Nephis felt something hard against her cheek—a firm, impenetrable surface. It was like she had collided with a wall made of the toughest concrete in existence. But that was the problem... what had she collided with?
The contrast between the soft, cushion-like surface she knew so well and this unyielding "wall" was too stark. It didn't make sense. Annoyed by the confusion, she opened her eyes, prepared for anything.
A monstrous nightmare creature?
A corrupt horror?
Or... maybe she wasn't that far off.
Because what she found was an ascended tyrant.
Well, not exactly.
The "impenetrable wall" was Sunny's abdomen.
Of course, who else but him?
Nephis sighed.
She still didn't understand how this kept happening. Sunny was supposed to be the one sleeping in her lap, not the other way around. And yet, somehow, they always ended up in a different position than the one they had fallen asleep in.
This couldn't just be a coincidence.
One of these days, she should stay awake just to see why this kept happening.
Although... that would ruin some of the magic. So, she dismissed the idea.
Back to the important part—her theory was confirmed. The "impenetrable concrete wall" was Sunny's abdomen, and the "comfortable pillow" under her head... was her own lap.
She had already suspected as much.
Sunny, on the other hand, looked completely undisturbed. As if nothing in the world could bother him. His face was peaceful, his breathing steady, and his hand rested close to hers.
Nephis observed the scene with curiosity.
Or rather, she made sure everyone else was still asleep.
Because she had an idea.
She glanced back at Sunny's abdomen.
No one else was awake.
Well... except for Sunny's shadows.
Glomy and Happy stood on watch, but those two were her friends. There shouldn't be a problem.
Nephis had always considered herself a curious person. Since childhood, her curiosity had led her to explore all kinds of knowledge—complex and refined combat techniques, various ways to kill, the art of the sword.
She also enjoyed music, though she had never tried playing an instrument.
Maybe someday.
From time to time, she had been curious about human emotions—ones she struggled to understand. Making friends, smiling, socializing... she had always been terrible at those.
Though, in the end, she hadn't done too badly.
But today...
Today, she was curious about human anatomy.
So, like any curious person, she decided to explore.
This wasn't the first time.
After all, she and Sunny had crossed that line long ago.
But back then, her mind had been occupied with too many other things.
Now... though she still felt a hint of nervousness, everything was calmer.
Nephis lifted Sunny's shirt/armor slightly and let her fingers trace over his porcelain-like skin.
The sensation was immediate.
Sunny's skin had always been unique.
Soft and delicate, almost like that of a porcelain doll.
As she understood it, it was thanks to an aspect or armor—something that also explained his unusual paleness.
She felt the muscles beneath her fingers, how they tensed and relaxed with each breath, shifting naturally under her touch.
It was a pleasant sensation.
Her hand glided over his torso, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest.
That spot was warm.
She kept exploring.
Her fingers moved along his ribs, noticing the firmness in that area.
Then his hips.
Smaller than hers, yet somehow even harder than his toned abdomen.
Nephis continued exploring, her curiosity guiding each movement.
Her hand slid over Sunny's abdomen again, tracing slow, deliberate circles as she took in the firm contours of his athletic body.
How could she describe it?
Enlightening?
It felt like she was learning more about anatomy than she ever had before.
And beyond that...
She liked it.
The contact felt good.
Sunny remained completely still, his breathing slow and deep, lost in a peaceful sleep. He didn't react to her touch, and Nephis assumed he wouldn't mind.
After all, she wasn't doing anything wrong.
So she continued.
At first, her touches were gentle, almost ghostly, barely applying any pressure. She was a little nervous and didn't want to wake him.
But now, with the nerves fading, she allowed herself to feel more, explore more.
Now, her hand was no longer just gliding over his skin.
Her movements became firmer, tracing small circles over his porcelain-like surface, as if she were giving him a soft massage.
She surprised herself by enjoying the sensation.
The warmth of Sunny's skin seeped into her fingertips, a different kind of warmth, comforting. His muscles subtly tensed and relaxed with each breath, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm.
She didn't stop.
She didn't want to.
She wasn't sure how long she had been lost in this quiet exploration, but at some point, her hand had slowly wandered upward, resting delicately against Sunny's collarbone, as if it had always belonged there.
And then, another idea came to her.
She was still... upset with him.
Not exactly upset.
Jealous?
That feeling was so foreign to her that she wasn't entirely sure.
And it was absurd.
What had happened with Jet had just been a joke, something that occurred long before she and Sunny even knew each other.
But even so... as his girlfriend, didn't she have the right to be a little upset?
Jet was beautiful—not just in the way all Transcendents were, but in her own unique way.
Nephis had never been one to evaluate the beauty of other women, but she had to admit it.
Jet had a powerful presence, an unshakable confidence that very few Ascended—even Saints—could match. She was like a force of nature, a wild beast in her element.
And she had those eyes.
Blue. Cold. Piercing.
Rare and striking.
Of course, they couldn't compare to gray eyes, but...
It wasn't a competition to begin with.
Jet was more like...
An older sister to Sunny?
Yes, probably.
That's why they understood each other so well.
That's why their connection seemed so natural.
At first, Nephis had felt a tiny spark of jealousy seeing how easily they spoke and understood one another. But then she had understood.
They both came from the outskirts.
They had grown up in that hostile, merciless world. They had felt the same hunger, the same desperation.
It was only natural that they shared a bond.
So she didn't need to worry about Jet.
Just about Beast Master.
...
No, Nephis definitely didn't think that.
But maybe her subconscious did.
Because somehow, her hand reacted before her mind could stop it.
And it landed in the worst place possible.
Her fingers slid down to Sunny's hips, and before she even realized it, she had grabbed him firmly, giving him a small squeeze.
A firm touch.
Enough to probably wake him up.
She watched as Sunny slowly began to move, his body lazily straightening while his dark lashes trembled slightly with each blink.
For a brief moment, Nephis hesitated.
Then, she made a decision.
Sunny deserved a real punishment.
So she leaned in.
Dangerously close to his neck.
And...
She left a mark.
Her lips and teeth brushed against Sunny's pale skin, leaving behind a reddish imprint.
Nephis had read about this in a novel some time ago and decided to replicate it. It wasn't exactly practical, but according to the story, it was supposed to have a certain effect.
And as if fate wanted to prove her right, she soon understood why the female protagonist in that novel had been teased after doing it.
When she saw the mark on Sunny's neck, something inside her shifted.
It was a new sensation.
Similar to happiness, but different.
Was it lust?
No...
It was something deeper.
Seeing that mark on his skin—a mark made solely by her—filled her with a strange sense of satisfaction.
It wasn't the kind of authority that a Master had over their vassal, a type of power she sincerely despised.
It was something else.
A sense of belonging.
Nephis didn't know how to explain it.
But in short...
She had just learned how to mark her black teddy bear so no one else would try to steal him.
—
The afternoon passed naturally.
Well, as naturally as this cursed desert allowed.
At some point, she noticed Sunny stepping away towards a reflection.
From what she understood, he had a conversation with Mordret, the bastard of Valor.
He had found another Nightmare Seed.
At first, Sunny was reluctant. He had always been wary when it came to Mordret. She never really understood why.
After all, he had already faced his second Nightmare with him.
And while it had been a hassle for the cohort to have a lunatic among them—one they weren't sure wouldn't try to kill them in their sleep—in the end, they had survived.
Now, they were heading toward the Nightmare Seed.
And to her slight amusement, Nephis watched as each member of the cohort reacted in their own unique way upon noticing the mark on Sunny's neck.
Which, by the way...
He still hadn't realized was there.
That only lasted a few more minutes.
Until she heard his voice in her head.
[Nephis... what did you do?]
Nephis blinked, her mind processing the question.
She wasn't sure what had betrayed her first.
Was it her own smile, shining brighter than ever, unknowingly forming on her lips?
Only comparable to that one time when Sunny had asked about her hair color.
Or was it Sunny's shadows, always meddling, always betraying him without mercy?
Whatever the answer was, there was no escape now.
So she did the only thing she could at this moment.
[Me? I didn't do anything.]