Sasaki sat in his office, looking over a stack of documents, when Mao suddenly walked in.
"Hm? What brings you here, Mao?" Sasaki asked.
She ignored his question.
Mao closed her umbrella and sat down.
Sasaki continued working.
Time passed.
Eventually, Sasaki looked up from his documents and noticed Mao was still sitting there.
"Why are you still here?" he asked.
"Can I not be?"
"You've been sitting in my office for six hours, watching me work."
"I was simply making sure you were okay."
"You're worried about me."
Mao's face instantly turned red.
"...Shut up."
She covered her face with her hands.
Sasaki stood up and walked over to make himself some tea.
"You want some?" he asked.
"No. I'm not much of a tea person."
"Okay."
Sasaki poured himself a cup and took a sip.
Mao glanced at his cup.
"...Can I have some?"
Sasaki stared at her in silence.
He eventually handed her the cup.
Mao took a sip.
Her eyes widened.
"This is actually kind of good!"
Sasaki reached for the cup.
But before he could take it back, Mao drank the rest.
She handed the empty cup back with a smile.
"Thank you."
Sasaki stared at the empty cup.
"...You're welcome."
He took the cup back and made himself another.
After finishing his tea, Sasaki checked the time.
"Hey, Mao. Let's go."
Mao checked the time as well.
"Okay!"
The two walked out of Sasaki's office.
As they walked through the castle, they ran into Nexus.
"Oh, hey, Nexus. What are you doing here?"
"Nothing. I was just taking a stroll."
Nexus walked past them.
Sasaki watched him for a moment, narrowing his eyes.
"..."
The two continued toward the portal.
They stepped through.
As they reached the other side, Sasaki took a deep breath and felt the familiar air around him.
"I'm back."
Mao reached over and held Sasaki's hand as they walked.
Sasaki looked at her and smiled.
Mao quickly looked away, her face turning red.
Passersby glanced at the two and smiled.
Some even complimented them on how good they looked together.
Sasaki didn't say anything.
He simply kept walking.
Mao noticed his expression.
Something seemed off.
She slowly let go of his hand.
Sasaki's eyes widened slightly.
He looked at Mao.
Then, without saying a word, he reached out and took her hand again.
Mao's face turned bright red.
She quickly opened her umbrella to hide it.
Eventually, they reached the kingdom.
They were greeted by Count Solemn.
"Welcome, Sir Oyuki."
He bowed respectfully.
Mao looked at the scene in confusion.
"Don't worry," Sasaki said. "This place is safe."
They walked through the gates and were greeted by the sight of an enormous, beautiful kingdom.
Mao looked around in awe.
Sasaki adjusted his tie.
"Ready, Mao?"
"Huh? For what?"
"To meet the Sage."
Mao froze.
Her eyes widened.
"What!? What do you mean we're meeting a Sage?!"