QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)

Chapter 408:

Daphne

I row the tiny boat alongside Lorelei as she swims.

The moon is trying its best, casting pale silver light across the water, but the waves are dark—ink—swallowing the glow before it can reach the depths. The sky is clear. The stars are bright. But the water is black.

It is not hard for me to see, though.

My panther eyesight cuts through the darkness like a blade through silk. I can see the rocks beneath the surface, the fish darting through the currents, the faint glow of bioluminescence drifting in the deep.

The only annoying thing is the constant rocking.

Back and forth. Side to side. The waves lift the boat and drop it, lift it and drop it, over and over and over.

Being on The Bunny has spoiled me. The anti-shock upgrades have made me forget what the sea actually feels like.

I stop rowing.

Lorelei surfaces beside me.

Her dark hair floats on the water,spread wide around her shoulders, catching the moonlight in strands of silver and blue.

Her skin is practically reflecting the moonlight,water drips from her lashes. From her lips. From the curve of her jaw.

She looks at me.

And I understand men who jump into the sea.

I understand why ships crash against rocks and crews drown in the dark.

Because she is beautiful.

Not in the way paintings are beautiful. Not in the way jewels or sunsets or music are beautiful.

She is beautiful the way the sea is beautiful.

She cannot speak in this form. Her lips part, but only that soft, humming sound emerges instead.

She swims toward the boat.

Her elbows rest on the edge of the hull.I can see the faint gills on her neck this close. They flutter slightly, opening and closing with each breath.

She looks at me.

I understand.

I shrug off my boots. They land on the deck with a soft thud.

My coat follows. The leather is cold, stiff from the sea air. I drape it over the seat.

The egg.

I wrap it carefully in a blanket and tuck it under the bow, wedging it between the hull and the seat so it will not roll. The egg pulses softly. The light glows through the fabric.

Safe, I think. You are safe.

I turn around.

She is gone.

"Lorelei?" I lean over the edge of the boat, searching the dark water. "Lorelei?"

Nothing.

Then—

She surfaces directly in front of me.

Her face is inches from mine.

She reaches up.

Her cold fingers cup my face.

She pulls me toward her.

Her lips meet mine.

The kiss is soft at first, before going deeper and I don’t have time to react before her hands move.

They slide to the back of my neck. Her fingers tangle in my hair and she pulls my body into the water.

The boat rocks behind me as I let myself be dragged into the water.

The water is so cold.It soaks through my clothes, clings to my skin, fills my ears and my nose and my lungs.

But we do not break apart.

I pull her closer.

My hands find her waist, feeling where skin turns to scale. The texture is strange...smooth, then rough, then smooth again—like nothing I have ever touched.

I want to keep kissing her forever.

But unlike Lorelei, I am a land animal.

I need air.

I reluctantly pull away.

Her hands slip from my hair., the water rushes between us and I swim to the surface.

I break through the water with a gasp. The night air is cold against my wet face, my wet shirt, my wet lungs.

I lean against the boat.

The wood is rough beneath my palms.Lorelei surfaces beside me.

I run my fingers through my hair, pulling it away from my face. The strands are heavy, wet, clinging to my skin. I push them back and motion for her to come closer.

She swims toward me.

The water ripples around her.I grab the back of her neck.

I pull her toward me.

I kiss her.

The freezing cold is forgotten.

Her hands find my shoulders. Her fingers dig into my wet shirt. She pulls herself closer, pressing her body against mine, her tail curling around my legs beneath the water.

I kiss her deeper.

She kisses me back.

***

Lorelei

I like this.

Kissing.

It is so intimate. So romantic. I did not know humans could create such warmth with just their mouths.

She is so warm.

I love it.

Her skin is hot against my cold fingers. Her lips are soft against mine.I cannot help myself.

I pull her closer.

She comes willingly.

Her hands are on my waist, my back, my heart.She pulls away.

She kisses my jaw.

Then my neck.

My body trembles.

I immediately pull away.

I shift to human form. My tail splits into legs.I press my hand to my neck, covering the place where her lips were.

"Do not do that," I say.

She looks at me, surprised.

"My neck," I say. "It is sensitive."

She blinks.

"Sensitive?"

"Yes."

"Sensitive bad or sensitive good?"

I think about it.

"I do not know," I say. "It felt weird."

"Okay." She nods. "I will not do it again."

She reaches out.

Her fingers brush the wet strands from my face in a gentle, careful, tender way. She tucks my hair behind my ears.

Then she kisses my forehead.

That kiss feels different.

Not the weird from kissing lips. Not the strange, overwhelming sensation of her mouth on my neck.

This one spreads warmth inside me.

Like the sun.

I touch my forehead.

"What was that?" I ask.

She tilts her head.

"A kiss."

"I know it was a kiss. Why did it feel different?"

She pauses.

"Different kisses have different meanings," she says.

I tilt my head.

She kisses my forehead again.

"This means," she says, "I love you. I care about you. I respect you."

She kisses my nose.

"This means I think you are very cute and adorable."

I wrinkle my nose.

I do not know if I like being called adorable.

But I like the kiss.

She kisses my lips, gently.

"This means," she says, "I am in love with you."

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