The morning seemed to be shinier than ever before. After the events of last night, Queen Elara had her knights stay at the ziggurat to recover and relax for the day. After all, she doesn’t want them to overwork themselves to protect everyone. Fionn; however, didn’t listen to her word, but did say where he was going. With the protest of the knights, Elara was the one to finally allow it, finding it amusing that Fionn had gone off to meet with the descendant of Muramasa. While on the way back to the city, Fionn summoned a white cloud of smoke, an imitation of Sommersault Cloud, Son Wukong’s very own means of traveling. Fionn was lying flat on his back, hands intertwined behind his head with a leg bent

  Zooming through the trees like a gentle breeze, Fionn was lost in his endless, chaotic thoughts again, drifting from the thought of future conflicts to simply what comes next after this Trial is over with. “I dunno how I remembered Sana saying that she had a gift waiting for me,” he thought, checking his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t going to ram into anything. “Hope she’s not mad at me for being late.”

  He cracks a small, teasing smirk as a thought comes to his mind—whether it was a good idea or another mischievous thought wasn’t clear. “It’s probably a sword with shiny jewels on it.” he thought as he openly laughed at his teasing, although there was a real happy smile behind his facade

  He ends up flying through a golden portal, appearing right outside at Mr. Masamune’s shop. “I hope it’s not another fight inside,” he said to himself, hopping off his cloud and making it disappear with a tap. It fades into the wind as he enters quietly through the door, assuming Sana was probably in the back, tinkering with a sword or spearhead. To his surprise, she was tending to the display swords on the side. He noticed she had her hair tied back into a small ponytail today. Her hair brought out her cute amber eyes in the reflection of the blades, and she still had a faint flamingo pink blush on her cheeks

  She was dressed differently today, now wearing a white tunic under a brown corset, with a black apron over it. Fionn noticed she was wearing black tights that brought out her hips and legs, and black high heels that gave her a slightly taller appearance. He noticed where he was looking and immediately looked at the other weapons, trying to not attract attention to himself. “She’s cute like this,” he thought to himself, taking another glance at the back of Sana’s head. “But, I know it won't last long because of me.”

  Sana heard a small noise behind her and tilted her head to look at him, a small gasp leaving her breath as she realized Fionn arrived earlier than she expected. “Oh! Fionn, hi,” Sana greeted, turning on her heel with a wide smile plastering onto her face. “You’re finally here! I was beginning to think you flaked on me.”

  A smile brightens his face too, standing casually with his hands behind his head. “Sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” he said, acknowledging his own mistake. “The Queen is a pretty nice woman, despite being a child. I got appointed to her private guard, so things took longer than I wanted them to.”

  Sana walks close, putting her hands behind her back and leaning into him, a small waft of cinnamon filling the air between them. “Still want your gift?” she asked, a flirtatious tone creeping into her voice. She squints her eyes slightly, her smile widening into a grin. “It’s in the back of the shop. Mr. Masamune is out for today, so he’s sleeping off orders and won’t show up until tomorrow~.”

  Fionn’s cheeks turned red fast at her tone. Was she doing this on purpose? But Sana always seemed like the kind of woman to slowly show her feelings, not outright flirt! “Holy shit!” he thought to himself, the usual steady beat of his heart quickening its pace. “She’s bolder than I thought!” She wasn’t holding back with her flirting, especially with the fact she’s attractive on top of that. “Really?” he asked, stiffening his stance out of embarrassment. His voice sounded more like he was unsure rather than it being a question. “Well, yeah, I’d still like to see it. Do you need help running the shop?”

  Sana’s grin grew slightly. She had him just where she wanted him to be. “Oh, that’ll be perfect,” she said, finally backing away and turning on her heel. She motions toward the back, putting a hand on her hip. “Follow me.”

  Fionn stood awkwardly for three seconds, debating whether to run out the shop and forget what just happened, or follow her lead and potentially gain a close friend—or someone closer than that. “Considering she’s like this because Mr. Masamune isn’t here, I can’t even imagine what she does with herself while alone.”

  “Fionn?”

  “Sorry.”

  He still follows behind her, thinking about the positives over the negatives. In the back of the shop, he was surprised to see there was a big room that stored an anvil near the back, a smithing wheel in the middle of the room, and many supplies scattered around the room. Broken and bent blades were stationary in a big barrel near the door, pieces of unused steel slept on the giant table in the back, and the flooring was a clean stone, although it was dirtied with small grains of iron, dust, and maybe flakes. The walls were brick, but the small lightbulbs that lined up on the ceiling illuminated the room pretty well, all things considered. “Woah,” he mutters, amazed by everything in his vision. “Shocked?” she asked teasingly, casually walking to one of the tables on the side to pick up something. Sana lifts a small box wrapped by a yellow bow. “I made these after your second gift with the leftover steel I had,” she said, winking at Fionn. “I hope they fit. They’re the first things I’ve ever made like this.”

  As she hands over the gift with a sweet smile, Fionn’s eyes open at the box. Inside, on a small white cushioning, were a pair of long teardrop earrings that shined with the light above. Fionn’s cheeks were dusted with a pink blush, similar to Sana’s. He smiles happily again, carefully taking them out of the box and hanging them from his ears. “Thank you, Sana!” he said, pulling her body into a warm hug. Sana’s cheeks flush into a similar color as his, tightening her hold around Fionn in return. “His body is so warm!” she thought to herself, relaxing against his chest.

  “How long did it take you to make these?” he asked softly

  “It took longer than I’d like to admit, haha,” she giggled, blushing at her other failures. “If Mr. Masamune was here, he’d tell you the exact amount.”

  He pulls away—to her slight disappointment—and holds her hands, intertwining his fingers with hers. “Then I’m even more glad you tried to make them special just for me.”

  Sana’s eyes widened as she looked into his own. The silver earrings really did look good on him with his blonde hair as they brought out his eyes more and his already mesmerizing appearance. The moment stretches for a bit longer, much to Sana’s pleasure, until she is reminded for the other reason on why he was here. “Well, let me get your real gift,” she said, reluctantly retracting her hands. She walked towards the other side of the room, leaning over to grab something. Secured by a few strings to separate it from the rest due to its size, Sana pulls out a short blade from a barrel, smiling briefly as she removes the strings. “I really wanted this to be special, so I took more time for this as well.” she said gladly, her soft smile turning into a happy smirk

  Fionn’s eyes opened again, recognizing the size. “She actually made it?” he thought

  Sana hands him the true gift, and as he unboxes it, he stops and stares at what’s inside, truly starstruck by what someone of the Muramasa lineage could do

  The blade, short and clean, was clearly made to shine for him. The guard was crisp and black, while the handle was white with his name engraved into it, drizzled in silver to make it shiny. The blade perfectly reflected Fionn’s image, seeing there was the kanji for “Hero” engraved inside just above the guard. Fionn waved the short blade in the wave, watching the light bounce off the blade like a mirror. “Sana…,” he mutters, then looks back at her with a wide, happy grin. “Thank you, so much.”

  Sana’s heart skipped a beat, blushing more at his compliment. “When Mr. Masamune saw it, he thought I was planning to kill him,” she said, covering her mouth with a hand while giggling behind it. “But, not even he could see what was wrong with the blade. I was super proud.”

  “That must mean a lot, huh?” Fionn asked, sheathing the blade in its white case. Sana’s smile softens again, holding her cheeks to stop her own flush from spreading more—of course, unsuccessfully. “It was… the best compliment I’ve ever gotten. Mr. Masamune was always scared of me making blades because of my heritage…, she started, swishing from side to side, “so when he said it looked stunning, I really wanted to prove him right.”

  Fionn smiles with her, reaching out to her hand to hold it. “Then I’m happy you did. This blade looks really cool!”

  Sana leaned into him, wrapping her arms around Fionn’s neck for another hug. “Thank you too, Fionn,” she said softly, Fionn’s hand flying to her hips to keep her steady. “For saving me, Mr. Masamune, and the shop. You’ve brought out something I didn’t think I could do.” she mutters, clutching him as if he would leave the second she lets go

  Fionn chuckles softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I was just reacting on impulse,” he said quietly, brushing strands of her hair behind her ear. “I’d do it again just for your smile.”

  “Smooth, Irishman. Smooth,” she said, giggling again

  “I try to be.”

  Sana’s hands come up to his cheeks, holding his face like a picture. She gazes down at his nose and lips, then at his eyes. Fionn sets the gift down on the table behind him just as one of his hands comes up to her side. “He’s such a good looking guy,” she thought to herself, ideas running through her brain at the speed of light. “I wonder…”

  She leans more into his presence, while his arm pulls her closer to him. This moment, no matter how weird it felt, was something new. From the many orders the shop has to make, to simply dealing with annoying customers… this moment was quiet and a fresh break from all the noise

  “Fionn…,”

  “Yeah?”

  “Stay with me.”

  Sana outlines Fionn’s lips with her right thumb, looking down at her finger while tracing it. “I never felt like this before,” she says quietly, showing a new sign of vulnerability. “You’re the first guy I’ve felt like this for.” Just before they could continue, a knock interrupted their intimate, quiet moment. “I hope you two had planned on a better scene,” Mr. Masamune said, knocking against the wall again and announcing his presence, “other than the back of our shop.

  Sana’s and Fionn’s faces drown in a hot pink color as they were caught. It looked like they’d overheat soon from sheer embarrassment alone

  “M-Masamune?!” she said breathlessly

  Fionn lets out a very small squeak of surprise. “S-shit!”

  “I-I thought you’d be out for today,” she stammered, quickly stiffening her stance as she turned to him. She puts her hands in her laps, looking up at Mr. Masamune’s eyes as if she did nothing while he was away. Despite her stiffness, she didn’t pull away from Fionn’s hold at all

  “I would’ve been surprised why neither of you heard me enter,” he said, a small teasing grin twitching at the corners of his lips, “but that surprise turned out to be my little granddaughter messing around with her ‘friend’, hahaha.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  A wide, happy grin plasters his face, getting a kick from how embarrassed Sana was. “My, you’re already very different from your mother, boy.” Mr. Masamune teased. “I’d be proud to have great grandchildren running around soon.”

  “MASAMUNE!” Sana squealed, hiding her face behind her hands

  Fionn was too embarrassed to even get angry at the mention of his mother. “Did I really… just get caught?” he thought to himself, covering his reddening face with his hand. If it was Rosie, he wouldn’t have heard the end of her teasing until maybe he was in his late forties. “SON OF A BITCH!!”

  He squats down into a ball, emitting a pink aura from his body. “Ugh!” he groaned to himself, blushing harder. “Why didn’t I hear him?!” Sana looked at Fionn, worried about whatever he was thinking. “Fionn?” Sana worried, sitting down with him

  After the memory was forever burned into their memories, Mr. Masamune gave the two something to do for today as “punishment”. Sana and Fionn were sent out the shop to go gather some materials: wood, bamboo, wool, string, rocks, and a few seasonings

  Sana was in front of Fionn, humming a small tune that had been sung to her in her younger years. Fionn, on the other hand, had his hood down while looking around the city, letting his new earrings dangle with the slight breeze. The embarrassment from earlier was still staining his cheeks, but it started to fade away as he breathed in the warm air. “To be honest, this city is so calm,” he thought to himself, looking at the back of Sana’s head—mostly to stay respectful. “Would she know about Diarmuid’s weapons? Would she hate me if I showed them if she recognized them?”

  He clicks his tongue, looking back at the lists of items to fetch for Mr. Masamune. “Don’t parents use things like this when they want alone time? Does he want us to explore or something?” Fionn thought to himself, looking at where they were heading. “Or is this to really see how long it takes for one of us to croak?”

  Fionn takes another glance at Sana, thinking back to how close she got in the shop. “Didn’t think she’d come onto me so quickly though,” he thought as a small grin forms on his face, “but she’s a woman who knows what she wants.”

  “Fionn, do you still have the list?” she asked, pulling Fionn from his spiraling thoughts

  He perks up as his name is called. “Yeah.” He takes the mini list out of his pocket, handing it to her. She scans over it to memorize what Mr. Masamune requested, then Fionn’s face twisted to slight realization

  “Have you been aimlessly walking around this entire time?”

  “Well, I thought I knew what we needed,” she started, saying it casually and winking at him, “but I forgot, like, mid-way through to where we were going.”

  Fionn let out a slightly annoyed sigh, then snatched the back of Sana’s apron and dragged her behind him. “You’re following my lead, okay?” Fionn announced, taking charge forcefully

  “Wha–! Hey!” she sputters, confused by how easily she was being dragged by him. “He’s pulling me like I weigh nothing! I thought he was weak under this coat.”

  Sana’s voice came out soft and almost flirtatious again, an attempt to regain control. “Hey, Fionn,” she mutters quietly, but loud enough for him to hear her. “How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.”

  That was enough to shut Sana up—more like keep her quiet for a bit. Her eyes bulged at the fact she was being manhandled by a guy two years younger than she was. He’s eighteen? But he’s dragging her by the apron as if she’s no different from the weight of a sheet of paper. “I-I see,” she said finally, coming to her senses as she realized that they were at a merchant’s stand. Sana glanced over to Fionn talking to the merchant about what seasonings they needed to purchase

  The merchant was an elderly man, but he was no slacker. He had beefy arms, dressed in tight traveling robes with adventurer boots and his black hair tied back, although there were a few strands of light gray. “You know Mr. Masamune’s granddaughter? Bah, I never see her outside the shop unless it’s for a delivery!” the merchant said aloud, having a small hint of Scottish in his voice

  “Mr. Masamune wanted us out of the shop for a bit,” Fionn said, glancing back at Sana briefly. “He was telling her something about needing materials and for me to tag along as protection.”

  The merchant narrowed his eyes on Fionn, recognizing his face very vividly. “Oh! You must be the Fionn he told me about,” he said, recognizing Fionn’s facial features. “Masamune told me that you’re a child of the Calamity Witch. Is that true?”

  Fionn bites back an immediate reply. He wanted nothing to do with his family and lineage, especially not with his mother. “Yeah, I’m her bastardly kid,” he answers reluctantly, faking a bright smile that would’ve been clear to people close to him

  “Wow, kid, you should really work on your mask.” the merchant blurts out

  Sana’s and Fionn’s eyes widened. “Huh?” he mutters, the fake smile cracking into real confusion. Just who else could read him?!

  “I’m sorry?” Fionn questioned

  “That fake smile is easy to read if you know emotions,” the merchant said, then flashes a happy smile out of nowhere. “If you want to wear a mask, you have to truly mean the emotion to fake it.”

  Fionn looked at him with a blank expression, confused by whatever that was supposed to mean. “Truly mean the emotion?” Fionn mutters, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t the point of faking an emotion is to not really mean it?”

  “Yes, that’s the point,” the merchant acknowledged, then made a serious face in an instant. “But to make a convincing mask, you have to put in the effort of displaying one. That earlier smile you had was just a half mask: you had the smile, but not the effort.”

  Fionn’s face blanks again. To say this was odd advice would be an understatement. “What the hell is the point of this?” he thought to himself, looking down at the seasonings again. “Uh… thanks, I think?”

  “No problem!”

  As they left the merchant, Sana had a wide, happy grin on her face, scooting closer to him subtly. “So,” she started, a teasing tone escaping her voice, “you gonna explain—!”

  “No!” he said immediately

  Sana throws her head back in a happy laugh, patting his right shoulder to calm him down. “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad,” she teased, wrapping her arms around Fionn’s neck from behind. “Mr. Pattington has always been an odd duck. He gives weird advice that is somehow helpful.”

  Fionn bites his tongue to not say something, but instead, keeps it in his head. “He’s weirder than a scam artist.”

  “That’s the spirit!”

  As they continued to search for the materials, and Sana growing closer to Fionn in the process, she figured out he’s much softer than he appeared—except that he appeared scrawny with his coat on. While they were talking, she had made a joke about being cold and wanting his coat to warm up. Whenever he took it off, she visibly froze in place when she saw the chiseled body underneath it all. A trickle of blood threatened to fall from her nose, but she resisted the urge with the might of a goddess. After they dropped off the supplies, Fionn decided to take Sana to the forest where he had first met Yasmin. They sat near the river, watching the gentle stream after the “busy’ day they had together

  Sana was the first to break the silence, a sweet tone filling her voice. “Thanks for coming with me today, Fionn.” she said, a kind smile shining on her face. “You really didn’t have to.”

  Fionn looked over to see her face, seeing she truly meant it. “Nah, it was fun—except for that weird merchant earlier.” he said, looking back down at the flowing river

  She leaned her head onto his right shoulder, smiling at their reflection in water. “You know,” she mutters, a flirtatious tone creeping into her voice again. “Mr. Masamune won’t show up uninvited again.”

  Fionn glanced sideways at her. “He scared the hell out of me last time,” he admitted, blushing slightly again. “I didn’t hear him show up at all.”

  Sana laughs teasingly, wrapping her arms around his right arm. “Well, there’s no more scares for us right now,” she said, her voice growing bolder and quieter. “And you are only two years younger than me~!”

  Fionn’s eyes widened. She was only twenty?! She looked at least nineteen, hell even eighteen just like him. “You’re twenty?” he asked, the surprise evident in his voice

  “Surprised?”

  “Honestly, yeah.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Sana’s cheeks glow a faint blush again, while she looks glanced around their area suspiciously. “No one’s here, right?” she asked, almost like she was looking forward to something special

  Fionn glanced sideways at Sana. “Yeah… why?” he answered, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows. “What is she planning?”

  Sana slowly intertwined her left fingers with Fionn’s right hand, gazing down as they held hands. “Have you ever dated someone, Fionn?” she asked quietly

  Fionn’s posture stiffens at her question. Why was she asking about that all of a sudden? “What the hell?” he thought to himself, then gauged if he should answer her question. That wouldn’t ruin the moment right now, right? “Only one other woman, but we had to break up because of certain circumstances.”

  A smirk ran across her face. “Oh… so you aren’t purely innocent.”

  “What are you planning?” he blurts out, but not aggressively

  Sana’s smirk stretched into a wide grin, then she grabbed his jaw with her other hand, pulling his face closer to her as she whispered into his ears. “Do you like Japanese women, Fionn?”

  Fionn’s cheeks flushed deeply, darting his eyes around the forest to keep guard this time. “Yeah,” he answered casually, trying to appear like he wasn’t bothered by her question. “As long as they're of legal age, I love all types of women.”

  Sana’s grin stretched wider. He was playing right into her hand, and she absolutely loved it. “Even submissive ones?”

  Fionn finally caught onto what Sana had in mind, but it was already too late to retract any of his answers from what she wanted. “Phew,” she said, holding Fionn’s face with both hands now. “I was waiting for your handsome face to realize what I want—no, need~!”

  His breath hitches slightly as she moved onto his lap, straddling his hips. She smiles down at Fionn with half-lidded eyes, then winks again. Fionn’s cheeks flushed an even deeper color, but he started to suppress it simultaneously. “You’ve treated me like an actual woman, Fionn,” she started slowly, her pupils shifting to the shape of hearts. “And, you’re a handsome guy that doesn’t hesitate to protect someone.”

  She places her hands on his chest, leaning close to his ear one more time to deliver her final statement

  “I love you, Fionn~!”

  Late during the night, while Division 2 and Division 5 were still sleeping in the inn, Fionn had returned at a very late time, far past midnight

  He wasn’t wearing his Division coat anymore, now just wearing his sleeveless white shirt, black pants, and white boots with flat soles. His hair was messier than usual, and his ears were permanently burning with a bright scarlet red blush. He had three noticeable purple markings alongside his neck in the shape of a woman’s lips—rather, mouth

  He went invisible and removed the sounds his feet would make, sneaking through the halls to come back to Ann’s room. “I went on longer than I wanted to,” he mutters to himself, teleporting up the stairs. He made his way to Ann’s room, assuming she was already asleep. He pops his head through the door and relaxes, letting out a quiet breath as he looks over to see that Ann wasn’t there. “She probably went looking for me again.” he thought, phasing through the door and turning visible. His boots still didn’t make a sound, but he acted casual. He takes off his shirt, getting ready for bed. His body was illuminated by the moonlight, like a Greek statue, until he saw the figure of a woman walk out from the bathroom, then purposely let out an annoyed huff of frustration.

  “Fionn!” Ann announced, her tone being anything but sweet right now. Fionn flinches with a startled hitch of his breath, his eyes darting to Ann to find her wearing a white sleeping gown that hid her figure underneath. “Damn it!”

  “H-hey, Ann—!” he said, trying to sound normal

  “Where were you?!” she snapped, leaving no room in her voice for joking. She narrowed her eyes onto his, putting a hand on her hip. “Answer me right now! It’s way past midnight and you come home without your jacket!”

  Fionn clicks his tongue, not entirely embarrassed at her screaming, but guilty for making her worry over him. “Is this karma? Why couldn’t it have waited until the morning,” he thought to himself, taking a long breath and sighing slowly. Whether Ann would still love him unconditionally or have regret of asking, he didn’t care for whatever came next right now

  “Okay, okay, look… I was out with the blacksmith’s granddaughter all day today,” he started, leaning back on his palms, but avoided eye contact with her entirely. “Me and Sana ran an errand for Mr. Masasmune, and after we dropped everything off at the shop, we ‘hit it off’ together. Alone.”

  Ann’s face twisted from anger to immediate blush at his implication, picking up on his more messy state. “Did you at least… you know?”

  Fionn squinted his eyes in slight offence. “Yeah, I pulled out,” he said defensively. “I’m not an asshole.”

  Ann practically deflates, thankful he had some common sense in that manner. “Oh, thank for the love of everything,” she said, sighing happily. “You’re going to be the death of me, sweetie,” Ann walked over to him, sitting close. “Well, you must be tired—!”

  “I’m not.” he said flatly

  She visibly flinched at his response. This was starting to cross into far too much information than her old heart to take. “We’ll talk about this in the morning,” Ann stated, not making eye contact, probably over her own embarrassment. “Get some sleep, honey.”

  Fionn didn’t argue with her. This was already weird enough, so he just laid down on the bed, sleeping on his side with his back facing Ann. “Well… I secured a free supply of weapons for us,” he thought to himself, glancing out the window. “I wonder if Mr. Masamune is going to crucify me or pretend he doesn’t know what happened.”

  It took him longer than normal to fall asleep, but as his body started to relax into the mattress, and his breath slowed to a quiet and steady rhythm, Fionn’s mind drifted back to how happy Sana felt after everything was over. “She looked so excited,” he thought to himself within his infinite realm of thoughts. “This mission is super weird.”