Chapter 1354: They Can Thank Me The three of them couldn’t stay in the forest, nor could they risk searching for Unzoku. The reason Unzoku had most likely retreated was because he believed Gary was strong enough to defeat him. But in the current state Gary was in, that wasn’t the case. Which was why it was better to keep him away, and more importantly, not run into Unzoku again. That was why they had all agreed that, for the day, they would be staying together at Gary’s apartment. It was most likely that Unzoku already knew where Gary lived, and they didn’t want to reveal the locations of their own places. Besides, if Unzoku had truly run away, would he even return? This was Kai’s theory at least. But just in case, both he and Xin had decided it was best for all of them to sleep in the same apartment for the night. “All right, done!” Kai grinned, turning to the other two who sat on the sofa, his phone in hand. “I’ve just sent out a message to every member of the Howlers. They’ll all be on high alert and aware that something could happen.” Kai had set it up so that every member’s phone would accept messages from him, forcing an alert noise no matter what mode the phone was on, even if it was on silent. He hadn’t explained the full situation or exactly who the attackers were, but he’d made it sound serious, because it was. Still, he was sure most people would probably glance at the message and go back to sleep, except for those already awake. “All right, so I’m going to sleep on the sofa, which means you two are going to be in the bed together, right?” Kai said casually. “Together? Isn’t there another room here?” Gary asked nervously. “Sure there is,” Kai replied. “But I’m staying on the sofa so I can see the door if anyone comes through. And in your case, Gary, you’re useless right now, so it’s best if Xin stays right next to you. Your bed’s big enough, so stop being shy, you’re just sleeping next to each other, not with each other. “At least not while I’m here. And remember, with our ears, I can hear everything.” Kai’s teasing made Xin’s face blush a little, but she agreed nonetheless. She headed into the bedroom first to get changed, and a little later, called Gary inside. “I’m surprised you actually have some girls’ clothes here. You don’t have someone else, do you?” Xin asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. “That’s Amy’s stuff,” Gary replied. “She stays here sometimes, even when I’m not here.” “Ah. Right.” An awkward silence followed as Gary climbed under the sheets and Xin did the same. “I guess we should both try and get some sleep,” Gary said. “I’ll be staying awake,” Xin replied. “I need to make sure no one comes in. I’ll keep guard for now. So you don’t worry, close your eyes and get some rest.” The lights were switched off, and a few minutes passed. Then thirty minutes. Finally, Xin broke the silence. “Gary… you’re still awake, right?” she asked softly. “How did you know? I didn’t even move,” Gary replied. “Your breathing,” Xin said. “I can hear your breathing… and your heartbeat. It’s thumping so loud. Can you please try to get some rest? You’re just making me worry about you.” “Xin,” Gary replied slowly. “How the heck am I supposed to get any sleep when I’m lying right next to you? Do you know how long I’ve imagined this moment? How long I’ve dreamed that the two of us would be in the same bed together?” Now, it was Gary’s turn to notice it, he could hear Xin’s heartbeat too, quickening, thumping louder. “Do you have any idea how much of an idiot you sound like right now, saying that right in front of me?” Xin whispered. “And you should know… I can see perfectly in the dark.” She paused. “Right now, I can see you looking at me, staring straight into my eyes.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 Underneath the sheets, both Gary and Xin slowly began moving their hands closer toward each other. Inch by inch, they inched forward, until they felt the soft touch of each other’s fingers. They intertwined their fingers, feeling the warmth flow between them. “You know… if we’re struggling to sleep, we could always try something else,” Gary said with a small smile. “I was going to ask… if we kiss each other, will that force us both to transform?” Xin asked. “No, I don’t think so,” Gary replied. “I mean, I think it only happens if we will ourselves to transform. We should be able to kiss each other just fine.” “I guess… it’s something we should find out, right? Like Kai would say, it’s important to test everything so we know for the future. And what better time to test it than now?” Gary knew deep down, though, this kiss wouldn’t activate his form. He wanted to do something else entirely. Leaning in, the two of them began to embrace each other, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. Energy seemed to rise within them both. Slowly, the bed sheets lifted. Just outside the room, on the sofa, Kai held one of the cushions up against his head, covering his ears. “Did the two of you not listen to a thing I said?” Kai muttered. Then he sighed, a small smile forming. “Well… I guess the two of them needed to push forward. This makes them official, and they can thank me for it later.” Kai grinned to himself. **** For updates on MWS and future works, please follow me on my social media below: Instagram: Jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS, or any other series comes out, you’ll see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.