The guild was more crowded than usual that morning.
Common missions, merchants discussing contracts, newly registered adventurers trying to look more confident than they actually were. The environment was familiar, but the looks we received were no longer the same.
There was no hostility.
There was curiosity.
And expectation.
We entered as always, without fanfare. Even so, the murmuring increased discreetly. Rai'kanna ignored it. Lyannis walked while analyzing the mission board out of habit. Elara observed the peripheral movement. Vespera maintained a neutral posture. Liriel walked beside me, calm.
That was when I heard a familiar voice.
"So the hero decided to show up."
I turned.
Scarlet was leaning casually against a column near the main counter. Arms crossed, light smile, provocative gaze.
She walked toward us without hurry.
"The legendary dungeon, five demons alone, final guardian… you really like exaggerating, don't you?"
"It was necessary," I replied.
"Of course it was," she said with a tilted smile. "But you could have called me."
Rai'kanna raised an eyebrow.
"Would you have accepted?"
Scarlet shrugged.
"Depends on the payment."
Lyannis crossed her arms.
"You never move only for payment."
"Not officially."
Scarlet then stepped a little closer to me.
"I heard that now you're considered a reference."
Liriel took a subtle step forward, not blocking, but reducing the distance.
"We are a group," she said, her voice firm and calm.
Scarlet tilted her head slightly.
"Of course. The legendary group."
She left the sentence hanging in the air.
Elara watched in silence, but her eyes were attentive.
"Did you come just to provoke?" I asked.
"Provoking is a bonus," Scarlet replied. "Actually, I wanted to see if the legendary Takumi still knows how to talk without a sword in his hand."
Rai'kanna let out a light sigh.
"She does this on purpose."
"Does what?" Scarlet asked, pretending innocence.
"Getting too close."
Scarlet smiled from the corner of her mouth.
"Jealousy?"
The environment around us became attentive.
It wasn't a confrontation.
It was light tension.
Liriel maintained a firm posture.
"It's not jealousy. It's clarity."
Scarlet laughed softly.
"I like that. You're more confident now."
Lyannis intervened before the provocation grew.
"If you have something relevant to say, say it. Otherwise, we have tasks."
Scarlet looked at each of them, evaluating.
Then she looked back at me.
"You've changed."
"In what sense?"
"Before you reacted. Now you choose when to react."
It wasn't a provocation at that moment.
It was an observation.
Vespera spoke with serenity.
"The emotional environment is stable. There is no real conflict."
Scarlet raised her hands.
"I didn't come to cause trouble. Just to test."
"Test what?" Elara asked.
"How much the fame affected you."
Rai'kanna answered first.
"It didn't."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Scarlet then looked directly at me.
"And you?"
I thought for a moment.
"Fame is external. What matters is here."
I lightly touched my own chest.
Scarlet observed the group's reaction.
No insecurity.
No silent dispute.
Just firmness.
She let out a brief sigh.
"You really are different."
Liriel replied simply.
"We grew."
Scarlet took a step back.
"Good. I'm relieved."
"Relieved?" Lyannis asked.
"Yes. Because if you started competing with each other for attention, it would be disappointing."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"We're not that fragile."
Scarlet smiled.
"I know."
The atmosphere had changed.
It was no longer provocation.
It was almost approval.
She then approached once more, but this time without tension.
"Anyway, be careful. The higher you climb, the more eyes you attract."
"That's not new," I replied.
"No. But now it's different."
There was something implicit in her words.
But she didn't elaborate.
Instead, she returned to a lighter tone.
"And you, Takumi… don't forget that I can get jealous too."
The sentence was said naturally, but with a clear intention to provoke.
Rai'kanna laughed openly.
"Now you're the one trying too hard."
Elara looked away, holding a discreet smile.
Lyannis shook her head.
Liriel simply looked at Scarlet with calm firmness.
"He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone."
Scarlet held her gaze for a few seconds.
Then she nodded.
"I know."
The moment of tension dissolved completely.
Scarlet stepped away a few steps.
"Don't get comfortable. That's all I came to say."
"You always say that," Rai'kanna commented.
"And it's always valid."
She began to walk away, but stopped for a moment.
"Oh. And try not to be so obvious when you get jealous. It's funny."
This time, even Liriel let out a minimal smile.
Scarlet left the guild without looking back.
The environment gradually returned to normal.
Lyannis was the first to speak.
"She likes to test emotional limits."
"Yes," I agreed.
Rai'kanna looked at me.
"So? Any effect?"
"No."
Elara tilted her head slightly.
"Not even a little?"
I looked at each of them.
"Do you think I need to look for something outside of what I already have?"
The silence that followed was not uncomfortable.
It was secure.
Liriel answered for all of them.
"No."
Vespera added.
"The stability of the bond remains unchanged."
Rai'kanna smiled.
"Then it's settled."
We left the guild shortly after.
Scarlet's provocation left no crack.
On the contrary.
It reinforced something.
Walking down the street, I realized that the group did not react with insecurity.
There was no dispute.
There was no prolonged tension.
There was only confidence.
"Light jealousy," Lyannis commented.
"Very light," Elara replied.
Liriel walked beside me calmly.
"If one day there is a real reason, we'll talk."
"There won't be," I said.
She didn't reply.
But her gaze showed certainty.
When we arrived home, I felt something clear.
The world could provoke.
It could observe.
It could test.
But what we built was not fragile.
It was stable.
Scarlet's provocation didn't create distance.
It created confirmation.
And that afternoon, it became clear that our strength was not only in battles.
It was in the security we had in each other.
The jealousy was light.
And it passed like a breeze.
Without leaving a mark.
Without leaving doubt.
The unity remained intact.
And that was what truly mattered.