The Sitri residence was quiet that evening. Sona sat in her study, glasses resting on the desk beside her. The soft glow of a lamp illuminated the room, but she wasn't reading.
Her fingers toyed endlessly with the small plush phoenix sitting in her lap.
"…Honestly," she whispered, cheeks heating at the memory. "He's reckless. Shameless. Overbearing…"
Her lips pressed together. Her heart betrayed her, beating faster as the scene replayed in her mind—his grin when he handed her the plush, the weight of his words at the park, and most of all… the fleeting warmth of his lips on hers.
"…And yet, I didn't stop him," she admitted in a whisper.
The door slid open without warning.
"Didn't stop who~?" came the singsong voice.
Sona nearly jumped out of her seat. "S-Serafall! Don't you knock?!"
Her elder sister, Maou Leviathan herself, skipped in wearing her usual frilly, magical-girl-inspired outfit. Her wide grin said she already knew the answer to her question.
"Ohhh? So serious Sona-chan is holding a plushie and blushing all alone? How suspicious! How romantic!"
Sona hugged the phoenix plush instinctively, realizing too late how incriminating it looked. "I-It's nothing. Just a gift."
"From him?" Serafall leaned across the desk, chin in her hands, sparkling eyes locked on her sister.
"…Yes," Sona admitted quietly.
Serafall's grin widened. "Kyaaa~! My little sister is growing up! You went on your first date with Riser, didn't you?"
Sona looked away, her ears burning. "…It wasn't a date. Not officially."
"But you dressed up, went out together, ate sweets, played games, and kissed under the sunset, right?" Serafall counted on her fingers, each word making Sona's blush deepen.
"W-we didn't—!" she tried to deny it, but her voice faltered as the memory of that brief kiss returned. Her fingers clutched the plush tighter. "…It was only a little."
Serafall squealed, bouncing in her chair like an excited child. "A little kiss is still a kiss, Sona-chan! And from the way you're holding that plushie, you like him more than just a little~"
Sona exhaled sharply, trying to compose herself, but her usual mask just wouldn't settle. "…He's insufferable. He doesn't know restraint. But…" she hesitated, her voice dropping softer than Serafall had ever heard. "…When he said those things… when he looked at me like that… I… believed him."
Serafall's teasing smile softened, just for a moment. Her little sister was no longer the untouchable, calculating heiress but simply a girl whose heart had been shaken.
"Sona-chan," Serafall said gently, patting her head. "You've always carried yourself like a perfect noble. But you're also just a girl. It's okay to let someone in. Even if he's loud and bold and drives you crazy."
Sona's fingers brushed over the phoenix plush again. "…It frightens me," she confessed. "How easily he breaks past my defenses. How… how much he makes me feel."
Serafall leaned back with a wink. "That just means it's real."
Sona's eyes widened at the simple truth.
Her sister rose, striking one of her usual exaggerated magical-girl poses. "But don't think I'll stop teasing you about it~! Just wait until mom and dad see you acting like a blushing maiden around him!"
"Serafall!" Sona buried her face in her hands as her sister skipped out of the room, humming happily.
Left alone again, Sona peeked between her fingers at the plush phoenix, her face still warm. "…Riser Phenex," she whispered. "What are you doing to me?"