"Amon... Wake up."
"Mmm..."
Clementine began poking my side, and eventually, I was forced to open my eyes.
I felt a little groggy.
But seeing her all dressed up in nice clothes, I was a little puzzled.
However, it quickly dawned on me...
I slept through the day, the night, and nearly the whole morning.
And today was her birthday.
Shit.
I jumped out of bed and put on some fancy casual clothes with the help of Telekinesis.
When I landed on the ground, I was already fully dressed, my hair was combed, and lastly, I had managed to take out Clementine's birthday gift, which I now held behind my back.
"S-Sorry about that. I overslept."
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
"It's fine. I made you some breakfast, so go eat it, and let's go meet my parents."
We're not going to talk about what happened yesterday, huh?
Though... I was also kind of glad I slept so long, since the sexual tension during the night would've made me unable to sleep.
But we'll definitely have to talk about it later.
She was a little grumpy now.
As she was about to leave the room, I approached her and grabbed her hand.
"Amon...?"
When she met my gaze, I couldn't help but feel lost in her eyes for a brief moment.
But then, I revealed the little black box I had hidden behind my back.
I slowly opened the black box, revealing the black diamond necklace.
Clementine's eyes widened as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, yet she wasn't able to find the right words to say.
But she didn't have to.
I released her hand, and after stepping behind her, I gently put the necklace around her neck.
Then, I leaned in, placing my head on her shoulder as I hugged her from behind.
"Happy birthday, Clementine."
"..."
"It's beautiful."
A smile appeared on my face.
"That black diamond reminded me of your eyes. Of course it's beautiful."
A faint giggle escaped her lips.
She turned around and gave me a kiss.
"Thank you, Amon. I love it."
"I'm glad..."
It looked like everything that happened yesterday was suddenly behind us.
And so, the two of us quickly ate breakfast and set out to meet her parents.
She mentioned them living somewhere in the ocean, so I just followed after her.
At first, we went by air, but once we were in the middle of the ocean, Clementine insisted we switch to swimming.
Since I had Telekinesis, I could basically breathe underwater.
The further down we swam, the more beautiful the ocean became.
Just then, Clementine stopped, glanced around, and finally pointed toward a nearby underground ravine.
"My parents live over there."
Ah...
I forgot we can talk underwater.
The two of us swam into the ravine, and to my genuine surprise, hundreds of buildings were carved into the walls.
A bit further down below was a bunch of kelp and some colorful plants that these guys ate.
I was honestly impressed.
I thought for someone who was exiled, they'd be living in some slum.
But this was a whole civilization.
Swimming from one building to the next, we eventually arrived in front of a two-floor home.
We undid our disguises.
Clementine was about to knock on the door but stopped herself.
"Ugh... Do I look alright?"
"You look beautiful."
"What about my hair? Is it messy?"
I rolled my eyes.
"The hairpin I gave you is holding everything up just fine."
Right as she was about to bombard me with more questions, I used my Telekinesis to knock on the door twice.
Clementine's whole body stiffened.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and a beautiful crimson-haired woman stepped out.
"Oh? You usually come right after midnight. For a moment, I thought you had forgotten us."
Clementine pouted.
"As if I would ever do that."
Then, she pointed at me.
"Mom, this is Amon. Amon, this is my mom."
I could see where Clementine got her looks from.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for barging in."
She raised a brow as a mischievous smirk appeared on her face.
"Here I thought you were just lost. Though... I never expected my daughter to bring a man back home."
She feigned a dramatic sigh.
"Ah... The days of wishing to the water gods for my lovely daughter to finally find someone. At least you're handsome."
With that, we exchanged a couple more pleasantries and shook hands.
Clementine stood by like a statue.
Though, after we were done talking, Clementine's mother let me into the kitchen, while Clementine herself ran upstairs.
I found it cute how the hallway was filled with framed pictures of Clementine and her family.
Eighteen pictures, to be exact.
From when she was born to her eighteenth birthday.
I would bet that today she'd be taking another picture with her parents.
As I sat at the table in the kitchen, I soon saw Clementine return.
"Where's dad? Isn't he usually in his study during the day?"
"Ah... Right. The humans crashed one of their ships again, so he went out on an expedition to bring us back some supplies."
She then turned to me.
"Would you like lunch, dear?"
"..."
I had a bad feeling about this.
It looked like Clementine did as well.
"Sorry, but could you tell me where the humans crashed their ship?" I asked.
Clementine's mom tilted her head.
She immediately picked up on my intentions as a slightly worried look appeared on her face.
"You don't think...?"
"Mom. Tell us now."
"I-It's to the north of here."
To the north, huh?
"I'll step out for a while then."
Clementine turned to me with a slight frown.
"I'm going too."
I shook my head.
"No, you're not. Protect your mother and this place. I'll bring your father back quickly."
She seemed reluctant.
Of course she was.
She was worried her father might already be dead.
But I also couldn't risk something happening to this place while both of us were gone.
I wanted her to be with her mother.
And so, after a few exchanges, I got some help.
"Clementine, dear. While I might not know your boyfriend, I believe trust is the most important thing in relationships. That's why your father and I have been together for so long."
"But..."
"No buts."
Her mom placed a single finger on her nose.
"Come help me make lunch, Clementine."
Clementine just stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say.
That was until her mother grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the cooking station.
But not before giving me a wink.
"..."
I hated the fact that something like this happened on Clementine's birthday.
I wanted this to be a happy day.
And now... someone's ruining it.
Giving Clementine's home one last look, I stepped outside and swam above the ocean.
Then, with a cold expression, I turned into lightning and headed north.