Pillow Talk

"Wahh… that was a good meal." Zhu Na Ran sighed in content as she rubbed her stomach. "I haven't eaten this well in so long…."

"Really now?" Picking up some pickled vegetables, I placed them into my rice bowl. "From what I've heard from Master, he treated you quite well food-wise.

He claims that you feasted like an emperor." Savoring the slightly bitter flavor, I washed away the remnants with some tea.

"Hah, yeah, right!" My junior sister scoffed. "Whatever of that good stuff Master brought to me was only in the tiniest portions I've seen!

The duck legs were this small, and the cakes were this thin!" Pinching her fingers together, Zhu Na Ran empathized with the size of the food to an exaggerated degree.

Sigh.

Shaking my head at her, I couldn't help but let a small smile slip through.

Although I was naturally inclined to favor her, I couldn't help but feel she was doing everything in her power to smear Master in any way possible before me.

To her credit, some of her claims were quite convincing and could be true. However, others, such as this one, gave some room for doubt.

Nonetheless, I don't think Zhu Na Ran needs to lie to me just to express her grievances.

Ah, never mind, I'll just continue to humor her.

"And what have you done to deserve such treatment from Master, hmm?

Master is a… relatively reasonable man, and he isn't so petty as to torment his youngest disciple by starving them."

"W-well." Zhu Na Ran started to fidget, perhaps realizing the holes in her story. "Regardless, the food he brought me was too little!

And with all the training he put me through, I was simply not getting enough energy ah."

"Oh, in that case." Picking up some vegetables, I plopped them into her rice bowl. "You should make up for the lost energy, hmm?"

"Hehe… it's okay, Senior Sister." Zhu Na Ran laughed before glancing at the greens before her. "I've eaten my fill already; there's no need… haha…."

"No, I think it would be good for you to at least eat some.

All night, you've only eaten meat and rice. You barely even touched your soup." I pointed my chopsticks at the small bowl of soup that sat cold and abandoned.

"Um, haha…" Zhu Na Ran laughed sheepishly as she looked at the food in disdain.

Picking up the limp green vegetables with her chopsticks, Zhu Na Ran attempted to bring them to her mouth, only for her to gag in disgust.

"Do I have to, Senior Sister?" Pouting, Zhu Na Ran shone her watery eyes.

Sigh, some things never change…

"Em, be good and finish your food. They're good for you, and you'll need your energy for tomorrow." Avoiding her gaze, I tried to focus my attention on my dinner. If I stared for any longer, no doubt I would've given in.

"Ehmm…" My junior sister whined as she turned her attention back to her vegetables. "Fine…"

Begrudging picking up her vegetables again, she made a face before shoving them into her mouth before downing it down with the cold soup.

"Bleuh! I feel like I'm going to be sick." Zhu Na Ran moaned as she gagged, disgusted.

"Hmm, you did very well." Wiping her mouth with a napkin, I started to rub circles on her back. "I'm very proud of you."

"Herm…" Zhu Na Ran groaned before leaning into me. "I think I need to lay down after that, Senior Sister."

I smiled as Zhu Na Ran made a face, clearly not as ill as she made herself out to be.

Sigh, this silly girl.

"Ehm, let's head to our quarters." Patting her head, I comforted the 'sick' girl. "I believe they should be prepared by now."

"Alright."

---

"Martial Aunties, here are your quarters. This disciple hopes that they are to your liking." The outer disciple said as they made a slight bow as they pulled open the tent entrance.

"Thank you." From the outside peering in, the tent didn't seem to have any issues. "This auntie understands that we'll only be here for a few days, so these accommodations should be fine."

"Thank you for your understanding, Martial Auntie.

If there is anything else martial aunties need, please let us know."

"Ehmm, that will be all, thank you."

Bowing farewell, the disciple briskly moved on to their next task.

"Hmm?

This is our place for the next few days?" Zhu Na Ran asked as she tried to peer in.

"Ehm." I nodded as I opened the entrance wider for her. "From the looks of it, they did fairly well."

"Ooh, this place looks so nice!" She awed as she wandered around the room, observing every nook and cranny. "I can't believe they brought all this stuff just to house us for a few days. I was expecting a bunch of sleeping bags or something.

Stepping inside the tent, it was warm and spacious despite its size.

It was subdivided into three sections and was sparsely decorated with just a few weapon stands and vases lying around. In the center of the room are a simple tea table and tea set. The floors were also covered in a thin carpet so as not to let dirt get inside.

Since warmer weather was coming our way, the bronze warmers laid unlit in the corners of the room.

As for the bed…

"This might be an issue."

"Eh? What do you mean, Senior Sister?" Zhu Na Ran asked as she peered over my shoulder. "Wahh! Look how big the bed is!"

Running past me, Zhu Na Ran jumped onto the large bed, kicked off her shoes, and rolled to the end of it. "This bed is huge!" To empathize with her point, she spread her arms and legs out, which barely covered half of the bed.

"T-this has to be some mistake.

There were supposed to be separate beds, not one large one." I was sure that I requested to have two beds, not one large one…

"Eh? What's wrong with this bed, Senior Sister?" Zhu Na Ran asked as she propped her head up with her arm. "There's more than enough space for us to sleep comfortably."

Patting the open space beside her, Zhu Na Ran beckoned me to bed. "Em, come on. See for yourself, Senior Sister!"

Gods help me.

"No, I'll go speak with that disciple. I'm sure we can get this sorted out quickly."

"Aiyah, Senior Sister." Zhu Na Ran sighed, exasperated. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get my own tent. Even if it's small, at least then I can sleep in my own bed."

"B-but, it's so late, and by now, everyone has settled into their quarters. We can't inconvenience them now!

Plus, as you said, it will only be for a few days! Is it that bad to sleep with me for a few nights?

It's not like we haven't done it before."

However, during the instances where we did, I could barely get a wink of sleep!

My face started to prickle in heat as I felt the tips of my ears burn, just remembering those nights.

In addition, to have Zhu Na Ran so close… no, it's out of the question!

"Even so, this is not what I've requested, so I must know what happened to our original arrangement." Rushing out of the tent, I didn't want to expose my embarrassment in front of Zhu Na Ran.

Ah, I hope she didn't notice…

---

"Is something wrong, Junior Sister?" Laying in bed, the only light that came in was the faint glow of moonlight that managed to slip through some cracks of the tent.

However, even the darkness couldn't hide Zhu Na Ran's intense glaze from the other side of the bed.

"U-um." Zhu Na Ran started to stutter after realizing that she was caught red-handed. "I-it's nothing really, but I just have a question."

"Ehm. What is it?"

"Why is there a pillow wall between us, Senior Sister?"

Unfortunately, there was nothing that the disciples could do to change our bed from a large one to two singles since all of the rooms have been distributed. The best that they could do was grant us extra pillows to divide our space.

Although it wasn't much, it was better than nothing.

"To prevent any incidents from happening like last time."

"Eh? Last time?" Zhu Na Ran asked as she propped herself, looking over the pillow border. "What are you talking about, Senior Sister?

What happened last time?"

Turning over, I stared at my confused junior sister. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"That time where y-you, you-

Nevermind." Flipping over, I didn't want her to see my face during all of this. I don't think I could bear it if she saw me like this. "Just go to sleep, Junior Sister.

Didn't you say that you were tired?"

"...ehm, yeah…" Zhu Na Ran sighed before laying back down.

Finally, peace had returned.

"Aiyah.

Aiyah, aiyah, aiyah!" Zhu Na Ran suddenly started making a fuse. "My pillow isn't feeling right.

There must be something wrong with it."

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw her trying to mush her pillow in all directions as if to fluff it. "Ah?

Aiyah!"

Suddenly the pillow soared over me and onto the other side of the tent.

"A-ah, haha… How could that happen?

The pillow just suddenly flew out of my hands!" Zhu Na Ran exclaimed with a 'shocked' expression. "I can't believe it!

Ahh, what should I do now, ah?

How can I sleep without a pillow now, aiyahhh…."

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

"Sigh. Get a new pillow."

"Ehh? How am I supposed to do that ah?

It's too late to ask for another one."

Grabbing one of the pillows that acted as a border, I threw it at her. "Use this one."

"Eh?" Catching the pillow, Zhu Na Ran pouted at it. "This one is much too hard and too long to use a proper pillow. Not only will it take up too much space, but I'll probably hurt my neck from using it."

Tossing it aside, she scooted a bit closer to me.

T-this girl! What is she trying to do!

"What are you doing?!" I asked through my teeth. "Why are you coming closer?"

"Ehh, scoot over Senior Sister.

Lemme use your pillow too!"

"W-what?!" However, before I could object, Zhu Na Ran had already made herself comfortable next to me.

"It will be fine!

I promise that this won't turn out like last time. So please, Senior Sister.

Just this once?" Zhu Na Ran begged as she flashed me her signature puppy eyes.

Hah. I'm so weak.

"F-fine! But don't you move, alright?

If you do, I will kick you back to your side of the bed!" It will only be for one night! That's it!

After this, I'm going to get myself a separate tent!

"Hehe, thank you, Senior Sister."

Laying back down, I tried to relax with this warm body beside me. However, such a task proved itself to be more complicated than I thought as Zhu Na Ran's breath against my neck sent tingles down my spine.

Even though the night was relatively cool, I could already feel a thin sheen of sweat form on my brow, and my clothes started to cling to my body.

Although the tent was dark, it did little to hide Zhu Na Ran's body from me. Wearing just her underclothes, the thin white shirt loosely hung off her shoulders showcased the beautiful body that hid underneath it.

With-

Wait!

What am I thinking! How can I say that in this situation!

Deep breaths, deep breaths!

It's just for this one night… and that's it…

Mentally reciting a calming heart and mind mantra, I slowly cooled that flame that was burning inside.

Just calm down.

"Eh? Senior Sister, why are you shivering?" Zhu Na Ran mumbled. "Eh? Senior Sister, why do you still have your clothes on?

Here, let this junior help you remove them!" Suddenly feeling hands wrap around my waist, I felt Zhu Na Ran tug at my belt.

"Eh, why is it tied so strongly?"

"W-wait, w-what, what are you doing!?" Grabbing Zhu Na Ran's hand, I managed to stop her from further undoing my belt.

"Eh, Senior Sister, you grabbed my hand. How am I supposed to help you remove your clothes? Surely you must be uncomfortable sleeping in them."

They're on because of you!

"It. Is. Late.

Go. To. Sleep." I managed to grit out as I felt flames of heat sear through my neck and face. Thankfully the darkness hid most of my face, granting me some dignity.

"Ahh, fine. I understand." As Zhu Na Ran finally let go, I let out a soft sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

Any more than that, I don't know what else could've happened.

---

"Psst…

Senior Sister…" Zhu Na Ran whispered beside me. "Senior Sister… are you awake?"

Peeking my eyes open, I turned over to see the annoying mosquito that was buzzing in my ear. "What is it?"

"Senior Sister, I can't sleep…

And I think I know why…."

"...what?" What is this girl talking about?

"Senior Sister, here touch me! Listen to my heart!" Suddenly grabbing my hand, she placed it onto her chest!

H-hah, w-what?!

Touching her bare skin, it felt as if my hand had been burned as she held it in place in between her breasts.

The rapid pulsing underneath felt unreal as they started to increase in their pace.

W-what? What is going on?!

"Senior Sister, can you hear it- Mmmf!"

Suddenly, Zhu Na Ran dropped my hand as she clutched her mouth.

Oh, thank Heavens, it worked.

Zhu Na Ran tried to say something; however, her lips wouldn't open. "Mmm!

Mmm!" As she tried to calm down, my junior sister glared at me as her cheeks puffed up and her eyes watered.

Feeling myself calm down, I patted my junior sister. "Ehm. No more tricks.

Rest.

We have a long day tomorrow."

Closing my eyes, I could still hear Zhu Na Ran struggle; however, she tired herself out and fell back to sleep after some time.

Hah, finally, I can get some rest.