The runner for the beauty pageant gave Wu and Lera a funny look when they both exited the tent with their faces red and breathes rapidly as if they were caught in the act. Well, if it were up to Lera, they were. Though she couldn't help but ponder the excitement of doing it during such a context.

Wait...what was she thinking... Lera held her face in between her hands and tried to shake that idea away, and Wu watched her adorable wiggle until she had finally calmed down. She looked at him with a pair of red handprints over her cheeks and a groan of annoyance came from within her.

"Stop...stop looking at me like that!" Lera said, pushing Wu around before grabbing him by the shoulders and taking him all the way out of the backrooms of the beauty pageant, "And stop saying sorry!"

"So...ok." Wu swallowed the apology out of politeness, and he allowed himself to be guided onto the nearest chariot floating above them. Sitting down at the front, he then turned to Lera who plopped herself down beside him, "Where do you want to go?"

"Back. To home. College." Lera said, her arms crossed as she tried not to look at Wu, "As you said, that wasn't really comfortable."

With a light smile on his face, Wu nodded, activating the chariot before flying back towards Illiol college. Normally, the navigation within Infinite Academy takes some time to get used to, particularly from above. Illiol college, historic and brilliant as it may be, doesn't exactly have the most innovative architecture and is pretty difficult to make out.

However, with the completion of the TCOW roller coaster, identifying Illiol college's whereabouts had become a far easier task. Following the general flow of the chariot traffic, Wu then made a beeline straight towards Illiol college before parking smoothly beside it. This is the first time that he had piloted a Chariot all by himself using outputs from the One-Shotter, and Lera had to admit that it was rather impressive for someone who doesn't have any natural interactions with the Wave.

"That was just a little stressful..." Wu admitted, exiting the golden chariot as Lera followed after him. He could tell that she's trying not to look at him, though whenever he glances away, he felt her stare linger over his face. Usually, they are able to act naturally around each other when there is something to do such as a battle or a class, but when it's just the two of them hanging around...

Wu held his thoughts as the students running the roller coaster came and greeted him. Lera waited as they conversed about the performance of the structure Cast before they let Wu go at last. He was about to apologize to Lera for making her wait before she put a hand up and shut that idea down. Reaching out, she grabbed onto Wu's hands and pulled him back to their rooms.

"Wait here." Lera said, leaving Wu alone in her room before she went ahead and showered. Wu sat alone, surrounded by Lera's personal belongings including sets of books and notes pinned on the wall around them. Compared to before, Lera seemed to be a lot more...proactive today. However, Wu doesn't really know what to expect.

He isn't the most experienced in matters like this back on Earth, and since coming here and spending all this time with Lera, he would be lying if he thinks their relationship is strictly friendship without any further hints of an attraction. Nor does he want to stop there, selfishly.

Lera let the warm water run through her hair, her eyes closed as the water Cast cleaned away the layers of makeup applied onto her by Ver. She tapped her fingers on her scalp, grounding herself to the present even as her heart beats louder than even the splashes of water.

She will follow her heart, and she will do what she desires. But what will Wu think? What does he want? Lera opened her eyes and looked down before turning around, the water splattering off her neck and slim back. She thought of his stares, his bright eyes under those eyebrows...she thought of his touch, the warmth from his breath, and the slight smile on his face as he lied next to her...

Will those days return, even after all that she had said? Whatever it is, she will...she will make everything clear to him. Then, it will be up for him to decide. Lera tried to steady her body despite her nervousness, and she shut off the water Cast.

When Lera returned to her room with her hair wet and body wrapped around in a towel, she caught Wu staring out of the window, her book of Cast open over his lap as he examined one of her later Casts.

"Oh, Lera...?" Wu said, turning around and seeing the outlines of Lera's body underneath the towel. He swallowed and tried to look away, but was clearly struggling to do so. Lera smirked and swung the wardrobe door open, shielding her body as she changed into a soft set of clothes.

Wu glanced towards her slightly wet ankles and feet, and his mind started wandering.

Then, she sat down next to Wu as he put the book of Cast back, "What were you looking at?"

"Void Domain." Wu said, trying to sound normal, "But it's nothing. Not really."

Lera nodded, and the two sat next to each other in silence. Their hands resting on the bed and mere inches away from another. Yet, somehow, those inches felt farther than the distance between the two continents. Lera knew what she had to do, and she knew what she wanted to do.

To get from one continent to the next, she will need to put in the work to cross that distance.

"Wu." Lera said lightly, her voice sending chills down Wu's spine as he slowly turned towards her. She crawled halfway to him, the shirt dangling off her body as her grey misty eyes looked at him. She leaned in close, her eyes widening as he locked his gaze onto hers. She glanced down, focusing instead on his luscious lips.

She wants it, and she wants it right now.

"Lera..." Wu muttered her name, but she instead leaned in and sealed her lips against his.

Like a flame setting a forest ablaze in the midst of summer, there was no stopping them from this point on. Wu's non-existence defenses were melted away in an instant, and he allowed himself to be pushed down by Lera, who wrapped her hands behind Wu's necck, her eyes shut and chest pounding, her lips warm and soft like jelly.

At that moment, Wu's mind went blank, and he wrapped his arms around Lera's body, bringing her slender frame up close and indulging in the softness and warmth. Within him, a fire started to burn, and he slowly felt his body heat up.

The kiss felt no longer than a split second, but when Lera finally released her hold on his lips, she leaned back to see a flustered Wu lying helpless on her bed, a smile lingering over his sweaty face.

"So...was that a kiss of friendship?" Wu joked as Lera giggled and shook her head.

"Wu..." Lera said, caressing her face around his chin, "I am sick of waiting...sick of lying to myself, sick of lying to you...I want to be with you. I want to fight alongside you to the end, and I want to be the only one you have on your mind..."

Wu's eyes widened, clearly surprised by her advances. However, as her words rang true, something melted inside Wu as his expressions softened even further and he tossed aside his gloves, holding onto Lera's hands with his very own, "Won't I compromise the way you fight? Won't our relationship compromise our mission?"

"No." Lera said firmly, her eyes determined as she squeezed Wu's hands tightly, "Because we will make sure that doesn't happen, together. I used that as an excuse to punish myself, and I also punished you in the process...I am sorry...Will you...still accept me, as the stupid country girl?"

Wu grinned from ear to ear, and he watched Lera as she held her breathe in anticipation as tears welled up within her beautiful eyes.

"Of course." Wu sat up, hugging his arms around her before Lera reached forward and tossed aside the straps around his clothes, “I would want nobody else.”

Then, it was the layer of his Void suit and the long black trouser. The pieces of clothing rained down onto the floor next to them, forming a small pile before Lera guided Wu's fingers to her clothes, and he slowly started to elevate it around her hips, the lines on her abdomen muscles slowly showing one by one.

"I recognize this piece." Wu said, feeling the fabric in his fingers as he feasted his eyes on Lera's body as she held him close, "You wore it on...that night."

"Oh...did I now?" Lera giggled as Wu slowly slipped the last of her clothes down the side of the bed, "It seemed like we are all really good at hurting one another from our history, right?"

"Well, maybe that's also part of the Savior Guardian relationship?" Wu joked, his fingers now feeling the muscles on Lera's back. She had been training extremely hard over the past few months, and her growth in strength showed clearly in her body. In comparison, Wu had simply maintained what he had physically, though the lines of Cast tattoos over his body somehow made his physique seem more...badass?

"Stop talking..." Lera said, her words slurring as she pulled Wu's head close and leaned in. This time, her tongue invaded into his, their breathing melding together into a singular rhythm before she shifted her weight forward, once again taking the initiative before she tossed away his shorts, the last piece of clothing on either of them, "And let me drive this time..."