―After all that crazy stuff, Tarnillya and Zhan showed me around both guilds. It was like getting a VIP tour of the coolest places ever. The Royal Guards Guild was outside the capital and looked absolutely amazing. The Crime Investigation Guild had a really nice look inside too, but it wasn't quite as fancy as the Royal Guards place.
―And at Ylza Academy, I got accepted right away without any problems. They didn't even ask for documents or anything like that. But the best part is that Emi can finally live like a real noble now. We got our very own huge mansion to live in, just the two of us.
―Well, Emi is probably super worried about me right now. I haven't been home for a whole week...
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The old wooden door made a creaking sound as Rynan pushed it open just a little bit. He peeked inside the small house where he and Emi had been living together. There was Emi, sitting at their tiny table and eating her usual vegetable soup. She made the same soup every single day because it was all they could afford.
―I'm coming in... I hope she's not too mad at me.
Rynan pushed the door open all the way, making it creak even louder. The sound echoed through their quiet little home. He stepped inside carefully, not sure what kind of reaction he was going to get.
Emi turned her head toward the noise and her eyes went super wide with shock. She dropped her spoon right into her soup with a loud splash. Without thinking twice, she jumped up from her chair and ran straight toward Rynan as fast as she could.
"E-Emi..." Rynan started to say, but she crashed into him like a missile.
She hugged him so hard and fast that they both lost their balance. They tumbled backward and hit the hard concrete floor with a loud thud. Rynan's back hurt from the impact but he didn't care.
"YOU IDIOT, WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ME!?" Emi yelled right in his ear while still hugging him tight.
Her voice was shaking and he could feel tears soaking into his shirt. She was holding onto him like she was afraid he might disappear again. The concrete floor was cold and uncomfortable under his back.
―It makes sense that she'd be angry. I just up and left without saying a single word to her!
"Sorry, Emi... I didn't mean to worry you so much." Rynan felt really guilty about making her scared.
"It's okay," Emi said in a much softer voice. She pulled Rynan up from the floor and grabbed his hand to lead him over to their small dining table.
She pulled out the wooden chair for him like he was some kind of important guest. The chair made a scraping sound against the floor as she moved it. Her movements were gentle and caring, like she was taking care of someone who was sick.
"H-here..." Emi pushed her bowl of warm, delicious-looking vegetable soup toward Rynan.
The soup was still steaming and smelled really good. She had this sweet smile on her face that made his heart feel warm and fuzzy inside.
―I've never been so happy to see that she's safe and okay...
―Huh!? What's she doing now!?
All of a sudden, Emi wrapped her arms around him from behind his chair. She was hugging him while he was trying to eat, which was pretty weird. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her today.
"Pft, when did you get so clingy, Emi?" Rynan asked with a little laugh.
"Y-you got a problem with that? It's not like you can do anything about it anyway..." Emi's voice sounded different, kind of shy and embarrassed.
They both went quiet for a few seconds, just sitting there in the silence. Emi's face turned bright red like a tomato and she rested her head on Rynan's shoulder. She squeezed him even tighter than before, like she never wanted to let him go.
"I gotta ask, are you feeling okay today?" Rynan was getting more confused by the minute.
"W-what a weird thing to say to a girl... don't you see me as a woman? " Emi asked in a whisper.
"Uhm..." Rynan's brain completely froze up and stopped working.
―What the hell is happening!? Why is she acting so strange and different!?
"You can't do anything about this~ " Emi said in a teasing voice that made his face heat up.
"Well, I CAN do something abou-" Rynan tried to stand up to get away from the awkward situation.
"WAH!" Emi squeaked as they both lost their balance again.
Rynan ended up falling forward and landing right on top of Emi. They both hit the floor hard and went completely silent. The only sound was their heavy breathing as they stared at each other.
―Good thing I got my hand under her head when we fell! That would've really hurt if I wasn't fast enough to protect her.
Rynan let out a sigh of relief that she wasn't injured. But then he noticed something that made his heart start beating like crazy.
―W-wait, why is her face so red? Like REALLY FUCKING RED!?
"E-Emi?" Rynan's voice came out as barely a whisper.
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"R-Rynan..." Emi whispered his name so quietly he could barely hear it.
She couldn't even look him in the eyes anymore. Her gaze kept darting away every time he tried to make eye contact. Her whole face was burning red and she looked like she might faint any second now.
―He's so cool and handsome..! I can't handle this!
Emi quickly covered her mouth with both hands to hide her embarrassed expression. For just a split second, their eyes met directly and it felt like lightning struck. Then she immediately looked away again, her heart pounding like crazy.
"A-are you o-okay, Emi..?" Rynan asked with genuine worry in his voice.
He gently lifted her chin up with his finger and grabbed her right hand to help her stand. That's when he noticed how stiff and tense her whole body was. She felt like a wooden board that couldn't bend at all.
―Is she acting weird because she's disgusted by me? Did I do something wrong?
Rynan's thoughts started spinning out of control with anxiety. Maybe she was grossed out that he fell on top of her. Maybe she didn't want him touching her at all.
"Sorry about that... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He said quietly.
"N-no! It's totally okay... really!" Emi said way too fast and loud.
Both of them scratched their heads at the same time, feeling super awkward about the whole situation. They sat back down in their chairs like nothing happened. Rynan went back to eating his soup while Emi just stared at him from the side like he was the most interesting thing in the world.
―Why is she acting so strange!? She's making me way too nervous! Calm down, Rynan, just calm down and focus. I need to tell her the important news.
If you compared what was going on in both their heads, Rynan was definitely way more normal than Emi right now. His thoughts were at least making sense and forming real words.
―JFJDIJRBXJEJJEJSBEJAIJWJJRJDIDJ! HE'S SO CUTE AND AMAZING! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
Emi's brain had completely melted into nonsense. She was screaming random letters and words in her mind like a computer that had crashed. Her face kept getting redder and redder as she watched him eat.
"Ahem... uh, Emi, I've got some news for you. Really good news, actually..." Rynan cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Uh, yeah? What is it?" Emi tried to sound normal but her voice was still shaky.
"I've been sponsored by both the Second Chief in Command of the Lagunna Crime Investigation Guild AND the Head of the Ylza Royal Guards Guild." Rynan's voice got more excited as he talked. "They're going to send me to the Academy! But the best part is that we've been given our very own huge manor in Ylza!"
He was practically glowing with happiness as he continued. "You can finally live an amazing life there, Emi! No more worrying about money or food!"
―W-wait... why am I crying? These should be happy tears, right?
Tears started flowing down Emi's cheeks without her permission. She felt overwhelmed with so many emotions at once - happiness, pride, relief, and something else she couldn't name. Before Rynan could react, she leaned forward and pulled his head against her chest.
"Rynan. It's okay, you can cry too if you want." Her voice was soft and gentle like a mother comforting her child.
"You're finally getting closer to your dream, aren't you? But remember this - I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what happens." She stroked his hair while she talked. "You don't have to face anything alone anymore."
―She's absolutely the best person in the whole world... I'm so lucky to have her.
Rynan wrapped his arms around Emi and let himself cry into her warmth. All the stress and fear from the past week melted away as she held him close.