"I'm convinced I'll get in," I whispered, feigning confidence. "But I won't be able to get in with a scholarship because—"

A pretentious thing to even consider. Still...

"You're not a hunter. You can't wield mana, Gray," she finished for me. "I can grasp the big picture..."

I only gave her a tiny nod as I kept walking up the stairs.

"That place's incredibly competitive, filled with wealthy and talented kids, I'm sure. It'd be difficult to afford your daily expenses while still trying to keep up with them." She turned to face me. "So, by coming here, you hoped to make enough profit to be able to focus only on your studies without having to worry about a job. Correct?"

"That's the rough idea," I muttered, knowing there was no use in disputing anything.

The shame I felt when she discovered what I was up to slowly began grinding through my abdomen, and it wouldn't go away.

"Don't worry. My plan's similar to yours. And I didn't hesitate to take the opportunity to join in the expedition to put it into action, so you shouldn't blame yourself in any way, Gray," Mara confessed nonchalantly. "Let's make this clear. We weren't dragged here by you. Everyone's here of their own accord. I seriously doubt you were the one to directly propose it to Logan. He must have done something similar to what I did, then snagged you while he had the opportunity."

That's...

"If you mean pressuring me for a reply regarding my enrollment in Artemis, then definitely," I confirmed her hunch. "I was going to propose coming to the 4th District, but Logan beat me."

Each word I spat out made me lighter.

"See?" Mara tapped me on the shoulder. "There's nothing for you to feel guilty about. You can't blame yourself for simply thinking about it, you know? Who doesn't have any nasty thoughts every now and then—"

But before she could even say anything else, Mara darted toward the massive window at the end of the corridor, like a toddler who finds something interesting.

"That's quite the view," I observed as I drew closer beside her.

Mara whirled around and put her hands over my eyes.

"I know, but stop looking! The view is even better from my apartment. If you look now, it'd spoil the surprise!"

Instead of flinching, or trying to avoid her, I froze. I didn't try to pull away or slap away her wrist. I didn't react at all. I lowered my guard down too much, I gulped as I considered that.

"Isn't it the same?" I questioned, hurrying to put some distance between us. I had the distinct hunch that if I didn't give her an appropriate answer, she'd simply poke out my eyeballs. "Fine, I get it. I won't look. Just let go already."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

My eyes fogged toward the number on the door that I had seen on the documents earlier. It was the final one in the corridor, to our right.

"You wouldn't get it," she grumbled, annoyed by my perfectly rational argument. Although I wasn't mistaken, I had the illusion I was due to her cocky speech. "And that kind of detail doesn't really matter, Gray. Now then..."

Unlike the scout I knew, she didn't try to hide her apprehensive demeanor as she inserted the key. Mara twisted it easily, throwing me a flawless grin.

"Is this your first time visiting a lady's apartment?"

People have different reactions whenever they're nervous. By tormenting me, she was just trying to distract herself from her own emotions.

"Maybe—"

As my thinking became foggy, my words drifted into a weak whimper. My knees buckled, and to make matters worse, I could not really feel them. Everything was numb, almost distant, as though someone was trying to rouse me from a profound slumber. Even the sound of the guitar playing faded away.

"Gray," she called, the keys colliding with the floor and echoing through the corridor. "What are you doing? Don't pass out on me like that..."

My arm was slung over her shoulder before I realized it.

"I must be heavy..."

"You aren't," she murmured, her molars tight.

All color drained from her face as she leaned down with me on her back, grabbing her keys. I worried that we might fall. My weight must be significant on top of the backpack. Fortunately, she was powerful enough to prevent my concerns from occurring.

"Don't forget to lock the door after you once we get in."

"Yeah, I will," she responded as she tossed my backpack to the floor.

Through my half-closed eyes, I absently admired the creaking parquet before Mara dumped me on the sofa in the middle of the spacious living room.

Apart from the filth on the shelves, I was astonished by how clean this room was compared to the other places I had stayed. I never thought of Mara as someone who would keep her apartment clean...

No, wait a minute. Years have passed since the Overflow. It was ludicrous to presume she came here once in a while to give everything a good scrub.

"My head..."

It was throbbing. Pain. Nothing new. I've had worse.

"What are you looking at...?" she muttered, feeling my gaze stubbornly straining to trace her as she took a bottle of water from the backpack.

"Just peeking around..."

"You're already deluding. Probably because of the blood loss..." Mara complained, shaking her head as she recollected herself. "Of course you are. This is my place, duh. How does it feel to be in a woman's apartment? Intrigued?"

"Sleepy."

Snapping her tongue, Mara moistened a towel before rubbing it across my face. It was warm, but I didn't mind it. I kind of enjoyed it. We haven't had anything like a bath in a long time. There was no flowing water after all.

I realized something as she yanked it away.

"I'm sorry," I told her, watching the red on the towel's material.

Mara scowled when she heard me, then stopped moving and asked: "What are you apologizing for now?"

"I think I stained your sofa."

Although the blood on my body had dried, I couldn't rule out the chance of contaminating her home.

"Gosh," she groaned. "Is this the best your mushy brain can come up with...?"

But I thought it was an exquisite sofa...

"Do you like this place?" she questioned, glancing out the window and laying her elbows on my knees. "I love it. It's freaking amazing."

Even though Mara was aiming to distract me, catching the bait she had cast shouldn't be too problematic. In truth, I wished to cling to it.

"Yeah."

I nodded, peering at the rough outlines of serval buildings outside the vast window. Green dared to devour the structures from below, while the sunset gleamed dimply from above. Now I understood why Mara didn't want me to see it at first.

"It's as you say."

This place couldn't be described as anything other than freaking amazing.