That night, Isabel had given us a game plan for the next Summoner battle against Eli. It was quite simple really, but I couldn’t help but worry. Sure, on the outside I had fully agreed to Isabel’s tactic, but deep down, I felt a sense of dread.

To summarize what Isabel’s plan was: It was a tactic to expand on the role I played during the battle with Benjamin. I was going to act as a decoy, but rather than just distracting, Isabel ordered me to come up with an idea to make sure that I could not be ignored.

“I still don’t know how to use you with my plans, but for now, at least I have a base.”

So, she says, and it was a smart idea, I’ll admit. I knew I should be more confident, after all, it worked out pretty well against Benjamin. So why was I still struggling to gain confidence with Isabel’s plan?

Tired and frustrated from thinking about it, I silently headed out of the room to take a walk around the stadium.

The silence of the usually loud and bright stadium was odd, but it was natural considering it was closed for the night. I also found it odd how there were no guards inside of the stadium itself, but I guess no one would be stupid enough to mess around with Summoners and Spirits trying to get some sleep.

After walking around the vicinity of the stage in the middle of the stadium, I decided to head back to sleep.

I spotted a staircase heading upwards on my way back to the room, however, I could have sworn the rooms were already on the top floor. My curiosity got the better of me, and I started climbing up the stairs.

“Woah.”

The staircase led me to the very top of the stadium, and from there, I was greeted with a breathtaking view of the city of Centria. I watched the canvas that spread out below me, with the shops all closed for the day, the guards roaming around the streets protecting the civilians in their sleep, and the street lights mirroring the stars in the night sky.

I wish I had a camera with me. Lisa would’ve enjoyed this view.

I silently chuckle to myself.

I lie down and take in the cold night air as I admire the two bright moons. I praised myself a bit for finding this area on my own, I found myself clearing my mind from the previous worry earlier within minutes of stargazing.

Suddenly, I heard a shuffle of steps to my right.

My body tenses up as I rise up and instantly summon my shield. I see the silhouette of a lady frozen still across from me. Soon, my eyes start adjusting to the dark and I began to see the lady clearer.

“Luna?” I ask as I lower my shield.

The Elf giggles softly at me, “Is that how you treat a fellow human from Earth?”

“W-well, in my defense, I had no idea it was you.” I scratch my head, “Uhm, sorry.”

Luna shakes her head and walks up beside me, “It’s fine, I would probably do the same.”

I make my shield disappear as I sit back down onto the ground and resume my stargazing. Luna follows suit and silently sits down beside me. For a while, we just stare at the stars sparkling together, until Luna speaks to fill the silence.

“I’ve actually been wanting to talk to you for a while, Rin.”

“Y-you do?” I stutter.

“Yup, you know, c-considering we’re both from Earth and all,” Luna says in an awkwardly silent voice.

“Ah I see, I mean, at least we’ve got something in common to talk about, right?” I ask to lighten the mood.

Luna nods and smiles. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the night darkness, but seeing her smile somehow managed to brighten my vision even more. I was glad it was dark because she might’ve been able to see me blushing.

I wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but Luna was in fact, really beautiful.

“Uhm, so, what did you want to talk about?” I continue as I look away.

“What was your life like before you know… reincarnating?”

I don’t know if it was because she was also from Earth, or simply because I was enchanted by her beauty gleaming in the dark, but I found myself instantly opening up about my life on Earth. My silent, monotone days as a high schooler, and my one year of a loud, color-filled year as a university student.

Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to open up about Lisa, out of both embarrassment and pain.

“I was also only able to experience one year of university before my, you know, death… Although, I wouldn’t say my high school life was as sad as yours.” Luna teases.

“Aw come on now, it wasn’t sad, the emo life chose me.”

“That was seriously cringe.”

“I honestly have no idea why I said that,” I reply dejectedly.

Luna and I continue laughing at my terrible comebacks to her teasing remarks.

Although I had Roy and Hilde already, this friendship I was developing with Luna felt deeper in a sense. It was almost like she had already known me, but that’s most likely just because we shared a similar life on earth.

My laughter comes to a sudden stop when Luna leans her head onto my shoulder and pushes me down. Her arms come to wrap around my waist and she pulls herself closer to me.

“L-Luna!?” I let out a light squeak as I avoid bringing my field of vision onto Luna’s chest pressing softly on my sides.

“S-sorry Rin, I just… need some comfort for a while…” Luna whispers, “Honestly, I’m still a bit scared of this world, but knowing you’re here makes me at ease.”

I remain silent, partially because I was speechless by the situation as a whole, but also because I understood her feelings. Unlike Spirits such as my party members, Luna and I were not from this world. We had no dungeons, no monsters, no magical weapons, and definitely no “real” Elves on Earth, but we were both thrust into a new world and forced to instantly adapt to a completely new lifestyle and environment.

Sure, I probably had it worse than Luna, since Aquaria seemed like she enjoys having Luna by her side, but comparing our situations right here right now would never be fair to Luna.

I managed the courage to slowly bring my arms around Luna.

“It’ll be fine.”

Was what I wanted to say, but I knew I couldn’t. I knew I should probably say something to reassure her, but saying something I didn’t believe in myself wouldn’t help. Instead, I decided to make a couple of last-second changes.

“We’re both fine right now.”

The both of us remain completely silent in each other’s arms for a couple more minutes. The more time I spent in Luna’s arms, the more I started to realize what I was actually doing.

H-how did I end up cuddling with an Elf!? Or is she still human?

Part of me wanted to stand up and run whilst hiding my face, the other part of me was enjoying the feeling of cuddling with a beautiful Elf who happened to have her chest squishing against me.

It’s not like I’m against it…

“Uhm, thank you, Rin.” Luna softly says, bringing me back to Spirinall.

“Y-yeah, no problem. In truth, I’m also glad I got to know someone from Earth as well.”

Luna smiles and nods, “Well then, we should probably head back to bed, there are still more battles to fight.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s true.”

We finally let go of each other and stand up.

An awkward silence falls between us as we head down the stairs and back into our rooms.

Uwaa! I forgot to say goodnight!