False Smile

Bronya's eyes cracked open slowly. She noticed a dull pain in the back of her neck. Softly rubbing it in confusion, Bronya looked at her surroundings as she rose from her bed.

Or at least, what she thought was her bed.

'…This isn't my room.'

As she looked around, the contrast that this place had with her luxurious room in Qlipoth Fort was apparent. Wooden floors, minimalist furniture… was that medical equipment?

'A clinic?'

The clinic was a sanctuary of quiet respite amidst the clamor of the world. Its walls, painted in soft, muted tones of ivory and pale wood, seemed to absorb the weight of the day, leaving behind only a sense of calm. The air, lightly scented with herbs and the faintest hint of antiseptic, carried a soothing coolness that wrapped around those who entered, as if inviting them to exhale the tension of their lives.

Bronya just sighed. Why was she even thinking about this? She should be more worried about how she had gotten here. Maybe it had to do with the full pain in her neck.

There were two other occupants nearby. A black-haired boy and a pink-haired girl. Both of them seemed to be quite injured, considering the amount of bandages that enshrouded their bodies. They both laid on beds of their own, just to the left of Bronya herself.

Unseen to anyone besides Bronya herself, there was a bright aura surrounding them. But at the same time… there was a hints of darkness deep within. It was slightly unusual, so she couldn't really interpret it.

Usually, the aura that surrounds others would be a split between white and black, representing the truth of a person's morality. Bronya has seen those with an overwhelming white side and an underwhelming black side, showing that they were a person with good morals. The opposite tended to be black-hearted individuals.

However, the two injured youths had a mostly white aura, while the small black portion was within it, rather than besides it. She wasn't quite sure what this meant, but Bronya guessed that they must have been relatively good people based on the fact that most of their aura was white.

…However, Bronya had once learned that this vision of hers didn't show the true nature of an individual. Rather, it showed how someone saw themselves. With a fleeting glance at the two bedridden teens, Bronya pinched the ridge of her nose.

They both seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure why…

The sound of a door swinging open startled Bronya, an embarrassing sound of surprise escaping her pink lips. Hoping that nobody heard that, she turned her head in the direction of the now open door.

'…A child?'

A boy that couldn't have been less than half a decade younger than her entered the clinic, his eyes sweeping the room as if he was searching for something.

The boy had extraordinarily pale skin, that had not a single blemish staining it. His hair was a shade of grey similar to Bronya's, and held a strange, dark luster. His eyes were a pair of golden orbs, which seemingly radiated an eerie light.

His face was like that of a porcelain doll, with his long eyelashes and full lips. His eyes glimmered with an indescribable sharpness, but also carried a darkness in their golden depths…

Bronya's eye twitched. Not only was her overactive mind being a pest, but she felt that her pride as a woman was being threatened. By a child, no less!

He wore a loose, plain white shirt, coupled with a pair of black pants. His forearms were exposed, revealing what seemed to be a coiling, inky snake tattoo. It almost seemed to be alive…

'Isn't he too young to have a tattoo?'

Bronya narrowed her eyes, confused. Her Flaw didn't show a single hint at what the boy thought of his morals. She hasn't seen a single person that didn't have an opinion of their own morality. There are those that see themselves as good people, and those that see themselves as bad people. There are also those that don't see themselves as either, but that in itself is an opinion.

To not have any opinion… didn't that go against human nature?

The boy looked at the unconscious teens for a second, before looking at Bronya herself. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment, before saying:

"Hey. I'm Sunny."

The boy that introduced himself as Sunny looked at her with a gaze that reminded her of some of the political elites in Qlipoth Fort. The kind in which they tried to compare the benefits and losses of certain decisions.

Realizing that she hadn't introduced herself, Bronya attempted to speak. However, she was suddenly cut off by Sunny.

"I already know who you are, Bronya Rand. After all, I'm the one who brought you here."

Looking at her for a second, he asked:

"Considering that you didn't try to shoot me with that gun Memory of yours, I'm guessing you don't recognize me?"

Bronya frowned. Why would she try to shoot a child? That wasn't something that should be expected from someone of her station. And why should she recognize him?

His voice was eerily familiar though…

Sunny simply sighed before taking a seat in a wooden chair.

"The doctor that runs this clinic will be back soon. You're not injured or anything, but you were out for… around three days?"

He mumbled something to himself, seemingly confused about why she was out for so long.

Bronya stared at Sunny for a second before asking:

"Why would a child be left here unsupervised? I'll need to have a long talk with the one who operates this place about leaving children around medical equipment."

Looking at her strangely, Sunny took a look around the clinic.

"…I don't see any kids around. I was standing near the entrance the whole time, so nobody should have been able to get in…"

Bronya frowned. Was he trying to play dumb?

"I'm referring to you. It goes against one of Belobog's laws regarding medical practices to leave an unattended child in a room containing medical equipment."

***

…Sunny was aware that his height was quite unusual compared to other male Awakened, but that was a simple matter of having been malnourished. Not only that, but his height was relatively average when compared to mundane humans.

So what was it that made Bronya think that he was a child?

Sunny put a hand up to his chin in contemplation, before removing his hand as he looked at it. Poking his own face, he drew a strange look from Bronya.

His eyes lingered on her for a second.

"…I guess I do look pretty young. But I'm seventeen, got that?"

Bronya just looked at him with disbelief written all over her face. Sunny simply shrugged at her.

"Anyways, the guys that brought you in here thought of you as a hostage. What was that all about?"

Sunny walked over to a table, in which Natasha had left a tea set. She told him that he could help himself, so he was bound to take her up on that.

He observed Bronya as he took a sip from a cup. She stared at him in confusion, before a flash of realization appeared in her eyes. Her eyes flickered to the injured Dan Heng and March, as panic revealed itself on her face.

Looking down at his cup of tea, Sunny smiled.

'This is pretty good!'

Turning towards Bronya, Sunny briefly spoke.

"Want some tea? It might not match up to whatever you usually get, but it's really good considering that we're in the Underworld."

When Sunny spoke of the Underworld, Bronya suddenly stood up.

"How…? The Underworld? But the entrance should have been closed off…"

Bronya rushed towards the door, seemingly forgetting about the whole situation with the trio's supposed crimes.

Just as she was about to leave, she paused before turning back to Sunny.

"…Did you see a third person come in with those two?"

Sunny paused for a second. Did Bronya not see his face back then? He was behind her the whole time…

'Heh. Maybe I should mess with her a bit.'

Sunny plastered a serious look on his face.

"Yeah. There was a blue-haired guy that carried them over here. He looks sleazy, like he would rob you the first chance he gets."

Bronya nodded, showing him a grateful smile.

"I see. Thank you for the information."

Sunny struggled to not laugh.

Bronya opened the door, stepping outside the clinic. When it shut, he sent the happy shadow out to keep track of her. With that, Sunny sat back on his wooden chair as he sipped out of his cup, waiting for his companions to wake up from their deep sleep.

He paused mid-sip, realizing that he didn't actually have to stay here. Leaving the haughty shadow behind, Sunny quickly gulped down his cup before placing it back with the rest of the tea set.

Exiting Natasha's clinic, Sunny breathed in the air of Boulder Town, which carried the scent of coal. He took a couple steps, before looking back at the clinic with an annoyed expression.

Sunny walked back in for a moment…

…And exited with two kids being held by the collar.

As they screamed and protested, Sunny just tossed them onto the ground. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked down on them with a disinterested expression.

"You two didn't really think you could get past me, right? Haven't you two learned your lesson?"

Compared to the child he had given the Endless Spring to, the children of Boulder Town were much better off. Maybe it was due to how far out that area was, similar to the outskirts of the city he used to live in.

The two brats — Hook and Julian — kept trying to sneak into Natasha's clinic ever since she had left for some business earlier today. Sunny had to keep them out so they didn't play around with any medical equipment. Of course, two children couldn't possibly get past an Awakened with a scouting Ability such as himself.

Unfortunately, the two runts were persistent.

Hook grit her teeth.

"You can't stop Pitch-Dark Hook the Great and her Moles! Even if it kills me, we'll never give up! So you better run before I get serious, witch's guard dog!"

Hook was a young girl with yellow eyes and blonde hair that's tied into two ponytails. She wore a large ushanka and a thick coat. She was the self-proclaimed leader of a group called the Moles.

It's just a couple kids that play around.

Sighing, Sunny turned towards her accomplice.

"Anything to say for yourself, Julian of the Thousand Faces?"

Julian was a boy that was around the same age as Hook. His hair was a brownish-green, and he had dark eyes.

Julian simply crossed his arms and nodded at Sunny's question.

"Yeah, you better run before we get serious!"

Sunny wondered how he could make sure that these kids didn't try to break into Natasha's clinic. He wanted to go out and look for Sampo, wherever he was, but he remembered causing a purposeful misunderstanding with Bronya. He didn't necessarily need to be with them to watch everything play out…

Prank aside, he still needed to make sure Hook and Julian stayed out of the clinic. How would he convince some kids?

He couldn't threaten to tell their parents, since most of the adults were at the mines. At least, that was the case for the parents of these two.

Pondering for a moment, Sunny felt an idea spark in his head.

"Hey… let's make a deal."

***

"Oh, Pitch-Dark Hook the Great… where could you possibly be…? This divine shadow is starting to get a little hungry."

With the thrashing and screaming Julian slung over his shoulder, Sunny pretended to be looking around for Hook. He challenged them to a game of hide-and-seek, in which they wouldn't try to get into Natasha's clinic if he won.

In truth, he was just bored.

Looking at a few crates, a maniacal grin spread on his face.

"Looks like a little Mole is cowering in fear behind those boxes over there. She might have an easier time if she just gave up now~"

A second later, Hook scurried out from behind the boxes, horrified by the screams she heard from Julian.

"F—fine! You win, so we won't try to get into Nat's place anymore."

Sunny placed Julian back on the floor. He grinned, but it wasn't his usual false smile of deceit and treachery.

"Listen up brats. If you want something from someone, you have to behave around them. You know that bowl of candy in Natasha's clinic?"

At their nod, Sunny continued:

"I can get as much as I want since I don't cause trouble for her. If you want to be able to do the same, you can't go around breaking into their homes, alright?"

"You have to think about the long-term! For example, after I spend multiple years working my butt off for Natasha, I might find the perfect chance to… Never mind. You two are too young to understand…"

Raising a finger like he was giving a lecture, Sunny changed his explanation.

"Just think of it like this: The more helpful you are, the more people feel like they owe you. So you just got to abuse tha—"

"Abuse what?"

Freezing, Sunny slowly turned his head to look upon the figure that had suddenly appeared, as if out of nowhere. Honestly, how was she so sneaky? It shouldn't have been possible for a mundane human to be able to evade his shadow sense so easily…

Natasha was a woman with purple eyes and a fair complexion. She had blue-gray hair that's bob-like in front with two symmetric strands reaching her shoulders, the back tied in a ponytail. There was a mole under her lip on her left side.

She wore a white layered dress which resembles a doctor's coat, with a blue-gray layer and crimson lining. She also wore high leather boots with blue-gray details. Her left arm was bare, while her right arm was covered in a leather elbow-length glove with a torn crimson band tied to her right shoulder. She wore a white bow that was reminiscent of a nurse cap.

On her belt Natasha carried a plush bear, as well as a small leather bag, a glass tube with mushrooms, and a flask of green liquid in it. She also wore a similar pear-shaped flask as a necklace.

Despite the strange accessories — which actually served a purpose — there was a certain mature charm that Natasha seemed to exude.

A charm that Sunny appreciated quite a bit.

Coughing into his fist, Sunny turned towards the older woman as he answered her question.

"Oh, you know… abusing the goodwill of others! Got to learn early, you know…?"

Sunny really hoped that she didn't take his words seriously.

Thankfully, Natasha simply giggled at his words; a sound that was music to his ears.

Hook made a sound of disgust, one that Julian replicated.

Sending a quick glare at the two, Sunny turned back to Natasha.

"Uh… how much of that did you hear?"

She tittered, sending him a knowing look.

"Ever since you found Hook. Honestly, you really are good with kids."

"R—right."

Gulping, Sunny redirected the topic.

"Did you find the girl that could help us?"

Natasha nodded, looking back for a second.

"She should be here any second now…"

As if on cue, a familiar flurry of butterflies appeared out of nowhere, revealing a figure that Sunny knew very well… unfortunately.

One that he had been avoiding every time he took a trip to the Dream Realm for the past few days.

'…What in the actual fuck is going on?'

Looking between the purple eyes of Natasha and the crimson eyes of Seele's alter ego — who seemed surprised to see him before glaring at him in anger — Sunny plastered a false smile upon his face.

"What a coincidence! Who knew that you happened to be in this specific galaxy, in this specific star system, in this specific planet, in this specific town, while knowing this specific person? It's like fate itself brought us together."

Sunny was panicking on the inside.

'Out of any two women that I could encounter at the same time… why was it these two?!'

For better context, maybe a short flashback sequence would be required…