Squeak——
The soft sound of a zipper being pulled echoed in the room.
Shen He instinctively turned around—just in time to see Jeanne d'Arc's zipper lowered halfway down her black sports jacket.
"P-Please… d-don't look right now…"
Jeanne's voice trembled. The courage she had carefully mustered up to this moment unraveled in the space of an instant beneath Shen He's gaze. Her hand froze on the zipper, unable to continue.
But even though she said that, Shen He couldn't look away.
The woman before him was no longer simply described as "beautiful."
Bathed in silver moonlight spilling through the window, Jeanne's fair skin shimmered. From her slender neckline down to the parted edges of her half-zipped top, each inch of exposed flesh drank in moonlight, glowing with ethereal allure. Wrapped in a minimal black-lace bikini that traced the curves of her flawless figure, Jeanne radiated an intoxicating aura that surpassed mere seduction. With her flushed cheeks and trembling breath, Shen He felt like his soul had been struck out of his body.
"G-Guh… Master…"
Jeanne's voice quivered. She looked on the verge of tears.
It was just a swimsuit—just a change of clothes. But the simple act of being seen undressing somehow made her feel like she was igniting from head to toe.
"S-Sorry!" Shen He apologized reflexively.
He didn't even know what he was apologizing for. His eyes widened, subconsciously imprinting the image into memory.
Jeanne's face turned even redder. She drew in a quick breath, eyes shut, and then moved with speed near-impossible for the eye to catch, removing her jacket in one swift blur.
When she stood before him again, clad only in the jet-black swimsuit, the blush remained, but her nerves had tempered slightly. Compared to the vulnerable intimacy of being halfway undressed, the completed look actually made her feel less exposed.
"J-Jeanne, this is…"
Shen He couldn't finish the sentence.
The figure before him was utterly breathtaking. Though she now wore her swimsuit fully, the stunning proportions of her body—from her smooth collarbones to her toned abdomen, her slender yet powerful legs to her delicate ankles—left him speechless. It was as if she were carved by the divine.
"It's a swimsuit. I… bought it earlier today."
Jeanne toyed with her fingers behind her back, raising her face to meet Shen He's eyes.
A trace of warmth softened her expression, and although her cheeks still held a hint of pink, her confidence returned. After all, it was only a swimsuit.
Shen He stared for a second longer before coming to his senses.
He raised a thumbs-up, speaking from the heart. "You're… absolutely stunning. A hundred times beyond what I imagined, Jeanne."
"T-That's too much."
Jeanne's lavender eyes curved into crescent moons, her smile soft but radiant.
Barefoot, she walked toward the reef's edge. She gracefully sat on the beach where the tide reached, letting the waves crash gently over her feet. From behind, moonlight cascaded over her long blonde hair and fair back, cloaking her in a glow of softness.
In that moment, Shen He felt like he was looking at a celestial being.
"Master?"
Jeanne turned to glance at him.
"Oh… yeah." Shen He quickly snapped out of his daze and sat down beside her.
She seemed deep in thought, eyes fixed on the shifting tides.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"…I'm not sure."
Jeanne twirled a strand of her braid, her tone soft and introspective.
"This afternoon, when you said you didn't see me as a 'saint,' I… felt a kind of relief I didn't know I needed. Whether I like it or not, being a saint is something that follows me everywhere. So, I've always done my best to behave accordingly… to treat everyone with fairness and distance. But ever since you summoned me, everything's been… different."
At first, she had assumed this summoning was like any other. She'd remain by her Master's side and serve her duty.
But after Shen He told her in the quiet of his room, "You can be yourself," something had shifted.
Frozen at age nineteen forever, Jeanne had long thought that her time and choices were behind her. But now, she faced a future that extended past twenty, thirty, and beyond—something that once felt like a fantasy now felt real.
"Jeanne… did you put on that swimsuit and come to me because you felt that way?" Shen He asked, slightly disappointed by the thought—but his tone softened. "Even if you can only set aside the title of saint just a little, even if it's only to enjoy the present, that would already make everything I've gone through since arriving here… worth it."
Sometimes, giving meant more than receiving.
And for Shen He, this was already more than enough.
"No—it's not like that!"
Jeanne turned toward him sharply, seizing his hand in both of hers. Her lavender eyes reflected his image, filled with emotion.
"What truly feels like a miracle isn't just being Jeanne d'Arc and not a saint. It's… it's being able to stay beside you for a long time to come. That's the truth my heart whispered to me."
Though they'd only been together for just over a month, Jeanne had learned much about Shen He. Before arriving in this unfamiliar world, he'd been an ordinary human. But even after gaining extraordinary power, he hadn't lost himself. Instead, he took on the burden of protecting others—bravely standing before calamity, offering unwavering confidence to those behind him.
Maybe he didn't realize it himself, but in her eyes… he was already a hero.
Not just for his strength—but for his kindness, his empathy, his unwavering heart.
"J-Jeanne… why are you saying all this?"
Shen He's voice cracked slightly. He couldn't predict what she'd say next—and that uncertainty sent waves through his heart.
Jeanne's expression shifted—somewhere between nervousness and vulnerability. She brought Shen He's hand in front of her chest and, after a deep breath, declared:
"I don't know if what I feel for you is gratitude, admiration, or something more… but I want to find out. Love is a feeling that shouldn't belong to a heroic spirit—or a saint. But… can I try? With you? Master?"
"..."
Shen He was engulfed by shock, overwhelmed by what he'd just heard.
He understood clearly now—these people he summoned weren't just programmed spirits. They had their own thoughts, their own hearts, their own eyes to perceive the world and others.
He never wanted to reduce Jeanne to a character acting out someone else's script.
And if she, Jeanne d'Arc, chose to love him—then she was loving him, Shen He.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Jeanne's waist and gently pulled her closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
There, beneath the moon and sea, they shared the silent, unspoken comfort of a new beginning—of a relationship born not from command, but choice.