[Date: 1/20 - Monday]
[Time: 11:00 PM]
[Location: Sanctuary University]
The next day arrived and I hung out with Jessica and the others in our club room, talking about my vacation and what I did with Charlotte's Mafia while they told me about what they did over the week I've been gone. It honestly felt nice seeing them again, but I noticed Joy wasn't present today. I texted Joy, but didn't get an answer back.
"Hey, do you all know where Joy is?" I asked, looking up from my phone.
"No, she didn't stop by this morning to walk to school with us nor did she text us that she would be absent today," Jessica answered, looking down at her phone and running her fingers through her hair.
"She was just fine yesterday, but I dunno...maybe something happened at home I guess?" Melissa said, leaning back in her chair.
Baylee tried to text Joy, wanting to see if she was okay and if she was showing up today. She waited a few moments, but didn't get an answer back and sighed softly. "Maybe...she's sick? I really don't want to think of the worst. I really hope she's okay.."
"We should find her and go check up on her. Maybe she could be in some danger," Lustie said, her tone a mix of concern and worry for Joy.
"Yeah, if she is in danger, we have to save her, no way are we gonna just leave her by her lonesome," Sensitia exclaimed, ready to do what she can to help out Joy.
I nodded then stood up, pushing my chair in. "I'm gonna see if I can find her and make sure everything is alright. If you need me, just call me and I'll be there when I can."
"Alright, let us know if she's okay," Jessica said, looking at me with a soft smile.
I nodded then left the club room and made my way down the hall. I began to quickly descend the stairs and hurried outside to the parking lot. I got in my car and began to drive off, Lust-E tracking Joy's currently location.
As I drove around the city, I noticed I was nearing Sanctuary City Park and looked at the GPS, confirming if Joy was actually here. After confirming, I parked my car in the parking lot then got out to find Joy.
[Warning: Joy's mental state is very low. Please raise her mental state back to normal.]
I grunted softly at the notification, rushing down the park trail to find Joy. Soon, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench alone, noticing it was Joy and hurried toward her. I noticed her depressed face, seeing she was holding a picture in her hands and tears streaming from her face.
"Joy..?" I said softly, carefully approaching her.
Joy sniffled and looked up, noticing me then glanced down back at the picture. "Hey, Shiro..."
[Caution: Saying the wrong things will result in a lowering of Bond and Status. Choose your words carefully.]
I noticed her distress, my heart slightly aching for her to see her in this state. I sat down beside her and glanced at the picture. I glanced back at Joy, not knowing what to say. As skilled as I am with women, it was rare for me to draw a blank like this.
"Is that your mom..?" I asked softly, finally breaking the silence.
Joy lowered her head slightly, unable to help her soft cries. "Y-Yes...it is my mom. Today...today marks 12 years since her death. I was only eight when she died..."
I looked down at the picture and noticed how happy she and her mother looked on the photo. I felt my heart hurting even more, the sight of the picture being something painful to her. "You were only eight at the time right..?"
Joy took a deep breath and exhaled softly, sniffling and moving her hair from her face. "I was so young and confused...the last thing I remember was hearing my mom and dad fight and she just left...I didn't even get a chance to tell her that I loved her or even had a chance to tell her goodbye...I miss her so much.."
I listened to her cry and sob, and the only thing I could do at this very moment was comfort her. Without any words, I gently took her into my arms, letting her cry on my shoulder. Faith sobbed on my shoulder and I held her close.
As she cried, my hold on her became tighter and stared at the picture clutched within her fingertips. I noticed a few tears fall on my lap and noticed my Crest of Sensitivity faintly glowing on my arm, my emotions growing stronger as I began to truly connect with Joy without words.
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have just—" Joy began, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
"No...no you're alright. You're okay...but I can tell that you hold so much inside.." I said softly, rubbing her shoulder and gently held her cheek to make her look at me. "Let it all out...right now... there's no one here but us. Let out your grief, your pain, your sorrow. Allow me to carry your wounds...you don't need to hold it inside anymore..."
Joy stared into my eyes and a rush of emotions began to flow within her. Something within her began to break, the dam finally shattering and the tears began to rush out at once. She gripped my jacket and buried her face into my chest and let out a wail of sadness, the picture of her and her mother falling to the ground.
I gently rubbed her hair and closed my eyes, leaning my head against hers. At this moment, her sadness was my sadness as well. Her pain was my pain. Her wounds were my wounds as well. Allowing her to take out her sadness upon me, giving her a shoulder she could finally cry upon...I could tell she truly needed it.
A few moment went by and Joy began to finally calm down. She gently held my hand, our fingers interlocked and my arm around her. She leaned against me and looked at the picture on her lap, sniffling and calming her breathing down.
"I still love my dad...and for years I've secretly blamed him for my mom's death. Every time I looked at him...all I could see what a big X across his face. As I grew older, I learned to understand that it was never his fault...it was never his fault..." Joy said softly, wiping her eyes.
I stared at the picture as well and looked at her. I slowly stood up and helped her up. I gave her a soft smile and reached over to her to wipe away her remaining tears. "C'mon, we're gonna spend the day together. Just us... no one else.."
Joy stared at me, looking down for a moment and gently squeezing my hand. She glanced back at me and smiled, nodding. "Okay..."
[Bond with Joy drastically increased.]
[Notice: Joy's mood has been lifted.]
{Empathy EXP +15,000}
Joy and I began to walk along the park trail, hand in hand and side by side. As we strolled, we remained in comfortable silence for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. The sounds of nature around us and the distant laughter of families around served as background noise for us.
We continued to walk along the trail for a while before finally returning to my car. We got in and I started it, driving off from the park to go hang out around the city. Joy watched as the roof of my car lowered, allowing her hair to flow in the wind and a brighter smile appeared on her face.
[Date: 1/20 - Monday]
[Time: 1:25 PM]
[Location: Sanctuary City]
I drove around the city for a while, going on a joy ride with Joy, our conversations flowing smoothly and filled with more happier topics and a few chuckled and giggles. Joy held my hand as I drove around, unable to bring herself to let go of my hand.
Soon, we stopped at a fast food joint, the two of us getting out and walking inside. We ordered our food and began to make our way to a cozy table at the corner of the restaurant to eat together.
Joy watched as I fed her a french fry, a soft giggle escaping her lips then she accepted it. Swallowing her food, she stared at me with pure admiration and love. "Thank you for this, Shiro...you don't understand how much I needed this."
"I'm sure I knew," I said in a playful tone, gently stroking her chin and chuckling softly.
{Joy's Attraction Meter skyrocketed to 80%}
Joy rolled her eyes playfully, purely attracted to my charm. "I'm being serious... you really made my day. I feel a weight finally escaping my shoulder and it just...feels nice to be able to breathe again.."
I smiled at her and reached over the table, caressing her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm glad I could be here for you..."
Joy lips curled into a coy smile, her eyes locking onto mine. The two of us leaned forward, our lips meeting for a soft, tender kiss. We kissed for a few seconds before pulling away and Joy let out a soft sigh of contentment.
{Love/Charm/Romance EXP +15,000}
"Now, let's finish our food and get out of here..~ We got a movie to catch next," I said, giving Joy my signature charming smile.
"Okay," Joy said sweetly, a soft smile playing on her lips.
The two of us continued eating and continued to enjoy each other's company. After a while, we finished our food and collected our trash then got up, throwing away our trash and leaving the building together. We got into my car and I drove off to the movie theater to catch a movie she wanted to see.
[Time: 7:00 PM]
[Location: Sanctuary City]
We finished the movie, the two of us walking out of the cinema sharing laughs and comments about what we just watched. We began to make our way back to my car, holding hands as usual.
"Okay, I'm not gonna lie, that had to be the worst movie I've seen. The amount of side eyes I gave you throughout the movie," I said, laughing softly.
"Oh c'mon, it wasn't THAT bad," Joy laughed, rolling her eyes and smiling up at me.
"I rate that movie...a never watch again out of ten," I chuckled softly, opening the passenger side door for her.
"Yeah, yeah," Joy giggled, putting on her seatbelt.
I chuckled softly and got into my car, starting it and driving off. It began to get late and I had only one more place to stop by before dropping Joy off at home. Joy wondered where we were going, watching the scenery flow by her and smiled contently.
As I drove to the destination, the beautiful sights of the cities neon lights served as a beautiful backdrop for us. Joy couldn't resist taking a picture of the neon lights with her phone, positing it on her socials and sharing possibly the happiest experience of her life.
Soon, we made it to the destination, the outskirts of the city where one could get the most beautiful view of the night sky. We got out of the car, and walked forward, our gazes turning up to the sky. The moon shone brightly and the stars twinkled brightly, forming constellations for us to point out.
"Oh, look at that one," Joy said, pointing at the Golden Star in the sky.
I looked up with my hands in my jacket pockets, my gaze landing on the Golden Star. My lips curled into a smile and I hummed softly. "That's the Golden Star...the Mojisolan Star. The star is always in the direction to my home. When I was a kid, and I got lost with my friends, we would always use the Golden Star to guide us home. It shined in the day and night.."
"Wow..~ It's so beautiful...and it's the brightest star in the sky," Joy said breathlessly, her gaze unable to leave the Golden Star. "It's the most beautiful star I've ever seen.."
I smiled more at her comment, chuckling softly. "It is isn't it..?"
Joy looked at me, her gaze meeting mine and lingering for a moment longer than normal. I walked toward her, pulling her closer to me. Joy's cheeks settled into a rosy color, her hands finding their place on my cheeks. Our lips met for another searing kiss, this time deeper and lasting much longer than the last.
Joy opened her mouth wider, allowing my tongue to meet hers and causing our kiss to become more passionate. She moaned softly within the kiss, her arms wrapping around my neck as my arms wrapped around her waist. In this moment, Joy felt like she finally had someone to truly depend on, finding a source of comfort and peace in me.
Joy finally pulled away from the kiss, catching her breath and pressing her forehead against mine. "Thank you for today again...it means so much to me...truly.."
I smiled at Joy, my gaze meeting hers. "It's no issue truly...I'm more than happy to do this for you at any time.."
Joy returned my smile, rubbing her nose against mine. "I...I love you..."
"I love you too..." I said, reciprocating her feelings and finally sealing our bond.
A Love Sigil formed on Joy's chest, one resembling the Crest of Sensitivity. As I noticed it, my smile grew even more.
{Notice: Marked Joy with Empathy.}
{Love/Romance/Empathy EXP +20,000}
"Let's get you home now...I'm sure Jessica and the others are dying to talk with you," I said softly, whispering gently against her lips.
"Okay..." She mumbled back, slowly letting go of me.
The two of us went back to my car and got in. I started it back up and drove off to take Joy back home.
[Date: 1/20 - Monday]
[Time: 8:00 PM]
[Location: Sanctuary City - Joy's House]
I stopped my car in front of Joy's House, sitting back in my seat and smiling at her. Joy turned toward me, letting out a soft sigh with a smile. Without words, she leaned toward me for a sweet goodbye kiss. I returned her kiss, our eyes closing to savor the moment.
Joy pulled away, slowly letting go of my hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shiro..."
"Yeah," I said, smiling at Joy and watching her step out of my car.
Joy began to make her way to the front door, looking back once more and waving at me. I waved back and watched her enter her home, driving off and thinking about the day I just had with Joy.
{Date with Joy Finished!}
{Date Successful!}
{Rank: Luscious}
{Credi Earned +250,000 (100,000 was sent to Luckie.)}
"Well, well, Superstar~ That might have to be one of the most beautiful days I've ever witnessed since in a while...the readers gonna love this one," Lustie giggled, casually breaking the fourth wall.
"Yeah, well they aren't gonna love that fourth wall break, but hey someone out there might," I chuckled softly, driving home with a smile. "But yeah, today was really nice...truly."
"And you marked her with just Empathy alone! It's not that hard to do so, but still! It's something no other guy has really done! Lustie was right, you are unmatched when it comes to women," Sensitia praised, giggling softly.
I let out a soft chuckle and letting out a content sigh. "Thank you, Sensitia..~ Now let's head home, I'm sure Jessica and the others want to hear about our day from the source."
Lustie and Sensitia nodded, relaxing in the car and enjoying the car ride back home. The car ride was silent, a comfortable silence as I reflected on the day and felt very proud of myself. It was like I went back to the basics from when I first started, like a simple reminder that not everyday had to be filled with action.
Today reminded me that my relationships with the girls mattered just as much as my mission of taking down The Syndicates for good. With that reminder, I knew I had to take it slow again and not be consumed in my mission for absolute justice and playing hero. I could play hero not only physically, but also emotionally for the ones who truly needed it.