My Art Style is Unique 59

Title: Midnight Conversation

*CRACK...*

The sound of a twig snapping in the campfire was loud in the quiet stillness of the night.

Outside the tent, a little ways from the fire, Yunyun sat alone on a dried tree trunk, looking lonely.

“What’s wrong? Still thinking about the Tranquility Girl earlier?” Ethan’s voice, now out of his armor and wearing casual clothes, suddenly broke the silence.

“N-No... I know what you did to the Tranquility Girl was right... It’s just...” Yunyun flinched at his voice before steadying herself to answer.

But she didn’t continue, and Ethan didn’t press.

A tense silence settled between them.

“I-I’m sorry... You must be disappointed in me, right? Before meeting you, I... I had zero experience talking to the opposite sex... It’s embarrassing, but... since I had no friends, every time I talked to anyone, it was always... awkward...”

Yunyun broke the silence again, her voice stammering nervously.

“When Chris and Iris were around, I could still manage normal conversations... But when it’s just you or someone else... I... don’t know what to say...”

Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, and Yunyun hung her head sadly. Suddenly, a warm hand gently patted her head.

“I know...” Ethan smiled, gazing into her crimson eyes that glowed faintly in the dark.

“And honestly, Yunyun being like this is fine—no, it’s actually really cute...”

“C-Cute...?!” Yunyun’s face instantly turned as red as an apple, making Ethan almost lean in for a kiss.

“Yeah...” Ethan looked away, fighting his shameless urges.

“Besides, if Yunyun weren’t like this, maybe I wouldn’t have met you... Let alone invited you to join the party and become friends... Pfft—! Wahahaha!”

Remembering their ridiculous first meeting, Ethan couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Back then, after being attacked by a One-Punch Rabbit and encountering the high-level demon Host, Yunyun had suddenly remembered she had no friends and nearly burst into tears—completely ignoring the danger in front of her.

“That was so long ago... Please forget about it!” Yunyun cut in, her face burning with embarrassment.

Long ago? Ethan fell silent.

Truthfully, he hadn’t been in this world for very long—maybe not even two months.

But because of all the crazy events, it felt like ages had passed.

“Back in Crimson Demon Village, I was always seen as weird. Even though I was respected as the chief’s daughter, I was still isolated...” Yunyun began, not noticing the shift in Ethan’s expression.

“Then, Megumin showed up. Oh, right—Megumin is the one who played chess with you, used Explosion on the board, flipped it over, got tied to a tree, and is now known as the Crazy Crimson Demon Girl in Axel~”

“In school, Megumin only approached me because her family was poor and she wanted to steal my lunch... But I’m still grateful to her... She was my only friend back then...”

Ethan didn’t interrupt, just sipped his coffee and listened patiently.

“Megumin was always ranked first in school—in magic and mana capacity. Me, the chief’s daughter, could never beat her and was always second.”

‘Relax, girl. At least your brain isn’t as fried as hers.’

“Because she could beat the chief’s daughter, everyone saw Megumin as a genius and had high hopes for her. At first, I refused to accept it—I wanted to surpass her and become the best wizard in the village.”

‘Chill, you’re already plenty strong. At least compared to the Crazy Crimson Demon Girl, you’re clearly the most normal and sane one here.’

“But somehow, Megumin ended up becoming a defective wizard who can only use Explosion.”

‘Oh, so those giant explosions I keep hearing in Axel are from the Crazy Crimson Demon Girl? I’m the mayor of Axel now! How dare she blow up my territory? Next time, I’ll tie her to the tree again!’

Ethan smirked internally, already plotting mischief.

Without realizing it, Yunyun’s story had turned into a rant.

“What’s the point of Explosion? It’s too powerful—it can collapse caves. The range is long, but if enemies get close, you and your allies get caught in it too...”

“It’s also way too mana-intensive. Even a wizard like Wiz can’t cast it twice. With all these flaws, even if it’s called the strongest destruction magic, it’s still treated as a joke...”

“When I first moved to Axel, I thought about teaming up with Megumin. But after trying it, we just didn’t mesh and nearly caused a party wipe... So...”

Suddenly, Yunyun smiled so beautifully that Ethan was stunned. Her crimson eyes, usually eerie, now shone like mesmerizing gems.

“But because of that... I got to meet you, Chris, and Iris... Does this mean... I have friends now?”

Her voice was hesitant, as if afraid of being presumptuous for calling them friends.

Ethan responded by patting her head again.

“Of course. We’re all your friends—Chris, Iris, and me. We’re proud to be Yunyun’s friends~!”