'Get your head out of the gutter! Pure thoughts, Effie!'
A wide grin still found its way onto his face. Shaking his head, Sunny turned away to call the next contestant, but Kai suddenly spoke, interrupting him:
"You're not entirely right, you know," he said gently.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
The archer looked down before answering.
"About my Flaw. Yes, it is not as heavy of a burden as many others have to carry. But it's still a curse."
'What is he talking about? It's almost entirely like a second Aspect Ability!'
Looking at Kai with a doubtful expression, Sunny asked:
"Yeah? How, exactly? Please explain, because I really can't think of a situation where this Flaw of yours could be a burden."
The beautiful young man was silent for a while, and then looked up at Sunny with a sad smile.
"Imagine hearing the person who is the most important to you in the whole wide world telling you that they love you, only to realize that they don't. Imagine listening to your friend's words of encouragement, only to understand that he secretly wishes for you to crash and burn…"
He sighed.
"Ignorance is bliss, Sunny. After returning from my First Nightmare, I had to come to terms with the fact that most of the people in my life were not who I thought they were. And that what hid behind their smiles was ugly and vicious."
Kai gestured to himself and said:
"Because of who I am... and how I am... there was always a whirlpool of people around me. But after learning their true faces, I couldn't… well. Let's just say that, if I had the choice, I would have preferred to stay blissfully blind to the truth forever."
He grew quiet.
'Damn.'
Suddenly, Kai smiled.
"But that's why I enjoy spending time with you so much, Sunny! No matter how bizarre the things you say are, they're always true. I never met anyone as stupidly honest as you. It's very refreshing!"
Sunny shifted uncomfortably.
'Uh… did he just call me stupid?'
Now he was kind of sorry for mocking the charming young man about his Flaw. Perhaps it would be useful to someone like Sunny. But to a person like Kai, who always attracted the worst kind of attention from people, it could really be incredibly painful.
The Spell knew what it was doing.
It always hit you in your most vulnerable spot.
'Damned Spell. The being that weaved it must have been the worst kind of a sick bastard...'