On the Virtual World's Continent of Time.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ashe froze for a moment and turned around, only to find the Swordswoman leaning in close. Their faces were so near that their noses almost touched. At such proximity, the warm air of their exhales brushed against their lips, bridging the tiny gap between them. In her sly eyes, Ashe could see his own reflection.

Ashe suppressed the instinct to pull back through sheer willpower. Widening his eyes, he held her gaze.

A second passed, then two... and three.

A faint blush spread across Sonya's pale cheeks like a thin mist, yet that only made her more stubborn. Refusing to blink, she kept staring right back at him. Then, she stuck out a small pink tongue and lightly licked her lips. A smile curved the corners of her mouth, spreading across her delicate face and leaping into her clear eyes. It mixed with the tension in her pupils and turned into something infectious, slipping through their locked gaze and creeping into Ashe's nerves until he felt a sudden...