Morning rays made their way onto the Titanora, tearing through the clouds and falling on a town existing at the borders of a broken kingdom.

Making their way through the window before falling on a figure sleeping peacefully on a bed, covered with a white blanket.

"Um...", the woman's eyes fluttered before revealing two golden orbs, looking blankly at the ceiling before slowly standing and sitting on the bed, looking around.

"Yawn, good morning to me," Esme slowly stood before suddenly widening her eyes, realizing that there was no need for her to greet herself.

swish

Instantly leaving the bed, she moved out of the room, running out towards the stairs before slowing down and moving calmly, keeping a composed expression.

'Is he still sleeping?' Arriving, her eyes turned towards the man lying down on the sofa appearing to sleep peacefully, moving down from her place before activating her ability.

Illusion caused the whole place to fall into silence, the only thing audible being the man's breathing, and living with him until now, she understood that her illusion only nullifies on touching him.

He could also see illusions and get influenced by them, but his brain will not fully trust them due to his somewhat repulsion against her ability.

But does it matter?

Who needs to use an illusion on him?

Since he was now hers and will always be with her, she will keep loving him by always standing beside him.

....

'He seems to be sleeping,' Esme's golden pupil blinked, looking at the sleeping figure in front of her, leaning while placing a hair strand behind her ear, coming near until she could feel his warm breath.

With a soft smile, her lips parted, adding, "Good morning, wakey wakey."

"What's with that childish tone?" Ryuk's one eye slowly took a peek at the woman glancing at him.

"W-woah, I was just joking," stumbling back, Esme shook her palm hastily, her eyes tightly shut.

"...I see," Ryuk stated.

Silence

'Just this,' Esme opened her eyes, looking at the young man's face covered by his arm, not waking up as usual, making her approach him with a worried look.

"Are you fine?" she inquired, moving towards him before kneeling at his level, looking worried.

"Yes, it was just some random dream," not lifting his hand, eyes hidden behind his arms, he stated.

"I..." Esme stood and leaned on him before directly resting her whole body on his, lying down with her head resting on his chest.

"What's with you?" Ryuk slightly took a peek from his hand's gap, inquired, his amber eyes meeting with the woman's golden pupils.

"I just want to lay on your chest and listen to your heartbeat," Esme replied, leaning on his chest, a small smile visible.

"What?" Ryuk again inquired, not understanding her such gesture and such random words.

"I meant, you can hug me; it will help calm your mind," Esme quickly stated, tightly shutting her eyes due to the embarrassment filling her mind.

"And why would this calm my mind?" Ryuk's mind was already reminded of some very old memories, was not in the mood for casual conversation right now.

"Hmm," Esme lifted her head, using illusion to hide her facial expressions, crawling up above, making Ryuk unfold his hand from his head.

He looked at her in confusion as she crawled up to his eye level, looking at his eyes intensely. She stated, "I just think hugs are the most healing things ever."

"Really?" With an eyebrow lifted, Ryuk inquired, to which Esme nodded swiftly.

'....' Moving his hand towards her waist, wrapping it around with his finger tracing down the curve, his eyes softening, he once again inquired the same thing, "Why do you choose me, Esme?"

Esme, whose eyes were locked onto his, leaned down towards his neck before burying her head in it with a whisper-like voice reaching his ears, "...I didn't choose you, my heart did."

"Pfft, heart, haa...I tell you, don't go around easily trusting it." With a chuckle, his one hand traced upward, reaching her whitish hair, playing with one of the strands while in a teasing tone, he again inquired, "Then why do you run away to your room every night?"

Indeed, these few months her behavior of always leaving him on the sofa and running into her room was a daily thing.

thud

"It's your fault," Esme retorted, lightly hitting his chest, lifting her face with visible anger from the formed pout.

"And how exactly?" Controlling his chuckle, he inquired, seeing her such gesture.

"Why can't you just magically pop into my room and cuddle me for the rest of the night and kiss my head when I start to fall asleep?" Her golden eyes were intensely glaring at his oblivious behavior towards her all the time, even though her signal was clear.

'....'

[Told you Host, No one can understand a woman, even my processing fails here.]

Looking at her such expression, made Ryuk reveal the reason for him not sleeping with her, "And here I thought that you ran away because you thought just by sleeping beside me you would have a baby."

Yeah, he exactly thought this.

Not because he was oblivious, but it was just too common to hear in his previous life.

Except for Diana, each of the heroines had the same reason, and in the end, he needed to explain himself, practically.

"Meh, you think I am that naive?" Esme's face formed a frown hearing such naive words from Ryuk, but what could she do? It wasn't his fault.

'...Yeah, there couldn't be anyone that naive,' Ryuk tightened the wrap with Esme leaning forward and burying herself beside him.

Placing a hair strand beside her ear, with lips parting and heartbeat racing, she completed her sentence, "Isn't a kiss on the lips also needed?"

[ O⁠_⁠o ]

'....'

"Good night, Esme." There wasn't anything more to discuss now; he needed to wait for a few more months to give her a practical demo.

"Huh? But... fine, good night." She wanted to retort but felt the warmth, soft sound of their heartbeat's rhythmic sound, and brushing breath on her ears.

Everything was making her fall asleep even more.

Zz-zzz-zzzz

.

.

.

.

"Thank you, Young Master, for saving my son," a woman bowed, looking at a black-masked young man moving through the market area, which was not very crowded due to the town's present state.

"Yes, if it wasn't for you," a man holding his son, whose health was very critical yesterday, came forward, bowing with a grateful gesture.

Clank

"Take it back." Ryuk threw the gold coin he had taken from him yesterday, causing the man's eyes to widen slightly. The man caught it, looking at the coin with teary eyes.

Yes, it was his life's earnings, but did it matter compared to his child's life?

Absolutely not.

"Thank you... Thank you," the man kowtowed, his eyes teary enough that he kept repeating himself, which was finally interrupted by Ryuk, who came forward and leaned down.

"I heard the southern zone isn't much safer for you all. Tell me, I will help you," Ryuk offered his hand, reminded about the issue of this place being a major transport way filled with Demonic mist, which was one of the stimuli leading to this curse, disease, or whatever they referred to it as.