Chapter 4: Awakening
Nith woke up in his bed with a heavy weight on top of him.
A combination of softness and firmness pressed against him, and something warm rubbed its cheeks against his. Kyouka, surely… No one other than Kyouka could have sneaked into his bed.
As he turned his head, he confirmed it. He'd never mistake the cleavage he had seen so many times before. Her nightgown exposed much more than usual to Nith, but he didn't mind or try to avoid it.
"Did you bring the marriage papers?" he joked.
"Nope," Kyouka replied cheerfully, "Morning, sleepyhead! Today's the special day, so I made breakfast for you! Also, today, we're not just friends, but more than friends!"
"Shouldn't I have a say in that?" Nith asked.
"You want to?" Kyouka tilted her head.
"Yeah, I want to be more than friends every day," he replied with a sniper's smile.
"At no cost? No way!" Kyouka shook her head a few times before slipping off Nith's bed and heading toward his room's door. "Don't take too long with your morning routine!"
Nith nodded.
He finished quickly before heading downstairs to the kitchen. It was the only place in the store where they could eat together at the table. Kyouka was also dressed casually in a red sweater and black pants.
It was such a strange sight. He usually saw her in either a nightgown or alchemist robes.
Even last year, she hadn't been so intimate with him. Perhaps, spending so much time together in the store and him helping her at every opportunity had finally won Kyouka over.
He sat down and picked up a sandwich loaded with cheese. "Thanks."
"Have a nice meal," Kyouka replied, picking up a sandwich as well.
"You too. Not a terrible sandwich."
"Somehow, I can tell you're not serious. I don't know what it is."
As they ate and sipped their coffee, Nith's thoughts wandered to what the day would bring.
If his parents' records were accurate, he had been born in the afternoon. In just a few hours, he'd turn twenty, and his SSS-ranked passive skill would awaken within him.
He'd begin serious training then and leave the store for a few days. He should have started looking for someone to replace him at the counter, but that had slipped his mind. He sighed inwardly.
'Should I tell her about the awakening?' Nith wondered as he looked at his friend. His only friend. "Do you know what makes today special?"
"Isn't it your birthday?" Kyouka asked, looking curiously at Nith across the table.
He shook his head. "I awaken today. It's Nightshade's comeback."
"Could you be direct like usual?" Kyouka asked, unaffected by his serious tone. He sounded rather silly to her, which was rare.
Nith sighed. "I'll awaken a constitution. Maybe I'll even get a title because of it. Anyway, my life's about to change in a few hours. I'll leave behind this damn ordinary state! No, what ordinary? I'm worse than an ant right now!"
"No, you're not…" Kyouka raised her eyes and spoke softly. "You're much better than most alchemists I've met so far. You're also unique in your own way; I've never met someone whose expression so badly mismatches their personality. It's scary… sometimes amusing… I like it. It's fun having you around. You may be too cynical, but that's what I needed… I think. You were the final push I really needed to start the store."
"Hey, you really want me to sign those marriage papers, huh?" Nith replied.
"I don't! Do you see them anywhere?! In any case, you're awesome in your own way!" Kyouka raised her voice, feeling slightly embarrassed, which Nith noticed.
"Well, thanks, I guess," he added in a quieter tone.
An awkward silence unfolded between them. Neither expected to be so honest during breakfast. Nith hadn't expected to feel attracted to her for more than just her physical appeal, yet it happened. Everyday Kyouka shone brighter than ever before.
Her blushing face across from him was adorable.
'Now, that's interesting,' Nith thought. 'I never had a chance to dabble in love, which is said to be the worst poison.'
He had never had a chance, really, because of his circumstances in both lives. In his first life, he lost his parents at fifteen, then entered the game to escape reality. When he came of age, he needed an income, and the game came through again, allowing him to hit it big with poisons he sold on the market.
The game ended when Nith was twenty-three years old.
His current life had been truly good since meeting Kyouka.
"Are you going to leave me?" Kyouka asked, looking at him with a hesitant gaze.
Nith calmly stared at her. "Nah, you're coming with me. We're relying on the market for our potions, so it's about time we went outside to get resources from the source."
Kyouka chuckled. "Just sign those papers."
"Nah, fuck off," Nith replied. "Affection lasts three months before things settle down. And I'm not dumb enough to get emotional and marry an idiot who sells her potions for pennies!"
"You lack romance!"
"Hah! Romance?!"
That was when…
[Your Embodiment of Venom (SSS) has awakened.]
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I awakened…"
"Why so disappointed?"
"Where's the pain? The wave of mana, I mean, poison? Why am I not writhing in pain? Isn't it supposed to be an awakening?! This damn fantasy world always finds a way to disappoint me!"
"Why are you so mad?"
"…I don't know, actually."
"You know… your expression actually suits you a little."
"Knock it off."
A new chapter in life had begun for these two.