Shun POV:

[The Mission Log has been updated.]

[Mission: Private time with Phoebe

Difficulty: SS+

Let Phoebe inside your room.

Rewards: :3

Failure: >:( ]

Phoebe wore a marinière, or a Breton shirt, with red stripes tucked into a black suede skirt. Flat boots extended below the knee, leaving room for it to be seen before her skirt covered the rest. A short black jacket completed the outfit; it highlighted her pink hair and drew attention to her amber eyes.

“What do you want now?”

Phoebe’s cheeks darkened. She could sense the care in my words. She could feel the affection in the tone of my voice, despite the usual response I gave her.

“Come downstairs, Shun. Or can I come i—“

I slammed the door shut behind me and peered down at Phoebe. Our close proximity emphasised the largeness of her eyes that looked into mine, forcing me to shift my gaze to the side.

“...How are you?”

“I’m... great, Shun.”

Her cheeks rose, and the sweet smell of the perfume she chose to wear shortened the distance between us.

“Good.”

This was where the conversation would end. Phoebe would leave, and I would join the party downstairs later. However, today was different. The moment she turned around, my arms wrapped around her waist.

“!!”

No one said a word.

Even with my head pressed against her neck, Phoebe remained still. Her slender fingers drifted over my own, dancing along at a peaceful rhythm. A rhythm that didn’t want to go backwards but forward.

That was why Phoebe asked to come in.

She wanted to confirm our relationship and sow the seeds for the next step. However, I wasn’t ready to let her into that space. I couldn’t let her step into my sanctuary yet, but I needed her to know that I had given the future thought.

And a future with her was what I wanted.

“...Thank you for being annoying.”

Lips parted to form nothing more than a faint whisper. Words drifted through the air before their weight dispersed. Honesty pressed against soft skin, and the receiver tightened their grip on Care’s interlocked hands.

Despite the barriers containing some sound insulation, she checked on me and heard the screams. Ever since that day, she isolated the room further, not letting anyone else be aware of the nightmares that consumed me.

I only found this out when she stopped me from reaching that Arcane Dungeon. Phoebe decided that was the best time for her to tell me.

“I’m always here for you, Shun.”

Compliments.

Genuine praise and admiration toward someone did more than build relationships or improve communication between the two sides. Phoebe knew this. Before her confession, there were only two instances where she would compliment me: when I was frustrated or when I put effort into something less destructive.

In retrospect, the reason she did this was to increase my self-esteem; she wanted to make me feel like I had worth beyond the revenge I chased after. Whether that was in my physical features or the equipment I was capable of creating, the former encouraged me to look on the outside, while the latter encouraged me to look on the inside.

Phoebe wasn’t an airhead.

My lips curved upward, and my hands parted. Phoebe tried to push them back together, but they were already gone. Her hands wrapped around an arm instead before we made our way downstairs.

“And you?”

“I’m fine.”

She closed the distance between us, making it harder to walk without feeling her moderately large breasts squashing against me. It got to a point where it was impossible to go any further.

“Can I... give you a kiss, too?”

Phoebe didn’t wait for a reply. Her only intention was to let me know and avoid making the same mistake she made in the Crushing Waterfall of the Dead dungeon. The time interval was enough for me to refuse, but when two soft lips pecked my cheek, it... wasn’t so bad.

“Phoebe, the party’s waiting.”

I pushed aside the scene at the waterfall that returned the moment I focused on her pouting. We would have time to finish that in the future; I wasn’t in a rush to do anything more.

“Sometimes I wonder if you think I’m attractive or not.”

“Think hard then.”

I walked off, and a pleasant chuckle coated the surrounding air. Once we reached the ground floor, I held open the doors for Phoebe until we arrived at a private lounge.

Aiden, Gerard, and Katherine were already sitting at our reserved table. I made my way over and pulled out a chair, only sitting down after Phoebe did.

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“He’s so sweet, isn’t he?”

I ruffled my hair and let out an annoyed sigh while the others chuckled. Katherine’s smile provided extra light, pleased that we had taken another step forward in our relationship. It used to be irritating before, but now it was comforting. Despite failing the last X ranked mission, I continued to meditate by the waterfall for the last two months in my spare time.

Katherine wouldn't give me pointless advice, even if the only benefit was keeping certain emotions under better control.

“So how’s marriage life, Aiden?”

Gerard’s question made Aiden’s composure vanish. His dark blue eyes shifted to the table, and his cheeks darkened with time. Phoebe slid a menu over to me before tapping on the ‘Lover’s Special’ option. Her lips parted to form inaudible words: “I recommend it.”

The corners of my mouth rose. I flicked the menu back toward her: an action that made her soft laugh wrap around me.

“...More different than I thought it’d be. It’s no longer about what I want, but what we need.”

“You were never a selfish guy anyway.”

“True.”

Phoebe chimed back in when Gerard joked about having to still live with her alone. His words made Aiden’s eyes soften with the memory of the many years they had spent living together. Phoebe’s reaction was the same until a sparkle accompanied words directed toward me.

“Not for much longer.”

Gerard opened his mouth to respond, but I focused on my own thoughts instead.

‘Living with Phoebe?’

I didn’t know how long it would take to reach that point. However, I considered it. I thought about how healthy that experience would be with a woman like her.

Another wave of laughter spread out before others took notice of us.

“Isn’t that Starcry over there?”

“D-damn! It really is them! G-go get the angel’s autograph for me, please!”

“Forget it. Just... admire her from afar.”

I ignored the eyes and the voices that came with them until Katherine decided to stand.

“Just ignore them.”

“It doesn’t hurt to spend some time with others, Shun.”

It was an answer I expected. Her lips spread into a bright smile, causing a few gasps to bounce off empty glasses. Gerard broke the temporary silence with a cough, followed by a piece of paper sliding forward.

“Our Katherine, can I get an autograph first?”

“...”

Even Katherine’s eyebrow rose a fair amount at Gerard’s request. They soon fell back down to complement the gentle curve of her eyes.

“...It’s not for me. There was a little girl who said she wanted to be like Katherine, so I thought I’d encourage her.”

Phoebe’s understanding gaze rested on Gerard, but Aiden examined him. A flicker of worry accompanied the slight narrowing of eyes. It only lasted for a second, but I noticed his concern and understood the source behind it.

“Of course, Gerard.”

Katherine sat back down and took out a black pen lined with gold from her Soul Realm. Ink organised itself on the paper, not daring to leak out of its assigned borders. Clean and sharp movements directed the mechanical flow, printing out letters like a typewriter, yet the distinct style she wrote in contained an old-fashioned flare not seen in Chunhae. It was reminiscent of the historic texts studied in palaeography but made more legible by her flawless accuracy and execution. Katherine finished the autograph with a personalised message that she gave to everyone without fail.

“Do you know her name?”

“I never asked, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about that, Katherine.”

She gave a gentle nod and added a separate paragraph to make up for it. Katherine folded the paper in half, wrapped it with a silk bow, then handed it back to Gerard. He bowed his head before taking it from her.

“Thanks, Katherine. You’re always so lovely.”

“You are welcome, Gerard, and thank you for the compliment.”

“....Gerard, have you started seeing someone?”

Gerard’s gaze remained fixated on the neat bow. He wouldn’t move on that fast, but Aiden was concerned about someone taking advantage of the hole in his heart since Starcry was popular in Chunhae.

“No. She’s just a friend. That’s all.”

I leaned back in the chair when a waitress took it as a signal to get in my damn way. She weaved through the seats and reached my side.

“Dungeon Maniac, if you’re thirsty, you can always buy me a drink.”

Lavender bit her lip; a light blush added contrast to her beige cheeks. Light brown hair draped over her small chest in an attempt to appeal to me.

“Lavender, do your damn job and get out of my sight.”

“You’re just too much~”

I was starting to get annoyed. However, before I could move, Phoebe did. She leaned back and cocked her head to the side.

“Laven—”

Lavender’s head almost hit the table from how low her bow went.

“Aha! How could I ever do that to you, Phoebe?! I’ll run along now...”

She took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat threatening to drench her attire. Lavender spun around and dashed toward another man to flirt with on the opposite side of the room.

“...I can understand why Lavender treads carefully around Phoebe.”

Both Aiden and Gerard began to sweat.

“Come on, guys. Don’t say that. Aren’t I sweet?”

Phoebe’s face compressed together, emphasising large puppy eyes that batted their eyelashes toward them.

‘...’

I looked away, but Aiden and Gerard’s faces contorted with disgust.

“Phoebe... We told you about that face...”

She clicked her tongue and took a sip out of her lemonade instead. Despite being out of character for Phoebe, there was nothing wrong with the face she made. However, their sibling like bond saw things in a different way compared to others.

Or maybe my feelings altered how I perceived her?

Either way, I… didn’t mind.

“The atmosphere in this party is lovely.”

I parted my lips to join in with the discussion when Lavender stumbled toward me. Her eyes struggled to focus, shifting side to side until her feet came to a stop.

“S-Shun, someone... someone’s here to see you. They’re waiting o-outside...”

Lavender trembled, bowed her head, and walked off without waiting for a response.

“Another fan again? Isn’t it the 50th one this week? If Lavender’s panicking, then another noble’s come.”

Gerard chuckled while Aiden’s lips curved into a smile.

“I’ll go. You guys continue.”

The others gave me a nod, but that wasn’t enough for Phoebe. Her hand held mine, and a succession of kisses hit my cheek. It wasn’t once, twice, or even three times.

4 kisses.

That was how much she gave me.

“Take care, Shun.”

Each one was filled with a different kind of affection: support, care, understanding, and love. Phoebe didn’t mind the number of wide eyes watching us because she was watching me. Why did she need to be embarrassed when our relationship had reached this point? Why did she need to be self-conscious when she had pursued me through my lowest of moments?

Phoebe was a confident woman.

“Yeah.”

And I liked that about her. I approached the entrance to the private lounge, sorting through the best time for me to let Phoebe into that place.

“Shun, are you in love now?”

Minji’s lips spread into a gentle smile. Her head rested on a man’s shoulder, then her arms wrapped around his waist. Kisses soon rained down on his face without rest until his eyebrows twitched.

‘...’

Minji’s husband had the patience of an ember, waiting to become a flame. How he could put up with her annoying tendencies to smother him every single time they met was beyond me, or was it?

‘Whatever.’

He folded his arms and continued to sit with closed eyes. Females often walked into things or tripped over their own feet once they became aware of his presence.

“No.”

I walked past before she could reply but still made out the slight rise of her husband’s cheeks. The warmth passed by, and a door blocked the exit.

Once it opened, I saw the source of Lavender’s reaction. I saw the reason behind why she was overwhelmed. Unlike her, my lips rose until they touched the corners of curved eyes. Unlike her, the pressure failed to root me in place; bloodlust seeped out instead.

Bright pink eyes awakened the hatred. Greyish-blonde hair boiled the anger in a furnace.

‘Chloe...’

My eyes popped.

‘Chloe Ravendawn….’

Everything I went through to prepare myself for this moment was worth it. There was no fear. There was no hesitation in what I would do to this sick woman next.

‘CHLOE RAVENDAWN!!!’

My hand speared toward her heart, desperate to kill the woman that tortured me for her own pleasure. However, I didn’t move. My intention was clear, but the raised hand flopped back down to the side.

“...What is that?”

I stared at some kind of... some sort of... baby, wrapped in a tight cloth and held close to Chloe’s chest.

“That is your daughter, Shun.”