Chapter 118: Sizes

Orion quietly perked up his ears as well, listening closely.

San ran his pink tongue over his lower lip, licking away a streak of melted ice cream as he delivered a sly, suggestive response. “Women like a man with a big chest and a dirty mind.”

Their vice-captain was the absolute living proof of that.

Orion stole a subtle glance down at his own torso—well, at least his was big enough.

Arden let out a disdainful snort. “Having size up top doesn’t mean a damn thing if you’re lacking down below.”

Knowing how to handle your business in bed was the real bottom line.

San blinked his fiery red eyes playfully. “Wanna put it to the test then?”

“Name the time and place!”

Rain delivered a swift smack to the back of Arden’s head. “You idiot, can you just eat your dinner in peace?”

The two young Sentinels stayed quiet—unlike the rest of the group, they technically came with a little something extra down there anyway. Quantity was its own form of victory.

In stark contrast to the conversation at that table—which was rapidly veering off the rails—the mood over at Xander’s table was infinitely more grounded.

They were pressing Kai for details about where he had been during his missing months and how he had crossed paths with Bunny in the first place.

“The dragon brought her straight to the insect nest. That was the only reason I was able to be rescued.”

Kai’s tone remained utterly calm, yet a soft, bright gleam danced deep within his eyes.

Cyrus’s voice cut through the air with a sharp follow-up question. “Did she go into that nest specifically to save you of her own accord?”

Kai raised his head, casting a look back that silently communicated: Do I look like I have any reason to lie to you?

Xander let out a sigh of admiration. “Though Bunny cries easily, she truly is remarkably brave.”

Tears were often deemed a badge of weakness, yet Bunny’s tears had never once been used as a weapon against her comrades.

Liam beamed with absolute pride. “See that? That’s my woman for you—straight-up incredible.”

Bunny went on a wild highway sprint across the radiation zone to pull off a desperate rescue of her teammate.

Kai picked up on the key term, turning his head to measure Liam up and down with a critical eye. “Your woman?”

Liam puffed out his chest proudly. “That’s right, my wife.”

Cyrus mercilessly shattered his illusion. “You’re merely bound in the mental landscape.”

Meaning they hadn’t actually slept together yet.

Liam, who had always detested Cyrus, set his fork down onto the tray and flaunted. “Getting into bed is only a matter of time anyway.”

After all, his wife had already given him permission to crawl into her bed.

Kai’s eyes darkened slightly. Looking at Liam—who bore the air of a naive, pampered rich kid—he felt genuinely perplexed.

What was so great about a barely-matured youngster like this? Did she really prefer this silly, airheaded type?

The thoughts hovered on the tip of his tongue before settling into a cool, offhand question: “Oh? Beside you, has she bound herself to any other Sentinels?”

Liam grew even more smug. “Nope. I’m the one and only.”

“Cough, cough, cough…!”

Astin, who had been quietly taking a sip of water, suddenly choked, breaking into a series of sharp coughs.

Tyr quickly reached over to pat the green-haired youth’s back, while Liam cut his eyes over at Astin with a furrowed brow. “What’s wrong with you?”

Astin struggled to keep his expression completely neutral so no one would pick up on anything amiss, shaking his head repeatedly. “Nothing… just drank too fast.”

Xander didn’t miss the subtle flash of panic that had crossed Astin’s eyes. Crossing his arms, he remained silent, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Kai felt a subtle lifting of his spirits. Not bad. She had only bound one person so far, and it was merely a spiritual link.

He still had a shot.

To be her first.

The corner of Kai’s mouth twitched upward by a microscopic fraction—a subtle movement that didn’t escape Cyrus’s razor-sharp eyes.

These old guys… every single one of them was more calculating than the last.

Kai was still far too green after all.

In the dead of night, Bunny was jolted awake by a suffocating wave of heat.

She dreamed she had plunged headfirst into a cauldron of scorching lava, with roaring, churning heatwaves continuously searing her flesh over and over again.

The heat radiated from deep within her very bones—an intense, internal baking that felt unbearable and agonizing.

It felt as though countless insects were relentlessly gnawing and devouring her bones. Hot… so unbearably hot…

It hurt so much…

Bunny fluttered her eyes open to find herself completely drenched in cold sweat, damp strands of hair clinging tightly to her neck, her cheeks flushed with a deep, seductive crimson.

She realized she was lying inside a stark white, unfamiliar single dormitory, with pure white sheets and bedding beneath her.

Yet she couldn’t care less about her surroundings—she was dying of thirst.

Tossing the blanket aside, she scrambled out of bed and made a beeline for the room’s water dispenser. Her legs felt completely like cotton, giving out after a couple of steps and sending her tumbling onto the floor.

She managed to gulp down several large cups of pure water with immense effort, but the tiny sliver of coolness evaporated the split second it slid down her throat.

Wave after wave of intense heat crashed over her, threatening to dismantle her remaining sanity.

Dragging her body back onto the bed, Bunny turned the cooling system all the way down and stripped away every piece of clothing on her body, yet it failed to offer even a shred of relief.

She weakly extended an arm toward the call button to summon help, only to flinch and pull her fingers back right before touching it.

The lingering fragment of her rational mind delivered a stark realization.

She had entered the heat cycle described in the Guide Handbook.