The mansion was silent that night, the only sound being the soft hum of the magical enchantments maintaining the temperature. After Euphyne had practically inhaled his dinner and retreated to his room to dream of gold and glory, Elphyete and I had turned in as well. The quiet of the room and the weight of the day's spar with Aria made sleep come easily.
When I first opened my eyes the next morning, the room was bathed in the soft, blue-grey light of dawn. I felt a strange, heavy warmth pressing against my chest and legs. I blinked, coming fully awake, only to realize that Elphyete was no longer on her side of the bed.
She was sprawled directly on top of me, her head tucked neatly under my chin and her arms wrapped loosely around my torso. Her breathing was slow and deep, her long elf ears twitching occasionally in her sleep. It seemed that despite her composed and shy nature during the day, she was a chaotic, restless sleeper.
I froze. I didn't dare to move a single muscle, afraid that even a slight shift would wake her and make things awkward. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, acutely aware of the weight of her body and the soft scent of wildflowers that always seemed to follow her.
A few minutes passed before I felt her stir. She let out a small, drowsy mumble and nuzzled closer before her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was staring directly at my chest for a few seconds, her mind clearly foggy from sleep, before she realized exactly where she was.
The transformation was instant. The blood rushed to her face and the tips of her ears so fast I thought she might actually steam. She scrambled backward, nearly falling off the edge of the bed in her haste to untangle herself from the blankets.
"M-morning..." she squeaked, her voice two octaves higher than usual. She wouldn't even look at me, her gaze fixed firmly on her own trembling hands as she tried to smooth out her hair.
The silence in the room was thick with her embarrassment, though she didn't move to leave the bed just yet, her ears still glowing a brilliant, unmistakable red in the morning light.
"Morning, Elphyete..." I muttered.
I tried to shift my weight and plant my elbows to stand up, but Elphyete's grip tightened. "Stay..." she said, her voice small but firm. "We don't have to hurry cause there's no school."
She moved closer and hugged me properly, her head resting against me. "Besides... I like it here," she added, the words coming out so quietly they were almost lost in the room.
My mind went completely blank. I felt a rush of heat hit my face, a mix of confusion and deep embarrassment. I didn't know how to react, so I just turned my head to the side, staring at the far wall to avoid her gaze. "Oh... ok," I managed to get out.
We stayed like that for a long time. The morning light grew stronger, filling the room, but the mansion remained quiet. I could feel the steady rhythm of her breathing, and slowly, the initial shock in my head began to settle into a strange, quiet calm. There were no spirits to fight, no mana to worry about, and no one watching us.
Eventually, the silence was broken by the sound of a door slamming down the hall, followed by the heavy, rhythmic thud of footsteps.
"THE SUN IS UP AND SO AM I!" Euphyne's voice bellowed from the hallway, vibrating through the door. "ELPHYETE! SOGHA! I REQUIRE NOURISHMENT TO FUEL MY GLORY! TO THE KITCHEN!"
Elphyete stiffened and slowly pulled away, her ears turning a bright, unmistakable red as she sat up. She looked at the blankets, refusing to make eye contact. "I... I'll go make breakfast," she whispered.
She scrambled out of the bed and hurried toward the door, passing Euphyne in the hall who was already talking about how much he wanted eggs. I stayed there for a moment, staring at the ceiling and trying to get my heart rate back to normal before I finally got up to join them.
When I got downstairs, Euphyne was already at the table, tapping his fork impatiently. Elphyete was at the stove, her back to us, her movements a bit more frantic than usual. We ate, and as soon as he was done, Euphyne headed out to the backyard to start his own training.
I helped Elphyete with the dishes, and once the kitchen was clean, we found ourselves standing in the quiet living room.
"So," I said, looking at her. "First day of the break. What do you want to do?"
She stopped for a minute, her hands hovering over the counter as her ears turned a deep red. She stood there in silence before she finally whispered, "Come here."
I walked over to her, and as I got close, she leaned in and whispered, "I just wanna spend more time with you."
I felt the heat rush to my face. I looked away, scratching my cheek in embarrassment. "You already spend time with me all the time," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
She thought for a moment, her ears staying bright red. "Let's go on a trip to the market and go to a restaurant," she said, her voice small but determined. "Just the two of us."
"Isn't that a da—"
"It's between friends!" she interrupted instantly, her face turning even redder than before.
"Fine," I said.
Hearing that, she seemed to turn an even deeper shade of red. She moved faster, her hands blurring as she started cooking at a frantic pace. We ate quickly once the food was ready. As soon as he finished his last bite, Euphyne stood up and announced that he'd be training in his room. "Don't bother me!" he shouted as he ran upstairs, leaving the two of us alone in the quiet kitchen.
After the sound of his door slamming shut echoed through the house, Elphyete slowly put down her fork. She still wouldn't look at me directly, her focus entirely on the table.
"I'll... I'll go get ready," she said, her ears still twitching with that vivid red color. She hurried out of the kitchen toward her room.
I stayed at the table for a moment, clearing the rest of the plates. My mind was still a bit confused, but I started getting ready too, grabbing my coat and making sure my mother's necklace was tucked securely under my shirt.
A few minutes later, we met by the front door. She had changed into something more casual than her school uniform, and though she was trying to look composed, she was still fidgeting with her sleeves.
"Ready?" I asked.
She nodded quickly, her gaze low. "Ready."
We stepped out of the mansion and started the walk toward the city market. The air was cool, and for the first time, we were walking together without Euphyne's loud commentary or the pressure of the university hanging over us.
The walk toward the market district was different from our usual hurried pace to the university. The cobblestone streets were lined with shops housed in ancient stone buildings, their signs creaking softly in the breeze. As we moved further away from the quiet of the mansion, the sounds of the city began to swell—the distant ringing of a blacksmith's hammer, the calls of street vendors, and the faint, rhythmic hum of the floating lanterns that would light up after dusk.
While we were walking, I noticed Elphyete's hand hovering near mine. She was moving hesitantly, her fingers twitching as if she were debating something internally. Finally, she reached out slowly and asked in a voice so soft I almost missed it, "Let's hold hands..."
I looked down at her and shrugged, not seeing any reason to refuse. "Why not?" I said, reaching out and closing my fingers around hers.
The moment our hands met, I felt her whole body go rigid for a split second. I figured she must be scared of something—maybe the dense crowds of the market were making her anxious, or she was worried about running into one of the other "Stars" while we were out. Her hand was small and warm, but as we walked, I noticed the color of her face changing. She went from her usual pale complexion to a red so deep it surpassed any apple I had ever seen.
I chuckled a bit, finding her reaction to a simple walk through the city surprisingly intense. "You're really worked up over a crowd, huh?" I teased gently.
But then, I saw it—faint wisps of actual steam were starting to rise from the tips of her ears. My amusement instantly turned to genuine panic. Her hand felt like it was starting to burn. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, stopping dead in the middle of the walkway.
She didn't answer, her eyes darting around wildly. I reached out, gently lifting her bangs to clear her forehead, and leaned in. I pressed my forehead directly against hers to check her temperature. Her skin was scorching, the heat radiating off her in waves that I could feel against my own face.
"You're heating up," I said, my voice tight with concern. "You've got a massive fever."
"It's... it's just the weather," she stammered, though the breeze blowing through the street was actually quite chilly. She looked like she was on the verge of melting right there on the cobblestones.
I wasn't going to let her collapse in the middle of a busy thoroughfare. Without another word, I shifted my stance and scooped her up into a princess carry. She let out a tiny, muffled squeak and immediately slammed her hands over her face, curling into a ball in my arms. She was so embarrassed she seemed to be trying to disappear entirely, but her ears were still glowing that brilliant, fiery red.
"Let's go somewhere that isn't hot first," I said, my focus entirely on finding her some shade and a place to sit.
I took off at a run, my boots striking the stone with heavy, purposeful thuds. Even without my Body Enhanced State, I moved with a speed that made the passing stalls and shoppers a blur. I ignored the confused looks from the people we passed, weaving through the crowd until I spotted a restaurant with thick stone walls and a wide, open-air terrace that looked cool and inviting. I burst through the entrance, the sudden drop in temperature from the shaded interior hitting us like a wave of relief.
I looked for the most secluded table in the corner, near a window where a draft was blowing in, and carefully set her down in a chair.