Sunny stared for a few seconds at the mental projection of his Flaw. The Jiminy Cricket stood on the desk before him, leaning on its cane, watching Sunny with a smug look and a mocking grin after having posed the fateful question.
Finally, Sunny snorted, followed by a genuine, spirited laugh. "Ahahaha!"
The Cricket looked bewildered by his reaction. <
Calming his laughter and wiping a stray tear from his eye, Sunny turned back to him. 'Of all the things you could ask me, why this?'
The Cricket shrugged. <
Sunny blinked. 'Let me get this straight... for you, "lately" means the last four hours since I woke up, and "a lot" equals at least five?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Then, he let out a resigned sigh. 'If you're asking me that,' he explained, 'it's because you still haven't realized what kind of person I am. I am shameless and, frankly, quite lustful. If I were even a bit more unprincipled, you'd see me walking around with seven girls, one for each hand.' He sighed again, deeper and more resigned this time.
During his First Nightmare, to his immense chagrin, Sunny had discovered that he was someone easily swayed by the charms of the fairer sex. It had been a massive blow to his pride.
In his mind, he had imagined himself as a temple—a monolith capable of looking straight ahead while others drowned in their earthly desires. Instead... he was exactly the opposite.
There's nothing wrong with harboring these kinds of desires, but in a world where the first false move could put an end to your life, this frivolous nature of his risks costing him dearly.
'I must absolutely correct this bad temper of mine before things get out of hand.' He thought, running a hand in shame over his face.
<
'Tell me about it!' Sunny groaned, massaging his temples and shivering at the thought of what Eva and Ava would have done to him. 'If they had waited just a couple more days, the twins would have given me a Shadow Surprise I'd never forget.'
A faint, melancholic smile reappeared on his face at the memory of Eva and Ava who had always stayed by his side during his tenure at the Shadow Temple. The smile vanished quickly as he remembered their tragic death and his failure to prevent it.
'Look,' Sunny picked up the pen again. 'For now, let's just say I'll try to bond with Cassie during this time. I wouldn't mind teasing her a bit, like I usually do with Jet. Especially because... this Cassie is so sweet, so alive—she's nothing like the hollow shell she became in the future.'
<
'What about Nephis? If she turns out to be more pleasant as a person, we might as well become friends. Otherwise, we'll each go our own way. For the moment, I'll try to avoid romantic entanglements and focus more on...' "Ah... Ahi! Aaah!"
Tired of being constantly ignored, Thene decided to punish her Master. Sneaking up on him, she began pinching and pulling his cheeks from behind, pressing her generous chest against his back as she pouted angrily.
Sunny saw the Jiminy Cricket stifling a chuckle, covering its mouth with one hand. <
***
Several minutes later...
To earn his Shadow's forgiveness, Sunny had struck a deal with Thene: he agreed to lie on his back on the bed while she used his chest as a pillow.
Currently, Myriad Shade was curled up on top of him over the crumpled blankets, rubbing her left cheek against his chest right over his heart, absorbing every bit of warmth his heartbeat emanated. She dozed peacefully while he absentmindedly stroked her smooth, dark hair with his right hand.
Meanwhile, using his left hand, Sunny browsed the internet on his communicator, scrolling through the web to see if there were any news or interesting things to read.
As for the paper containing all his plans and reasonings, he had disposed of it like a top-secret document; he'd torn it into a thousand tiny pieces, throwing half into the room's bin while saving the rest to be dumped later in the Academy's cafeteria.
'Mmh... let's see if any interesting Novels have been released recently.' He mused while scrolling.
'A Moment of Freakness...
The World needs its Blowtorch...
Foreign Fodder...
Shadow Slaver: both the Gods and the Daemons want me to continue their lineage by impregnating their descendants? Who am I to refuse?'
They all seemed like promising works. Sunny would surely find time to read them later.
Suddenly...
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Both Sunny and Myriad Shade snapped their heads toward the door. Thene pouted again, outraged that someone dared to ruin her moment of cuddling and ready to banish the culprit's shadow straight to the Shadow Realm.
'Who could it be? The Spanish Inquisition?' Sunny wondered.
<
Sunny stood up to see who it was. Thene, meanwhile, dissolved into the surrounding darkness and hid within his shadow.
As he walked toward the door, activating his Shadow Sense, he recognized a well-known shadow standing before his threshold.
'No way! It's not possible! How in the Spell did she know where I was staying?'
Opening the door without ceremony, Sunny found himself face-to-face with a black-haired girl sporting a blue braid and eyes that sat somewhere between the deep blue of the sea and the cloudless azure of the sky.
"The interview sessions are about to begin," Yuki told flatly, standing before him stiff and composed like an ice sculpture.
Sunny blinked. "Ehm... excuse me, but how the hell did you know where I stayed?"
Then he paused, realizing. 'Wait a minute. Did Yuki just manage to formulate an entire sentence? What happened?' He looked at the Jiminy Cricket perched on his right shoulder, who—thankfully—had ditched the red outfit and returned to its usual tuxedo, top hat, and walking stick.
The Cricket shrugged. <> he mused, scratching his head for answers.
Yuki didn't answer. Having informed him of the impending interviews, she turned and headed toward the designated hall without haste or adding another word.
"No, wait! Come back! How the hell did you know where I was?" Sunny pleaded, locking behind his bedroom door in a hurry and trailing after her.
***
The cafeteria was filled with the hum of laughter and the general chatter of Sleepers, all eager to learn the ranking results and gossiping about who would prevail over whom.
The rich aroma of food wafting from the kitchen seemed to soothe the anxious minds of the young Awakened, who were finally allowing themselves to relax after the initial stress of their arrival.
Sunny moved through the hall with a tray piled high, weaving between tables with a natural ease. As he passed, he noted that the other Aspirants had already begun forming their social circles. He spotted Caster among the high-ranking Legacies; a certain silver-haired girl eating alone with her eyes glued to her communicator, headphones clamped over her ears; and another Sleeper surrounded by girls, one of whom was actually feeding him while another doted on him with a napkin.
He also recognized that strange fellow who had earlier asked him—only the dead Gods know why—to step on him.
'What did he say his name was? Markus, if I recall. Eating alone, of course. Not surprising, given the impression he made earlier.'
The Jiminy Cricket hissed in agreement. <
As he walked, his onyx eyes landed on a blind girl with golden hair sitting by herself, her caretaker nearby assisting her.
Putting on a sincere smile, Sunny walked straight towards her.
"Hello, young lady. I was looking for a lovely blonde girl with two beautiful blue eyes. Do you happen to know where I might find her?" Sunny asked with a smirk and not an ounce of shame as he reached the table.
Cassie tilted her head toward the sound of his voice. Her smile was like a sudden ray of sunlight.
"Mmh... who knows?" she replied, placing a finger under her chin in mock reflection. "I've heard a little street thug behaved rather rudely and chased her away."
Her caretaker, meanwhile, had retreated into the background, covering her mouth to hide a giggle while enjoying their interactions.
Judging by her grin, Cassie felt she had triumphed in their little war of words, but soon her lips curved into a pout. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she felt the warmth of Sunny's hand gently stroking her hair once more.
"Why are you petting me again?" Cassie squeaked.
Sunny let out a teasing chuckle, even though she couldn't see it. "Because you're far too cute when you smile." His answer made her flush even harder. Her heart skipped a beat, and a strange, pleasant warmth began to bloom in her chest.
"So, what are you having, Cassie?" Sunny asked, taking a seat beside her.
Cassie turned her gaze toward her plate. "Spaghetti and meatballs. And you?"
"Being a man of great appetite, I took a bit of everything from the buffet. As for dessert, well..." Sunny shot Cassie a look that she didn't fail to notice despite her blindness.
"D-don't make indecent proposals!" Cassie stammered, shrinking into herself from embarrassment while her heart raced like a wild thing.
"Oh? I was just thinking about the panna cotta, but if you had something else to suggest, I'm all ears."
Cassie let out another tiny squeak, grumbling to herself as she refocused on her meal. However, deep down, she felt an immense, bubbling happiness—the happiness of no longer being alone.
After a while, she turned back to him, her expression softening into something more somber. "Sunny?"
"Mh-mh?" Sunny, mid-bite, swallowed quickly and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Tell me."
"Do you really think my Aspect has potential?" In her blue eyes lay a sea of hope, flickering against a storm of fears.
"Of course it does," Sunny replied without a second thought. "Earlier, you mentioned your Aspect gives you affinity with Fate and Revelation, right? That's incredibly powerful. Being able to see the future implies you have the power to change it, if you wish."
'Or become its puppet,' he added mentally.
Sunny hadn't forgotten that Cassie could see both the past and the future, nor was he oblivious to the abilities she would unlock later. But to prevent her from spiraling into despair and slowly lose herself, he chose his words carefully, weaving a shield of confidence for her.
Confidence was the one thing she lacked most—the one thing that, if missing, would make her a slave to her own powers once again.
A faint smile appeared on her small red lips. "Okay," Cassie nodded, her resolve strengthening. "Then I'll do my best."
She spoke with newfound conviction, though Sunny's Shadow sense could perceive that the "third eye" in her shadow was still damp with unshed tears.
They returned to their meal in peace, enjoying each other's company, until a third figure approached the table.