Suzuka had giggled lightly as he passed the smoothie back, all too happy with how the conversation was going. "Yeah... Though, if you need to hide to stay safe, I'll never blame you for that. Not that you'll need to~! I'll keep you plenty safe, Johan. Though, uhm, speaking of keeping you safe, I haven't really talked with you about my Artifacts and Aristeia, right?" His eyebrow raised as she willingly brought up her own capabilities. She'd gotten more serious, and he could even hear the anxiety in her voice as she broached the topic. Was she too humble about the blatantly incredible capabilities of having four Artifacts and an Aristeia despite not being from a classification focused on those things?

  He leaned back slightly in his chair. "You haven't, but you have four Artifacts, right? It's crazy that you have an Aristeia too, especially as a Binah class. That's proof that you're really, really special." He couldn't help but pick up the pace with his speech, and he wasn't sure if he was settling down more because it concerned field work, or because he was getting more used to chatting with her. Either way, it was nice. "-Was there something super important you wanted to discuss? I don't mind talking it over, whether it's some strategy based around them, or some important tidbit."

  She nodded slightly, but hesitated with her words as she tried to explain, her multilayered robes appearing around her and covering over the much more modern outfit she'd picked out for herself. He still wasn't sure how those robes could appear and disappear at will, when most Spirits' clothes didn't seem to have that capability, but he supposed it was just part of the robes being an Artifact despite being clothing. "Yeah, my swords and my robes... I don't have a problem using my robes, they're not super powerful, but they give me a little bit of mobility and defense against incoming attacks. My swords, though, they're called holy swords, yet... Mm. I don't want to use the first two, Daitōren and Shōtōren, unless it's necessary. They're objectively powerful and helpful weapons, and they make me a way better fighter, but... Mm."

  She pursed her lips, and he could only think that she was trying to look for a nice way to say something, or maybe trying to change the topic. He interrupted, changing it for her. "And the third sword, then? If you don't want to use the first two when possible, what about it?"

  Her eyes widened as she clutched at the sword, still in its sheath, with both hands. "That's Kenmyōren, my third sword. Johannes, this is important to me - really, I'd really prefer to never use this Artifact, or my Aristeia, okay?" Her teeth were slightly grit, as if she'd been suddenly thrown into a fight by his mere words. He didn't comment on it, but he took it in, nodding. "I understand. It's a bit unfortunate, but we'll do what we can with your robe and two swords then. Artifacts and Aristeia are a reflection of your life, and a lot of people have things they... Aren't proud of. Whether that's defeat, something added by someone else, or just something they wish they could forget. So, Suzuka... As far as I'm aware, the Spirit I summoned has three Artifacts, and that's it, okay?"

  Her voice was shaky. "You..." She suddenly shot forward, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug that made him freeze up. "Yes, yes...! That's right, so, thank you for understanding! I hope I didn't concern you too much..." She pulled away when she realized he hadn't held onto her in return, and lightly brushed herself off. "You really are a sweet person, y'know Johan~?"

  It was rude to dismiss the compliment, even if he wanted to, so he simply grinned. "Maybe a little, just a bit. But, Suzuka... We should do this again sometime. Just, spend a mealtime together somewhere quiet and talk. Maybe not as heavy, next time? I like chatting with you, and I don't mean it as a formality of summoning you, either." He had meant it mostly innocently, but he knew he screwed up when he saw the way her eyes widened, before that wolfish grin plastered itself fully across her face.

  "Aw~ Asking me out on a second date already, Johan~? We can keep it more lighthearted next time, don't worry~" Her flirtatious confidence had come back in full force, and just for a second, he couldn't help but wonder if it was a legitimate interest in him. Still, even as his face flushed, he quickly removed it as a potential option.

  "Hey, Suzuka...! If you call it a date, won't there be all sorts of weird rumors? I don't want our coworkers thinking I'm doing things that are untoward, you know. Especially since you're a Spirit and I have the Command Array, that's got to be some kind of abuse of power or something." It was embarrassing, and worrying, and frankly a little shameful. Yet, there was a second cause for the anxiety and the flush that spread across his face as he tried to turn away and stop himself from looking her way, so he wasn't teased even more. He would never admit it, but between the sheltered upbringing of his family home, and spending most of his time since then making ends meet and on the road...

  Johannes Volkner had no experience with romance. Oh dear.

  "Awh, Johan, are you blushing~?" She leaned in, her head suddenly appearing beside his shoulder. He glanced down and found his face assaulted with another flush of heat. "C'mon, you can totally just say it! 'Suzuka, you're like, completely my type', or something like that~! I promise I won't tease you." She giggled lightly as she finally pulled herself away and gave him a chance to breathe. Seriously, what the hell was he supposed to do about charms like that? He'd be thinking about this for at least a week at this rate, unless she did something even more ridiculous. She gave him a light nudge that pulled him out of his thoughts again. "But... If you're that worried about rumors, we can keep it on the down-low, you know? Wouldn't want to start a scandal 'cause you're secretly, totally, head over heels for the Spirit you summoned, riii-iiight~? But, for real, Johan, I had fun. I'm having fun, with you. I like being around you, and if you want to talk again, then yeah, lets do it. No heavy stuff, just us, maybe some snacks... And maybe still getting into deep and not-so-deep talks anyway. With you, it sounds nice."

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  He gently bumped back with his shoulder, lightening up a bit. He wasn't sure if she was just teasing him to have fun at his expense, or if she was seriously interested in him, he couldn't get a read on her at all, but... if nothing else, she had decided to accept a chance to spend time together again, just the two of them. "Then, it's set. That grin of yours is cute, but it's not good to keep one expression so long, you know? I heard it gets stuck that way, even if it is super cute on you."

  Of course, he hadn't spontaneously developed skill at teasing people, but rather he was copying what he thought Suzuka might say to him in a similar situation, as he carried on the conversation and finished his noodles. He couldn't help but feel that the Suzuka he saw wasn't the 'real' Princess Suzuka, from the glimpses he saw underneath... Maybe he was just imagining things, but she seemed to be incredibly insecure, and to put on that mask of absolute confidence to do the best by people around her. He wanted to help her out as much as he could, both that 'second' Suzuka and her outward facing self, until she was ready to take that mask off.

  "Well, Johan, I'll be waiting for that second date, 'kay?" She gave him another quick, brief hug. "I know you like your work, and that what you - What we do, is important, but... Don't keep a girl waiting, okay~?" In that moment, he had decided to do something a bit risky. He wrapped his own arms around her and met her enthusiasm with some of his own.

  "There's no need to worry, Suzuka. Besides, we'll probably have plenty of time together in the Distortion, especially if we do some scouting. I'll be sure to treat you, okay~?" He... Didn't have much firsthand experience with what a woman might want in that sort of scene, but he knew that it was common in all sorts of books and TV shows for a man to lean in close and whisper promises of their future plans together like that. Small reassurances, and proof of interest, before the two pulled away.

  His smile dropped as she began to walk away, not because she was leaving, but because he was pretty sure she was serious, whether it was because she wanted him or otherwise. She really wanted romance, even despite being a Spirit. Despite the fact that she would eventually fade, either because of combat or because the vessel couldn't maintain channeling her anymore. Despite the fact that any romance between a living person and a Spirit was practically destined to end in a tragedy. Was he just leading her on, and hurting her, by enabling this? Should he have rejected her flatly, despite all her charms? He swallowed lightly, completely unsure of what the answer might be, as he was finally alone in the briefing room they'd commandeered together.

  He began to put away the silverware he'd taken out to enjoy his meal with, which had become far better than he'd originally expected. He did have plenty of work to do still, ways that he wanted to prepare for the next Distortion, not just for himself or for the mission's success, but for her. He wanted to be able to help her, and to keep her safe from the dangers they'd inevitably end up encountering once they were back in action. Well, safer, that was. He knew that the gulf between what he could reasonably do in battle, and what would be required to truly 'protect' someone as strong as a Spirit, was massive and likely far beyond the scope of anything he could accomplish even with years of work.

  Soon enough, he had exited the room, and disposed of silverware after closing it up. He couldn't help but wonder how things might go with the bond he'd begun to forge with Suzuka. Were they too close, or might that closeness actually help them in the Distortion? He couldn't say, but after he finished up, he headed not to the workshop, but to check his messages. As he might have expected, there was a missive discussing the damages and consequences of the battle that had occurred in the hallways. They would be heading into the Distortion the next day, due to the damage caused to Heliopolis resources. Additionally, they had managed to begin utilizing the Plug's magical energy to help with the energy demands of the station, though their crises weren't totally resolved by that alone.

  Below that, there was actually a second message, one not from the Director, but from... Caller 011, Quinta. Johannes nearly deleted the message on principle, but he couldn't help but see the subject line. 'Joan, Want to Discuss Quinta'. He didn't know if it was actually her, there was no reason a Spirit couldn't learn to use the communications systems and send messages, but it could also be some sort of bizarre test or experiment by Quinta himself. Reading through the message, it seemed that it had been sent to a blanket group of several of their Callers, not him specifically, and it stated that Joan was looking to discuss several issues she was having with Quinta, and how best to handle them.

  He found himself wondering if he should get involved, and indeed if it was even okay to get between the issues of a Caller and the Spirit they summoned. It seemed like an easy way to screw up and end up on the shit lists of everyone involved. Still, wasn't this also one of the things he'd been hoping to do for ages? To make a difference, and to actually be able to help people by his own hand? It wasn't through any special strength, or combat, but he could do that here and now. He found himself staring down the message for several cold, hard minutes as he mulled it over.