Kang Sena.
The heiress to the Sena Group and a lover of anything related to kendo and cute cats.
Sena was Julian's first lover.
A woman that he rembered loving intensely, at least in his mories.
However, that was many years ago, and those mories beca vague and distant over the years he spent without her.
In their last life, Sena died before Julian entered Avalon.
Weaker and lacking a unique class, he struggled to survive in the crumbling world.
He fought against twisted monsters and resisted the fallen humans who lost their morals when the world collapsed.
So although he knew he loved her, those hot and fiery feelings cooled…
'My taste hasn't changed…'
Julian's eyes trailed up and down.
She removed her jacket, revealing a lotus-white, elegant maxi dress with a halter-style neckline and sparking diamond earrings.
Kang Sena ca from a well-off family and loved fashion, but normally, she rarely dressed like this and instead chose jeans and shirts focused on comfort over extravagance.
'Is she trying to seduce ?'
He didn't rember those kinds of feelings well.
Julian lived a life of regret but also had to live as a man… but in those tis, the person and partner didn't matter.
It was simply an act that gave the person a montary relief that they were still alive.
Beep! Beep!
The oven suddenly bleeped, interrupting his train of thought.
"I'll dish out dinner."
He couldn't be strict but didn't know how close he should act—after all, when his mories returned and overwrote the current Julian.
It was only a week or two ago, and he broke up with her almost imdiately.
"A-Ah, I brought so wine. It's on the table. I picked your favourite." Sena's voice trembled as her pupils darted around.
Julian struggled to rember and accept his current situation, and he wondered if Sena had also found his sudden change sowhat overwhelming.
'I can't even rember the last ti I t her like this.'
He shook his head, stepping into the kitchen with asured strides. The fear that a monster might be waiting in the shadows constantly kept his heart pounding.
Julian's parents bought this flat when they first adopted him and gave it to him when he reached university. The kitchen was equipped with the highest-quality appliances on the market, an expensive set of silver cutlery and exquisite black dinnerware.
Three bottles of red wine were stored in a pure silver bucket on the marble counter, filled with ice and artificial coolant.
"Malbet? You know my taste well…" Julian muttered, but he noticed Sena's face in the mirror.
Sena looked cute as she tucked in her chin and blushed with a bright smile.
Pop!
While opening the oven, he popped open the ice-cooled wine. Julian preferred to drink cold drinks, but one lesson he learned in the past from Sena's father was that you shouldn't put the ice directly into the wine, as it ruins the wine's balance when it lts.
The mont he took a sip, mories and images of the past flooded into his mind: the aty Wellington and a bottle of Malbet.
"This full-bodied taste."
A thick blackberry taste burst on the tip of his tongue before he swished it around his mouth, tasting the vanilla hints and mixture of cocoa and sweet tobacco flowing through the delicious nectar.
"O-Oh, let's not lose track."
Almost lost in the taste, he put the bottle down, looked back at Sena, and flashed her a half-smile, recalling his past life and a birthday party she had thrown for him.
'The opposite situation of now.'
"J-Julian."
"Sena, do you want the wine sauce, or do you prefer beef gravy like usual?"
Sena looked at him with her mouth wide open—in reality, they hadn't eaten this al together yet, and because she had never ntioned her taste.
He observed the shock on her face as she showed yet another brilliant smile.
"Please, I didn't think I told you, how strange." With a pair of rosy cheeks, she turned away while pouting her lips.
"How could I forget anything that you like?"
'Eh?'
Julian's eyes widened as he almost dropped the Wellington—the strange words from his lips had shocked him greatly.
"E-Eh? But."
The look on her face made his chest tighten, a pain that he never wanted to rember.
In his vague mories, Julian rembered the looks she made when happy, upset, sad and right now, from her furrowed brows to how she chewed her lower lip. Sena was confused and hurt because of his careless words.
"Ahem, well, shall we enjoy the wine together?"
"Y-Yeah!"
The atmosphere beca slightly awkward, but Julian could endure it.
He focused on preparing the at, and soon, the dining table was set with two large servings of the Wellington and roasted vegetables.
"It's so delicious… when did you learn to cook?!"
Sena's shining eyes seed completely curious. He couldn't rember his cooking skills before coming back—years of learning to cook food that would kill you if you were not prepared well enough had built them.
"Well, I had to learn to make cute won like you so happy, right?"
"Hah?!"
Julian didn't know whether it was his lingering affection or maybe because the beautiful woman sipping on his favourite wine and eating with him filled a loneliness that had appeared decades ago.
"Julian's being so strange. Why is my heart pounding? It's strange." Sena probably ant to whisper, but because Julian had already started evolving, his ears picked up her words and caused him to giggle.
"Haha."
"What? What are you laughing at? Don't laugh."
"Haha, sorry, but you look so pretty when you get angry."
This ti, he didn't feel strange or reluctant. Instead, he accepted he couldn't push away this woman with raven black hair and citrine eyes that sparkled each ti she laughed or found sothing interesting.
'If I feel this way without mories, how hard was life without you back then, Sena?'
"Don't make fun of . I will drink your wine!"
"H-Hey, that's your third glass—calm down."
In such a pleasant mood, the al soon ended, and the pair listened to a classical album on the sound system while gazing out at the beautiful cityscape together.
"Oh, Julian~ I beca a Sword Master in the ga, hehe~ I'm level two!"
He could hear the slight slur in her words and noticed the empty bottle beside her, realising that Sena probably drank the wine because of the awkward situation.
So now it had beco harmonious.
He saw the Sena that appeared wild, open, free, and lovely in his vague mories.
'A level 2 Sword Master?'
"That's spectacular. My class isn't good at fighting. I am an Evoker."
Julian sipped on his wine, the sharp taste of cocoa so clear with his evolved palate, making him enjoy the wine even more than in the past.
"Hehe~ I was playing with Maria, she's a healer! But tonight, she went on a date and left alone."
"I see… it's because I died. So I couldn't play with you."
The mont he told her, the look in her eyes changed; for a mont, her lips moved from side to side—she squinted her nose and then giggled. "I see. I'm so happy."
Suddenly, her face snapped and looked completely serious; he gazed into her eyes, wondering what she might say.
Silence.
The quiet remained before she pointed to him, her hand almost dropping the crystal glass of wine.
Then, with a huff of air and pushing out her chest, Sena curled her lips into a devilish grin.
"You will play with tomorrow."
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