She's... really cute.
It wasn't a lecherous thought, but rather a genuine, almost artistic appreciation.
Did the Order actually have a Acolyte this adorable?
"..."
Ray held the pizza slice in his hand, his gaze fixed on the girl outside the glass. He hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head slightly in her direction. "So... wanna join me?"
The golden-haired girl blinked, a flicker of delight instantly brightening her porcelain-like face. She nodded eagerly.
But just as quickly, that delight seemed to be checked by some internal thought. She immediately shook her head, a hint of conflict flashing in her eyes.
"No, no... Pizza Day for this month is already over..."
"Pizza Day?"
The unfamiliar holiday name gave Ray pause. He'd been in Ragunna for a while now and had never heard of any "Pizza Day."
There was a grand festival called the Revelry, but it hadn't been held in years.
"It's... it's just... back at the orphanage, it was the one day each month we got to have pizza. Even though I don't go hungry anymore now, as a Sister, I should still practice restraint and not indulge too much... And... the pizza tasted best when we all shared it together back then."
The girl clasped her hands in front of her, her expression one of deep piety, as if explaining a sacred ritual.
Except...
Her eyes kept darting little, furtive glances at the pizza, betraying the true feelings hidden in her heart.
'I'm so hungry.'
'I've been busy since leaving the orphanage... only had a plate of green branch and laurel salad. It didn't fill me up at all...'
She pressed her lips together lightly, her eyes full of longing, reluctantly dragging her gaze away from the tantalizingly fragrant pizza.
Ray took in her whole flustered, conflicted display. In response, he simply let out a soft, resigned sigh and shook his head.
Given the complicated, often tense relationship between the Montelli family and the Order, their professional paths crossed occasionally, but Ray generally avoided personal contact with Order folks.
The Montelli family saw the Order as stubbornly old-fashioned, a heavy anchor holding Ragunna back, destined to drag the city into the abyss and leave it behind in the tides of time.
The Order, in turn, viewed the Montelli family as dangerously radical, their relentless pursuit of progress coming at the cost of eroding Ragunna's unique traditions and charm. That, they believed, would destroy the very soul of the city.
As a result, the relationship between the two was perpetually strained, sitting somewhere between frosty and outright hostile.
But none of that had anything to do with Ray.
First of all, he wasn't from Ragunna.
Secondly, he wasn't even from Solaris-3.
And lastly? He was just an employee.
Work was work. Life was life.
And besides...
Who could possibly say no to such an adorable girl?
"In that case," he said to her, "consider today my Pizza Day. Look, I ordered all this food, but my partner who was supposed to share it just vanished. It'd be a real shame to let it all go to waste."
The moment the phrase "go to waste" left his lips, the girl's expression shifted instantly to one of solemn gravity, as if confronted with a matter of great importance.
"No, no, we mustn't waste food! The Sentinel bestowed this bountiful land upon us so we may be fed. Every meal carries the Sentinel's grace and is hard-won."
"Moreover, wasting food is a deeply shameful act, a disrespect to the Sentinel's gifts, no matter where you are!"
"So then..." A lazy, faint smile touched Ray's lips. "In order to honor the Sentinel's gifts and ensure this food isn't wasted... would you care to join me, dear Sister?"
"Huh?"
The golden-haired girl blinked, a blush like the hue of fine wine instantly blooming across her lovely cheeks. She grew flustered, seeming not to know what to do with her hands.
She ducked her head slightly, her lips moving as she mumbled something completely unintelligible under her breath.
Ray could only barely catch a few fragmented words—things like "Sentinel above," "waste is bad," and "so hungry..."
After a long moment, the golden-haired girl slowly raised her head again. Her fair cheeks were now stained a deep crimson, like a brilliant sunset. She kept her eyes downcast, a look of bashful embarrassment on her face as she mumbled, "Then... then, so as not to waste the Sentinel's precious gifts, I... I..."
"Mhm, mhm, I understand perfectly. It's the Sentinel's will, of course. And besides, eating when you're hungry is the most natural thing in the world, right?" Ray said, a faintly teasing lilt in his voice as he looked at the flustered girl. For some reason, he suddenly felt an urge to gently poke fun at her.
"Would the Sentinel really want their devout follower to suffer and go hungry?"
"Then... thank you." The girl's face flushed a little deeper. She gently tugged her hat's brim down, clutching her staff tightly with both hands. Moving with the cautious grace of a young deer, she slowly entered the shop and settled lightly into the seat across from Ray.
"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself," she added softly. "I'm... Phoebe. A Acolyte of the Order of the Deep."
"Ray," he replied, a warm smile on his lips as he offered his own name. "An employee of Averardo Bank."
The moment the words "Averardo Bank" left his mouth, Phoebe's hand, which had been slowly reaching out, froze mid-air.
Her eyes widened slightly, a look of blank confusion and uncertainty filling them as she stared at Ray, momentarily at a loss.
After all, Averardo Bank was backed by the powerful Montelli family, and the feud between the Montelli family and the Order was well-known and deeply entrenched.
"It's alright, don't worry about it," Ray said gently, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a leisurely bite. A bit of cheese clung to the corner of his mouth as he continued with a reassuring smile. "I'm just an ordinary worker, clocking in and out every day. The squabbles between the Order and the families are the last thing I want to get mixed up in."
"At the end of the day, the company pays my salary, so I do my job for the company. Besides, I'm off the clock right now. Let's just enjoy the food and not think about all that troublesome stuff."
"That's... that's true," Phoebe nodded slightly, some of the tension easing from her expression. "Then... thank you, Mr. Ray.