The path led them toward the northern side of the grounds, where the trees grew denser and shadows covered most of the ground.

There was an open space between the trees with short, well-kept grass, and in that space, two children were running around without any particular destination.

Takeshi watched them for a moment as he walked. They looked about six to eight years old, he estimated. Neither of them was paying attention to the terrain.

The smaller of the two sped up to catch the other, stepped badly on a patch where the grass gave way over loose soil, and fell forward. His right knee struck the ground, and he stayed still for a second before beginning to cry.

Takeshi stopped and changed direction toward the child to help him.

He was about four steps away when someone reached the boy before he did.

A young woman knelt beside the child with quick, precise movements. She had partially tied-back blonde hair and green eyes. She wore shrine clothing, the same cream color as the rest of the staff, though made from a different, lighter fabric. She took the child’s knee in her hands without making any abrupt movements.

Takeshi stopped where he was.

’Who is she?’

What happened next lasted less than fifteen seconds.

A very faint light, almost imperceptible unless looked at directly, appeared between the young woman’s hands and the boy’s knee. It was not a flash or an explosion of energy, but something more like visible warmth. The knee, whose skin had been torn open with blood on the surface, closed itself.

The child stopped crying. He looked at his knee, touched it with a finger, and then looked at the young woman.

"Don’t tell anyone, okay?"

She said quietly, wearing a small smile.

The child nodded with the seriousness only children have when they’ve just been entrusted with an important secret, stood up, and ran off after the other boy as though nothing had happened.

The young woman stood, and only then noticed Takeshi standing a few meters away watching her.

She did not seem frightened. Instead, she looked at him with calm curiosity.

Takeshi checked her stats automatically.

[OPHÉLIA]

[Life: 100%]

[Sanity: 100%]

[Trust: 95%]

’95% Trust without us even introducing ourselves yet!?’

It was a much higher number than expected from someone he had just met.

The chat appeared.

[Oh]

[New character unlocked]

[95% Trust and they don’t even know each other’s names yet. Interesting]

Nyx was standing beside Takeshi. He glanced at her and noticed she had been watching everything as well.

The young woman walked toward them with calm steps.

"I haven’t seen you before."

She mentioned it not as an accusation, but as an observation.

"Are you new here?"

"Something like that."

Takeshi replied.

She nodded as though that answer was enough.

"My name is Ophélia, and yours?"

"Takeshi Fujimoto."

Ophélia looked at him for a moment and then at Nyx, who stood to his left.

"And you, young lady?"

"Young lady? Well... I’m Solynmar Nyx, but you can call me Nyx."

Ophélia looked at the two of them, then returned her gaze to Takeshi with a kind yet straightforward expression.

"So, what brings you and your girlfriend to this place?"

Takeshi opened his mouth to answer, but first looked at Nyx on reflex. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Nyx’s ears were slightly pinker than they had been a moment ago, and she said nothing.

"No..."

Takeshi denied it.

"We’re not dating."

Nyx turned her head toward him.

Her expression was that of someone who had just received information they did not like and was deciding what to do with it, though her pointed ears still carried that pink tint.

Ophélia looked between the two of them with an expression suggesting she had just said something she should not have, though she was not entirely sure what the mistake had been.

"I’m sorry..."

She said carefully.

"I made the wrong assumption."

"It’s fine."

Takeshi replied.

Nyx said nothing.

The chat reappeared.

[Critical protagonist error]

[Why did he say it so fast?]

[Social awareness level: 2 out of 100]

[Nyx is processing. Give her a minute]

Takeshi ignored the comments, though internally he admitted that perhaps the speed of his response had not been the best tactical decision.

’I didn’t lie. We really aren’t dating.’

He decided not to add anything else on the subject.

He looked back at Ophélia.

"What you did with the child..."

He said curiously.

Ophélia looked at him with renewed attention.

"What about it?"

"It’s not like anything I’ve seen so far. It wasn’t elemental magic or object infusion."

Ophélia considered that.

"Do you study magic?"

"I’m learning the basics."

"Then it makes sense that you wouldn’t recognize it."

She did not say it condescendingly. Rather, she seemed to be gauging how much information to give.

"It’s not something taught in regular courses."

"Why did you tell the child not to tell anyone?"

Ophélia stayed silent for a moment. She looked at him more carefully than before, as though evaluating the question.

"Because it’s better that way."

She finally replied.

It was an honest answer, but an incomplete one, and Takeshi did not press further.

Nyx spoke for the first time since the introductions, her tone normal and free of the earlier tension.

"How long have you been at the shrine?"

Ophélia looked at her.

"Almost my whole life."

"And have you always been able to heal like that?"

"Ever since I can remember, yes."

Nyx nodded slowly, as though that confirmed something she had already been thinking.

Takeshi watched the child for a second.

Ophélia followed his gaze.

"He’s fine."

She said.

"He won’t have any scars."

"Does it hurt when you do it?"

Takeshi asked.

Ophélia looked at him with an expression that was difficult to read.

"No..."

She answered after a moment.

"It doesn’t hurt."

She added nothing else.

Takeshi decided not to continue down that line of questioning. There was something in the tone of her last answer that indicated the question had touched on something she would not elaborate on with someone she had only just met.

The chat was still active.

[Ophélia is hiding something]

[Everyone in this world has secrets]

[Takeshi asking personal questions two minutes after meeting her]

Nyx shifted slightly to his left, and Takeshi looked at her.

She averted her gaze toward the path with an expression that was not the look of someone simply observing the scenery.

’She’s still upset.’

Takeshi considered saying something about it, but decided the moment was not appropriate.

Ophélia looked at both of them with a calm expression that was not quite uncomfortable, yet suggested she had noticed something between them was not entirely resolved.

"Are you touring the shrine?"

She asked.

"Yes..."

Takeshi replied.

"We came with others, but they’re busy right now."

"Did you come with Merwyn?"

Takeshi looked at her.

"You know her?"

"She’s come here before."

Ophélia said it naturally, without giving further details, then pointed toward the eastern side of the grounds.

"If you want to see the entire shrine, there’s an area behind the main building that most people don’t visit. It has more history than the front."

"Thank you."

Nyx said.

Ophélia nodded and then turned around to walk in the opposite direction along the path.

Takeshi and Nyx remained where they were.

The silence between them became uncomfortable.

"Should we keep going?"

Takeshi finally said.

"Yes."

Nyx replied, and they began walking toward the eastern side without saying anything else.