warm hut

Nir turned to Yona in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He continued,"Didn't you say you didn't know?"

Yona glanced at Sunny nervously and then spoke.

"I… I think I know where Lilith is."

Inside, she wondered why she was helping him.

I just met this guy… so why do I feel the need to help him?

No, it wasn't some supernatural force—it was just her own will.

They stared at each other in silence until Sunny finally broke it.

"Are you trying to get revenge on me or something because I stole your money?"

Yona hesitated for a moment before answering.

"N-no… A thief has no right to complain if they get stolen from, after all."

Sunny was briefly surprised—she's a thief too?!

Yona then spoke with a serious expression.

"I think I know where your sister is. I can help you find her."

"And why should I trust you?"

Yona paused to think.

"Alright, how about this?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph.

It was a picture taken by a security camera near the blacksmith's shop—it showed Nir walking with Lilith. The picture was taken out of surprise when someone noticed Nir walking with a girl.

Luckily, the blacksmith had been joking about the money earlier.

Yona showed the picture to Sunny, and his face immediately changed to shock.

"Isn't this your sister? And who's that with her?"

Sunny focused on the picture for a moment.

"Where did you get this?"

"Like I said, I think I know where she is… just follow me."

Sunny had no choice but to go with her.

She led him through a maze of alleyways.

They continued until they reached an old, abandoned-looking shack.

Yona opened the door.

"I'm home!"

A little girl immediately ran to her and hugged her, scolding her for coming home late.

Sunny watched this scene unfold with a small smile.

For a brief moment, he saw himself and his sister in their place.

Yona turned toward him and smiled when she noticed his expression.

"Oh, right—where's Nir?"

"Nir? Didn't you go looking for him?"

"What? I thought he came home."

Just then, the little girl noticed Sunny.

Sunny waved at her with a smile.

She turned back to Yona and whispered in her ear:

"Aren't you a little too young to be bringing boys home?"

Yona smacked her sister on the head.

"And you're too young to say things like that! He's just someone who needs help. Anyway, his name is…."

She turned to Sunny.

"Um, excuse me… but I just realized I don't even know your name."

Sunny stayed silent for a second before answering.

"Oh, right. My name's Charles. And you?"

Sunny thought it would be better to hide his real name.

Being Charles would keep him out of trouble—unlike Sunny.

"Charles… that's a nice name. I'm Yona, and this is my little sister, Lia."

Lia smiled.

"Nice to meet you!"

Yona continued,

"Alright, so you're telling me Nir isn't back yet… well then, Charles, let's go to—"

"Wait!!"

Lia interrupted with a grin.

"You've been running around all day, and now you bring home a strange man? At least have dinner with us first! I made something delicious today."

"…Well, as you can see, I already ate dinner, so I'll just—"

Lia cut her off again, this time with teary eyes.

"But… I made mushroom rice and chicken! Your favorite!"

She looked up at Yona with the saddest puppy eyes imaginable.

Not even the Demon King himself could resist those eyes.

Yona sighed.

"…Alright, I'll eat a little, and then we'll go. What about you, Charles?"

Lia turned to Sunny and stared at him with those same eyes.

Saying "no" was simply not an option.

Sunny chuckled.

"Of course! I'm not in a hurry."

Lia cheered happily and ran off to set the table.

She placed plates and utensils in front of everyone.

Sunny and Yona sat next to each other.

"Where are the boys?" Yona asked as she waited for the food.

"Oh, they went to bed. They were tired of waiting for you."

Lia, despite her small size, carried a giant pot of rice to the table.

It was adorable watching her struggle with it.

She set it down and served everyone.

Once the plates were full, silence filled the air.

Nobody spoke.

Until Lia suddenly smiled and broke the silence.

"So… how long have you two been dating?"

Yona immediately smacked her on the head.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying things like that?!"

Sunny couldn't help but burst into laughter.

With the tension now broken, everyone ate happily.

The moment Sunny took his first bite, his eyes lit up like stars.

This is… incredible.

As he ate, he thought to himself:

I'm sure my sister is safe. So for now… I'll just enjoy this food.

Sunny and the others finished their meal, and he and Yona left for their next destination.

Before they could go, Lia stopped them.

"Oh, right! You said you were looking for Nir… why? Is he missing?"

Yona paused for a moment before answering.

"No, he's probably just at the café with the others like always. I'm just going to go teach him a lesson, as usual."

Lia smiled brightly, feeling reassured.

She waved them off as they left.

From the conversation, Sunny realized their next stop was a café.

So he didn't bother asking about the destination.

He simply followed Yona quietly.

As they walked, Yona suddenly spoke without turning to face him.

"Sunny… can I ask you something?"

Sunny replied calmly.

"Of course. Go ahead."

She went silent for a few seconds.

Then she asked:

"…What's your relationship with your sister like?"

Sunny didn't answer immediately.

The question was… difficult.

Could mere words even describe his bond with Lilith?

He took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"Well… what can I say? She's an annoying, reckless idiot. She's terrible at lying, awful at cooking… but even so, I still love her."

Yona smiled softly.

Sunny continued,

"I guess that's what they call a sibling bond."

Yona turned to him with a smile.

"Yeah… I guess that's my relationship with Nir too."

Sunny was quiet for a moment.

Nir?

Did she mention that name before?

From what she said, it sounded like he was her brother.

Should he ask about it?

No… he decided not to.

For now, he just followed Yona.

They arrived at a door made of black wood.

Sunny stepped forward to enter, but Yona stopped him.

She walked up to the door and knocked twice—then once more.

A huge man opened it, looking down at them with a serious face.

"What's the password—"

Yona kicked his leg.

"OUCH! Why did you do that?!"

She looked him straight in the eye.

"I told you to stop playing these games with strangers."

The large man looked down, now frowning even harder.

They ignored him and walked inside.

Before entering, the man glared at Sunny.

Once inside, Sunny looked around for Lilith.

But all he saw were people playing cards, some drinking coffee, and a well-dressed man eating dinner.

Before he could take in more, Yona suddenly shouted:

"NIR! GET OVER HERE, NOW!!!"

Silence filled the café.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Sunny had no idea what to say.

But instead of Nir appearing…

People started whispering.

"Nir isn't back yet? He must be in real trouble this time."

Sunny still had no idea who Nir even was.

Or how he was supposed to help him find Lilith.

Or even…

What kind of place was this, anyway?!