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Emilia smiled as she slid onto the older girl's lap, snuggling affectionately. "It's because I both trust and like Noelle that I'm so intimate. I wouldn't be like this with those who I don't consider worth it."
Resting her chin on the older girl's shoulder, she grinned. "Anyway, I really don't mind being chewed up, but it's forbidden to spit me out!"
Noelle looked like she had been frozen stiff, though whether it was because her little boss had crawled onto her lap like that, or her absurd statement, even she had no idea.
In the end, she could only sigh in exasperation. "Really, you're so… oh, whatever! What do you even mean by those you consider 'worth it'? Don't tell me it's something stupid like 'cuteness factor of over eight points'?"
Emilia looked away shyly. "W-Well, there's more to it than that. But I guess it all comes down to how I feel about someone?"
The older girl gulped as she stared at her delicate earlobe that was barely an inch from her lips. "T-That's it?"
Emilia squirmed. "N-No, well, they also have to get along with all of my other friends."
Noelle belatedly realized that letting the girl crawl on her lap might not have been the best position to question her on embarrassing topics. "A-And?"
Emilia seemed to finally get over her embarrassment, making a fist in the air as she looked back into her eyes, full of passion. "The cuteness factor cannot be just eight points! It has to be a full ten out of ten!"
Noelle couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You're telling me all the little girlfriends you've gathered meet those criteria?"
The younger girl nodded, the serious look in her eyes making Noelle think that she must really mean it, absurd as it was. "Of course! In my eyes, all of them have their own unique charm, and are the cutest version of themselves, ten out of ten!"
Noelle frowned. "I don't get it… what does that even mean?"
Emilia bit her lip in thought, as if wondering how to explain it properly. "W-Well, I believe that a girl is the cutest only when she believes in herself, and freely chases after her dreams. Well, it's true for boys too, I guess, but I'm not interested in them."
These dreams can change, but Emilia believed that as long as one dared to dream, one had the potential to shine.
Noelle's eyes were now firmly glued to the soft lips that she could press by leaning just a couple inches forward, and she realized that there was now a desperate need to distract herself. "O-Okay, t-then here's a little test for you. Do you know the dreams of your little girlfriends? T-Tell me one by one."
In her mind, Noelle thought that nothing could clear the rapidly developing ambiguous atmosphere around them than an awkward conversation about other girls' dreams, but she soon realized that she had ended up underestimating Emilia's bullheadedness.
The younger girl settled herself into a more comfortable position on her lap, shuffling till her thighs firmly stuck to either side of Noelle's waist as she leaned forward to embrace her, her cheek pressed against the gray-haired girl's as Emilia rested her chin on the older girl's shoulder.
Clearly, she was preparing for a long, leisurely conversation, leaving Noelle completely dumbfounded.
Unaware of the intense regret in Noelle's mind, Emilia sighed in contentment. "Well, I know some, and I can guess the rest. You know my Dixie? My dearest knight must obviously dream of being the strongest she can be so she can always protect me."
Noelle could feel the pride in her tone, and she couldn't help but be a little jealous of the girl who always stuck by the side of her little boss unless she was sent away.
Emilia smiled as she continued. "And Crystal, my little angel dreams of one day standing by my side with her own ability, and proving to everyone that she's worthy."
The younger girl paused. "And… she also has a true heart for justice, so maybe once she has achieved her first dream, she will use it to enforce her ideals wherever she can. Of course, I will support her if possible, but we might have a few conflicts… I hope she will understand me."
Noelle wasn't very familiar with Crystal aside from a little superficial knowledge, but that hardly mattered as she hesitantly placed her hands on Emilia's slim waist, and breathed a silent sigh of relief when the girl didn't react strangely.
Anyway, if Emilia could make herself comfortable on her lap, why couldn't she do the same? It was just right!
Emilia smiled. "As for my big sister… well, I'm sure you've felt that she's changed recently. Her dream… I think you should be able to see it for yourself."
Noelle's distracted thoughts converged a little as she nodded. In fact, she did feel that Sam had been a little strange recently.
This girl's intuition… was sharper than she thought.
Emilia didn't say it out loud, but she thought that Samantha's dream now must be to one day lead the White Deer to a height that no one would dare to threaten her little sister, even in their dreams.
Although Sam never said so, Emilia knew that the girl was deeply hurt by the fact that they would have been unable to protect Danielle, and even themselves, had it not been for her intervention.
She had always done what she had to, but now Samantha really worked hard to lead White Deer forward, no matter how she complained about it to Noelle day and night.
Aside from that one date with Emilia, she had completely set her hobbies and leisure activities aside to focus fully on the company's development.
And despite her complaints whenever Noelle increased her workload, the first one to get mad when someone tried to reduce it was herself, though it was disguised as 'how dare you doubt my ability' and 'I'll show you', Noelle knew her well enough to be able to tell her true feelings by now.
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