And that was it.
Their strange, tentative relationship had not ended despite the many secrets they were keeping, the heavy burden of the forgotten past, and the dark shadow of the imminent war. It was going to continue tenaciously despite the uncertain future.
Which made both of them happy... Sunny, at least, felt incredible joy.
It was both strange and wonderful. The circumstances couldn't be any worse... the timing was absolutely atrocious, as well.
But when had it not been?
In hindsight, there had always been something standing between them.
Neither Sunny nor Nephis had any time to think about their feelings on the Forgotten Shore. Then, they were separated for two long years. After Nephis returned, they only spent a month together before he left for Antarctica. And after Antarctica, he was forgotten by everyone, including her.
The had only had a few fleeting moments to be together in peace, in the depths of the Third Nightmare.
So, strangely enough... despite having known her for almost ten years, this was the first time Sunny had enough maturity to not only know what he wanted, but also be able to express his feelings.
So what if the timing was terrible, and there was a war approaching? If he decided to wait for a good moment to act on his desires, he would have had to wait forever.... After talking some more, he showed Nephis out and returned to the Brilliant Emporium while whistling an upbeat melody.
However, once he was inside, he was met by Aiko‘s chilly gaze.
"What are you so happy about?"
Sunny grinned and suppressed the desire to pinch her cheeks.
Instead, he said happily:
"I just agreed to follow Lady Nephis to war."
The petite girl glared at him silently.
"... There's going to be a war?"
Sunny nodded.
"Oh, right. You didn‘t know. Yeah, there is."
Aiko kept silent for a while, then let out a long sigh and sat down.
"And you‘re going with Nephis to that war?"
He gave her a carefree shrug.
"It seems so."
Aiko sighed again, then covered her face with both hands and groaned.
"Gods... not again! Why... why is this keep happening to me? ! No, really... why? !"
Sunny looked at her guiltily, then walked over and patted the petite girl on the head.
His voice sounded bright:
"Aiko... don‘t worry too much. It‘s going to be fine. Let me ask you something..."
When she looked up at him with teary eyes, he grinned and asked cheerfully:
"... Have you heard about the wonderful world of war profiteering‘?"