The soft chime above the door rang as someone moved within the store, but neither of them noticed immediately. The air between them was still recovering from that shared bite, the sudden closeness leaving a lingering, sweet tension.
Sora sat with a straight back, her face still warm as she desperately tried to rebuild her composure. Null, meanwhile, looked suspiciously calm for someone who had just escalated things so smoothly.
"This is your fault," Sora muttered under her breath.
"I'll take partial responsibility."
"Partial?"
"Seventy percent yours, I'd say."
"How is that even—?!"
"Oh my, what an adorable pair," a gentle, amused voice drifted in.
They both froze simultaneously. Sora turned first, her sky-blue eyes widening. "Mama Lunaria?"
Standing beside their table was an elegant woman in her late twenties with loosely tied, honey-colored hair. Her gentle eyes held a sharp, perceptive warmth. She was the owner of the shop and someone Sora knew very well—and, right now, very unfortunately well.
"Fufu~" Mama Lunaria placed a hand on her cheek, her smile deepening. "I was wondering why my dear Sora hadn't visited in a few days... and now I find you here on a date."
Sora's brain stalled. "W-We are not—!"
Mama Lunaria didn't let her finish, gently patting Sora's head with teasing affection. "Oh my, oh my~ My little Sora has grown up so much, even bringing her boyfriend here now..."
"M-Mama Lunaria—!!" Sora combusted, her face turning a shade of red that rivaled the core of Null's crimson tart. "That is a misunderstanding!"
Mama Lunaria hummed, unconvinced. Her gaze drifted down to the two desserts, the spoons, and back up. "Is that so? Then I suppose I imagined the 'feeding each other' part?"
"..."
"..."
Sora slowly turned her head toward Null.
"You," she whispered, her voice stammering. "This is really your fault."
Null raised a hand. "In my defense—"
"There is no defense."
"Fair."
Mama Lunaria giggled softly before looking at Null more carefully, her gaze thorough but not hostile. "So. This is the one who managed to steal my Sora's attention."
"Mama Lunaria..." Sora's expression mortified.
Null met the owner's eyes calmly. "I wouldn't say 'steal.' More like... mutually acquired."
Mama Lunaria blinked, then laughed out loud. "Oh my~ he's bold."
"Unfortunately so," Sora muttered.
Leaning a little closer to Null, Mama Lunaria's eyes turned sharp and protective. "Take good care of her."
The playful tone was gone, replaced by a quiet weight. Null didn't hesitate or smirk. "I intend to," he said honestly.
Mama Lunaria's expression softened. "Good." She patted Sora's head one last time. "You chose well."
"I didn't choose anything!"
"Of course, of course~"
As Sora kept protesting, the shop owner leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a low, private whisper meant only for the Saintess. "Tell me, Sora... is this boy the summoned otherworlder under your supervision?"
Sora froze, the embarrassment instantly replaced by a sudden gravity. She glanced briefly at Null, then back. "Yes."
Mama Lunaria straightened up slowly, her eyes tracking Null with a thoughtful expression. "I see... So that's how it is," she murmured under her breath. "That little elf girl must have seen something anomalous in this boy to keep him under the Sanctum's direct watch..."
Sora stayed silent. She understood the weight of those words because, deep down, she felt that exact same anomaly—that strange, irresistible pull.
"Eh~?" a bright, playful voice cut in from the side. "Soraaa?"
Another joined. "Wait—is that really you?"
Sora's shoulders tensed as quick, familiar footsteps approached.
Four figures in the shop's waitress uniforms surrounded the table. "Ryun. Sera. Oope. Gisa..." Sora muttered, barely maintaining her grip on her voice.
Ryun, a short blonde elf with sharp eyes, observant eyes. She didn't say much. She simply gave Sora a nod of familiarity.
Next, a blue-haired girl named Sera leaned forward with a massive grin. "No way... Sora actually brought someone."
"And not just someone," Oope, a brown-haired catgirl, chimed in as her tail swayed with exhilaration. She shot a slow glance at Null. "A very good-looking someone."
"We are not—" Sora started.
"Boyfriend, right?" Sera cut in.
"We are not—!"
"Ahhh, so he is your boyfriend."
"HE IS NOT—!"
Oope giggled behind her hand. "She's denying it this hard... that means it's serious."
"It does not mean that!" Sora was officially unraveling again.
Behind the trio, a short, round dwarf girl named Gisarika fidgeted nervously, her cheeks pink. "T-They... look... really nice together...".
"Gisa..." Sora groaned.
"S-Sorry!" Gisa shrank back, flustered. "I-I didn't mean—!"
Sera leaned casually against the table. "So? When did this happen? And why weren't we informed?"
"And how far has it gone?" Oope added.
"THAT IS NOT A QUESTION YOU SHOULD ASK!" Sora snapped, her face burning.
Ryun crossed her arms and delivered a blunt, devastating blow: "He suits you."
Sora looked betrayed. "Ryun... you too...?"
Null watched the entire performance, a faint smile creeping onto his lips. "You seem popular," he noted lightly.
Sora shot him a venomous look. "This is not the time for commentary."
"I disagree. This is extremely informative regarding your social network."
"THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS IS—!"
Mama Lunaria clapped her hands gently, thoroughly enjoying the show. "Alright, alright~ Don't overwhelm her too much. It's her first date, after all."
Sora died internally. "MAMA LUNARIA—!!!"
The entire group burst into laughter, even Ryun showed a hint of amusement. Sora sat there with her composure entirely shattered, her heart racing wildly. Yet, looking at Null leaning back with that same quiet smile, a small, stubborn part of her heart whispered that this chaotic, alive moment wasn't bad at all. Not when he was right beside her.
-
The little storm eventually passed into casual chatter, and Null handled the introductions with unsettling ease. By the time they stood up to leave, Sora was still faintly red, trying to salvage what remained of her dignity.
"Come again, Soraaa~" Sera waved.
"Next time when bringing him, inform us earlier, so we can prepare something special for couples!" Oope called out.
"Ignore them," Sora exhilarated her brisk pace.
Null quietly followed with an unreadable expression.
Mama Lunaria simply waved them off, her smile holding a quiet, warm approval. "Take care, you two."
The shop door chimed behind them, soft and final, as they stepped back out into Lumeris.
The night had shifted. The sky had deepened into a rich twilight blue, making the street lanterns and magical lights shimmer like fallen stars woven into the city's veins. The air felt cooler, calmer, and distinctly more intimate as they walked side by side.
Eventually, they reached the Skybridge—a long, elevated pathway suspended open to the night between two towering structures. Below them, the city glowed like a vast sea of flickering stars. Up here, it was quiet, almost sacred, with only a gentle, cool wind brushing past.
Sora slowed to a stop, her gaze drifting outward. "It's beautiful."
Null stepped up beside her, looking out over the railing. "Yeah. It is."
His eyes didn't stay on the city for long. He turned to look at her. Sora didn't notice immediately, her hands resting lightly on the cold metal as the city lights reflected faintly in her eyes.
"I come here sometimes," she said quietly. "When I want to think."
Null leaned his back against the railing. "About?"
"Everything," she expressed.
He nodded. "Makes sense."
The silence settled between them, heavy with expectation. Sora's fingers tightened on the railing.
"Null-san," Sora kept her eyes fixed on the horizon. "What are we?"
The question landed quietly, but its weight was undeniable. Null didn't deflect, and he didn't joke. For once, he let the quiet stretch before he straightened up, his gaze drifting back out toward the distant lights.
"I don't know," he answered, completely unfiltered.
Sora's fingers curled slightly. "I see."
"But I do know this," Null's hand came to rest near hers on the railing. "What I feel when I'm around you... is real. It's not something I'm imitating, forcing, or even understanding. But it's there."
Sora finally turned her head, her sky-blue eyes meeting his dark white ones.
"I feel it too," she whispered, her voice steady despite the raw admission. "That strange connection. That familiarity. It scares me."
Null didn't look surprised. "Yeah. Same."
"I thought it was just me," she murmured, a faint tremble in her breath as she lifted a hand lightly to her chest. "Experiencing this unexplainable, soulful feeling... like something inside me recognized you before I even understood why. It didn't make sense. It still doesn't. But it felt right."
Almost instinctively, they both looked away. Holding that level of vulnerability felt like too much, too soon.
"When I'm with you," Null said softly, a fragile sincerity breaking through his usual detached facade, "I don't feel like I'm pretending to exist. Not even a little bit. Do you understand what that means for someone like me?"
"Yes," she said quietly. She understood far more than he realized.
"Maybe," The words lingered in the cool air, "we're not something that needs a name yet. Maybe we're just two people who found each other."
Null smiled faintly. "I feel the same way."
Sora lowered her eyes slightly. "In this world, connections are often bound by duty, roles, and expectations. Very few are chosen freely."
Null glanced at her. "And this?"
She hesitated for a split second. Then, her sky-blue irises flared with a deep, cyan intensity. "This feels like something I chose and committed myself to before I was even aware of who I am. Even if I don't understand it."
Before null could reply, a heavy thud echoed right behind them.