were prepared for.
One bowl was for Allia, who had been watching over her team leader for hours without eating or sleeping. The other was for Selene, in case she woke up feeling hungry or needed extra nutrients for her body.
Elena nodded briefly in acknowledgment of the thanks, then asked curiously, "What were you two talking about earlier? You seemed very happy..."
"Let me guess, it involved the Director, didn't it?" Elena's guess was a hundred percent correct, as if she knew the answer beforehand. Allia's face turned beet red. The young woman startled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Could Elena also read her mind, just like the Chief?
"Do you have to ask questions you already know the answers to??" Selene stared at Elena with an unreadable gaze, as if she was plotting something mischievous. It seemed Team A's leader had become more playful after her recovery.
"I just knew from Allia's expression." Elena replied in her usual calm tone. As for the pink-haired young woman, as soon as she heard the other's words, Allia jumped back slightly. Was she that easy to read? Why did everyone seem to see right through her?
Selene chuckled at the pink cat's adorably exaggerated reaction. "Our little girl is always easily tricked. I genuinely worry she won't be able to keep up with the Director's cunningness."
"What? The Director's cunningness? He wouldn't do that to me!" Allia declared loudly and confidently. However, looking at Selene's gaze and smile, a small insecurity began to form in her mind.
The young woman bit her lip gently, no longer daring to assert herself confidently. Although she was convinced the Director would never do such a thing, her Chief had known the Director much longer than her. Her Chief must know something about him.
"How can you be sure? Maybe he's already set his sights on you. That's why he's being so good and gentle with you, Allia." Selene continued to tease the pink-haired young woman, making her greatly fearful. Allia felt helpless, her mind completely confused and flustered.
"Pout~ Elena, help me! Chief is bullying me again!" In the end, Allia couldn't handle the powerful Selene. The young woman skillfully jumped into Elena's embrace, striking a pitiful, endearing pose.
"It's alright, Allia. I believe the Director wouldn't do that to you." Elena automatically hugged Allia as she had always done. She hesitated for a moment before saying carefully, "If he planned something against such an innocent and bright young woman, then he's too cruel."
"I'm not a little girl! I'm 18, you know? Elena, you're not much older than me, only 19... If I'm a little girl, then you are too!" Allia mumbled softly while shifting to find a comfortable position in the other young woman's arms.
"Okay, okay, I understand." Elena stroked her friend's head as if stroking a cat. Allia purred softly and involuntarily. When the young woman realized, a blush spread across both her cheeks.
"Chief, your taste is really bad, you know?" Elena no longer paid attention to Allia. The cat had gotten what it wanted and wouldn't cause trouble for a while. So, Elena turned to speak to Selene instead.
"Who could resist? Teasing Allia daily makes me very happy!" Selene's face became thicker than steel. She spoke casually as she picked up the grain porridge from the table, blew on it, and then ate. Her body was using the available nutrients to recover, and now Selene was starting to feel hungry.
"That's why I said your taste is terrible." Elena shook her head slightly. She didn't say anything more because, deep down, Elena secretly agreed with her Chief. Allia's reactions were indeed amusing.
Selene gently placed the tray with the hot bowl on her lap. She slowly spooned up the grain porridge, blew on it to cool it, and then ate. The fragrant aroma of the grains permeated the tent. The fine texture offered a unique taste. Although not intensely flavored, it was surprisingly delicious, showing the care taken in its preparation and the combination of various ingredients.
"So delicious... You've gotten much better at cooking, Elena." Whether it was because her body needed nutrients, she was hungry, or something else, Selene couldn't stop eating. The grain porridge in the bowl visibly decreased rapidly.
"No, Chief, you're mistaken. I didn't make it." Elena shook her head, refusing the credit. She had only helped prepare the ingredients and hadn't personally cooked the grain porridge. She hadn't participated in the cooking process.
"Hmm... then who did? It tastes so much like your cooking." Selene asked curiously, her voice full of eagerness. The young woman tried to recall anyone who could cook like this in her mind. Unfortunately, Selene found no one else besides Elena who could do it.
"Someone you know, Chief." Elena's words made the mystery even more intriguing. Soon after, she revealed the answer herself. "The Director made this grain porridge. I was just his assistant."
"The Director made it himself?" Hearing that, Allia's eyes lit up. Her appetite suddenly increased. The young woman willingly left Elena's embrace and tried a spoonful of the grain porridge. In that instant, both her eyes widened.
The pink-haired young woman almost spit out what she had eaten. It turned out she had eaten too quickly and forgotten to blow on it. The heat of the grain porridge blistered Allia's tongue, temporarily making her unable to taste anything, which made her want to cry badly.
"Waaah~ Waaah, Elena, what should I do? I can't taste anything yummy!" Putting down the spoon in her hand, and as expected, Allia buried herself in Elena's embrace again, her vitality seemingly drained. She kept blaming herself internally, repeatedly. Why didn't she blow on it to cool it down first?
Selene let out a soft laugh. Her actions made Allia want to cry even more, but no tears came out.