The five of them were cruising again inside the sleek, black PTV. It hummed smoothly across the empty mid-day roads, the sharp hiss of air parting around its body the only sound besides the occasional chuckle or shifting seat.
The sun was high overhead now, casting a brilliant white-gold light through the tinted windows. Despite the cold, that light brought a strange kind of warmth — not just in temperature, but in feeling. Cozy and bright.
But for Sunny?
Peace was not what he felt.
He sat there, arms crossed, frowning at Juliet like a man about to be led to the executioner's block.
Apparently, they were on the way to somewhere. Juliet's words. Somewhere she claimed he'd enjoy very much.
And for the seventh time now, he asked:
"Where are we going?"
"For the seventh time now…" Juliet replied in that same mischievous, too-sweet voice, "somewhere you'll enjoy very much."
Sunny scowled. "I really don't like the way you're saying that."
She smiled, all teeth.
"Worse," Sunny muttered, looking out the window, "I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about this."
"Why are you singling me out anyway? Won't the others enjoy it too?"
He sounded like he was actually whining now.
Juliet didn't even flinch. "Just shut up and wait. It's going to be really nice. Hmph."
That "hmph" was dangerous. It had plans.
And to make things worse—
"You know where we're going, don't you?" Sunny turned sharply to Avi, who was grinning like she was hiding gold behind her teeth.
"Of course I do. Genius Avi knows everything." she said smugly, resting her chin on her fists and kicking her legs lightly.
Sunny narrowed his eyes. The dread was building.
Whatever this "somewhere" was…He had a feeling it was going to be very, very bad for his dignity.
Juliet's voice rang out again.
"Now that I do think about it, I suppose we are going to enjoy it very much as well."
Sunny's palms were sweating.
This wasn't just "bad for his dignity" anymore.
This was threat level: dignity annihilation.
Juliet's eyes were still on him. Not just looking — no, she was studying him. Like a tailor about to make something custom. Or worse, like a predator who had decided exactly how she was going to play with her food before biting its head off.
"Right, girls?" Juliet asked again, this time in a sing-song voice.
"Neph will definitely enjoy it," she added with a wink that made Sunny's soul try to leave his body.
Nephis didn't answer. But that didn't matter.
Because she was red. The faintest, barest dusting of blush on her pale cheeks — but for Nephis, who barely reacted to being thrown at death regularly, this was practically screaming.
She wasn't looking at him.
Not at all.
Sunny squinted at her. Narrowed eyes. Betrayal.
Cassie wasn't much better — clearly trying to disappear into her scarf. Head down. Shoulders tight.
And Avi? Oh, Avi was grinning like the little chaos goblin she was, feet swinging and eyes glowing like she had just caught a bug and was wondering how to mess with it the most.
It didn't help that the scenery was not helping.
Urban roads had long vanished. Now the PTV was gliding smoothly along a path surrounded by trees and gentle hills. No buildings. No people. Just nature. Untouched. Secluded.
Exactly the kind of place you'd drag someone to if you were planning something deeply, deeply questionable.
"What if they just abandon me here?" Sunny muttered to himself. "Or worse…"
He glanced at the girls again.
Kill him?
No. That'd be too easy.
They were probably planning to break him.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Publicly.
"Wait a second." Sunny straightened up. "Juliet. Where are you taking me?"
Juliet gave him a too-sweet smile. "A surprise, Sunless."
"I don't like surprises," he deadpanned. "The last time, the roller coaster almost tookmy life. "
"That's on you Sunny, but I am sure you'll love this one."
That...sounded like a lie.
A big one.
Nephis seemed to be deeply thinking about something. As she suddenly looked at him and then continued to stare at him for the next few seconds, with a dreamy look and wonder in her eyes.
She immediately turned her head, when he looked back, but...she continued to steal glances at him.
why's she looking like that, and less at my face, more so at my body...what's wrong with my clothes???
and...
why are you constantly stealing glances at my lips.
And the way Nephis stole a glance at him, then quickly looked away — face now even redder — told him one thing clearly:
He was doomed.
Sunny sighed, and just looked ahead, knowing he isn't gonna get anything out of it.
A few minutes later they were in a really secluded and dense area.
And a few minutes later, Sunny learned a PTV can hold a lot more then just people.
Sunny squinted hard as Juliet dragged the third thing out of the PTV.
A tent.
Okay, fine. Maybe they were camping?
Then came… a cooler box. Full of food, apparently. Reasonable. Not bad.
And then—
Clothes.
A whole bag.
She flung it casually onto the ground.
Sunny stared at it like it was a live bomb.
"Wait. Clothes? Why clothes? Who the hell needs extra clothes here? We're not staying the night, are we??"
"Maybe we are," Juliet said sweetly, brushing imaginary dust off her coat.
Sunny blinked.
Avi leaned in beside him, whispering conspiratorially, "Relax, it's not like we're gonna strip you or anything."
She paused.
Then grinned.
"Yet."
What.
Sunny immediately took three steps back, eyes narrowed like a cornered animal.
"You all need help," he muttered. "You're a gang of lunatics."
Avi gasped, fake offended. "Big sis! Did you hear that?! Sunny thinks we're insane! Can you believe this slander!?"
Juliet didn't even blink. "He's not wrong."
Cassie was sitting on a rock nearby, trying to suppress a laugh.
And Nephis…?
Sunny glanced toward her — cautiously.
She was standing quietly at the edge of the group, arms folded, watching him. But when their eyes met—
She immediately turned away again.
Face red.
Cheeks pink.
And yes. Still not looking at his face.
More like… somewhere between his neck and his—
Sunny flushed hard.
'Okay. No. Don't go there. Pure thoughts, Sunless. Pure thoughts.'
"Okay, what is happening," he said, deadpan. "Am I in a prank show? Is this some weird intervention? Because if this is about my skincare routine again, I already told you I don't have one!"
"You really should, though," Juliet said absently, already unrolling the tent.
Avi was tugging out picnic mats and spreading them with alarming cheer.
Nephis was still.
And Cassie, who was finally composed enough to speak, offered the nail in the coffin.
"Just accept it, Sunny. You're doomed."
Yeah.
This wasn't a trip.
This was a setup.
A very elaborate, well-planned, high-budget ambush on his dignity.
Still muttering curses under his breath, he eventually gave in to the inevitable and helped them set up the picnic area. Tent poles were stabbed into the dirt, mats were rolled, and Juliet even conjured a little hovering lantern using spelltech to light the growing shade under the forest canopy.
The whole time, he noticed they weren't unpacking everything.
No, some bags stayed sealed. Juliet would glance at them. Avi would smirk. Cassie kept quiet — suspiciously so.
And Nephis... Nephis wasn't helping at all.
She just stood there, silently taking in the forest, the sky, and occasionally — him.
The glances were getting bolder.
Something was definitely up.
Then Juliet clapped her hands.
"Alright! Now that everything's set up, we're going to the real reason we came out here."
Sunny immediately felt his stomach sink.
"I thought the setting up camp in a forest for no reason part was the reason."
Juliet just smiled.
"Nope. That was the decoy reason. The real reason is..."
She spun dramatically, and gestured behind her.
He turned.
The tree line opened to a stunning view of a clearing — and beyond it, nestled between jagged rocks and faintly steaming mist, was a hotspring.
The water glowed faintly under the afternoon light, reflecting the rich green canopy above and the blue sky streaked with warm amber. Somewhere off in the distance, the sound of a gentle stream could be heard, and above it all—
A perfect, crystal-clear view of the slowly deepening sky, where already the stars were starting to peek out, gradient and dreamlike.
It was beautiful.
He hated it.
Because—
"Also," Juliet added, "we're going to be sunbathing and soaking. Properly."
That meant…
Sunny blinked.
Swimsuits.
They were going to change into swimsuits.
Which meant Juliet in a swimsuit.
Cassie in a swimsuit.
Nephis in a swimsuit.
.
.
.
"Pure thoughts, Sunless. Pure thoughts—" Sunny was red all over, gripping the edge of his seat like it was the only thing anchoring him to sanity.
And the worst part?
Juliet wasn't wrong. He was going to enjoy this.
Not that he'd ever, ever admit it.
His tragic fate was sealed the moment they had pulled him away from the city.
Now?
Now he was sitting on a smooth rock at the edge of the hot spring, wearing swimming trunks — (they had brought them for him — traitors, all of them) — and trying not to pass out from sheer anticipation and anxiety.
He gulped.
How would they look like?
What would Cassie be wearing...? Nephis...?
...Juliet?
With how pale and flawless her skin was, and her long height—
Long legs. Long, pale, dangerous legs.A smooth waist, gently curved—And above the waist—
"NO! No! Pure thoughts, Sunless! Pure—"
...Too late.
It was already over.
His brain had betrayed him.
His imagination — never usually that vivid — had decided to go full creative director mode today.
It didn't help thats he'd already been caught byJuliet the first time he met her, and that was just her zipper being opened a little.
Today, a lot of things will be out.
Where was he supposed to look at?
He buried his face into his hands, already mentally preparing himself for death.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard a zipper open.
Sunny froze.
Because that zipper had come from one of those bags.
The bags that had stayed sealed.
Juliet's voice drifted over, sugary sweet and gleefully evil.
"Alright girls, let's get changed."
Cassie: silent. (Dangerous.)
Avi: giggling. (More dangerous.)
Nephis: …quiet. (Possibly the most dangerous.)
Sunny slowly turned his head and saw the three of them — bags in hand — disappearing behind the rocks near the spring.
To change.
He was going to die here.
This was how his story ended.
Not in the Dream Realm.
Not in battle.
But alone, in a forest, in swim trunks, combusting from the sheer stress of what was about to happen.
He sank lower on the rock.
Though deep inside, a part of his being he didn't knew about, cheered in anticipation.
And the consequences.