"Uhh, yes, I did."
There was a moment of silence before Neph's words rang out throughout the Emphorium again.
"Can I have it back?"
Aiko quickly gave her the dress back, feeling a little embarrassed by the situation. And yet, she still had a mean look in her eyes as she brushed past Sunny on the way to check the inventory of the Emphorium.
Leaving the two saints behind in the dining hall, however, neither dared to look the other in the eyes. It was quite awkward for both of them, and neither had any idea how to strike up a conversation, since neither had been in any previous relationship.
Both of them had been thinking for a few moments before anything happened, and Sunny finally found the courage to say something. His voice was different from usual, instead of confidence, there was uncertainty and even a bit of fear.
"W-would you come with me? I doubt Aiko will give us any privacy. I need to tell you something."
He said that while mostly looking at Aiko, who was peeking from behind the wall separating the kitchen and dining hall. And as he said those words, the girl looking at them quickly hid behind the wall, clearly still listening to them.
"Uh…sure."
She replied quickly, there was a surprising amount of emotion in her voice, despite her mostly calm face. Sunny slowly guided her to the stairs, too embarrassed and deep in thought to realize where he was going.
And before he knew it, he was standing back in his room, close to his bed. His eyes slowly widened as realization struck him, he turned very slowly to see Nephis behind him.
Her gaze was pointing towards the floor, her cheeks burned so fiercely she didn't dare look up. From her perspective, there was a subtle tension — as if he might just be hoping for something more beyond just a conversation.
It took Sunny a moment to finally say something, there was a hint of hesitation in his words, and it didn't help that his mind was still in disarray. Especially while thinking about what had happened yesterday.
"I, uh… invited you here to ask you something."
Nephis flinched at his words, there was a slight tension in her shoulders. However, she nodded as a sign to continue and ask what he wanted to know.
He took a deep breath, what he was about to ask was something he had pondered about for a while. There was just one thing he needed to do first, and it would hopefully be the easiest in this circumstance.
[Hey Cass, I'm sure you are watching us to make sure nothing bad is happening. Can you stop watching for a while?]
There was a moment of silence in his mind before he heard a response.
[Sure, but why do you need that.]
[She trusts you. She'd want you there. But I can't do that. I need to be the only one who knows how she really feels. Not out of pride—because I know I'm being selfish—but because I can't stand the thought of anyone else carrying that truth. It has to be mine.]
[Alright, I will leave you two alone, but please don't forget our promise. You need to tell her soon, or I will.]
Sunny wasn't sure if there was anything else he would want more than to tell Nephis the truth, she deserved it. But he was scared, he could never know how she would react to the news, and he was scared it would hurt their relationship. Especially after what had happened yesterday, how would she react to such news?
Her boyfriend suddenly revealing himself as the hermit saint of Godgrave would definitely spark a strange reaction. But then again, she seemed fond of his other incarnation, so maybe she would react positively.
Who knows, perhaps he would even earn a kiss. Yeah, like that would happen.
The whole conversation took less than a few short moments, so it was about time he asked the question. Although, while he was talking to Cassie, he had mostly neglected his surroundings and what was happening there.
So, when he finally focused and took a deep breath, getting ready to finally ask Nephis the question that had been eating him up since yesterday. He was surprised to see that she was moving toward him at quite the unexpected speed.
First, her hands landed on his cheeks, in the next moment, she planted her lips onto his. There was genuine shock in Sunny's eyes, but he didn't let it get in the way of enjoying his embrace with her.
This time, the kiss lasted more than just a few moments, and the world not only stopped around them, it stopped existing altogether. There was no distance between them, their bodies pressed tightly against each other.
There was only space for passion, nothing else, and it seemed both of them enjoyed it to the fullest. By now, Sunny's hands had found their place on Neph's body, as if they belonged there.
When it was time to let go, both of them had a look of regret in their eyes. Before too long, they realized what they had done, but there was no going back. So, instead of running away, Nephis chose to embrace her decision.
"I, um, I'm sorry if I startled you, Master Sunless. I, uh, noticed you looked a bit nervous, so I wanted to help calm you down."
She didn't look him in the eye when talking, her voice was full of embarrassment. It was far different from the amount of emotion she usually expressed. However, Sunny didn't mind at all, as long as she could smile and act as she wished, he would go to the end of the world for her.
Now, the only problem was, after the kiss, he had forgotten what question he wanted to know the answer to. It was, as if the kiss was the answer, but what was the question, then?
Slowly he sat down on the bed, it felt so soft, just like before, but Sunny couldn't pay its softness any attention. Soon, Nephis joined him, it seemed as if she was a bit surprised by the quality of the bed, but it only lasted for a moment.
The silence was almost deafening, both of them had questions, and things they wanted to say. But, neither spoke, maybe out of fear, possibly happiness, potentially even sadness that they can't continue.
Overall, it was Aiko's voice that broke through the silence, it was full of annoyance, perhaps even anger.
"Hey boss, the morning crowd is already here. Might wanna wrap it up soon."
Sunny's face fell at the realization of the current situation. He had no choice but to go and start cooking, he would have to bid Nephis farewell. Yet, there was still a positive side to this, at least Sunny wouldn't die out of embarrassment.
"Im sorry, Lady Nephis. It appears that we will have to say goodbye for now."
While Sunny was trying to escort Nephis back to her home. He was thinking about something, it was mostly just how his plan had failed. At first, he thought that keeping his feelings for Nephis would be easy, and he would be able to interact with her normally.
But, that was not going to happen, since the moment he met her in the nameless temple in godgrave, he knew his plan had shattered. And now, he was in a romantic relationship with her, and they even k-kissed.
And he was sure that she had some idea of his identity, which would bring its own problems. His main concern was mostly just trying to control himself, it was proving harder and harder to keep his humble shopkeeper persona from falling to the ground and embarrassing himself.
Unlike the Lord of shadows, he didn't have the luxury to hide somewhere he could just lay in silence while waiting for the situation to calm down. He had to use every fiber of his being from failing under the strain Nephis caused him.
***
Hearing that, Nephis suddenly felt a strange emotion deep in her heart. Knowing that she would have to leave, she felt saddened by the thought of leaving him. It was a strange feeling, when she usually felt sad, it was because she failed to do something or along those lines.
But now, just hearing that she would have to leave, made her heart ache with pain that she couldn't recognize the origin of. She tried to understand it, but regardless of what she did, she couldn't.
It took her some time, but she finally gave up, she got up from the bed unhurriedly. Trying her hardest to regain her composure, though the faint shade of pink on her cheeks was a dead give away to anyone who looked close enough.
Well, it was another thing she would have to talk to Cassie about, considering her new and improved state, it would probably be a good idea.
Finally, she said something, her voice barely above a whisper, it carried more weight than she thought it would, yet, Sunny paid it no mind.
"What was the question you were going to ask me?"
Sunny seemed to be startled by the question, it looked as if he had given up on it, and just now remembered it. His voice, which was usually carried by confidence and happiness, now sounded prouder, and full?
"It doesn't matter because... I found my answer."
The faint pink blush was all but gone now, and replacing it was a deep shade of crimson. Even Neph's ears seemed to be affected by the sudden change.
Following that, Sunny's face welcomed a bright smile, realizing Nephis had understood the implication he put behind his words.
There was a slightly awkward silence as they looked at each other, perhaps both of them wanted to say something, but just couldn't find the right words.
"Master Sunless, I'm not sure if you are aware, but there will be a war in godgrave. And I will have to leave in a week, so I am sorry to say, but we may have to part ways for some time."
Sunny's reply was quick, and carried all the necessary information.
" I was aware. However, we won't have to part ways. After all, I'm still contractually obliged to forge that sword for you, Lady Nephis."
There was a moment of silence before she nodded, seemingly in satisfaction, and delight.
"I see, then, I hope you will be okay if we go on a date there. There may not be a beach, but I'm sure we will find something."
All the while saying that, there was a satisfied look on her face, accompanied by a bright smile. Sunny was happy he could see Nephis truly happy, especially since she was happy about them.
"I would be honored to go on another date with you Lady Nephis. But please, call me Sunny, that's what everyone calls me."
"Okay, Sunny. Goodbye, I will see you later."
With that, she took a step closer to him, and planted a quick kiss on his right cheek. It felt warm, and just as she was pulling away from it, she could see his cheeks become a deep shade of crimson.
She turned around, headed toward the window, and jumped. Barely a moment later, wings of incandescent fire formed on her back, with a single flap, she was soaring the sky, headed for the Ivory tower.
With that, Sunny's unexpected meeting with Nephis, came to an end. If only he had said something in that brief moment, even if the only option would make it impossible for him to work properly today.
Saying I love you so casually was still far unreachable, but hopefully, it will get better.