Pedrarruna Manor, Elffire City.

5:02 PM.

Through the hushed air, the whitening shower descended.

At first thin wavering; till at last the flakes.

Fall broad and wide and fast, dimming the day,

With a continual flow. The cherished field of trees and hills of the forest put on their winter robe of purest white.

The first snowfall of the year.

An autumn's last days, fierce snowfalls, fall lights, and storms.

The Pedrarruna landscape was now full of wild moods, hints of a magical wilderness and an encircling cold, the bitter winds, the fast-falling hail.

Theo looked through the window of the animation studio of his house.

'It seems it is snowing...' He thought dreamily as he observed the snowflakes falling from the skies.

Theo had a soft spot for snowy weather.

Some of his best memories were of him playing in the snow with the children of the orphanage.

And seeing snow for the first time in his new life evoked these memories.

'We can light up the fireplace tonight.' Theo thought as he smiled.

He wanted to enjoy the night and not mull over what he left behind.

He turned his head back to the drawing table in front of him.

Theo had just finished the last drawing he needed to do.

Now all the preparations for the opening of the studio were completed.

"I just have to send these drawings to Ryoko." He thought out loud.

"Sylph, can you pack these drawings and deliver them to Ryoko?" Theo asked hesitantly.

He didn't know if Sylph could complete this task.

After all, she could do everything she wanted inside his house, but operating outside was a different matter.

If the task was to use her hacking skills, he would not doubt her.

But this involved delivering a package outside the perimeters of the house.

"I can do it, Master! I will just need the authorization to operate a drone outside the property limits." Sylph replied promptly.

As soon as she said that, Theo's eyes lit up.

"How could I have forgotten?" He chuckled.

With her hacking skills, Sylph could access Ryoko's live localization and also could operate a drone to take the package directly to Ryoko.

It was not a rare sight to see drones flying through the skies these days, so no one would question why a drone was flying and why it was carrying a package.

That was exactly why Theo installed a sky security system to protect his property from intruding and spy drones.

"You have my approval. Please, pack these drawings and deliver them to Ryoko." Theo asked with a smile on his face.

Did he mention how much he loved having Sylph as his assistant?

She was the most efficient assistant/butler/accountant in the world!

And Theo had no doubts about this declaration.

He then pilled all the drawings together and waited for Sylph to bring the package.

A while later, a drone arrived at the home animation studio bringing a package that could transport the drawings without problems.

Theo placed the drawings inside the package and as soon he closed the package, the drone took a firm hold of the package.

Shortly after, the window of the room opened and the drone flew through it.

Theo stood up and walked to the open window.

He observed as the drone flew through the skies filled with falling snowflakes.

The snowfall was too weak to interfere with the flight of the drone, so he didn't have to worry about that.

But even if an accident happened, the drawings he sent to Ryoko were just copies of the originals.

The silver-haired man admired the grey and darkening skies.

The window of his studio had a view of the lake and the forest, so the view in front of him was stunning.

Theo was immersed in the view in front of him for a while already when he heard Sylph calling him.

"Master! Miss Ayia has arrived at the front gate." The AI Butler's voice reverberated throughout the room.

"Really? Open the Car Gate for her." Theo asked as his face showed surprise.

He looked at the clock on his cellphone to check the time.

'5:12 PM... Isn't that too early? I told everyone to get here at 6:30 PM.' He thought as he started walking out of the studio.

No matter why the reason she arrived so early, he had to greet her.

He wanted to greet her after she parked her car in the garage of the house.

A while later, Theo arrived at the garage at the same that a white sports car entered the ample parking lot.

After the car was parked, a breathtaking stunning girl exited through the driver's door.

Theo looked at Ayia's stunning appearance, and he had to admit that she was too beautiful!

"Hey!" Theo greeted her with a warm smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey!" Ayia whispered back as she melted in his arms.

She felt the warmth of his body, his smell, his touch, the sound of his heartbeat.

Everything.

She just wanted to live forever in his embrace.

But unfortunately, she couldn't.

"Why did you arrive so early?" He asked with a gentle smile as he let go of her.

"Oh, I wanted to help you cook dinner. There are so many people coming, I didn't want to leave all the work to you." Ayia replied with blushed cheeks.

"How nice of you! I'm grateful for your help then!" Theo replied with a brilliant smile.

His smile was so warm and vibrant that it seemed that it could melt the snow falling through the skies.

Ayia just nodded meekly as her cheeks blushed even harder when she saw his smile.

'How can his smile affect me so much?' Ayia wondered.

"Come on. Let's go upstairs." Theo said as he took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

Ayia let out a tiny squeak when she felt his hand on hers.

But she accepted gladly his hand as she followed his lead.

"I was thinking about cooking Tantanmen Ramen and Curry Udon for dinner. It is snowing so I think this can warm our bellies. What do you think?" Theo asked as they ascended the stairs.

"That's an amazing idea, Theo! I was looking forward to something warm to eat indeed." Ayia replied in her usual lively voice.

She was shy only at first, little by little she was getting used to being intimate with Theo.

"But you know that the preparations to make Tantanmen Ramen take at least days. So, did you already start it?" She asked.

"Or are you making the easy version of the recipe?" Ayia added with a pondering face.

"Ha! Of course, I'm doing the 2-days version!" Theo replied with a fake offended face.

Ayia just giggled when she saw his silly act.

"But, I'm serious. I started the preparations on Saturday. So, it will not be much difficult for us to cook this dish." Theo declared with a confident smile.

"If it is as you say, it won't be hard indeed." Ayia agreed with him.

While they talked, the two of them arrived in the kitchen.

"Hmm, can you start cooking by yourself? I want to take a quick shower before I start." He asked as he looked at her pretty face.

He spent the whole day working and felt that he was dirty.

And because he would not have time to shower after he started cooking, he wanted to take the shower now.

"Sure, I will start by myself. But don't take too much time, Okay?" Ayia said with a playful voice.

"Yes, ma'am!" Theo replied with a playful smile.

Before she could see what was happening, Theo gave her a light pec on her lips before running out of the kitchen.

"He is too daring!" Ayia whispered between breaths.

But although she said that, she was smiling with a face that exuded happiness.

She touched her lips with the tip of her fingers and recalled the light kiss he gave her.

The lovestruck girl had fallen too deep already.