Nautilus stirred slightly, his eyes opening to meet the faint light filtering through the thick canopy above.
A gentle breeze passed by, carrying the chill of morning mist and the earthy scent of damp soil, making him shiver instinctively.
But unlike every other day, there was no heavy exhaustion pressing down on his body. On the contrary, a strange sense of calm spread through his muscles, as if, for the first time since entering this world, he had actually slept soundly.
He took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs, and his mind gradually sharpened.
Rubbing his eyes gently, Nautilus turned out of habit to look beside him, and froze.
Ren was still curled up in his cloak, his breathing slow and even, like someone utterly unconcerned with the world around him.
But what made Nautilus freeze wasn't the careless sleeping posture. It was Ren's face, fully visible in the soft morning light for the first time.
The first time he had seen Ren's face.
Nautilus blinked. A strange feeling swept through his chest like a sudden wave.
All throughout their time traveling together, short as it was, Ren had always hidden inside his wolf-fur cloak, hood pulled low enough that only his chin and a sliver of his lips were visible.
Even in battle, he never removed that covering, as if building an invisible wall between himself and the outside world.
But now, that shell was gone.
With no thick hood to obscure his features, Nautilus could finally see what his companion really looked like.
Soft black hair fell naturally over Ren's forehead, slightly tousled. His pale skin glowed faintly in the dim light of dawn.
His facial features weren't sharp nor rugged, but a strange harmony between angles and softness, like an unfinished painting, bearing both youthful traces and a cold, distant air.
But what caught Nautilus's attention more than anything were the faint shadows under Ren's eyes.
They weren't dark, but enough to reveal that Ren was used to restless sleep, or perhaps chronic sleeplessness.
Fatigue still lingered on his face, but in this moment of deep slumber, stripped of all defenses, Ren looked… profoundly peaceful.
And that, more than anything, left Nautilus deeply unsettled.
He had always assumed Ren was the type to remain on guard, always keeping others at arm's length, like a lone wolf wandering in the shadows.
Someone stoic, stubbornly strong, refusing to show a moment of weakness.
But now, that wolf was asleep, utterly defenseless.
Nautilus swallowed unconsciously, his gaze fixed on the face before him.
He looked completely different from what Nautilus had imagined.
After a long pause, Nautilus finally let his body relax slightly, lips parting as if to say something, but all that came out was a quiet sigh.
He shook his head and chuckled to himself.
The shock still hadn't fully left him as he turned away. Even after averting his gaze, a lingering sense of disbelief clung to him, like his mind couldn't keep up with what he had just seen.
He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself before glancing across from him, where Yuna sat not too far away.
At some point, she had stopped surveying the forest and turned her gaze toward them.
Yuna's eyes gleamed with obvious amusement, the corners of her mouth curling into a teasing smile, as if she had long predicted his reaction.
But more than mischief, there was a quiet understanding in that smile, a knowing look from someone who had once experienced the same thing, now seeing her past self mirrored in his expression.
Nautilus hesitated for a moment, searching for a reasonable explanation, but in the end, instead of forming a full sentence, he simply pointed toward Ren, eyes still fixed on him.
"…He looks like this?" he muttered, not realizing he had spoken aloud.
Yuna blinked, then let out a soft laugh.
"I saw him last night."
Her voice came from right beside him. Nautilus flinched and turned in surprise, not knowing when Yuna had moved closer. She rested an elbow on her knee, chin in her hand, her eyes filled with curious observation, and a trace of lingering surprise.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" she raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying that same subtle confusion Nautilus now felt.
"Yeah…" Nautilus still hadn't fully composed himself. He swallowed and tried to piece together the image of Ren in his mind, but the contrast was too great. "…I thought he'd have a… harsher face."
"Or at least look more intimidating," Yuna chuckled softly, a rare glint of mischief in her eyes.
They looked at each other for a moment, then both sighed almost in unison, as if accepting that this was something their minds wouldn't fully grasp for a while.
"He looks like a porcelain doll," Yuna murmured, eyes still on Ren, her voice so soft it nearly vanished with the morning breeze. "Like, the kind of beauty that doesn't make sense. If he didn't speak, anyone would think he's an NPC from some fancy boutique."
Nautilus pondered for a moment, then blurted out, "It doesn't match the way he fights at all."
Yuna nodded immediately. "Exactly. Looking at him now, who would believe he took on an entire horde of monsters by himself yesterday?...And won, almost effortlessly…"
They both fell silent for a moment. But then, as if the same thought struck them at once, their expressions shifted, brows slightly furrowed, gazes deepening.
"…Do you think he knows?" Nautilus was the first to speak, voice quieter than before.
"You mean, what he looks like?" Yuna smiled faintly, but it no longer carried the same teasing tone, instead, it felt distant. "Maybe he does. But…" She paused, voice lowering. "Maybe that's exactly why he doesn't want anyone to see."
Nautilus froze.
Yuna's words cut into his thoughts like a gentle blade, leaving behind a deeper wound than he'd expected.
He recalled all the times Ren had stood silently in the shadows, the way he always kept a distance from others, and how he reacted every time someone got too close.
It wasn't because he was cold. It wasn't because he was distant.
It was because he didn't want anyone to see.
"…Maybe." Nautilus answered softly, his voice instinctively dropping. A strange feeling rose in his chest, something not quite sympathy, but not simply surprise either.
Yuna looked at him, then smiled. "But at least he's sleeping peacefully right now."
Nautilus reflexively glanced back at Ren. The boy still hadn't stirred, his breathing was steady, his face completely relaxed.
No signs of his usual tension, no alertness, no sharp eyes or stern features.
For once, Ren looked truly at peace.
"…Then let him sleep a little longer," Nautilus murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
"Yeah… this time, let's just let him rest."
Yuna replied quietly, and the two of them sat there in silence, savoring the stillness of the early morning, before Ren woke, and things returned to how they always were.
Forget about Ren for a moment.
Nautilus stole a glance at Yuna, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes. He lingered on it, as if battling with his own thoughts, but that moment of doubt quickly gave way to resolve.
He clenched his fist gently, took a deep breath, and then spoke up, not loudly, but with enough weight to draw the girl's attention.
"Yuna."
She looked up, eyes widening slightly at the serious tone in his voice. She stayed quiet, waiting to hear what he had to say.
Without another moment's hesitation, Nautilus raised a hand and navigated through his personal menu, opening his inventory. A faint, pale-blue glow flickered, and in a flash, a small item appeared in his palm.
He held it out gently in front of her.
A pair of four-leaf clover earrings, delicately crafted, catching the soft morning light in a way that made them seem to shimmer with a warm glow.
Yuna blinked, surprised by the sparkling accessories in his hand.
"These…"
"They boost HP by five percent," Nautilus said shortly, his voice a bit awkward, eyes avoiding hers. "They dropped from that miniboss yesterday."
Yuna paused for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. She traced her fingers over the earrings' smooth curves, then slowly looked up, the corners of her lips curling slightly.
"Then why didn't you keep them?" Her voice carried a hint of teasing, though the curiosity behind it was genuine.
Nautilus's mouth twitched slightly, as if he'd been expecting the question. He gave a small cough, then replied with forced nonchalance.
"I just… don't think they suit a guy."
Yuna glanced at him, then down at the earrings in her hand again. Small and ornate, shaped like lucky clovers, definitely not something you'd picture a boy like Nautilus wearing.
"That so?"
"Yeah." Nautilus nodded firmly, as if his reasoning was perfectly sound. But no matter how composed he tried to seem, the faint redness creeping up his ears betrayed the fluster he couldn't quite hide.
Yuna chuckled softly, letting the silence speak for itself. She picked up one of the earrings, twirling it between her fingers so the metal caught the morning light.
Then, slowly, she lifted it to her ear and put it on.
Nautilus glanced at her again, his eyes flickering to Yuna's face as she tilted her head slightly, adjusting the fit.
Somehow, seeing the earrings on her, seeing them right where they were meant to be, gave him a strange sense of completeness, like something had just quietly clicked into place.
Yuna brushed a finger lightly against the earring, then looked back at Nautilus, the smile in her eyes gentler than before.
"Then I'll accept it."
Nautilus gave a small nod, saying nothing more. But in that fleeting instant when Yuna wasn't looking, the corners of his lips lifted into the faintest smile.