"Uaa..." Drool slipped from Sunny's mouth and splattered onto the pavement. He greedily grabbed the water bottle Cassie handed him and drank like a man crawling out of the desert.
He was squatting on the ground, knees trembling, still reeling from the roller coaster. Nephis was beside him, rubbing his back with a hint of pity—though her face betrayed more amusement than concern.
Next to them, Avi lay flat on her back, arms sprawled, dazed.
"For all your bravado, Sunny..." Avi drawled at the clouds. "You are so pathetic..."
Juliet and Cassie stood a few feet away, smirking far too smugly for Sunny's taste.
"Shut up," Sunny groaned, glaring at Avi. "You're in the same state as me."
"Yeah," Avi giggled weakly. "But at least I didn't scream like a banshee the entire time."
"Liar! You were crying for your sister!"
"It was emotional support!"
Nephis, still rubbing his back, tilted her head. "I was like that once. When I was small. It was my first time as well."
Sunny raised a brow. "You were small?"
"...Yes."
Avi snorted. And then, as if remembering something, turned toward Juliet...
"I trusted you," she whispered up at Juliet's amused gaze. "I believed in you, Big Sis Juliet... betrayal hurts."
"Aww, what are you talking about, Avi? Your Big Sis wouldn't have let anything happen to you, you know... It was Sunny whom I hoped would have fallen off..."
A happy "Really!?".
And an indignant "What!?".
"Yep." She bent down and cradled her head. "Oh, my precious Avi..."
"My precious Big Sis..." Avi snuggled into her chest.
Sunny was staring aghast at such blatant difference in treatment...
Wait!! Wait!! Wait!... What's with the difference in treatment... I remember I was her brother as well. Why am I being abandoned...
"Don't worry Sunny, I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."
Came Nephis's voice. Sunny turned towards her beautiful expressionless face saying such romantic words without being aware of them, truly Sunny's heart was taken.
Ah, truly she was Sunny's knight in shining armor—well, shining white hair.
hmm, why does something seems wrong here...
.
.
.
WAIT WAIT!?...I AM THE MAN HERE!!!!!!!!!
Wasn't he supposed to be the knight in shining armor here,
Well more like he would be a hiding rat in shadows, but anyways...
A while later, they decided to visit the haunted house. Despite their earlier breakdown, both Sunny and Avi walked in like seasoned warriors. No flinching, no fear. Their stoic expressions almost made the whole thing boring.
That is, until Nephis flinched at the sudden movement of a spectral puppet, lost her footing and leapt onto Sunny in a blur.
Thud!
They crashed to the ground, with Nephis landing on top of him—straddling his waist, her hands on his chest, face mere inches from his.
The air went dead silent.
Juliet stared. Avi's mouth dropped open.
Cassie coughed lightly. "Well... that escalated."
Nephis blinked down at Sunny, her pale face flushing slightly. Her gaze bore deeply into his, as she continued to scan his face, his pale skin, his cute nose, his striking eyes and above all...his delicious looking lips...
.
.
.
She suddenly shook her head strongly but made no effort to move. Too taken by the situation—and, well, it might even have something to do with the fact that the boy she had fallen on was none other than Sunny.
It might.
Not like Sunny was faring any better. His brain had already started overclocking from the implications...
'Pure thoughts, Sunless. Pure thoughts.'
It didn't help. Her soft... body was pressing against his in more places than he cared to count. Yeah. Best not to talk about it. Or think. Or breathe.
"Uh," Sunny managed, trying very hard not to combust on the spot.
"My bad," Nephis said, somehow her voice sounded perfectly and completely calm.
A little too calm, perhaps.
"...Are you planning to get off or...?"
"Eventually."
That's not the right answer.
Avi let out a loud wolf whistle from behind.
"Damn, I didn't know you were so bold, Neph! Did I misjudge you?"
Cassie leaned in and spoke directly into Nephis's ear with mock seriousness after they both had gotten up. "Oh my... Should we give you two some space?"
Nephis turned crimson and immediately ducked her head, clearly flustered. "I-It was a misstep."
"A misstep that lasted thirty full seconds?" Cassie whispered slyly.
But...
From that moment on, Nephis stuck to Sunny like glue. Through the rest of the haunted house, she clung to his sleeve—quiet, but ever-present. Every shadow that shifted, every sudden noise or actor jumping from a corner, her grip tightened.
They walked the winding paths as a group, but Nephis never let go. And whenever she tried to create distance, another haunted shriek or cleverly timed illusion would make her latch onto him all over again.
Sunny, for his part, didn't say anything. Since he was too preoccupied on focusing to not focus on the body tightly clinging to his side.
Nephis's hair feel so soft, too soft...wait!? she has short hair, then...what am I feeling on my arms!?...
His face?
It was red.
Pure scarlet red.
More so since Nephis wasn't aware of what she was doing, too afraid of the ghosts and illusions and too embarrassed that she is clinging like a parasite to Sunny.
Juliet and Avi were having the time of their lives watching them. Cassie too was snickering the whole way, whispering, "Lovers in the dark…" just loud enough for Sunny to hear.
He really wished the haunted house had been actually terrifying. Maybe then his pounding heart would've had a better excuse.
After the haunted house, which proved to be a nightmare for Sunny, for reasons which had nothing to do with the Haunted house itself.
They were now standing in front of a food stall, eating what Sunny had just learned were called Momos.
Cute little steamed dumplings, white and fluffy, filled with a spicy veggie mix and served with a sauce that burned on the way down but left a warm feeling in the chest. Surprisingly satisfying. He hadn't expected them to be this good.
"The pics came out so nice," Juliet remarked casually as she pulled out a small, metallic device from her coat pocket. "Especially Sunny's expressions…"
It looked like a small camera, but it gleamed faintly in a way that only high-grade Spell-tech did. Sleek, matte finish. Lightweight. Inconspicuous. But deadly in the wrong hands. It was clearly still a prototype.
Spelltech-imbued materials. Dream Realm alloys. Image capture cores made of soul core crystal.
It looked tiny, but it was no less powerful than a cinematic-grade filming camera.
"…Where did you get that?" Sunny narrowed his eyes. "No — when did you even take my photos? And what do you mean my expressions?"
He was really at the end of his rope today.
And somehow, everyone seemed determined to make it worse.
Juliet didn't answer right away. She just smirked and scrolled through the gallery display projected in her palm.
"When you weren't looking, obviously," she said sweetly. "See? Look how well this one turned out…"
The image expanded.
Sunny's mouth was open way too wide, distorted by the air pressure as the roller coaster plunged down its loop. His face was a frozen mix of fear, regret, and betrayal — like a man caught in the final seconds before divine judgment.
"Give me that," he snapped and lunged.
But he was just a novice Sleeper, while Juliet was one of the strongest Ascended currently, the outcome was obvious.
Juliet moved her hand a millimeter to the left. Effortless.
Sunny's fingers snatched at empty air.
Smack.
A light flick on his forehead sent him reeling back. "Ah —!"
Juliet didn't even look at him. "Careful. You almost made me delete the good one."
"I will burn your whole house down."
Juliet raised an eyebrow. "You'll try."
"I will succeed."
"Oh? Do you want to see the one where you almost cried?"
"I did not cry."
"I have a video."
Sunny gave up and slumped, groaning into his cup of sauce.
"I'm putting them all up," Juliet announced proudly, scrolling through her collection like a royal flipping through war trophies. "Every single one. On my wall."
There were plenty of them — Avi and Sunny screaming in full sync, Cassie bent over in hysterical laughter, Nephis in a faintly victorious pose at the peak of the roller coaster with that subtle, otherworldly smile on her face.
There was one of Juliet grinning down at Sunny's terrified form like a predator enjoying a good meal.
Then came the haunted house pictures.
Nephis on top of Sunny, eyes wide, mouths slightly open, the moment frozen just as they'd stared at each other in stunned silence. Then a whole series of Nephis clutching his sleeve, following him like a ghost with a faint blush on her face.
"I look ridiculous," Sunny muttered, still nursing his pride.
"True," Avi added brightly. "But I look worse, so you're fine."
"I wasn't talking to you."
"You never do. But I'm always right."
Nephis peeked at the haunted house photos, then quickly looked away, her cheeks tinting red. Sunny, catching her reaction, glanced back down at the same photo and looked away too.
Both said nothing. Both went very red.
Cassie just smiled and leaned closer, listening as Avi launched into another retelling of Sunny's scream from the roller coaster. Cassie couldn't see the photos, but her Memory preserved everything in pristine detail.
She would remember this forever.
Not just the pictures.
The laughter. The sounds. The warmth of it all.
Juliet, standing just behind them, allowed herself to relax.
Just for a moment.
But then… she noticed something.
A shadow. Shifting at the edge of the alleyway, near the back side of the stall. Just far enough that no one would notice. But she did.
She sighed quietly.
'Well… not unexpected.'
Her smile faded as her eyes narrowed. She took a quiet step back, letting the group chatter without her for a second longer.
Some people just didn't know when to stop.
And some didn't understand what it meant to threaten hers.