The sun rose over the valley, painting the hot springs in hues of pink and gold. For once, the morning was peaceful—or so Kazuya thought until a familiar voice jolted him awake.
"GET UP!" Mika's voice cut through the stillness like a blade.
Kazuya groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What now? Did another monster attack, or are you just mad at me again?"
Mika loomed over him, her arms crossed and her face as red as her fiery hair. "Do you even remember what happened last night?"
"Vaguely," he admitted, sitting up. "There were glowing water tentacles, you yelled at me, and I got the distinct impression you wanted to murder Lyria."
Mika's eye twitched. "You fell on top of me, you idiot!"
Kazuya blinked. "Oh. Right. That."
"And you didn't even move!" she continued, her voice rising. "You just… stared at me!"
Kazuya scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze. "Well, it was kind of hard to think with all that magic stuff happening."
Lyria, still half-asleep, popped her head out of her tent. "Are you two flirting again?"
"WE'RE NOT FLIRTING!" Mika shouted, her face somehow turning even redder.
"Sure, sure," Lyria said, yawning. "Let me know when you're done with your lover's quarrel. I'll start breakfast."
Uncomfortable Conversations
As they sat around the campfire, eating Lyria's surprisingly good pancakes, the tension between Kazuya and Mika was palpable.
"So," Lyria said, breaking the silence, "what did you two think of the spring's magic? Pretty effective, huh?"
"Effective at what? Making us uncomfortable?" Kazuya grumbled.
"I think it worked perfectly," Lyria said with a sly smile. "Didn't you feel closer? More… connected?"
Mika slammed her fork down. "We are not talking about this."
"Why not?" Lyria asked innocently. "It's not every day you get magically cuddled in a romantic hot spring."
Kazuya choked on his pancake. "Magically cuddled?! That's not what happened!"
Mika glared at him. "Don't make it sound like I enjoyed it!"
"Wait," Lyria said, her eyes twinkling. "So you didn't enjoy it?"
Mika froze, her face turning crimson. "That's not what I meant!"
"Guys, can we please talk about literally anything else?" Kazuya begged, burying his face in his hands.
A Dangerous Distraction
As the group packed up and prepared to leave, Kazuya couldn't stop replaying the events of the previous night in his head. He wasn't sure what was more unsettling: the magical hot spring's antics or the fact that part of him… didn't mind being close to Mika.
"You're distracted," Mika said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? No, I'm not," he said quickly.
"You were staring at that tree for five minutes," she pointed out.
"Okay, fine, maybe I'm a little distracted," he admitted. "But can you blame me? Yesterday was weird."
"Everything in this world is weird," Mika said, rolling her eyes. "You should be used to it by now."
"Yeah, but most of the weird stuff doesn't involve you being, uh…"
"Being what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"...So close," he mumbled, his face heating up.
Mika stared at him for a moment, then turned away. "It wasn't exactly my choice, you know."
"Right. Of course," he said quickly, feeling like an idiot.
A New Challenge
As they walked, the trio stumbled upon a signpost pointing toward a nearby village.
"Welcome to Lumina! Home of the Enchanted Love Maze!"
"Oh, this sounds fun!" Lyria said, her eyes lighting up.
"Nope," Mika said immediately. "Not happening."
"But it's on the way!" Lyria said, using the same argument as before.
"That's what you said about the hot springs!" Mika snapped.
"Come on, Mika," Kazuya said, trying to defuse the situation. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Mika shot him a withering glare. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"
The Love Maze
The so-called Enchanted Love Maze was a sprawling labyrinth of hedges filled with glowing flowers, sparkling fountains, and—much to Mika's dismay—more "bonding magic."
"Why do you keep dragging us into stuff like this?" Mika demanded as they entered the maze.
"Because it's fun!" Lyria said, skipping ahead. "And who knows? Maybe you'll finally admit your feelings for Kazuya!"
"I don't have feelings for him!" Mika shouted, her voice echoing through the maze.
From somewhere deeper in the labyrinth, an enchanted voice boomed, "Denial only makes the heart grow fonder!"
"Did that hedge just sass me?!" Mika yelled, drawing her sword.
Kazuya laughed despite himself. "This place is ridiculous."
"Ridiculous or not, let's get through it as fast as possible," Mika said, marching ahead.
The Romantic Trap
As they navigated the maze, Kazuya and Mika found themselves separated from Lyria. They turned a corner and walked straight into a glowing mist.
"Oh no," Mika muttered.
The mist coalesced into a shimmering archway, and a soft, musical voice declared, "To pass, you must confront the truth of your hearts."
"What does that mean?" Kazuya asked nervously.
Before Mika could answer, the ground beneath them shifted, and they were suddenly standing in a small, enclosed garden filled with glowing roses.
"Let me guess," Mika said, glaring at the roses. "We're stuck here until we admit some sappy nonsense."
"Probably," Kazuya said, scratching the back of his neck.
They stood in awkward silence for a moment, avoiding each other's gaze.
"This is so stupid," Mika muttered.
"Agreed," Kazuya said. "But, uh… for what it's worth, I think you're pretty amazing."
Mika blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"I mean, you're strong, smart, and, uh… kind of scary, but in a good way," he said, stumbling over his words.
Mika stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then, to his surprise, she smirked. "You're such an idiot."
"Yeah, I've been told," he said, grinning sheepishly.
The roses glowed brighter, and the archway reappeared, signaling their exit.
"Looks like that was good enough," Mika said, walking ahead.
Kazuya followed, a small smile tugging at his lips.