Eveline lightly tapped her index fingers together and let out a soft giggle. "Ah… I don't have one. They're too expensive, so I usually take public transportation."
Kaelen glanced at the darkening sky. The capital wasn't exactly dangerous at night, but letting her travel alone didn't sit right with him even though she was the protagonist. He swung a leg over his black-and-red flying bike, slid on his black helmet, and said, "Come on, I'll drop you off."
She hesitated for a moment, then climbed onto the back seat. "Um… where's my helmet?" she asked softly.
Without a word, Kitsu hovering unseen, materialized another helmet in Kaelen's hand. He passed it to her. "Hold onto something and don't fall off."
Eveline turned the helmet over, blinking in confusion. "Uh… it's different from what I've seen. How do I put it on?"
Kaelen stepped down from the bike and took it from her, his fingers brushing hers in passing. "Here, I'll do it."
He stood close as he lowered the helmet over her head, his touch careful. A stray wisp of her hair had slipped loose, and without thinking he smoothed it back before fastening the straps beneath her chin.
His knuckles grazed her jaw lightly like a whisper, as he checked the fit. Eveline froze, her breath catching for the briefest heartbeat. Neither of them said a word, but the air between them felt charged, humming with an unspoken tension neither seemed to notice, or perhaps chose to ignore.
Satisfied, he gave a small nod and stepped back. "Perfect."
He swung back onto the bike, started the engine, and lifted them smoothly into the sky. The hum deepened as the speed increased, the wind rushing past in cool, exhilarating currents.
Eveline hesitated at first, her hands hovering awkwardly in the narrow space between them. But as the city dropped away and the air turned colder, she finally wrapped her arms around his waist. It was practical, she told herself—only to keep from falling.
Yet the steady warmth radiating from him, the firm feel of his frame beneath the coat, made it far too easy to hold on just a little tighter.
Kaelen kept his gaze forward, guiding the bike through glowing rivers of light below. "The capital is beautiful at night," he thought, until he felt the soft, almost hesitant pressure at his waist.
He glanced down, spotting her arms wrapped around his waist, then a spark of mischief flickered in his eyes. "Why not tease the protagonist a little?"
He leaned forward, twisting the throttle.
The bike's engine roared, and in an instant they shot higher into the night sky, slicing through the wind. The capital's glittering skyline blurred beneath them as the machine surged faster and faster.
Behind him, Eveline jolted. "K-Kaelen!" Her voice trembled, barely audible over the rushing air. "Why did you suddenly—? It's too fast! Slow down!"
He didn't answer, his posture steady, gaze locked on the path ahead as if fully immersed in piloting. The cool night air whipped against their uniforms, and Eveline instinctively hugged his waist tighter.
Then the bike banked sharply to the left.
The sudden curve tilted her off balance. The high-altitude wind slammed into her side, prying her grip loose. Her eyes widened in horror and in the next heartbeat, she was no longer on the bike.
Her scream tore through the night. "Ahhh! Mr. Kaelen, save me!!"
The lights of the capital spun wildly below her. The ground rushed closer, dizzying and merciless. Inside her helmet, her eyes blurred with tears, panic clawing at her chest.
"If I survive this… I swear, I'll haunt you like a ghost if you let me fall!"
Kaelen's pupils shrank. He hadn't actually expected her to lose her grip. His stomach dropped. "Damn it!"
"Kitsu!" His voice cut like a blade through the wind. "Take the controls—full speed!"
The small azure orb materialized at the bike's handles without hesitation. "On it!"
Kaelen swung his body off the seat, balancing on the frame for half a breath before launching into freefall. The wind howled past his ears, the cold slicing through him.
Below, Eveline's white uniform fluttered wildly as she fell, her figure shrinking in the abyss of the city's nightscape.
"Faster… just a little faster!"
Kitsu angled the bike downward, engines screaming in protest. The machine streaked past Eveline, Kaelen catching sight of her wide violet eyes through the visor with pure fear, yet still beautiful even in terror.
He reached.
The wind tried to rip them apart, but his arms closed around her midair, pulling her to his chest in a crushing hold. Her helmet thudded lightly against his shoulder.
For a moment, all sound disappeared, just the hammering of her heart against his and the adrenaline roaring in his veins.
The bike leveled out below them, and Kaelen landed hard on the seat with Eveline in his lap. Kitsu steadied the controls as the city lights swirled past.
They descended smoothly, the hum of the engine deepening until the bike touched down on a deserted street. The purr of the motor faded into the quiet night. Kaelen swung off first, then reached for Eveline, lifting her down with care until her boots met the cool pavement, the crisp night air curling around them.
Kaelen reached up, unfastened her helmet and gently lifted it away. Her tear-brimmed eyes locked on his, breath shaky.
He exhaled, his voice low. "Eveline… would you believe me if I said this was an accident?"
Her trembling lips pressed together.
His gaze didn't waver. "I'm… sorry."
She didn't respond. Not a word.
Eveline just stood there, her fox ears drooped low, trembling slightly. She wasn't hurt—Kaelen could see that much, but the fear in her eyes was sharp enough to cut through steel. It wasn't the kind of fear you could shake off in a few seconds it lingered, burrowing deep.
His jaw tightened. "Damn it, Kaelen… what the hell were you thinking?"
"If she'd actually fallen and died, it wouldn't just be "oops, my bad." The entire course of this world would've gone up in smoke. The protagonist gone, the plot broken beyond repair, the balance shattered. Who knew what sort of butterfly effect would have hit next? Wars, invasions, collapse, everything could've spiraled out of control."
And all because he thought it'd be funny to tease her.
Now she was standing in front of him, perfectly fine physically, but her silence was heavier than any wound. He needed to say something to pull her out of that frozen state.
But how?
He'd never been good at this. In his past life, he barely had experience talking to women, let alone comforting one after a near-death fall from hundreds of meters in the air. He wasn't some smooth, silver-tongued hero. He was just… Kaelen a background character of this world. A guy who happened to know too much about this world but too little about moments like this.
His mind darted, searching for a way.
And then he remembered his mother, Elira Arden how she used to hug and cuddle with him almost every day, her soft voice as she told him, "My baby belongs to me alone..."
Without overthinking, he stepped forward and placed his palm gently on Eveline's head. Her hair slipped like silk between his fingers, a few strands brushing his skin as her ear twitched beneath his touch. She didn't flinch, but she didn't move either.
"You're fine… you're alive…" The thought repeated in his mind like a mantra, though he wasn't sure if it was for her sake or his own.
With a steadying breath, he gave her the smallest smile he could manage and acting on instinct, pulled her into his arms. Her frame was lighter than he expected, fitting against him like it had always belonged there. He began to pat her back in slow rhythmic strokes, hoping the gesture would reach her where words couldn't.
"Calm down, Eveline," he said quietly, his voice softer than he'd ever used before. "You're safe now."
She stayed silent, but after a moment her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, not tightly, but enough for him to feel it. She leaned her head against his chest.
Kaelen exhaled slowly, relief mixing with something far more dangerous. Because as much as he told himself this was just to comfort her… a part of him didn't want to let go.
It took a long while before Eveline finally calmed, her trembling easing. She pulled away, her violet eyes red and glistening as they fixed on him with quiet grievance. Kaelen glanced down, his shirt clung damp against his chest soaked through with her tears.
She bit her lip, and for a moment it seemed like she might say nothing. Then her expression shifted, and she began hitting his chest with her small fists.
"You… you evil man! I almost lost my life because of you!"
The blows were light, more like the flutter of falling petals than real strikes but she was relentless. Kaelen barely felt them, but he still winced dramatically, leaning away as if she'd actually landed a critical hit.
"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—ah, Eveline, stop! It hurts!"
Her hands stilled, trembling faintly before she dropped them to her sides with a sharp huff.
Kaelen didn't push her to speak again. Instead, he simply held out a hand, guiding her wordlessly back onto the bike.
The ride back to Crimson Vale Institute was wrapped in heavy silence. The night wind swept past, carrying away the city lights beneath them, but not the weight in the air.
When they arrived, Kaelen eased the bike to a stop in the courtyard. The engine's purr faded into the night. Eveline stepped down without a word. They didn't exchange so much as a glance before walking toward their separate dorms, their shadows stretching in opposite directions under the pale moonlight.
Back in his dorm room, Kaelen changed into his nightclothes and let himself collapse onto the bed. His muscles felt heavy, the day's events pressing down on him.
Hovering above him, Kitsu's neon eyes blinked in the dim light.
"Master, you seem… unusually worn out," Kitsu said. "From the restaurant until now, every interaction with Eveline has been… strange. Don't you think so?"
Kaelen rubbed his eyes. "Strange?"
Kitsu tilted its head, ticking off the events with its paw.
"First the corn soup spill. Then you slipped and she caught you. Your two friends left, but she didn't understand why. Then you…" its light brightened "…threw her off a flying bike."
Kaelen winced. "That was an accident."
"And after risking her life, you jumped after her, caught her, and then… comforted her." Kitsu's tone was almost curious now. "Yet she didn't scold you beyond a few harmless punches. According to my analysis, she's innocent, pure-hearted… but sharp. Not someone easily fooled."
Kaelen closed his eyes. "Kitsu, we'll talk tomorrow. I need rest."
He pulled the blanket over himself, hugging a pillow like a shield. Within moments his breathing deepened.
Kitsu lingered above him, watching.
"Master… you're definitely hiding something," it thought before vanishing into thin air, its presence dissolving into the quiet.
Meanwhile, in the women's dormitory, Eveline Monroe lay on her bed in a soft nightgown, one hand resting over her stomach, the other over her heart. She stared up at the ceiling, the shadows of the room painting her thoughts in shades of gray.
"Kaelen Arden…" she murmured.
Her chest tightened as memories she'd tried to bury began to surface—being mocked for her fox-like ears, whispered about for being an orphan, cornered by noble girls who envied her beauty and body. She had fought tooth and nail to earn her place at Crimson Vale, enduring every sneer, every slight.
And now… this day.
The wind roaring in her ears, the ground rushing up toward her, the terrifying blankness when she thought it was the end. The moment she felt his arms around her, and his low urgent voice telling her she was safe.
She'd frozen, mind blank, clinging to him without thinking. Then came his repeated apologies, his awkward attempts to comfort her… the way he'd hugged her, patted her head, like he was soothing a scared little girl instead of someone his age.
Her face warmed until it turned a deep shade of red, the heat crawling all the way to the tips of her ears.
"Oh, gods…" she mumbled into her pillow. "I must've looked pathetic… Clinging to him like that… then punching him?
She rolled onto her side, pulling the blanket over her face as if to hide from the memory. Her lips curved in the faintest, reluctant smile.
"Mr. Kaelen… you're such an idiot."
But even as she tried to dismiss it, she felt something unfamiliar lingering in her chest, a warmth she couldn't quite name, and a thought she couldn't quite banish.