It was a night, colorful flowers were illuminated on a garden path. Leaves swayed softly in the coastal winds. Pink petals gently fell. Amethely quietly nuzzled closer like a shy animal wanting pats.
As for Alum, he no longer held back. With the silky silver-gray strands between his fingers, he gently brushed, making sure it didn't tangle—it was almost addictive.
They didn't need to exchange words, nor did they have anything to say—everything was conveyed through the embrace.
Amethely hummed softly, her voice soothing to the soul. Alum was quiet, listening to her voice while enjoying the melody that swayed with the leaves, danced with the petals, and sang with the wind.
But…
Amethely slowly opened her eyes. Alum had let go and pulled away, but at the same time, he clasped her hand, squeezing lightly as his fingers intertwined with hers.
"Let's go," he said, looking into her eyes.
"Nnn…" Amethely nodded, shyly flashing him a smile.
He led her by the hand as they walked. Each step was light, echoing subtly. Either of them was the type to make small talk, and the silence was comforting. And yet…
"Hey, Ame," Alum voiced. "How was your day?" he inquired.
Truth be told, he just wanted to hear her voice—and it wasn't any different for Amethely. The moment she heard his voice, his eyes twinkled a little, and her ears twitched.
"Oh, um… it was eventful…" Amethely replied sheepishly. "I got to see you," she whispered. "And… um… we became lovers, eh-ehehe~" she said, her head bumped into his shoulder. "How was yours?" she added.
"Same old, I suppose. But I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
Amethely sulked a little. "I told you it was my turn to come see you," she said, her cheeks puffed slightly.
"You did," Alum acknowledged. "And well… more importantly. We became lovers," he stated softly.
"Y-yeah…" Amethely stammered a little.
"…"
"…"
Again, the two found the conversation die. And even though they were comfortable with the silence, it was only to a degree. Amethely does like to listen to him speak, yet Alum was economical while she was awkward.
Never in her life had she flirted with anyone, never once did she approach a boy like she did Alum, and never once did she think about romance, at least concerning herself. The only thing she had to go with was her parents. But it wasn't like she had known Alum for years or was married to him. And she didn't know what to do or how to act.
"…"
"…"
Huh…? Amethely's brows furrowed as she fell into a deep contemplative state. What… are lovers supposed to do…? She wondered—then…
"How… was work?" Amethely voiced curiously.
Alum's eyes shifted, meeting her gaze. "Well… the intel is sensitive. All I can say is that it was alright. Some logistics. You?"
Hearing his reply, a small sigh eased from Amethely's lips. "Nn… the wanderers are all very talented and fast learners. It's hard to believe they've all adapted this well," she noted her observation. "I was also presented with the technology from the other world—it's all so exciting! Like, like, different types of computers. The things you call smartphones, batteries that used chemical reactions instead of charged mana crystals, and… and the other researchers at the base got one of the devices to work! When asked what the glaring difference between this world and the other world was, the answer was mana! Thus, an experiment was conducted in a manaless chamber where a metal rod drained of all mana was used to push a button on the device to activate it, and… it just worked!"
"Y… Yeah," Alum nodded, a little surprised to find her so… talkative? "Hmm, perhaps mana ionizes the silicon?"
"Hm? Uuh… if that's the case, then studying the devices would be difficult if our tools can't properly analyze…"
"Perhaps," Alum chuckled lightly.
Seeing him smile, she couldn't help but to also smile. "Sigh… we may perhaps never unveil the mysteries," she expressed dramatically.
"Even though you know how it functions?"
"Knowing and observing are totally different," Amethely pointed out with a tiny huff as she stared at him.
"Right. Knowing how it works or that it exists but having no way of proving for a fact stirs you, doesn't it?" Alum teased, raising his shoulders lightly as he shrugged.
"I am, hmph!" Amethely pouted. "But you don't seem to care…" she noted.
"Mm. Well." Alum paused. "I never relied on electronics all that much. I suppose it was useful, but not always reliable," he replied.
"Really?" Amethely tilted her head slightly. "I heard your society heavily relies on these technologies."
"Then I'm simply strange?" he shrugged with a casual smile on his face.
Amethely's shoulders slumped. "That… is true.. Magitech is often reliable. But not always—uuh… it does hurt my pride a little," she sniffled.
Alum gave her hand a squeeze. "It's fine, isn't it? There's not going to be anything that solves everything all the time."
"…" Amethely clasped his hand firmly, her body leaning against his. "Yeah…" she calmly said. "Thanks… Al," she added shyly as she nuzzled against his shoulder.
"There's no need. I… never mind."
"???" Amethely peered at him with a puzzled look.
Alum scratched his cheek—he realized that he might've unintentionally hurt her pride by saying he didn't really rely on tech, while she was someone who tried to make life easier through it—he made sure to note it down so that he wouldn't make the same mistake.
"By the way. When is your day off?" he suddenly changed the topic.
"My day off…?" Amethely questioned as if it were alien to her.
"…" Alum stared at her with a blank expression. "You're… not a workaholic, are you?" he queried.
Amethely averted her eyes. "W-well… I never saw it that way… You know? It never felt like work…"
"…" —Her work is her hobby? Alum thought, then, a small chuckle followed. "Pff… I somehow don't doubt that," he replied.
Hearing his reply, she giggled as she glanced his way. "How about you, Al?" she asked in return.
Alum paused for a moment, his eyes seemed to narrow into contemplation. "It's negotiable, I suppose," he mentioned casually. "Sir Rigeld tends to be sporadic. So, presumably somewhere next week."
"I see," Amethely nodded lightly, still smiling warmly.
"But you haven't replied," Alum teased.
"…Meanie," Amethely pouted, lightly nudging her head onto his shoulder. "I'll look it up…" she said, closing her eyes.
"Got it. I'll then ask you on a date."
"…"
"…"
"D-date?" Amethely perked, her eyes dazzled.
Alum looked away, but his ears were glowing a faint shade of pink, as was his face. "I… Y-yeah… I want to take you on a date. And… you express a want for normalcy, so I thought that a simple date would make you happy…"
"Y-yeah… I'd be happy—whatever it is, just being with you is enough." Amethely snuggled closer, hugging him from the side. "I… I mean. How did you even know?"
"I'm not sure. It just seemed that way to me. Especially when I treat you like a girl—it seemed like something you enjoyed, so I presume you'd want something more ordinary?"
"…" —H-huuuh?! A-am I really that much of an open book? Amethely thought, her flustered state apparent by the look of her spinning eyes. "Y-yeah…" she finally murmured. "S-something ordinary, but you're wrong… It's special—because it's with you," she said, her eyes quivering and wide. After those words left her mouth, did she realize—uuuuuh!? What am I even saying?! That makes no sense! Won't he find me too clingy? Isn't it too soon to profess something like that? I-I mean…
As the girl next to him caught fire and reeked of steam, Alum leaned his head on hers, simply saying, "Ordinary, yet special, "Because it's with you." Mm—yeah, I like that."
"Nnnnnh~" Amethely squealed, almost too dizzy to articulate any words, let alone form a sentence. "Nnn! Nnn!" she nodded vigorously.
There weren't many words exchanged. Before either had realized that their walk was over.
…
..
Back in her room, Amethely blankly stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Each time she tried, her mind wandered toward the way he held her, clasped her hands, or leaned his head on hers—to the way he patted her head, cupped her cheeks, caressing them with his thumb, to the way he combed her hair with his fingers—she couldn't take it.
And before they parted, he told her, "Good night, Ame," while leaning his forehead on hers, his nose nudged hers—almost as if it was a kiss. Thus, she agonized, twisting and turning, and before she realized, the sun peeked through her curtains.
"It's finally morning!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed.
Despite the sleepless night, her skin was soft, almost glistening. Her eyes were still like polished gems—truth be told. Amethely didn't need to sleep as frequently as others. It was just that… she got conscious about him calling her a workaholic.
In the mirror was an elegant saint; she'd folded her pajamas, made her bed, and… lamented a little at the fact she could've spent her pent-up energy on her research instead of rolling around in bed. But it wasn't all in vain, as she got to think about him. Or perhaps… just perhaps, because even she realized how much of a lovestruck mush she'd become.
The first thing she did was head towards the underground labs since she still had time before holding a joint lecture with Luna and Chely.
On her way, the corridors were relatively empty. The few people she met along the way were either stoic, nodding a small greeting, or surprised to see her as they greeted her with warm smiles.
Nevertheless, she felt welcomed. With a white lab coat, a pair of gloves, and glasses, she grabbed one of the electronics—the one Alum told her about—his device, a communication device.
As she observed and noted that it was a little different from the other devices in their possession, the front wasn't fully covered in glass and had many more buttons and symbols. Intrigued, she wondered if it was something more advanced since it was so different. He simply told her it was reliable and that it should have more fail-safes than the other electronics.
"Hmm… It's going to take some time developing a suit that blocks the wearer's mana, but Al said he had a method to circumvent that—should I formally request him over?" Amethely thought aloud. "But… he will probably be busy and the suit will likely take a few more days to finish, or weeks perhaps?" she murmured.
Amethely peered at the device, holding the glass casing as if it were something fragile.
"Nnn~ I wonder what history Al has with you, little one," she spoke to the device, giggling a little to herself.
From the looks of it, it had some scratches, some dust. Then, she recalled his words, that she should test pressing down a button that looked like a red circle but had a cutout with a line.
Curious, she took the device with her, headed toward the lab computer, and sat down, pressing the crescent logo on the desk to activate it—the illusion projection flickered, and her workspace appeared.
After she entered the device's logs, she updated it with what Alum told her about it—some of it was already there, but yet to be tested because of its small size. Her eyes darted towards the time, noticed she had time to do some testing.
"Alright."
She took a deep breath and removed the device from the glass container, her hand steady, her fingers gently placed on it, feeling the buttons through her gloves. Her heart raced in excitement as her lips parted unconsciously, her eyes dazzled.
—Gulp…
She held down the button Alum told her about—it was an agonizing wait, even though just barely a second had passed, he told her to hold it for at least five seconds, and if it doesn't work with an additional five, then it simply was affected like the other devices.
"E-Eep!" she jolted—the thing flashed a white light, something red blinked in the upper corner repeatedly. "I-it works!?" She nervously looked around, wondering if she'd been caught looking like an excited child.
She heaved a sigh now that she knew nobody saw how not-so-graceful their elegant Saint was.
"Hm? This projection is…?" Amethely paused, taking a closer look at the image. "Aww," she fawned aloud as she clutched the device. "They're such good friends," she giggled, melting into a smile—there was an image of Alum and Noel, who'd flung his arm around Alum's shoulder with a wide grin, and Alum looking mildly annoyed.
But then, something blinked red in the upper corner stopped blinking—then, the projection was snuffed out like a flame. Amethely stood there, frozen—if something touched her, a crack would probably form.
"I… I didn't break it, did I…?"
…
..
Early in the morning, soft golden light peeked through Alum's window, illuminating the room. He frowned a little as the ray of light landed on his eyelids. Birds chirped and sang right outside his windows.
"…"
His eyes slowly opened, and his vision became clear. Without much effort, he got out of bed to dress himself, washed his face—just basic morning hygiene. And when he finished making his bed.
He clenched his hand, one, twice, small, simple stretches before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Good. Bodily function optimal, the thought echoed.
Even though his body was aching slightly, it wasn't as bad as when he sparred with Rigeld. His mana reserves were also high, and his mind wasn't foggy. As he headed out, he grabbed a caramel pouch he'd refilled with other sweets—a faint smile briefly surfaced before leaving the room.
..
When Alum arrived at Rigeld's office, the guards nodded and let him into the room. The doors slid open, but Rigeld was nowhere to be found.
"?" Alum tilted his head slightly. "Is Sir Rigeld out?" he asked the guards.
"Sir Rigeld has yet to arrive, Mr. Alum," one replied.
"That's unusual. Is it a special occasion he forgot to mention, or is he simply late?"
"No, Mr. Alum, there is no such occasion today."
Expressionless, Alum nodded. "Affirmative." He locked the doors with a tap on the scanner, then paused. "I will be heading underground to the labs."
The guards exchanged glances when Alum stated where he'd go. Then one reluctantly asked. "This may perhaps be rude, but we are curious, Mister."
Alum listened without interruption, waiting for them to state their mind.
"So… is it true that you and Lady Amethely are… in love?"
Surprised, Alum's eyes widened slightly—it wasn't a question he'd anticipated. Scratching his cheek, his inexpressive face returned.
"We are lovers. Naturally, yes," he replied, turned around, and walked away.
While he couldn't make out their expression, but he didn't need to, they were stunned, and their jaws had dropped as if to say, "No freaking way…" when exchanging eye contact.
But then the question surfaced in their minds.
"Wait… why was Mr. Alum this early today?" one asked.
"Now that you mention it…" the other one wondered while staring at the boy walking in the distance. Then he added, "Don't tell me it was just to tell us they became lovers!?"
The other guard sighed. "Idiot, we're the ones who asked."
"Ri-right…"
..
On the way down to the labs using the less populated corridors, Alum encountered spirit golems again. He crouched down to see them jump up and down happily when they saw him, then started to crunch on the blue gem he'd given them.
Cute… he thought, picturing a dog.
When he got up, it walked beside him for a little while before going back to work. But then, he encountered Commander Boail.
"Good morning, Alum. How unusual it is to see you this early in the morning."
"Good morning, Mister Boail."
"Hahaha, well, well. I've told you. There's no need for formalities, just call me Boail," Boail said as he lightly slapped Alum on the shoulder.
"Sigh… Sure," Alum chuckled.
"See? That is more like it," Boail grinned. "So? Heading somewhere?"
"Mm, the labs."
"No breakfast?"
"No, I usually eat with Sir Rigeld," Alum replied. Even though it wasn't a false statement, neither of them ate breakfast; it was more or less lunch.
"Ahh, that's how it is?" Well, anyhow, come to train with us sometimes, my company would love you."
"…" Alum's lips were tugged by some unknown force. "I suppose I'll stop by when I get an opportunity."
"That's great!" he said and left.
Mm, the commanders at this base sure come in many different flavors, he chuckled and tossed a somewhat strong but sweet candy into his mouth.
But when he was about to head into an elevator, the doors opened and a girl with silver-gray hair and pinkish amethyst eyes appeared, but then, the warm smile elegant smile on her face faded—instantly, he wanted to wrap his arms around her, but simply said, "Hey," casually, tossing another candy into his mouth.
Likely, Amethely puffed as steam reeked out of her head, her eyes spun. "S-sorry I'm—I-I didn't mean to destroy something so precious!" she said, spiraling out of control.
Alum fed her a caramel, and she instantly calmed down after gulping down the caramel and looked at him. He entered the elevator and closed the doors.
"…What's the problem?" he inquired in a hushed tone.
"O-oh… u-umm…" Amethely turned her head, her expression darkened.
"…"
Without a word, he gently reached out and touched her cheek, causing Amethely's eyes to wander towards his face again. Her head turned, and she was finally able to look straight at him again as tension eased from her shoulders. Alum then cupped her face and melted into a smile himself.
"Is it about my phone?"
Amethely nodded. "Yeah… it is…" she replied, clasping his hands, leaning into his touch.
"Did you manage to turn it on?" he pressed on.
"Y-yeah…" Amethely nodded, her eyes shaky, lips firmly pressed together.
"Oh? That scrap still works, huh?" Alum remarked teasingly, he could feel her cheeks slowly inflate in his palms.
"It's not scrap at all! For us, it's a relic from another world!"
"Well… it was a relic in my world, too."
"R-really?" Amethely voiced, eyes twinkled in excitement, but also darkened at the same time. "Oh—oh nooooo!" she squirmed, shutting her eyes.
"No. I just meant it was old," Alum laid it out there plainly.
"But still!" Amethely stood firm, and Alum couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Wh-what?" Her face scrunched, trying to look displeased.
"Mm, nothing much. Just that it presumably ran out of battery, y'know," he said casually, squishing her cheeks a little with his palms.
"…"
"…"
Amethely quietly hugged him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Nnnnn!" she squealed. "I'm such a dummy…" she lamented mildly as his scent slowly calmed her down.
"Mm. Not at all, you seemed to have everything under control. At least until you saw me."
"Nn… I did everything according to protocol, but… that device contained your memories, right… I thought that… you might be angry," she confessed sheepishly, still afraid of what he would think.
"Not really," Alum dismissed the notion, leaning his head to the side to rest on hers. "Sure, they did contain memories to some extent, but if it's important, I won't need something like that to remember," he stated.
"Al…" Amethely was about to say something, but stopped. "Okay… if you say so," she said, her finally sounding relieved.
Having lost his reason to head down towards the labs, Alum decided to clasp Amethely's hand when she released him from her embrace. She seemed surprised but squeezed back, seeming almost giddy behind her warm, elegant demeanor.
But then, "Al, we're…" Amethely voiced shyly. But before she could feel self-conscious, Alum simply said, "We're off duty, doesn't matter, right?"
"…" Amethely's grip became firmer as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Y-yeah… I'm happy but… embarrassed?" she giggled happily.
"Ahah-ah… I'm glad. Ordinary but special. Yeah, I really like it," Alum said, his face tinged a faint red.
Meanwhile, Amethely combusted. "W-w-w-wha!? Meanie! You're still teasing me about that!?" she stammered hard.
"But you like it too, right?" he teased.
—Instantly, Amethely puffed her cheeks, agreed, "I do," in a sulky tone, trying to sound angry, which only caused the gold-eyed boy to chuckle.
"Ame," Alum called her name softly. "Would you have breakfast with me?" he suggested—usually, he skipped, but if it meant spending more time with her before work? I'd do it in a heartbeat.
"O-oh…" Amethely was caught off guard, shifting slightly. "I'm meant to have breakfast with the others since we're welcoming Isa, Mekkahn, Solfie, Voltz, and Sharan…"
Alum nodded and simply said, "I see," in his usually inexpressive demeanor.
"S-so, won't you join us?" she asked reluctantly.
"It's fine," Alum flashed her a faint smile. "I simply asked because I wanted to spend more time with you. I usually skip breakfast," he chuckled.
"…" Amethely finally exhaled, "I see…" looking relieved. "But… can I make it up to you?" she requested.
"Hm? Make up? We didn't have plans, though—"
"Still!" Amethely insisted, her eyes peering deep into his.
"U-um… Sure," Alum replied, scratching his cheek as a faint blush surfaced.
"Ehehe, look forward to it, Al!" she beamed happily.
…
..
After parting with Amethely, Alum arrived back at Rigeld's office, and once the doors opened, an old man with a small pheonix on his shoulder had a sly grin plastered on his face while looking like a villain with dramatic backlighting.
"…"
"Hohohoho~"
"…"
"Hooohahaha~"
—Sigh…
Alum reluctantly entered the office.