When Wu awoke next, Lera's lying right across from him, her big grey eyes open and staring at him. He blinked a few times and squeezed his hands around her butt, trying to make sure that it wasn't all just a wet dream of his as Lera laughed before rolling her hips side to side playfully.

"Hey, Wu Hui." She greeted, and she leaned in for a kiss. Their lips brushed against one another, and Wu felt like all of his hunger and thirst had been quenched ever so slightly by it.

"Hey." Wu responded, "Lera Huten."

He caressed Lera's back, though it felt a little sticky from the drying of their shared sweats.

"I know this may be sacrilegious, but...you want to shower? Together?" Wu asked, his fingers touching Lera's shoulders and feeling her muscles.

"I had just cleaned myself up before, you know~" Lera turned and sat up.

“Doesn’t hurt to stay clean. I want to be besides you forever, but not while sticky." Wu traced her figure as she sat by the bed.

"Aww...now you are honest." Lera tilted her head back and grinned, "You should have told me that on the island~"

"Well! I wanted to respect your boundaries!" Wu said, protesting.

"I know..." Lera turned around and reached a hand to him, "and the fact that you still love me after all of that...makes me very happy."

The shower cubicle was extremely spatious when either Wu and Lera were each individually using it, but when they both went in there, it was filled up right away.

"Right..." Wu murmured from right behind Lera's ear, and his light voice started making her body heat up again as Wu pressed his hands onto the walls on either side of hers, "This thing is a lot smaller than what I remembered..."

"Hey!" Lera turned around and planted her hands on her hips, "What you trying to say about me?!"

Seeing Wu's face freeze, Lera let out a laugh and pinched him lightly in the face as the warm water rained down onto their heads. Showering by yourself is a life skill, but showering with your lover is a treat, if done right. Fortunately, the water Cast can indeed be moved overhead, and Wu and Lera was able to enjoy a fair split of water with one another.

Inevitably, Wu's hands found themselves around Lera's body even as she insisted to be the one washing for him. However, with the people both washing one another, their hands simply ended up being in the way of one another.

"Gosh...let me through first!" Lera protested, as Wu rubbed her shoulders when she is trying to wash his hair. Then, as the bubble foamed up over Wu's eyes, he accidentally wacked her straight across the boobs before he gave up and submitted to Lera's leadership.

Perhaps fortunately for Wu, he didn't get too excited during the shower and started yawning right away the moment they stepped out from the warmth, their bodies briefly covered in towels as they ran back into Lera's room.

"Come here~" Lera said, lying down and reaching both hands towards Wu after hanging up her towel. Wu swallowed hard, and he dived straight into her embrace.

The two cuddled, feeling refreshed after that shower as Lera played with Wu's fingers while he smelled her hair.

"This is really nice..." Lera said, her touch following the tattoo lines on Wu's chest, "I...wish we can be like this forever..."

"Is that a promise?" Wu smirked, and Lera looked up at him with a smile of mystery.

"Maybe~"

That was when Wu's stomach growled even louder than before. Well...if there is a Cast that makes food, then they could probably really stay here like this much longer.

"You just had to do it now..." Lera shook her head with amusement before she massaged Wu's tummy, "Let's get some food then."

"I mean...we can come right back here, right?" Wu asked, and Lera nodded before kissing him lightly on the cheek and getting off.

They were able to head out after another ten minutes of Wu struggling to get out of bed. Though by then, the Night of Love was already in full swing at the Cultural Festival. There were far more crowds around than before, and every single one of the stalls was opened late into the night as the Union got ready for the annual firework display. There were specially placed projection Casts all over the Academy playing relaxing music from the Eternal Xia, and that immediately puts on a mood of relaxation around.

Wu and Lera poked their suspicious heads out, and the floating streets between the layers of exhibits in the sky were filled with couples with their hands held and fingers locked. They should be able to fit in just fine...supposedly.

"You want to go find the others?" Lera asked, grabbing onto Wu's arm and hugging it before they hopped on the chariot.

"No...not really." Wu said and turned towards Lera, "This one...I want to spend it with you."

Lera's face lit up, and her eyes formed into a pair of cute curves before she kissed Wu on the cheek, rewarding him for her favorite answer.

Heading up to the level where all of the food stalls were, Wu and Lera both immediately realized how naive they were to think that they can just come out on the Night of Love and be able to get some food right away. There are long queues formed for almost every single one of the stalls as the students scrambled to keep things in order. Pushing past the crowds, they were barely able to move further inwards when suddenly, Wu heard a familiar voice call out from the back.

"Wu! Wu! Is that you?!" Ita Leodora, the now leader of the Ville College called from way behind the crowds as she jumped up and down over the table and waved her hands at him. Wu raised his eyebrow slightly before Lera squeezed his arm and followed him towards Ville college's stall.

That's when Wu realized that the long queues filled with people all originated from this stall!

"What's...what's going on here?" Wu asked, as Ita hugged him briefly before noticing the locked arms between him and Lera. She froze briefly before putting on a smile nonetheless.

"We hosted a cooking competition!" Ita said, her voice broken from all of the shoutings over the past few days, though the lingering smile on her face showed how proud she is with what the tiny college was able to accomplish, "It was a huge hit! And now everyone wants to try the winning dishes!"

"That's amazing!" Lera said as Ita nodded before gesturing for them to follow her towards the back.

"The winning dishes are fine...but nobody seemed interested in the losing dish..." Ita said as Wu and Lera walked through rows of hardworking students whipping up the dishes according to the recipes and lead by the individual contestants.

"Well...if it's food...we will take anything at this point..." Wu murmured when Ita turned a corner and showed the two a pot of potato stew.

"No way..." Lera's jaws dropped before she looked towards Ita, "That's the LOSING DISH?!"

"...Apparently, it's was too normal..." Ita sighed, "Can't satisfy everybody."

"But it will for sure satisfy us." Wu smiled, noticing Lera's excessive swallowing before handing Ita a ticket and a head pat, "it is great seeing you."

"You too." Ita winked towards Wu, "Enjoy the Night of Love~"

"ITA!" Olivia's voice called from the storefront, and Ita waved a goodbye towards Wu before leaping towards her, leaving the two of them with the pot with delicious-smelling potato stew.

"Well?" Wu shrugged, "Want to take it back?"

"I thought you would never ask." Lera said, her fingers whirling and casting a Lightning Cast on the pot before she picked it up with one hand.

Then, when they enjoyed the meal back in her room, the fireworks lit up the night sky outside as Principal Khan commenced the start of the annual fireworks show for the Night of Love. As lines of Cast filled the night sky before intricately elegant patterns decorated the dark curtain above, the crowd’s cheers echoed through the entire academy, and everyone took a moment to stop and look above.

At this moment, everyone here is truly united with one purpose in mind, mesmerized by the light show put on personally through Principal Khan's incredible Casts.

"Wu, close your eyes." Lera said, putting the bowl down before Wu turned, and their lips met. It tasted like salt and potato stew, and Wu couldn't help but laugh as a piece of potato was launched out from his mouth onto the bed.

"Oh...hahaha!" Wu leaned back as Lera picked up the piece from the sheets, "So...sorry..."

"I thought that was pretty romantic..." Lera sighed, "They said those that kiss when the fireworks start will stay together forever..."

"Is that so?" Wu smiled, then he jumped towards Lera, pressing her onto the bed before he devoured her lips.

"Hey! Watch the pot!" Lera said, pointing towards the bowl that was dangling by the edge of the bed, threatening to pour onto the floor when Wu caught it with one of his toes.

Kinda gross, not gonna lie. Wu watched the bowl nervously before he turned towards Lera, and she clenched her fist before bonking him lightly on the head and chuckling.

"Sorry..." Wu scratched his head, "Now you are seeing this side of me..."

"It's okay..." Lera said, putting the bowl instead on the table before hugging Wu to her chest, "That's the side of you I like to see..."

"You know...with your worries about our relationship...there is in fact a modern solution from my world." Wu said, his chin resting on Lera's stomach, "It's called respecting each other's boundaries, where we are professional and get down to business when we need to be, and we can be lovey-dovey when it's just us...It's like...compartmentalization."

"That's a long word...But I remember that’s what the Cast professor said."

"It just means...keeping each part of our lives somewhat independent." Wu said, looking at Lera, "That allows us to both be Savior and Guardian and a couple, without those two affecting each other too much..."

"Can that really work?" Lera asked, her hands reaching under Wu's shirt and feeling his body.

"It might take some figuring out, and we might make some mistakes here and there...but we can make it work." Wu said with firm optimism, and there's the usual cool Wu that Lera saw countless times before, "We can make it work together."

"Aww..." Lera smiled before reaching her hands downward and gripping onto Wu's little thing, "Then before we get all 'professional', let's get crazy tonight~"

Wu's eyes widened, and he sighed before leaning down to kiss Lera. How can he stay calm after she said things like that...