Thirty minutes passed as I freshened up, changing into a black hoodie and stepping out into the hall. The fabric hung loosely around , the sleeves covering my hands as I ran a towel through my damp hair. The air slled of sothing sweet—probably the tea Hina had made—and the soft hum of their conversation filled the space.
Hina and Serina were seated at the dining table, engrossed in whatever topic they were discussing. I paid them no mind as I grabbed a steaming cup of instant noodles from the kitchen counter, settling onto the couch. The warmth of the broth seeped into my hands as I lifted the chopsticks, slurping the noodles lazily.
Then, out of nowhere—
"Liar!!!"
Serina’s voice pierced through the room, making pause mid-bite. I glanced up, raising an eyebrow at her wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression.
"You’re telling he—" she pointed at like I was so kind of mythical creature "—is immortal?! Has lived for centuries?! And is the guardian of Earth?!"
Hina, looking particularly pleased with herself, grinned and nodded. "Hehe, yup. But shhh—don’t tell anyone. He doesn’t like unnecessary attention." She shot a glance, her lips curling in amusent.
Serina blinked, still in shock. She slowly leaned back in her chair, arms crossing and lifting her chest. "Damn..." she muttered under her breath. "No wonder I sensed that insane strength from him. And that Gyosu elf back on the island—he spoke like they knew each other for ages."
I sighed, choosing to ignore them. They were acting as if I weren’t sitting right here, listening to them analyze my existence like I was so ancient relic.
Hina, however, had no intention of letting the conversation die. "Yeah, he’s ridiculously strong," she said, puffing out her chest.
"If—" she dragged the word dramatically, her eyes gleaming with excitent "—I ever manage to beat him, nothing can stop from becoming a Queen!"
The way she said it, like it was so grand prophecy, would’ve been funny if she didn’t look so damn serious about it.
I gave her a sidelong glance. "In your dreams..." I muttered before taking another slurp of my noodles.
Hina pouted. "Tch. You’ll see. One day, I’ll land a hit so hard, you’ll regret ever looking down on !"
Serina smirked, resting her chin on her hand. "Hmmm... so you’ve got yourself a goal to chase, huh, Hina?" she mused. Then, glancing at , she added, "You must be one hell of a ntor, then."
"ntor?" I scoffed, finally looking up at them. "She doesn’t listen to a word I say. She just rushes in headfirst, hoping she’ll magically win through sheer willpower."
"Hey!! That’s not true!" Hina argued, crossing her arms. "I listen!"
"You never listen," I corrected. "You just do whatever you want and then bla when it doesn’t go your way."
Serina snickered, amused by our back-and-forth. "I an... he’s kinda got a point."
Hina huffed, turning away. "Whatever. I will get stronger. Just wait."
I rolled my eyes, returning my attention to my noodles.
"So, wait—does he have, like, so crazy hidden powers?" Serina asked.
"Oh, totally," Hina said, nodding eagerly. "You haven’t seen him fight seriously yet. It’s insane. I an, you felt his presence back on Eladrin, right?"
Serina shivered slightly, as if recalling the mory. "Yeah... It was overwhelming. Almost unnatural."
Hina grinned. "See? That’s why if I can beat him, it ans I will officially beco unstoppable!"
anwhile, I sat there, utterly unfazed, while the two won openly discussed as if I weren’t sitting just a few feet away.
I exhaled, shaking my head.
Weird.
But whatever.
I focused on my noodles.
"You’re lucky... I would’ve made him mine by now," Serina mused, resting her head on her hand as she eyed with an unmistakable glint of mischief. A slow, knowing smirk curled at her lips as she crossed her legs, her boot-clad foot bouncing slightly. The movent was deliberate—calculated, even.
I barely spared her a glance, my expression unreadable. Instead, I closed my eyes briefly, then resud eating, my chopsticks moving effortlessly through the steaming noodles. No response. No reaction. Just the rhythmic slurping as I focused entirely on my food.
Serina, however, wasn’t done.
"Ahhh... a man this hot, with such a cold personality, and ridiculously strong?" Her voice dropped to a sultry murmur as her gaze lingered on . "Damn... definitely my type."
Hina’s eyes twitched as she watched Serina absentmindedly rubbing her thighs together, feeling the tickling sensation between her legs as she got clearly caught up in her own daydreams. The suggestiveness of it made heat creep up Hina’s cheeks, but more than that—it annoyed her.
That was enough.
With a sharp motion, Hina thrust her hand in front of Serina’s face, blocking her view of . "Stop it, Serina! What are you even saying?!"
Serina blinked, then turned to look at Hina with a playful grin. "Hmm? What’s wrong?"
Hina crossed her arms, her blush deepening. "Nothing! Just—just don’t say weird things!"
Serina tilted her head slightly, a teasing lilt creeping into her voice. "Aww~ Are you jealous Hina?"
"Huh!?" Hina practically jolted in her seat, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. "Why would I be jealous?!"
Serina chuckled, clearly enjoying every second of this. "Heheh, relax, relax~ I’m just joking," she said, reaching out to cup Hina’s cheeks with both hands.
Before Hina could react, Serina started tugging at her face, pulling her cheeks left and right with a playful hum. "Don’t worry, don’t worry~ I won’t steal him from you. Not for now, at least."
Hina, her face now completely blank, simply let herself be pulled back and forth like a ragdoll. She let out a muffled, defeated sigh, her lips stretching awkwardly as Serina continued to tease her.
I watched the entire scene unfold in silence, exhaling a long, drawn-out sigh before returning to my noodles.
"Oh, by the way," Serina suddenly said, her voice carrying a hint of excitent as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her blue turtleneck sweater. "I mainly ca here for this... Look."
Hina perked up instantly, leaning forward in curiosity. "What? What is it?" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
I lifted my gaze from my noodles, just barely interested enough to see what Serina was about to reveal.
With a dramatic flourish, Serina pulled out three sleek, glossy tickets and placed them on the table. The golden edges shimred faintly under the dim afternoon light. In bold, elegant lettering across the top, it read:
"WELCO TO THE CITY OF VELMORIA"
Hina’s mouth fell open. "Wait... no way! These are—"
"Three exclusive passes," Serina confird with a smug smile, tapping the tickets with her neatly manicured fingers. "Velmoria—the newly established city, packed with insane carnivals, street markets, and attractions you wouldn’t believe. It’s been the buzz everywhere lately."
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