Today was perfect.
Finishing the sandwich, Nephis leaned forward to pour herself some light wine. However, at that moment, Master Sunless reached forward as well, aiming for the tea kettle.
Suddenly, their faces were terribly close.
Nephis looked at his lips, thinking…
'I wonder. How soft would they feel to the touch?'
***
Sunny was enjoying the sight of Nephis consuming the food he had prepared delightedly. He did not speak much and just looked at her, feeling that the day was perfect. Everything went much better than he had anticipated. It was so blissful, in fact, that he unconsciously expected a Cursed Titan to fall on their heads out of nowhere.
Then, he had to remind himself that he wasn't Fated anymore.
'So… it will probably be fine.'
Still, his mouth was suddenly dry at the thought.
Not thinking much about anything, Sunny reached for the tea kettle.
But, at the same time, Nephis reached for the bottle of wine.
Suddenly, their faces were terribly close. It was to the point that he could feel her breath on his cheek.
The two of them remained motionless for a few moments, looking into each other's eyes. Neph's gaze was calm but also made him feel hot.
His gaze… Sunny had no idea. He felt that it was rather intense.
Her tantalizing lips were so close.
She did not exactly move, but he sensed a subtle tension in her muscles, as if she was about to lean closer.
And Sunny, he had the same idea. Slowly, he leaned in, and then their lips touched. The world around them stopped, it was as if nothing else in the world existed.
To Sunny's dismay, Nephis stopped the kiss, she covered her face with her hand. Using the other to grab hold of the bottle of wine and proceeding to drink it in its entirety.
Sunny saw her face, now almost fully red, which shocked him to his core. Well, not like he was any better, he could feel his whole body burning, and he could still feel the warmth on his lips. If there was anything he never expected to happen on this date, kissing Nephis was probably the most unlikely scenario he could think of.
And yet, it had happened, he kissed Nephis. A bright and wide smile made its way onto his face, and despite him feeling happy, he was also worried about what will come next.
The both of them were just sitting there, staring absentmindedly at the water in front of them. Except, neither registered jumping into the water to cool down as an option. Their minds raced with things they could say or even do, but they didn't do anything.
And after a few moments of being stuck in deep thoughts, Sunny finally found the courage to say something. His words, which were usually full of confidence, bravery, and a subtle hint of desire, were now full of uncertainty and even fear.
"H-how do you feel, l-lady Nephis?"
His concern was genuine, and yet, he could not bring himself to even look in her direction. He wanted to know whether what he did was right or not and if she felt the same way that he did. Considering that she hadn't left by now, Sunny took it as a good sign, or at least he hoped it meant that.
She seemed startled by his voice and choice of words. She could feel the longing in his voice and his whole being. It burned brighter than any flame she had ever seen, so much so that she could almost feel the warmth of it.
She took some time to think of what to say, it wasn't easy to do so, especially after kissing someone for the first time. Eventually, she did answer his question, just not in a way even she would expect..
"Y-yes, good, you are a good kisser."
Immediately after the words left her mouth, she closed it with both her hands. Sunny noticed from the corner of his eye that her cheeks blushed a shade of crimson he didn't know was possible. Still, it was hardly worse than what he was feeling, it was as if his whole body was on fire.
Not only that, but his body in Godgrave was on the floor, struggling to rise, with little success. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the lake in front of him was actually on fire.
***
A sound escaped the blind saints lips, it seemed as though she wasn't even trying to hide her excitement.
"YESSSS!"
The loud scream was followed by a loud thud, yet it wasn't even close to the scream from a second ago. In truth, the blind saint had been watching the spectacle unfold for quite a while, so seeing the two finally kiss had made her excited beyond belief.
However, just as she had seen it, her body instinctively jumped up out of pure joy. There was just one problem with that, it was that Cassie was supposed to be doing some paperwork and not spying on her friend. So, when she went to jump out of joy, she fell out of her chair.
With the fall, she had also accidentally cut her connection to Nephis but ultimately decided to let them have their moment. Her golden hair was sprawled across the floor, flowing like a river of gold.
A massive smile was formed on her face, and despite having a cloth covering her eyes and being blind, she still closed her eyes in hope for the best for her friend. Cassie usually closed herself off and retreated to her office to do some paperwork or make plans.
But even she needed to relieve some stress, especially after witnessing the memories of lord of the shadows. She needed time to recover and fully grasp the meaning of it, she needed to keep Nephis safe, and so much more.
So, at least being able to know that one of her goals is being closer to accomplishment lets her relieve at least some stress. And the kiss, although not what she was expecting, gave her some confidence for the future.
Now, though, she was still lying on the floor, excited for her friend and giving her at least some privacy by severing their connection. However, that may have turned out to be a bit of a problem, as in the next second, she could hear glass shattering and something making a very rough entrance into the flying citadel.
Immediately after, she reconnected herself to Nephis, who was now running towards her office. She scrambled to get up and stop her before she burned the whole tower to the ground.
[Uhh…Neph, are you okay?]
Nephis, however, didn't answer and instead broke down the door to the blind saint's office. She quickly noticed the fact that Cassie was still on the floor and immediately went to help her up, disregarding her situation for a moment.
"What happened here, Cass?"
Her voice was full of worry about her friend, after all, she should have called her for help if she had fallen. Even if such a small fall could never hurt a saint, it was still a bit of a problem for her because of her flaw.
"I was making sure the two of you were okay on your date and was a bit surprised by the kiss."
Hearing her words, Nephis seemed to remember the moment Cassie described. She let go of the blind saint in pure embarrassment and covered her bright red cheeks from sight.
"It's okay, Neph, you can tell me later. Can you help me sit down for now."
After a second of hesitation, she did so. Nephis herself sat down on a chair next to the blind saint, knowing that, if she wanted to understand her feelings, she would need her help. Even though her friend was never in a real relationship, she still somehow knew more about romance than her, so she gave credit where it was due.
"Cass, I don't know what came over me. I-I called h-him a great k-k-kisser. I don't know what to do."
Surprise came over Cassie as she heard the embarrassed saint's words, and with it came a massive smile. She was excited by the fact her friend managed to kiss Sunny, and she even called him a great kisser. However, she would still need some more information before questioning anything.
***
Sunny, on the other hand, was still on the beach, knees to his chest and both hands covering his face. If he was being honest with himself, the whole pose was a bit cliché, but he couldn't care less right now. His incarnation in Godgrave fell face first onto the cold floor and has yet to get up successfully. Meanwhile, his incarnation with rain has stopped working, and he is trying his hardest to regain composure to help his sister.
After an unknown amount of time spent trying to find a reason to get up, he finally decided to go to sleep in his bed. While he was getting up, he noticed the dress Nephis left behind lying on the ground.
With strangely elegant yet slow moves, he picked it up, folded it, and gently placed it in the picnic basket along with the blanket. He put his clothes back on and followed that with summoning the Nebulous Mantle. Rinsing the plates of food in the water, with a hopeful expression on his face.
Their date was going great, it was just the end that surprised him. The kiss and Neph's comment. They made his heart flutter, just thinking about it made him feel like he wanted more. It was a strange feeling, one he had never experienced before, granted, he was never in a relationship with anyone, so his knowledge was limited.
And yet, a certain blind saint was in almost the same situation as him, and yet she knew so much more about romance. How was that fair? He will probably have to ask her for advice, though it would have to wait, since she was most likely busy with Nephis right now.
He gathered all the things he had brought and slowly put them in the basket. Taking it in his arms and placing it in the small boat, untying the rope, and jumping in. The journey was lonely. And yet, that was precisely what Sunny needed right now, having some time to think about what he should do.
He had planned to tell Neph he was the lord of the shadows, but he just couldn't resist tasting her lips. It was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to kiss someone he held so dear. He promised Cassie that he would tell Nephis the truth, and he would keep that promise. He just required some time to sort out his mind.
So, after finally reaching the Brilliant Emphorium in the dead of night, Sunny hoped to get some rest before having to deal with the current situation. The Marvelous Mimic opened its door slowly, even retracting its fangs, which were usually out at night.
Slowly entering the dining hall, Sunny left the picnic basket on one of the tables and slowly walked away. However, Sunny deeply doubted the fact that he would be able to get even a wink of sleep tonight. And, to his dismay, he was right.
He only managed to get some sleep right before morning, he even almost overslept, waking up mere moments before Aiko came to the Emphorium. So, he slowly made his bed and dressed himself, hoping that today would be slow and uneventful, giving him some time to make up his mind.
Soon after, Aiko's voice rang out from the dining hall, just as he was finishing his routine.
"Hey boss, what should I do with the basket?"
Sunny swept his wet hair back and responded casually:
"... Ah, there are some dirty dishes inside. Give them a rinse."
Sunny quietly continued with his routine, using the gloomy shadow instead of a mirror. Needless to say, the shadow was not amused by his choice of actions.
Then, just as Sunny finishing styling his hair, his eyes opened wide before he ran down the stairs while also summoning the Nebulous Mantle. His voice resounded in the whole Emphorium, sadly it was too late.
"NO! Wait! AIKO STOP!"
The petite girl stood in the kitchen, the picnic basket floating in the air beside her. It was open, and Aiko was holding a lovely white dress in her hands.
Sunny became motionless.
"That…"
She looked at him with wide eyes and asked in a quiet voice:
"Boss… um… why did you bring a girl's dress back from your picnic?"
Sunny stammered:
"It's n—not what you think… I did not do anything!
She just ran off… without her dress… it happened that way…"
Aiko stared at the dress silently.
Her face fell into a slight frown.
"Wait a minute… these measurements…"
In the next moment, she was standing next to Sunny, poking him in the chest with her finger.
"That is Changing Star's dress! You! You debaucherous scoundrel! What did you do to Nephis? !"
Sunny softened the Onyx Shell, afraid that Aiko would bruise her finger, and pretended to reel back from her jabs.
I did nothing! We were just escaping the heat in the river… and what do you mean, scoundrel? ! Weren't you the one who encouraged me to strike while the iron was hot? !"
"When did I ever? !"
"Ouch! I don't remember! But you definitely did!"
Then, unexpectedly, the silver bell rang out across the whole Emphorium. The look on both Sunny's and Aiko's face was priceless, as they looked in shock at the person standing in the doorway.
It was Changing Star, the very woman the two were talking about. And she had a surprisingly normal, calm, and even soft expression on her face. A small smile was formed on her face at the sight of her dress, and her voice sounded far different than Sunny had thought it would, Especially after what had happened yesterday.
"Ah, so you took my dress with you. Thank you."