Ren woke up from a restful sleep, his eyes still half-closed as if wanting just a bit more slumber.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly under the dim sunlight seeping through the coarse wooden window.
The air in the room still carried the chill of early morning, mixed with the scent of old wood and the dampness from moss-covered walls, a strangely familiar sensation, as if this place had already become a part of his journey, even though he had stayed less than a full day.
The room was the same, simple, rustic with a single bed, a small wooden table by the window, and the modest furnishings of a village inn.
He stretched his limbs, his body replying with quiet creaks, then stepped off the bed.
The water in the porcelain basin was still cold, just enough to shake off the last traces of dream.
Ren quickly went through his morning routine, straightening his messy hair, putting on his armor and equipment, and fastening his sword to his waist like a reflex.
As if...even in a peaceful place like Medai Village, he was never truly allowed to let his guard down.
When he descended into the inn's main hall, the gentle aroma of hot porridge and herbal tea lingered in the air.
Soft murmurs from early-rising guests added a calm layer to the scenery, like a simple painting stretched over the quiet canvas of morning.
It wasn't crowded, but not empty either.
Strange faces, a few vague names softly exchanged in greetings, the scraping of chairs, the clink of spoons against bowls, every sound was light as breath, just enough to remind him that the world of Aincrad still turned, even if some places seemed to pause in a rare moment of peace.
Ren glanced around the hall. No sign of Yuna, nor Nautilus. Perhaps they were still asleep after a long night, or simply savoring this rare bit of calm before the turmoil of this world pulled them forward again.
He chose a table near the window, where the light was just enough, not blinding, and sat down.
The morning breeze slipped through the slightly ajar door, carrying the scent of damp earth and wild grass, prompting him to exhale slowly, quietly.
The morning in the inn was peaceful, but to Ren, there was something strange about it, not exactly unsettling, but not entirely comforting either.
As if the world around him still moved along its usual orbit, yet the core of it had shifted slightly, just enough to stir a sense of uncertainty within him.
"Morning, Ren."
The voice cut in suddenly, snapping Ren out of his thoughts. Nautilus appeared out of nowhere, sitting down on the chair beside him with a friendly smile.
No sound of a chair being pulled, no approaching footsteps, he was simply there, as if the morning had been fated to begin with that greeting.
Ren gave a small nod in response, eyes still half-narrowed with lingering drowsiness.
Meanwhile, Nautilus had already ordered his breakfast, a bowl of hot porridge and herbal tea, just like always, as if he never missed a beat in his daily rhythm.
"Where's Yuna?"
Ren asked, glancing around again to confirm that the girl was indeed not present in the hall.
Normally… Nautilus was always hovering around her. Like some freshly hired bodyguard, constantly trying to shield his charge from every danger, no matter how small.
A little excessive, but hard to fault.
Nautilus only shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "You know, girls."
Ren frowned, staying silent. He gave Nautilus a quick glance, trying to read something from his expression, but as usual, that smile of his held a hazy, half-playful air that made it hard to tell what was genuine.
"What does being a girl have to do with waking up late?" The question drifted through Ren's mind like an unspoken whisper.
Maybe it was about taking longer to get ready or simply laziness. But for Yuna, someone always trying to prove she wasn't a burden, sleeping in seemed... off.
Nautilus's brow furrowed slightly, the smile on his lips fading as he caught the confusion in Ren's eyes.
It seemed he realized his joke didn't land the way he'd hoped, and maybe had even thrown the mood slightly out of sync.
So, he began to explain, this time with a mix of sheepishness and sincerity in his tone:
"Well, you know… girls are always running late. I remember this one time, back in real life, on a school trip, the guys had to wait more than half an hour for the girls to show up.
They said it was because of makeup, hair, outfits… a whole mess of stuff."
He let out a soft laugh, almost mocking himself for bringing such a mundane example into this situation, here in Aincrad, where no one needed makeup or wardrobe decisions each morning.
Appearances were preset by data, and the clothing system changed with just a few taps.
"Still, I don't think Yuna's the type to sleep in," Nautilus added, his voice softer now, eyes drifting toward the stairs. "Maybe she's preparing something. Or… just wants a bit of space."
Then, as if prompted by something unspoken, Nautilus looked up again, trying to get a better glimpse of Ren's face beneath the ever-low hood.
But his gaze only reached as far as Ren's sharp, distant eyes and the quiet, unreadable chin below, offering no clear expression.
"You never show your real face to anyone," Nautilus murmured, his eyes unconsciously trailing over the fabric of Ren's hood that still concealed most of his face.
Then, as if trying to soften the remark, he chuckled lightly and added in a teasing tone, "I bet if you walked around without that thing, you'd get tons of admirers. Especially the older girls, jealous, really."
But the comment passed like a gentle breeze. Nautilus didn't wait for a response, he simply sighed, lowered his head, and turned his focus to breakfast.
His hands moved with practiced ease, but his gaze wasn't fully there, as if even he was surprised by what he had just said, and now was trying to shake off a vague feeling creeping into his thoughts.
Ren didn't answer right away. He only cast a brief glance at the person beside him, then looked back toward the window, where light slipped through the gaps in the curtains.
His face beneath the hood remained calm, but in his eyes flickered something like a faint smile, unclear whether it was stirred by the teasing remark, or by the distance he was keeping from the world outside.
Either way, between fleeting words and prolonged silence, perhaps Nautilus had already realized that Ren didn't hide his face out of habit or preference.
Sometimes, people hide things not to draw attention, but so that no one can see what they themselves aren't ready to face.
Ren stayed silent, but in that sideways gaze, it was as if he were listening intently, not just to the words Nautilus had spoken, but to something deeper, flowing beneath the surface of thought.
The way Nautilus spoke about Yuna… it wasn't just the clumsy concern of a green bodyguard or a boy awkwardly caring for the girl he liked. It carried a haunted hesitation, like every step was held back by fear, of hurting someone, or of being rejected by the very thing he wanted to protect.
And then, no one said anything more. The breakfast continued in silence, broken only by the soft clinking of spoons on bowls, the occasional footsteps from upstairs, and sunlight slanting quietly through the misted window frame.
They sat there, each with a small world turning in their minds, while the larger world outside kept changing, and the mere absence of a girl was enough to make each of the two boys face a quiet unease within themselves.
Aincrad had a way of stirring such silent shifts. Not with earth-shaking roars, but with silence that lingered, like a single drop falling into a still lake, rippling outward into waves.
"…What exactly is a field trip?" Ren suddenly spoke up in the stillness, his voice steady but brushing the air like a pebble falling into a calm pond.
Nautilus frowned slightly, clear surprise rising in his eyes.
He looked up at Ren, then slowly set his wooden spoon down on the table, as if to make sure he hadn't misheard. "You… don't know what a field trip is? Didn't you ever go on one at school?"
Ren didn't turn to face him. He remained as he was, eyes gazing off somewhere distant, as though trying to recall something from a blurred corner of memory. "I haven't gone to school… for a long time."
His voice was flat, without any clear emotion, but that very emptiness made the words land heavier.
The air seemed to drop a notch. Nautilus looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, didn't.
There was something in Ren's reply that made it clear this wasn't a topic to probe carelessly.
Not because Ren was angry, but because it might uncover a hollow space he himself wasn't ready to face just yet.
Nautilus quietly picked up his spoon again, stirred the remaining porridge in his bowl, and said softly, like a breeze, "Well… a field trip is when the whole class goes somewhere together.
To a park, or up a mountain, bringing food, setting up tents, lighting a campfire… Stuff like that. Not for studying, just for laughing, playing, and making memories together."
A brief silence passed. Then Nautilus smiled, as if to lift the mood that had dropped. "Sounds simple, right? But… I think it matters more than we realize. Some memories won't help you achieve anything in life, but they help you remember who you are."
Ren didn't reply, but his hand slowly clenched beneath the hem of his coat, as if holding onto something very faint, and very old.