Chapter 26 — The Idiot Finally Comes Back
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Nami's POV
Thirty days. Just thirty days. But for Nami, every single one of them had felt like a year.
She had told herself she wouldn't cry. That she was too tough, too clever, too mature to cry over one idiot who vanished without warning. But the moment she spotted that familiar figure at the horizon—walking toward the village with the sunset blazing behind him—her throat closed, her eyes blurred, and the tears fell like broken dam water.
"Idiot… idiot… IDIOT!!" she screamed, breaking into a run. Her sandals slapped the ground as she sprinted, her orange hair bouncing wildly. How dare he leave us? How dare he come back like nothing happened?
Her heart, however, didn't listen to logic. It screamed only one thing: He's back.
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Aqua's POV
Aqua had been the one waiting the most dramatically. She had rehearsed this moment in her head for days—no, weeks.
In her fantasy, Sunny would appear, the world would slow, and she would stride toward him like a goddess of fate. She imagined throwing her arms around him and planting the kiss she'd been saving. A long one. Tongue, even.
And when the real Sunny finally came into view, her plan triggered automatically. Aqua took her first step forward. Her lips trembled, her eyes softened, her whole body moved in that cinematic slow motion she was famous for.
She whispered, "Sunny…"
But before she could even reach him—
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Reality vs Fantasy
Nami streaked past her like a lightning bolt. Aqua froze mid-step, eyes wide.
"IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT!!" Nami screamed, tackling Sunny with a force that shook his chest. She buried her face in him, sobbing uncontrollably as her fists lightly pounded his sides. And then, through her tears—without hesitation—she kissed him. Hard.
The world stopped.
Aqua's jaw dropped so far it nearly hit the dirt. The dramatic goddess who had been preparing her perfect reunion scene for thirty days was now a frozen statue.
Nojiko, walking calmly behind, patted Aqua's shoulder as she passed. "Better move, goddess. The race has already started."
That little comment "unfroze" Aqua, and her face went redder than a ripe tomato.
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Nojiko's POV
Unlike her sister, Nojiko had always been calmer. But seeing Sunny return stirred something deep inside her too. She had never admitted it, but she'd missed his presence—the way his chaos filled the air like oxygen.
Walking past Aqua, she smirked knowingly, then stopped in front of Sunny. He still had Nami clinging to him like an octopus, so Nojiko simply leaned in and kissed him too. A soft, gentle kiss that contrasted Nami's fiery one.
"You kept us waiting," she whispered.
Sunny blinked, utterly frozen between both sisters.
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Belle-mère's POV
Standing in the distance, arms crossed, Belle-mère had to force herself not to cry. She had been worried—of course she had. But mothers didn't cry in front of their kids. Not unless they wanted to embarrass themselves.
Yet seeing Sunny there, alive and breathing, made her heart ache with relief. She marched forward, smacked him lightly on the head, and barked, "Don't you ever disappear on us again, brat!"
Then, softer, almost too soft for anyone to hear: "Welcome home."
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Ego & System POV
Inside Sunny's mind, {ego} and [system] were the only ones not shedding tears.
{ego}, crossing her arms, muttered like a tsundere, "Tch. Look at them. Crying all over you. Don't think this makes you special… I only worried a little, that's all. Idiot Sunny."
[system], on the other hand, was practically melting in yandere glee. "Fufufu… look how desperate they were without you. All clinging, all crying, all yours. You belong to no one but us, Sunny. Remember that."
Sunny mentally sweat-dropped. Even in his head, things were chaos.
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The Reunion
Nami still clung to him. Aqua finally broke free from her shock and leapt forward, her arms wrapping around Sunny like a drowning girl clutching driftwood.
"You stupid, stupid Sunny! Do you know how much I waited for you?!" she wailed, pressing her cheek against his chest. Then she yanked his face down and kissed him fiercely, refusing to be outdone by Nami.
Sunny staggered. He hadn't even said hello yet.
Belle-mère sighed, Nojiko laughed quietly, and Aqua and Nami immediately started glaring at each other mid-cling.
"Sunny's mine tonight!"
"Like hell he is!"
"Girls." Sunny finally spoke, voice low but steady. Everyone fell silent. He looked at each of them—their tear-stained cheeks, their desperate eyes—and felt the weight of six months of loneliness melt away.
"I'm sorry I worried you," he said. "From now on… I'll make it up to you. Each of you. I'll take you on proper dates. One by one. That's my promise."
The words struck like thunder.
Nami gasped, Aqua squealed, Nojiko smirked knowingly, and Belle-mère's lips twitched upward despite herself.
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That Night
Despite Belle-mère's half-hearted protests, the girls refused to let Sunny sleep alone.
So that night, in his room, Sunny found himself smothered under Nami, Aqua, and Nojiko—each one clingier than the next. All three had somehow convinced themselves that lingerie was the perfect "welcome back" sleepwear.
Sunny lay stiff as a board, eyes wide. His Haki could crush mountains, but nothing could prepare him for this.
Nami pressed against his left arm, mumbling in her sleep, "Idiot Sunny…"
Aqua clung to his chest like a limpet, muttering, "Mine…"
Nojiko hugged his right arm tightly, a quiet smile on her lips.
Outside the room, Belle-mère leaned against the wall, muttering to herself. "He's in for a hell of a night… serves him right."
Inside his head, {ego} sighed heavily. "Pathetic. You look ridiculous, Sunny."
[system] giggled darkly. "Fufufu… but this ridiculousness is why I love him."
Sunny closed his eyes, overwhelmed, but a smile tugged at his lips. For the first time in months, he felt home.