Return With The Bride

[After a long day of shopping, the three of them finally return home. Shinji, still carrying most of the shopping bags, lets out an exhausted sigh as he places them down.]

Yuxi: (grinning) "Alright! Let's put all these dresses in your room, Elie."

[Elie nods shyly, glancing at the bags filled with clothes Shinji bought for her. There's a faint sparkle in her crimson eyes, as if she's truly happy for the first time in a long while.]

[Shinji notices her expression and pauses for a moment, watching her.]

Shinji: (thinking) "It really feels nice... After spending so many years in another world, just being here, doing something normal, and seeing her happy—it feels unreal."

Shinji look at his card

Shinji: (thinking) "Now they have my zero balance my poor cards". ;3

[Before he can dwell on his thoughts, the sudden ringing of his phone snaps him back to reality.]

Ring... Ring...

[Shinji pulls out his phone and looks at the screen, his eyebrows raising slightly.]

Shinji: (thinking) "Ah, my number finally got reactivated... Took me way too long. The whole process was such a pain."

[For a moment, his mind flashes back to the hassle he had to go through—filling out applications, proving his identity, and explaining why his number was inactive for so long without sounding like a lunatic.]

Shinji: (grumbling) "It's not like I could tell them, 'Oh, I was in another world fighting demons for ten years.'"

[Shaking his head, he refocuses on the call and answers.]

Shinji: "Hello?"

Caller: (loud and dramatic) "DUDE! ARE YOU ALIVE?! I swear your number's been off for days—I almost thought you died!"

[Shinji sighs, rubbing his temple, immediately recognizing the voice.]

Shinji: (thinking) "I don't even need to think twice. This idiot is my best friend from college."

[A mental image of his friend flashes in his mind—a grinning, carefree guy who always found a way to annoy him yet somehow made life more entertaining.]

Shinji: (deadpan) "What did you just say? Sounds like someone missed me a little too much."

Caller: (laughing) "Pfft, shut up. Anyway, are you coming to college tomorrow, or have you fully embraced your life as a missing person?"

[Shinji's eyes widen slightly at the question. His grip on the phone tightens as a realization hits him.]

Shinji: (thinking) "College... I can go back to college now. After everything that's happened, I get to live a normal life again. I can't miss this chance."

[A small smirk tugs at his lips as he responds.]

Shinji: "Don't worry, I'll be there tomorrow."

Yuxi: Who was that on the phone?

Shinji: Oh, just someone from my college. Nothing important.

Yuxi: Hmm… I have a question.

Shinji: What is it?

Yuxi: Where are you planning to sleep tonight?

Shinji: Obviously in my room. Where else?

Yuxi: And Elie?

Shinji: [without thinking] Obviously in my ro— Wait… WHAT?!

Yuxi: Hehehe~ Oh my, look at you two! Such a sweet newlywed couple~!

Elie, who had been listening from behind, turns completely red, her face steaming like a freshly cooked dumpling.

Shinji: Alright, enough chit-chat! It's late. Yuxi, you can sleep in the room with Elie. I'll take the sofa.

Yuxi: Okay, hehe~! Elie, sorry for being the third wheel.

Elie: No, it's fine! I don't mind.

Shinji grabs a spare blanket and pillow, setting them up on the sofa.

Shinji: Alright, you two should sleep too. It's already late. (thinking) " i am little sad :c"

Both Elie and Yuxi head to bed.

Meanwhile, in Shinji's thoughts…

Shinji (thinking): "I really need to start looking for a new place now that I'm married. But before that, I need a way to earn some money… I can't just let her starve!"

In the bedroom…

Yuxi: Sooo, is your night pajama comfortable?

Elie: Hmm? Oh, yes! It's really nice.

Yuxi: And what about Shinji?

Elie: [without thinking] Yes, he's also nice! I really love herrr— Wait… WHAT?!

Yuxi: Ohhh~?

Elie: Forget what I just said!!! [face burning, waving her hands frantically]

Yuxi: Hehehe~ Elie, you know, Shinji is really a great person. [starts talking about him for a long time]

Elie: …Can I ask you something? Do you like Shinji?

Yuxi: [shocked, eyes wide] "It would be a lie if I said no… I do like him, but… he doesn't know. And I don't even know if he likes me or just sees me as a sister."

Elie: [softly smiling] "He really is a nice person… Thank you, Yuxi. You're really kind."

The Next Morning…

Shinji headed off to college, still thinking about what happened earlier that morning.

Shinji (thinking): "They must be awake by now… but when I tried waking them up, they were still half-asleep. Looks like they stayed up chatting way too long."

He recalled the scene from earlier…

Standing outside the room, Shinji knocked on the door. Knock! Knock!

Shinji: "Hey, wake up! It's morning."

No response. He knocked again, a little louder. Knock! Knock!

Finally, a groggy voice answered from inside.

Yuxi: "Mmm… what…?" [half-asleep]

Shinji: "It's morning. You two should wake up."

Yuxi: [mumbling] "Elie's still sleeping… We talked too much… Let us sleep more… Zzz…"

Shinji stood there for a moment, processing what he just heard.

Shinji (thinking, sighing): "Seriously… They're out cold. Just what were they even talking about all night?"