The blushing Selene excused herself, and left the guesthouse while blushing intensely, a torrent of various emotions swirling inside of her.
Ken sat there for a moment, staring at the empty space where she'd been sitting. "Well," he muttered. "That happened."
He lay down on the bed, gaze locked on the ceiling.
"That went well." He whispered.
The next second, a pillow shifted, and something emerged from the darkness between the other bed and the wall it was stuck to.
"Did you do it?"
"AH! What the fuck? You startled me! Where did you come from? How long have you been there?"
"Huh?" Esme frowned. "You're the one who told me to hide!"
"Still, why did you have to appear like that, crawling out like a gigantic spider?"
"You're supposed to be an SSS-Rank Insect Exterminator, you know?"
"And you're supposed to be an Anti-Insect System!"
"Technically, spiders aren't insects, but they do feed on insects, which would make them anti-"
"Just shut up, alright?" Ken sighed, turning on his side to face away from Esme's bed.
She did remain silent. For a bit.
"So? Did you do it?"
"Do what?"
Esme raised an eyebrow.
"Did you do the sex?" She asked.
Ken quickly turned around to face her, staring blankly. "Obviously not."
"Obviously?" Her brows furrowed. "There was wine, lantern light, the two of you were on the same bed… Isn't that how the sex happens?"
Ken rubbed her face for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"I decided not to."
Esme stared for a bit. "You pussied out, huh?"
As much as he wanted to deny it, he really couldn't.
"I guess. Though I also didn't want it to be framed as a one-time thing."
She tilted her head, confused. "Why not?"
"What do you mean why not?"
"Why wouldn't you wat a one-time thing?"
"Because I am not an animal?"
"But you are…?"
"Are you just trying to pester me?"
"No, I mean… Humans are animals, and no animal would be against a one-time thing. They might hope for more, but they wouldn't reject that one time, since you can never truly know if it's going to be a one-time thing or not."
"You're thinking about this too much." Ken flopped back onto the bed. "Go to sleep."
Esme crawled out, stretching her limbs like a cat. "You didn't push her away because you're shy, did you?"
He groaned. "Esme. Shut up. I'm tired."
She sat cross-legged on her bed, still watching him with the wide-eyed curiosity of someone studying animal behaviour. "I'm learning," Esme whispered to herself. "Breathing… Eating… Drinking… And now… A post-failed-copulation interview."
Ken threw his last pillow at her. "Sleep."
Esme caught the pillow and hugged it like a prize. "How?"
"Close your eyes," he mumbled. "Breathe. Don't think too much."
She shut her eyes. "How does one stop thinking?"."
"Be more like an animal."
"Hm…" She peeked open one eye. "I don't think I can do that.""
"I don't know," he muttered into his blanket. "Be still, like water."
"Still like water..." She closed her eyes again. "Okay, I'll try."
Ken exhaled slowly. "Good. Keep doing that. Good night."
For a long while, the only sounds were the distant chirring of night insects. Ken's thoughts wandered. The ants, their colonies, the feast, Aria's blush, Selene's perfume.
"Ken?"
"What?" He groaned.
"What does it mean to have a Good Night?"
"Sleep well is what I meant."
"I see." Esme remained silent for just a little bit. "Ken?"
"What?"
"Don't you think this complicates things with Aria?"
"I guess it does, but Selene said it was normal for a man to have multiple women in this world."
"Uh, sure, but…"
"But?"
"I'm not sure if that includes a man having both the auntie and her niece as his women."
Ken's mind momentarily went blank.
'How did I not freaking think of that?'
His mind started racing, creating countless scenarios and possibilities.
Minutes passed like that and, eventually, Ken realized that only his System could help.
"Esme?" He called out. "Esme?"
Zzzzz-
"Fuck me." Ken cursed under his breath, and did his best to fall asleep.
***
Selene slipped quietly through her door, only to find someone waiting for her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
Selene found Aria sitting in her aunt's room, hugging her knees. Her eyes brightened immediately. "Auntie!"
Selene blinked. "Aria, it's late. Were you unable to sleep?"
"No, that's not it!" Aria sprang up, too energized to sleep. "I wanted to talk to you."
Selene removed her coat and hung it near the door. "Alright," she said softly, sitting beside her niece. "What is it?"
Aria hesitated for a bit.
She felt like Selene was the only one she could talk to about this, but it was still difficult.
"I think…" Aria fiddled with a strand of her. "I like him."
Selene pursed her lips. "Who?"
Aria moved her gaze towards her aunt.
"Ah, yes…" Selene muttered. "Ken, right?"
It was obvious, but part of her didn't want to see it.
Aria's face turned crimson and she lowered her gaze. "Yes."
Selene didn't tease. She just let Aria talk, and once she started, she couldn't stop.
"He carried me through the forest without hesitation," Aria said breathlessly. "He didn't mock me or act annoyed. And when he said he might help the village, it just… Felt like hope again." Her hand pressed against her chest. "He's amazing, don't you think?"
Selene listened quietly. She had felt that same pull herself.
Aria's question was left unanswered. Having just offered herself to him, and having just been kissed by him, Selene felt completely unable to discuss him with Aria properly.
Aria bit her lip. "I saw him dancing with you. and I… I kind of felt jealous." She scratched her head and looked away. "Sorry. I didn't mean that in a bad way."
"You're allowed to feel things," Selene said. "It was just a dance."
The aunt truly felt bad telling her that it was "just" a dance, but what else could she say now?
"I know," Aria mumbled. "I'm being stupid."
"You have a crush," Selene corrected. She tapped Aria's forehead gently. There's a difference."
"Haha, yes, I suppose." Aria chuckled before going silent.
"What is it?" Selene asked, guessing by the niece's expression that there was something else she wanted to ask. "You can tell me anything."
"Do you think…" Aria pursed her lips. "Do you think he likes me?"
It was a difficult question to ask, and to answer.
"I think so," Selene nodded, deciding to answer honestly. "I do think that he likes you."
"Y-You think?" Aria tucked her hair behind her ear shyly as she blushed. "I'm not sure…"
"Sleep," Selene said. "Tomorrow, you can think about it some more. You can even see him.. But for tonight, sleep."
Aria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She hugged her aunt quickly, warmly, then padded toward her room.
At the doorway she turned. "Auntie… Thank you."
Selene watched her go, a faint, complicated smile on her face.
Before she knew it, her fingertips were resting on her lips, right where he had kissed her a little earlier.