"You must Hunt!" In that moment, Ninhursag told something important to Zack. If he wanted his strength and efforts recognized by Sylphy, for the possibility of a slight chance to be chosen as a companion to go by her side in the far future where she could become a hero of humanity, he had hunt mighty beasts and gift them to her.
Despite his age, Zack was incredibly realistic, as he immediately thought that it would be way too hard for a girl that was always concentrated into discovering and training magic and sword skills to seek any sort of romance any time soon. But as someone that loved her, he really wanted to receive her praise and be given more attention than other times… He often felt jealous of Aquarina because of this, as she was always given attention and even could slept at the same bed as Sylphy, something Zack had always dreamed of…
However, he was motivated by his adoptive mother and he ended running into the nearby woods in the morning, catching a mighty beast that took him all the effort he had and all the strength he has been cultivating until this point to defeat! However, as he defeated the powerful crystal horned deer, he realized how strong he had grown on his own and seemed to begin earning more self-confidence. His child-like heart was filled with happiness and a sense of accomplishment and has be brought the giant carcass of the beast to Sylphy, he was even more happy when he received her praise and her happy smile, her green eyes shone the brightest that time as well!
Sylphy's birthday was approaching, so he decided to not only gift her all the meat of his hunt, but the pelt and everything else, and promised her that he would craft beautiful accessories using the mighty deer's magical crystal horns. Aquarina was shocked by how happy Sylphy was, as if she had been charmed by Zack… And this ended sparking even more rivalry between the two, as Aquarina was now dead set into hunting a mighty beast to gift to Sylphy as well. She was an Amazon child as well so the custom was also shared by her.
After what happened there, the two went to train their Spirit Beasts and after it ended, Sylphy happily hugged both of them and kissed their foreheads, saying she loved both, and that she was happy to have them as her friends… This only made them two more in love with her than she could had ever wanted. Zack was still thinking about it, even though he responded to her affection with embarrassment, he was secretly very happy, and so did Aquarina.
"I-I can't believe she kissed my forehead…" Sighed Zack. "I'll never wash it!"
"Fufu, youthful love is really something cute, isn't it?" Sighed Ninhursag with a calm smile. She herself had lost into even experiencing this type of feelings of love, growing alone and resentful of what had happened to her family. She was happy that her son was able to experience all these fuzzy feelings. Even without certainty if Sylphy would ever choose him as her husband or not, it was still the experience that was worth it, the driving emotions that made him happy and euphoric, even.
"H-How can I tell that…?" Asked Zack while acting a bit zealous and embarrassed at the same time. He was currently walking with Ninhursag towards the village near the carriage ridden by Sylphy's parents. Sylphy was sitting between both of her parents so he didn't had the chance to sit at her side for now. He and his mother were acting as some sort of guards, alerting the carriage if anything like bandits or a wild monster would emerge in the road.
"Never mind~" Giggled Ninhursag. "Tell me, dear. How do you feel now?"
"I-I… I feel warm inside of my chest… I kind of want to keep being at her side… I don't really mind if she doesn't love me… Being at her side is what makes… it makes me very happy." Said Zack with a smile. "Ugh… This is so embarrassing…" Zack quickly covered his face with his hands, as Ninhursag giggled at his side.
"Oh my, you've gotten so open with mommy lately…" She laughed, acting more motherly over time.
"C-Cut it off…" Sighed Zack, as he was being petted by Ninhursag. "But… What should I make for her?"
"Hm… A ring, necklace… she already has earrings, I doubt you'll want her to replace them…" Said Ninhursag.
"A ring and maybe a bracelet too! The jewels of the crystal deer horns are beautiful… I also want to make her a mantle with the fur, it will keep her warm in the cold night." Said Zack.
"Wow, you really think about everything." Said Ninhursag.
"I just want to help her and protect her… Even if she's so strong, she's way too reckless sometimes… I want to be at her side and be her shield, and take care of her back." Said Zack.
"Hehe, you're very dedicated, but don't let that become an obsession, alright?" Sighed Ninhursag.
"O-Okay…" Sighed Zack. "It's not like I am going crazy or something… I also look at other girls! Like… the girls of the village. There are some that always praise my muscles!"
"Oooh~?" Asked Ninhursag. "Well, not like you're interested in anybody but her."
"Ugh… Don't tease me !" Said Zack, growing angrily and crossing his arms. He was like a little gremlin getting all angered about.
Meanwhile, Aquarina who was sitting over her mother's shoulders while being carried by her looked around the vast grasslands, and then at Sylphy who was laughing and talking with her parents.
"Guh… Sylphy…" She muttered. "I-I'll catch a big monster for you!"
Aquarina's words were overheard by her parents, as they seemed slightly worried about this growing rivalry she had with Zack.
"Aquarina… You're really in love with Sylphy, aren't you?" Asked her mother.
"W-Wha… What are you talking about, mama?!" Asked Aquarina, growing as red as a tomato.
"It is quite obvious at this point." Said her father.
Aquarina resulted to be quite oblivious about the perception that other people had for her, especially her parents.