They start from his slightly healed soul, then move on to his strength.
There were still his talents.
And then, there was his appearance.
With his strength increased — his physical strength rising — subtle changes began to shape his body.
His already fit build became even more defined, even more perfect.
It didn’t stop there though, but even affected his handsome face.
The changes were too subtle for others to notice.
They were far too clear.
His handsome and irresistible face was engraved in her mind, and now... changes had happened to it.
These were the first ones she noticed.
And they made her hone her senses further, searching for more.
That’s when her flickering eyes widened — her smile vanishing without a sound.
If it were only his appearance, or his body, then that would have been one thing.
But even his soul had slightly healed.
It was still a long road before it could be completely healed.
They should have taken ten years.
Yet they happened... in a single day.
It was only yesterday that she had not seen him.
So, how could such a drastic changes suddenly happen?
That question burned at the center of her mind as she remained in his arms.
Her lips slightly parted, and she stared at him in silence, a storm of thoughts crashing behind her eyes.
"Is there something wrong?" Noel asked softly, a gentle smile resting on his lips.
He already knew the reason behind her sudden silence.
But naturally, he had no intention of pointing anything out first.
And it seemed Selena didn’t want that either.
Because she simply shook her head, forced a faint smile, and said, "No, there’s nothing. Let’s get going."
Noel nodded at her, and that’s how they moved on — hand in hand, too glued to each other to notice anything else.
They talked about ordinary things. About which class she had today, and what remained.
If she had eaten or not. And then, what her plans were.
They moved on to this professor and that professor, lightly grumbling between themselves.
Then continued with other mundane topics.
Topics that had nothing to do with the Hidden Society, his soul, or anything remotely supernatural.
Like that, time passed.
And now, they were in a restaurant, ready to have their early lunch together.
They took a tray of food to a quiet corner that wasn’t too crowded, sat side by side, and began to eat.
They talked and laughed while chewing, and every now and then, one of them would steal a kiss from the other.
"Say ah," Noel said, a beaming smile on his face.
He extended a single fry toward Selena, holding it out playfully between his fingers—
As if the fries on his plate were somehow different from the ones on hers.
Selena naturally just smiled, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and leaned forward to eat the crisp fry from between his fingers.
She took small bites, slow and teasing — until, with a sly smile, she finally took his fingers into her mouth.
She finished the fry completely, then licked his fingers clean, as if savoring the taste.
Her eyes met his. And in them, she gave a seductive gaze, heavy with warmth and desire.
Like that, their time continued.
The air between them filled with joy, love... and a quiet, rising heat.
They made the perfect picture of a couple who had fallen too deeply in love, flirting with each other, whispering all kinds of cringy and corny lines.
And no one would doubt it.
Even when, in truth, each of them had completely different things on their mind.
"I feel like there’s been some changes in you lately... did something happen?" Selena suddenly asked, her voice casual.
Her tone was light, and she didn’t seem to give the question much weight.
And so, Noel teasingly replied, "You noticed? That I became more handsome?"
Selena blushed slightly, then glared at him and said, "Come on. You know that’s not what I mean~"
And Noel’s eyes turned more serious as he said, "Do you really want to know?"
With eager eyes, Selena nodded. "Yes, tell me. What is it?"
"Well..." he started, before a mischievous smile appeared on his face, "I’m not saying~"
Selena pouted at his reply, and Noel burst out laughing, his mood light and playful.
That’s when Selena, with a wronged expression, asked grumpily, "There’s a secret between us now?"
Seeing how far Selena intended to take things, Noel finally let the smile vanish from his face.
He looked at her with sharp eyes, then leaned in closer, and in a low voice said,
"You mean there was ever a moment... when there wasn’t a secret between us?"
She simply held his gaze, locking her eyes with his piercing gray ones.
And Noel reached out, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
His palm stayed against her soft cheek, caressing it gently, his face now only inches from hers.
His eyes glowed with a darker light, and in a voice heavy with meaning, he finally spoke.
"Selena... my love. If you’re not ready to open your heart to me—"
"Then don’t ask me to open mine."
"Be honest first. Before asking that from others."
With an unwavering gaze, Noel looked deep into her eyes.
He seemed to be sending her a message through them.
’I’m prepared to tell you everything... but are you the same?’
Naturally, that wasn’t the case.
And Noel would never expose the Codex Null.
Even then, he added softly.
"Please don’t let me wait too long."
On the receiving end, Selena — who had only asked him on a whim, without planning to in the first place — stayed silent through it all.
She didn’t continue facing him head-on.
A storm was raging inside her head. Her fists were clenched tightly.
But still, she smiled — before diving into his chest, hugging him as she grumbled, "You really became too cheeky, recently."
Selena’s eyes, hidden from Noel, glowed intensely as she sank into her thoughts.
And Noel, knowing when to stop, let his expression soften as he quietly wrapped his arms around her.
It was time to go back to being just two ordinary people in love.