In the outside world, Sirius arrived in Sector 2 and made his way through the central market to the "Exposed District." He weaved through the alleys until he reached the usual closed garage. He knocked on the door, which caused a soft rattling sound.
After a few seconds, he received no response and stood there confused.
"Did Andrew close up today? I'll have to postpone the 'Weeping Hound' scene until the day after tomorrow then," Sirius thought to himself with a long sigh of boredom. That's when the garage door finally opened.
As soon as it did, black smoke billowed out, and Andrew stepped out wearing his work attire—a long, dirty leather smithing cloak, thick leather gloves, and goggles covered in soot. He wiped the goggles clean, revealing Sirius standing in front of him.
"Oh! Mr. Soren! What a surprise visit!" Andrew exclaimed, clearly shocked and excited. He removed his gloves and goggles to get a better look at Sirius.
"Hi. What the hell are you doing?" Sirius asked curiously, his eyes following the black smoke rising and fading into the sky with the breeze.
"Ah, I was trying to forge a magical weapon, but it seems I failed again. Anyway, what brings you here?" Andrew said, confused but with a wide grin.
"I came to buy some things," Sirius said, pulling a list from his pocket.
"Another kill attempt?" Andrew asked, suspiciously narrowing his eyes, which stunned Sirius. His eyes widened, and he froze in place.
"…How do you know that?" Sirius asked, slowly lifting his head from the list to meet Andrew's gaze. Sirius didn't seem flustered—just cautious.
"One of the students who recently died—'Derek Miller'—was on the list I gave you. He suddenly died, so I assumed it was you. It was just a hypothesis… but your reaction just confirmed it," Andrew said, leaning casually against the wall behind him.
"I should've been more careful, huh? …What are you going to do with this information?" Sirius asked, flashing a cautious but dangerous smile.
"Well, I won't lie—I should thank you. Derek broke one of the rules by using one of the items he bought. I was going to send someone to eliminate him anyway. So thank you—I won't have to. In fact, I won't do anything. I'll keep your secret safe," Andrew said, giving Sirius a big grin and a thumbs-up.
"W-Well… thanks f—" Sirius started, surprised by the unexpected reaction, relaxing a little.
"For a price, of course," Andrew interrupted, ruining Sirius's short-lived peace.
"I should've expected this from that greedy pig… he's even worse than Neriah," Sirius thought with an annoyed smile.
"I'm not rich—you know where I'm from," Sirius said, referencing his background in Tibet.
"I know, but one of your friends could help, right? What was his name again… Noah Grace?" Andrew said, a sly grin on his face.
"Noey-kun?... How do you know about him?" Sirius asked, now cautious.
"Who doesn't? The transfer student who joined the university without even taking the entrance exam—just because the university rep chose him. One of my colleagues, a merchant from the second sector, told me that this kid paid double the usual price for something silly like worms. Who pays double for that? I tried looking into his background—there's nothing. Absurdly clean. So it's safe to assume he's from a wealthy family," Andrew explained, referring to Raikel attin as one of his sources.
"You've got to be kidding. And why would you think Noey-kun would pay to keep this secret? Try something else," Sirius said, trying to steer the topic away, waving dismissively.
"I'm sure he would—to protect his dear friend. And I can tell how close you are—you even call him with this nickname...Noey-kun," Andrew said with a provoking tone. That's when Sirius's eyes widened in irritation, and his black claw manifested. He swung his hand toward Andrew's neck swiftly.
Just then, someone appeared behind Andrew and blocked Sirius's strike with a short iron sword. The figure wore a cloak hiding their face. Their weapons clashed, and the man felt the pressure of Sirius's strength.
"Don't call him that name!" Sirius warned in a threatening tone.
Silence filled the space. Sirius's threat was etched into both Andrew's and the guard's minds. Andrew could see how much his bodyguard was struggling to block Sirius's power. So he broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.
"…Relax, I was just joking," Andrew said, raising his hands in a mock-apologetic tone.
Sirius jumped back from both Andrew and the guard. The bodyguard staggered, noticing his sword had cracked. He looked at Andrew, gave a subtle signal, then leapt into the air and vanished like a shadow.
"As an apology, I'll give you everything on your list—for free," Andrew said, lowering his hands with a light apologetic smile.
Sirius remained silent, and the black claws disappeared from his hand with the passing breeze.
After a few moments, Sirius left the garage holding a paper bag filled with everything he needed.
"Are we good?" Andrew asked calmly, though nervous around Sirius.
"…Yeah. About your offer—I'll pay you. But leave Noey-kun out of this. If I find out you sent someone after him or tried digging into his background, or anything related to him… I'll kill you," Sirius said sharply, his eyes narrowing with a suppressed but pure killing intent.
"…Understood."
Sirius left. Once he was out of sight, Andrew let out a long, tense breath. That's when his guard appeared behind him again.
"Should I follow him?" the guard asked, waiting for a signal to eliminate Sirius.
"Stop joking, please. If he hadn't stopped, we'd both be dead," Andrew said, stunning the guard.
"He's the 'Sable Wake.' Do you think you can defeat a monster like that?" Andrew said, his voice tense.
"the Sable Wake?!" the guard said, shocked by the name.
"A monster who killed over 200 people at the border the moment he stepped into the Empire. He was only 11 when he did that… and no one ever found out," Andrew thought silently, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall to rest. Then he looked up at his guard.
"…Take two other members from 'The Umbra 'Hall. Gather intel on this Noah Grace. Make sure Sirius doesn't find out," Andrew said, and his guard nodded before disappearing from view.
"I need to know why the 'Sable Wake' himself is trying to protect this guy…"
———————
In the nightmare, Noah had just exited Enel's backroom and stood in the hall, scanning his surroundings. He noticed Luo Yan's shy gaze and Livia's smug smile. Sirius and Neriah were still arguing about the upcoming play, while Calli sat at the makeup table, doing nothing but watching Noah through the mirror's reflection.
"Shouldn't we be rehearsing now?" Noah thought, confused as he walked quietly across the room, looking around.
"M-Mister Actor!" a voice called from behind. Noah turned to see Luo Yan standing nervously, cheeks flushed, and every eye in the hall focused on her.
"Yes?" Noah asked, confused by her sudden outburst.
"S-Since we'll be together in the next play, w-would you like to go out… t-to get used to being close?" Luo Yan asked, blushing harder, clutching the hem of her shirt and looking down.
"…I think I'm starting to understand the nature of my friends here. They're reflections of reality. Luo Yan's in love with me—so she is here, too. But she said she hated me. Was that a lie? A moment of impulse?...Either way, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this," Noah thought in confusion.
"Alright, I don't mind," Noah replied, smiling kindly, and Luo Yan's face lit up with joy.
She looked toward Livia, who gave her a thumbs-up—a sly signal that she was on the right track.
Luo Yan walked nervously toward Noah and stood in front of him, flustered and shy, until Noah took her hand. Her eyes widened in shock, but she couldn't help smiling slightly in happiness.
"Sirius doesn't object, and Neriah isn't jealous… All I know is these aren't my real friends, so I can exploit what they feel toward me. Especially… love," Noah thought, calmly observing everyone's reactions as he and Luo Yan exited the room and closed the door behind them.
Calli remained silent, watching them through the mirror's reflection. As soon as they left, she unconsciously broke her lipstick.
"…I want to follow them…"
Outside the room, Noah and Luo Yan walked together. She was still red from embarrassment, occasionally glancing at Noah from the corner of her eye.
"H-He looks more handsome for some reason… I-I have to take my chance," Luo Yan thought nervously. She then laced her fingers with Noah's and gripped his hand tightly.
Noah looked down at their intertwined hands, then up at Luo Yan. Internally confused, he still smiled kindly, which made her blush even more and look away.
"Did I do something wrong?... Anyway, I need to get her to answer my questions—maybe she knows a way to escape this place," Noah thought.
"Champion, would you like to tal—" Noah began, trying to extract information, when Luo Yan suddenly interrupted him.
She pinned Noah against the nearby wall, trapping him between her arms.
"Eh?" Noah let out a strange sound, surprised by her sudden move.
Luo Yan leaned closer, holding him in place, staring directly at his lips.
"M-Mister Actor, I-I…" Luo Yan stuttered, unable to speak. So instead, she leaned in even closer, cheeks flushed, lips parting as she neared Noah's lips.
"This is a shocking plot twist!"