...

After turning off the lights, Aren had slid in a movie called 'Accidental Affection' into the DVD player, as the film began to unravel. Cans of pop were distributed through the five friends happily, as well as a gigantic bag of buttered-caramel popcorn to be shared.

While it was loading, Aisha used to the opportunity to read the synopsis aloud. "Hmm, looks interesting. Let's see what this is about..."

"The Velder Kingdom was once a prosperous area to reside in, however, ever since Queen Seris took the throne, it had been corrupted by greed. Normal civilians were suffering greatly, but nothing could be done. The royal family had far too much power and authority, and for those who objected, they were immediately executed for treason, without a moment's hesitation. One day, the undercover assassin, Rena, received a peculiar yet challenging mission: overthrow the kingdom by eliminating its source. Given the fact that Seris' personal bodyguard was a young knight named Raven, would the professional bravo succeed?"

"No way... it's the Accidental Affection?!" Elesis spat out in surprise. "I loved that book! Ah, despite being so short, it was a good read. I'm glad that it was turned into a movie..."

"Oh! Aren! You managed to grab the clip? I'm so happy..! And Elesis, I loved the book, too!" Ara beamed.

"Did you know that the Mysterious Mage and Velder's Berserker were based off Aisha and I? Hence, the matching names. Ahaha... The author actually visited our hometown once, looking for ideas for her new book. That's one of the reasons why I adore the literature so much." Elesis explained, with a rather large grin splattered across her face for once.

"Eh?! Really?! I actually haven't thought of that possibility before! But now that I think about it, the names sound familiar and fit together! Wait, but Velder's Mechanic was named Add..." Ara pointed out.

"Probably just a coincidence. Stuff like this happens all the time, but let's face it, our Add is completely different from the one in the novel." Elesis responded.

"Stop being such geeks, both of you! You're going to spoil it for the rest of us! Hush, the movie's starting now!" Aisha scolded.

~

When the end of the motion picture was nearing, bits of popcorn were scattered on the couch and on the floor, but fortunately, all the soda had remained in-tact, either in their cans or in the gang's stomachs, where it belonged.

Add had gradually fallen asleep, his head leaning flat into Ara's shoulder, as she was conveniently located next to him. Her face flushed; it was difficult to watch a movie with that type of uncomfortable handicap. She lightly shook her head, telling herself that it was going to be okay. But really, it wasn't. Even imagining the sight of romantic actions between the two made her blush even more. It had only been about a day, so her actual thoughts and feelings for him were uncertain, of course.

As the ending credits rolled in, Elesis was practically prepared to flip a table, opposite of her usual serene and stern personality.

"The ending in the book was different!" the redhead ranted. "Though I'm not complaining too much because of the cliffhanger conclusion in the novel, I felt like this could have been adapted better..."

"Mm..." Ara pondered, wiping a tear from her eye. "I guess so. But I'm not that disappointed, because here, Rena actually saves Velder, and Seris is taken down! But, Raven still sacrificed himself for Seris, after protecting her from Rena's blade... Uwaah! But it's still a better ending, rather than Rena giving up all in all because she had fallen in love with Raven... And Raven actually shares those mutual feelings! (Even though he still likes Seris in the end... sniffle!)"

"Why are you two talking about that when there's this holy scene to see right in front of you?! Look! Add is fast asleep... leaning against Ara! ♥ Look how cute it is!" Aisha smirked.

"A-Ah..! Don't bring that up, A-Aisha..!" Ara wailed.

However, it wasn't long until the albino was woken up from the rowdiness of the three girls.

"Mmm..? Is it... morning yet..?" he sat up properly, yawning.

"No, not yet." Elesis said.

"Aw. Well, this can be a good thing, as well! I'm raiding Ara's bedroom with Add. The living room is a mess! Onward, Add! Sorry, and thanks for cleaning up the mess in advance, Aren! You're the best, even better than Elesis~!" Aisha simpered, dragging Add along with her.

"W-Wait! Why me?!" Ara cried, reaching her hand out in hopes of stopping them, though it was futile as Aisha had already rushed into the room.

"Hmm, well, you two better catch up. Don't worry, there's really nothing else for me to do here anyway, so I'll clean up, as Aisha mentioned. Go have fun, alright?" Aren smiled, standing up to grab a broom. "As long as I can be of use to you guys, I don't mind."

"Ah..! Th-Thanks so much, Brother!" Ara stood up, bowing down in appreciation.

"Thank you, Aren." Elesis bowed her head, before fleeing to the bedroom with Ara by her side.

~

Several more games later, the night swung by gracefully, corrupting the sunlight. The moon shone brightly outside, along with the twinkling stars.

Aisha was already snoozing on the couch in the living room after Aren cleaned everything, and Add was drifting off into sleep in Ara's bed, though Ara hadn't exactly noticed yet.

Ara and Elesis spent their time chatting about books, like the true nerds they were.

"The same author who wrote Accidental Affection also wrote a book called Vanished Recollections! I think it's a lovely piece of work, too! Have you read it, Elesis?" Ara asked.

"Ah, no, but I've always wanted to. Never really gotten the chance to obtain it, it's always so hard to find due to the popularity..." Elesis shamefully mumbled.

"You're in luck. I have a copy up in my bookshelf. I can give it to you to keep if you want, I think it'd be better in your hands." Ara offered with a smile.

"Really? Ah... That would be a wonderful present. But are you sure?"

"Positive! Let me go get it."

Another few minutes passed, as Ara presented the novel to Elesis. It was in top condition, as if it hadn't been opened nor read at all.

The Grand Master hugged the book to her chest, a genuine smile plastering on her face again. "I've never smiled so much in one day... So, thank you, Ara. Thank you, as well as Add and Aren, because all of you guys are... amazing, I guess."

"No problem. That's what friends are for, aren't they?" Ara hugged her happily. "And thanks to you, too, for being my friend!"

Elesis rummaged through her bag, after placing the publication in one of its compartments. In exchange, she retrieved a necklace embodied with golden chains and a pendant with an odd insignia dangling down from it, placing it into Ara's hands.

"A gift from me to you. I'm not one to wear jewelry often, so this would fit you much better than it would for I. The pendant is Velder's crest, as Velder Village is also a place where I'm affiliated with. Before you ask, no, it is not just a work of fiction in Accidental Affection, it just happens to be a small town situated far away from here, quite unknown to the public, at that. But, I do think that this necklace will come in handy some day, so please, keep it safe."

"O-Oh... yes! Thank you, Elesis! It's really pretty." Ara accepted it gratefully, immediately chaining it around her neck, bubbling with excitement. It was a perfect fit.

"Seems to suit you. Well, it's really getting late, so I'll hit the hay. Since Aisha already took one of the couches out in the family room, I'll take the other. Good night, Ara, and truly, you have my absolute thanks for everything you've done."

"Night, Elesis!"

~

Ara swiftly turned around, finally realizing that Add had been sleeping in her bed the entire time. Startled, she quickly approached him, attempting to shake him until he regained consciousness.

Her cheeks were tinted with a rosy pink as he curled up comfortably in her sheets. "W-Wake up...! P-Please don't sleep in my bed, Add!"

It was no use.

Exhaling in a long sigh, she tried to call Aren, except... it was too late, and her brother was already asleep in his respective space. She and Elesis were the last two awake.

Because both couches were already occupied by their guests, there was truly no other option as to where she could have slept for the night. Glancing back at Add, there was just enough room for her to nuzzle up in, but the thought of laying down so close to him...

She slept on the floor instead.

Yet, despite all these tying bonds of friendship between the friends, it all began to loosen when the chains of tragedy struck the gang, the very next day...

...