Another day dawned in Bastion. Since Aiko had spent the night at her own place, Sunny got up and got ready to face the day. He poured himself a cup of coffee and began to open the coffee. While pulling the chairs out from under the tables, he reflected.
'Aiko has trouble getting up, she's still not here yet. I guess I'll have to manage everything for now,' he thought.
He considered scolding Aiko when she arrived, but at this point, it was almost ridiculous. The fact that Aiko worked there was more of a pleasure than a necessity; he enjoyed having her around. Of course, she wasn't useless—she was his right-hand woman—but if she asked him to stop working and be a kept woman, he would accept... with certain conditions.
He heard the familiar sound of the bell. "Here we go," he thought, and turned to greet the first customer of the day, putting on his best customer service smile. He almost dropped the facade as soon as he put it on. Yesterday's memories were still fresh, tormenting him throughout the day. It was an embarrassing event: he hadn't seen Beth in years, and his first interaction with her had been a disaster, especially since she was a stranger to him. She should never have come back to this place. Yet, just like yesterday, there she was.
Not only that, he admired her and noticed that she was much more put together than the day before. She was wearing makeup, her hair was styled, and yesterday's lab coat was gone, leaving her in a flowing white dress. For someone who wasn't an "Awakened," she was beautiful.
'A real beauty,' Sunny thought, his mouth agape with surprise.
Beth played with her hair when she noticed the handsome shopkeeper's intense gaze. She avoided his gaze, unable to bear the pressure in her chest that he made her feel.
"H-hello, Sunny."
Sunny reacted, realizing he had been standing there like an idiot staring at her instead of serving her. He cleared his throat and said,
"I'm glad to see you again so soon, Ms... Beth. What can I get for you?"
"I'd like a coffee and... waffles?"
Sunny nodded and smiled. "Yes, right away. Anything else?"
"I also want fruit... and," she looked down and, almost inaudibly, asked, "If you don't mind... could you sit with me?"
At that moment, Beth's face was as red as a tomato, but she didn't give in to embarrassment. Sunny simply said,
"Of course I don't mind. I appreciate you wanting to talk to a simple shopkeeper!"
Sunny went to prepare her order, relieved that she had returned after being scared away. He feared he would never see her again or, worse, that she would give his shop a bad name.
'That would be even worse!'
His hands moved efficiently, his experience recreating the repetitive movements he had memorized, placing the ingredients and the correct amounts. In what felt like record time, the waffles and coffee were ready. Taking the food on a plate, he carefully carried it to Beth's table.
"Here you go, enjoy," he said in his friendly tone.
Remembering Beth's request, he pulled back the chair in front of her and sat down.
"So, tell me: what's so interesting about this humble person keeping you company?" Sunny laughed, trying to lighten the mood and dispel the awkward tension between the two.
'Oh, no, what do I say? I can't just say, "I want to have you by my side." That would be too much. Oh... Beth,' he thought, trying to quickly formulate a coherent response.
"Oh... well, I just want some pleasant company. The atmosphere at my job is very harsh, and you're nice."
'W-was that the best you could come up with? Damn it!' Beth thought, churning inside.
Sunny laughed softly. "Do I really seem that nice to you? I'm glad you think so, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't have much to tell you to entertain you."
Beth shook her head. "Don't worry, I don't have much to say either. In fact, I'm sure everyone has a more interesting life than mine. But I'm curious about something... what did you do before you opened your coffee shop?"
'Tricky question.'
Sunny considered what to say. He couldn't tell her that he had been a vagabond in the world of dreams, traversing the hollow mountains on his own and so much more. So the most common thing he could say was,
"Well, a couple of years ago, I was in the Antarctic campaign. I was part of a small battalion helping out here and there. I didn't manage to do anything significant; I just hung around until the evacuation was over."
Beth's eyes slowly widened. She felt Sunny's appeal solidify in her heart with a new layer of respect. Everyone who had been to Antarctica knew how hellish and horrific it was for everyone; no one came out of there unchanged.
Beth remembered that when she first saw Sunny, she also felt like she had seen him somewhere before. He seemed familiar, but that feeling quickly faded. However, with this in mind, she now asked,
"May I ask which army you were part of?"
He nodded amiably. "I was part of the first evacuation exercise."
Then something clicked in her mind, an idea, a possibility that, if true...
"So that's why you looked familiar! You were at Falcon Scott, weren't you? I was there! Could it be that you were too?"
The pressure in Sunny's chest intensified. The conversation was taking a turn he didn't like. He didn't have many good memories of that damn place, and now he was finding it difficult to evade the next questions.
"Yes, I was there. I was there for a while before I left, and in case you're wondering, yes, I do remember meeting you."
"But I didn't mean to stand out, so I assumed you wouldn't remember me."
"Oh... I'm sorry, I'm sorry I don't remember you."
She felt guilty, as if she had disrespected him in some way.
"It's okay. In fact, I'd rather not remember those times very well; some memories still give me chills..."
The two fell silent, looking away. The atmosphere had soured due to the delicate subject they had touched on.
But something was nagging at Beth; she had a curiosity that she needed to satisfy. It was just a whim. Sunny had told her that he didn't like to remember Antarctica, but she still asked one final question on the subject:
"I don't want to keep bothering you about this, but I would like to know one last thing. May I ask?"
Sunny hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Did you know a man named Obel?"
Of all Sunny's memories of Antarctica, those of Professor Obel were among the warmest. Sunny would never forget that man.
"So you knew Professor Obel too? Yes, I did. He was a truly incredible man. He taught me many things."
That possibility in Beth's mind came true. He knew the man who was like a father to her. Anyone who knew Professor Obel would instantly earn a special place in her heart compared to others... and the kind shopkeeper who made her feel butterflies in her stomach did just that.
'He's kind, he met me at the Antarctic center, he's handsome, and he knew the professor...'
Beth reviewed several factors in her head. That man... with her heart beating like a drum, she came to a conclusion:
'I-isn't Sunny perfect?'
Soon she felt dizzy, emotions blossoming within her, strong and steady. She had suspected it before, but this conversation not only confirmed it, it cemented it.
'I fell in love.'
With this fact admitted to herself, she looked at the shopkeeper, lost, dizzy, and dazed.
"Excuse me, Beth, are you feeling okay? You should eat; your food is going to get cold."
During the conversation, she hadn't touched her food; it hadn't gotten cold yet, but the waffles would soon be cold. For her, the food was irrelevant. She didn't react to Sunny's concern, processing too much in her mind and heart. That's why she jumped when the friendly shopkeeper approached her without her realizing it and placed his hand on her shoulder.
As a result, she turned her head in his direction. She met Sunny's worried gaze and expression. Before he could say anything else, Beth beat him to it. She had already gotten an answer yesterday: he was single, but his assistant's behavior made her doubt his word. So this time, she would ask another question:
"What is your relationship with your assistant?"
Beth looked him in the eye. The blush and nervousness from before disappeared, replaced by an expectation and determination she had never felt before.
'Screw it, I'm not letting this go.'
On the other hand, Sunny already suspected what was going on, but he remained skeptical. Mentally, he sighed: 'I'm misreading things.'
"She and I are close," he said politely, pausing before clarifying, "Anyway, I'm sorry about yesterday's display. I've already talked to her, and she assured me-"
Beth stood up abruptly, the determination in her gaze and conviction unwavering. Standing in front of him, she was a few inches shorter than Sunny, so at that moment, their faces were too close for the humble shopkeeper's comfort.
Immediately, Sunny wanted to take a step back, but he was held back by hands that gripped his shoulders with a firmness uncharacteristic of a mundane woman. He was not allowed to back down. The space between them was minimal, their breaths mingling. Sunny, as had been the case for the last two days, was stunned and dazed. He simply did not feel capable of handling everything that was happening so suddenly. He wasn't even nervous or panicked; his brain just stopped working for a moment.
And Beth took advantage of that moment. She wanted to say several things to Master Sunless. She would have liked to continue chatting with him and understand him better before simply giving her heart to a man she had just met, but the golden opportunity was there, right in front of her, she just had to take it. And that's what she did.
She wrapped her arms behind his head, pushing herself closer, further narrowing the distance between their heads. Sunny couldn't react in time, only opening his eyes when Beth was just inches away from kissing him. With his "saintly" speed, he grabbed Beth's hips, instinctively trying to push her away.
Just then, before they could come together, a bell rang, announcing a new guest. The bold woman's advance stopped, giving Sunny room to turn around and see who had arrived. The new visitor's expression was one of surprise, but in the next moment, it slowly transformed into a smile of satisfaction, and her eyes radiated triumph.
No one made a move for the next few seconds. The one who broke the tense peace was Aiko. She laughed softly, almost as if mocking him. She cleared her throat before saying formally, as if on business:
"Miss Beth, is that so? I'd like a moment of your time. I want to discuss something with you in private."
Only then did Sunny realize the situation: yesterday, he had confessed his feelings to Aiko, and when they saw each other again the next day, she found him about to kiss another woman.
'Is she angry and wants to hurt Beth?... I don't like this. How the hell did I screw everything up so quickly?'
Driven by the need to protect the woman in his arms, he desperately wanted to excuse himself, but it seemed that everyone was faster than him, and by the time he came back to reality, Beth was already far from his arms and next to Aiko. He was being unfaithful to her.
"Aiko! Wait a minute, I—"
As if she had read his mind, she replied without even looking at him, "Yes, yes, don't worry, I'm not going to do anything bad. I just have to discuss a few things with her, so stay there. I'll be right back!"
And so, Aiko and Beth left for the warehouse where memories are made. Sunny was left alone in the bar with only one word echoing in his mind.
'What?'
Fortunately or unfortunately for Sunny, it didn't look like anyone else was going to come into the coffee now. Sitting back down at the table he had shared with Beth, he massaged his temple and questioned every decision he had made since arriving there.
Certainly, when he arrived in Bastion, he sought to start over with this identity. Forgetting Nephis was something he wanted to achieve, and although he had technically started an unexpected relationship with Aiko, that hole in his heart would not disappear easily, but little by little, he was succeeding.
Work kept him busy so he wouldn't think about the war. His avatar in Ravenheart focused on training Rain, and everything was going well with her, although lately, things had been getting a little strange. His other avatar was in the nameless temple doing nothing.
"This is supposed to be the body with which I would enjoy peace..."
Sunny groaned in frustration, resting his elbows on the table and covering his face with his hands.
"I don't like this at all."