In a place that was centimeters away from becoming a battlefield, Serah remained seated — unmoved, even after Noel had already left.
She raised a finger slowly to her lips, touching them with a dazed expression, her gaze fixed on the spot where Noel had just stood moments ago.
Beside her, Elysia stood in silence for a while, her face clouded with disbelief — still trying to grasp what had just happened. Eventually, she spoke, her voice quiet but hesitant.
"Are you sure about doing all of this?"
Serah turned to look at her, a chuckle escaping her lips.
"It’s not about that..." Elysia started, but the rest of her words stalled in her throat.
Serah, already understanding what she meant, answered anyway.
"Do you think he’s unworthy of me?"
"With his measly strength... his ruined body?"
"Is that what you’re thinking?"
Elysia didn’t respond.
But Serah took her silence as confirmation.
Her smile faded slightly, and her tone grew quieter... but deeper.
"There’s no one more worthy of me than him."
"And I’ve never... not once... felt like I could give my everything to anyone else but him."
Her glowing violet eyes shimmered with infatuation — wild, obsessive, dangerous. Her aura darkened, subtly, as if reflecting her spiraling thoughts.
But then, Serah shook her head, letting out a breath — and something lighter returned to her gaze.
That same playful intrigue from earlier, now mixed with a strange anticipation.
"That’s beside the point."
"Aren’t you curious?" she asked.
"Whether he can return to how brightly he once shined?"
This time, not because she disagreed...
But because, deep down, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
She’d already been wrong about him once.
Walking through the street with two beautiful women at his side — one on each side — Noel drew more than a few sidelong glances from passersby.
And others simply confused by the tense, silent atmosphere wrapped around the three of them.
Noel walked without saying a word, waiting for either of them to speak.
He was already prepared to have every kind of argument with either of them. But neither said a word.
Until, after putting some distance between themselves and the earlier scene, Selena suddenly stopped, and yanked her hand from his.
Noel halted too, brow slightly raised, turning to her in question.
Selena stood still, her eyes averted, and then — with a low voice and a strained smile — she said, "I still have some unfinished business here... so, I’ll see you later."
"Okay," Noel replied, seemingly unbothered, before continuing onward with his little sister alone.
Despite her earlier foul mood, Lilith seemed to be wearing the faintest, almost imperceptible smile after witnessing that interaction.
And so, with her mood noticeably lifted, she suddenly clung to her dear brother’s arm and hugged it tightly.
Noel glanced sideways at her sudden move, but said nothing.
She clung to him all the way back — silent, but her gaze kept drifting to his lips every now and then.
And when they reached the third floor of their home, where their rooms were, Noel had to hug her for a good few minutes first, before he could finally retreat into his own room.
There, he stood still for a moment, his expression unreadable, as if the events of the day were replaying behind his eyes.
Then, with a faint shake of his head, he locked the door and moved toward his desk.
Before anything else... it was time to read the simulation he had already begun.
[Life Simulation begins.]
[21 years old. You have just emerged victorious in your battle, only to realize someone even more dangerous had been watching you.]
[You remained on guard, every instinct screaming that she was a threat — yet you showed no trace of panic as you faced her.]
[After a tense exchange, during which she introduced herself as Serah Noct, you left the aftermath to her companion and followed her onward.]
[In a small cafeteria, where each of you ordered a drink, it became clear that Serah knew you — from before you lost your memory. Amused, she asked about your past, your deceased parents, and the current situation, seemingly finding everything about you entertaining.]
[She even poked at your injuries from the earlier battle, laughing at your lack of reaction despite the pain you were clearly in.]
[Her complete disregard for your condition — despite how abnormal the situation was — seemed to spark fury in a few women passing by. But none dared to voice their thoughts aloud to Serah.]
[Time passed, and blood continued to flow from your injuries. When the color of your chair slowly shifted from brown to red, finally, two guests arrived.]
[Selena and Lilith were both visibly angry as they stood before Serah — someone they knew, apparently. But in the end, neither made a move against her. They simply took you with them, as Serah waved her hand at you.]
’Everything is different!’
With a gleam in his eyes, Noel thought.
The clearest difference... was that she didn’t heal him in the simulation.
But Noel noticed more than just that.
Her introducing herself was one thing, yes, but the biggest difference — at least to his eyes — was actually their conversation.
In reality, her intentions toward him had been more obvious. And... far more intimate.
But in the simulation, none of that had happened.
The simulated version of him had seemed certain that Serah knew him from before he lost his memory.
But Noel wasn’t so sure. He still had his doubts, and couldn’t confirm anything yet.
Then, there was that chair... soaked in blood.
What the fuck was that?
Noel knew himself well — and there was no way something like that could have happened.
He was someone who trained in the Blood Refinement Path, after all.
And even if his control over his own blood was still lackluster, due to limited proficiency with the Blood Scripture, he had gained some familiarity with it after training the day before.
Furthermore, with his physical strength, he could at least attempt to seal his injuries — do something to slow the bleeding.
Which meant... the him in the simulation must have done it on purpose.
To garner sympathy? From Serah?
Noel was slightly curious.