'Ah, only one room left?
That means...
For the next while, I'll be staying with Mr. Ray?'
Phoebe stood frozen in place, her cheeks suddenly flushing a soft pink. The blush crept up to the tips of her ears, then spread toward her neck, as if a warm, silent flutter were rising from beneath her skin.
Even as a priest of the Order, Phoebe's heart was still that of a perfectly ordinary girl.
So, upon realizing she'd be sharing a room with a member of the opposite sex, it was only natural for the girl to blush and feel at a loss.
"Only one room left?"
Ray frowned slightly, clearly not entirely satisfied with this outcome.
Or rather he was more concerned about whether Phoebe would feel awkward because of it.
He certainly didn't mind staying under the same roof as Phoebe.
But what about Phoebe?
Would she be willing?
"Here's an idea, Phoebe." After a moment's thought, Ray turned to her. "You take this room. I'll go look elsewhere. What do you think?"
The suddenly questioned girl gave a slight start. She looked up at him, her eyes flustered, momentarily unsure how to respond.
She turned to look out the window. Night had already deepened.
Before coming to this inn, they had actually asked at several others; almost all were fully booked. At this hour, could they really find another place to stay?
Moreover...
'Mr. Ray has already done so much for me. How could I let him give up the only room for me now?'
Thinking this, the girl quietly clenched her fingers, as if making some resolve.
But when the words reached her lips, her voice unconsciously softened. She lowered her head, murmuring vaguely.
"It's already so late... Going out to find another place now probably isn't feasible, right?"
"If... if it's Mr. Ray... I... I could accept it too."
Phoebe's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, until it was almost inaudible at the end.
But Ray still heard it.
He looked at the innocent girl before him with some amusement. "Aren't you afraid I'll 'eat' you?"
"'Eat' me?" Phoebe didn't understand, tilting her head with a puzzled expression. "What does that mean? I don't quite get it... I just think Mr. Ray is a good person. Staying together... should be fine."
A 'good person' card received.
Somehow feels like it ended before it even began?
"Never mind. Pretend I didn't say anything." Ray covered his face, truly too embarrassed to tease this overly naive girl any further. He turned to the innkeeper. "One room is fine. Oh, by the way, sir, could I ask you something?"
The innkeeper looked at him. "What is it?"
"About the Tidebreaker Whale... recently, have people on the island seen it at all?"
"The Tidebreaker Whale?" The innkeeper was taken aback for a moment, stroking his chin in thought. "Now that you mention it, it does seem like no one's seen it lately."
"Could it... be something happened?" Phoebe asked worriedly.
The innkeeper shook his head, spreading his hands helplessly. "Who can say? Maybe it just swam somewhere else. Are you here looking for it?"
Phoebe nodded gently. "Mm."
"I see," the innkeeper said. "If you really want to find it, you could try your luck at Serene Bay. It's a place it often rests. If you're lucky, you might come across it there."
"Thank you."
Phoebe offered a gentle smile in farewell, then quietly followed Ray toward the room.
Their room was on the inn's third floor.
The corridor was unusually quiet, almost no other sounds to be heard, so quiet that Phoebe couldn't help but wonder: Is this place really fully booked?
The wooden floorboards beneath their feet emitted soft creaks with each step, seemingly echoing her gradually quickening heartbeat.
She pressed her lips together, carefully watching Ray walking ahead of her.
Although she had mentally prepared herself, when the moment actually arrived, nervousness still welled up uncontrollably.
"Phoebe."
Ray, walking ahead, suddenly called her name.
"Mm, I'm here."
"Later, you'll take the bed," he said without looking back, his tone as ordinary as if discussing the weather. "I'll just sleep on the floor."
"Huh?" Phoebe was slightly taken aback, looking somewhat surprised. "Th-that's really okay? Mr. Ray won't sleep in the bed?"
Hearing this, Ray found it a bit amusing. "What, do you want to share the bed with me?"
"N-no, that's not it." A drunken-like crimson immediately flooded Phoebe's cheeks. She stumbled over her words in explanation. "I... I mean... I..."
She stammered for a long time but couldn't form a complete sentence, eventually just lowering her head, letting shyness and fluster spread across her face.
'What am I even saying...
Just digging myself deeper...
But... if it's Mr. Ray... maybe... it's not entirely out of the question...'
They reached the door. Ray inserted the key and turned the handle.
Inside was an utterly ordinary single guest room.
Ray wasn't picky about accommodations; cleanliness and tidiness were enough.
As for Phoebe, as a devout priest, she never paid much attention to these external conditions anyway.
Moreover, at a time like this, having a place to stay was already something to be grateful for.
Phoebe gently removed her boots, the white stockings she had worn all day now completely exposed to Ray's line of sight.
Ray unconsciously took a deep breath.
...It actually didn't have much of a smell.
Ah, what a disappointment.
"Mr. Ray, just now...?" His slightly deliberate breathing sound caught the girl's attention.
"Nothing, just relaxing a bit." He forced himself to shift his gaze away from her legs and turned toward the window. "Alright, it's getting late. Time to rest."
"Mm, okay."
The simple-minded girl naturally believed Ray's offhand explanation.
In her heart, Mr. Ray was a purely good person and purely good people would never do anything improper.
Ray used the bathroom first for a quick wash, then gave it to Phoebe. He himself took a spare blanket and efficiently made a bed on the floor by the bed.
"Phew, traveling all day has really tired me out a bit."
He took off his outer clothes and lay down on the floor bedding.
Faint sounds of water came from the bathroom. His gaze inadvertently fell on the doorway again, the boots Phoebe had taken off were still sitting quietly there.
His originally calm heart suddenly, uncontrollably, sprouted an evil thought.
"Tsk, what am I imagining here?" The thought had barely surfaced before he quickly suppressed it.
The big head ultimately suppresses the little head.
"Better sleep early."
He turned over, facing away from the boots, and didn't look anymore.
Though he was still curious about the scent of those boots.
{T/n: tf?}
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