Chapter 266
Smooch
Through the open blinds, IAM could see Natsuki from where his bed was placed. She moved slowly into the room. Her eyes flicked over the other beds, taking in the occupants without stopping for long, before they returned once more to him.
Her frown deepened, it was very subtle, as if noticing something about him that displeased her.
IAM carefully set the piece of food back on the table, his fingers lingering on it for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "What are—" he began, his voice trailing slightly.
Before he could finish the sentence, she had already started walking toward him.
As she drew closer, IAM felt a strange flutter of nerves, an unfamiliar feeling for him. Was she… actually here for him? The thought lingered in his mind.
She stopped at the foot of the bed, her gaze locked on him. IAM found himself studying her carefully.
Natsuki stood around five-foot-five, with a frame that seemed almost delicate at first glance. There was nothing outwardly threatening about her, but IAM knew better. Beneath that seemingly soft exterior, there was strength. Her skin was the palest he had ever seen, so striking it almost seemed unreal. It wasn't sickly, only startling, like moonlight reflecting on fresh snow.
Her lips formed a stark contrast—vivid, deep pink, almost impossibly defined against the pale canvas of her face. They drew the eye with intensity that was impossible to ignore.
Her hair was a flowing curtain of ink-black, straight and smooth, falling perfectly down her back. Each strand seemed to have a purpose, all in order, as if no disorder could touch it.
And her eyes… they held him. Deep brown at first glance, but with a faint golden hue at the center, like sunlight caught behind tinted glass. They glimmered faintly, almost unnaturally, and there was something in them that made it difficult to look away.
Her expression remained blank, cool and unreadable, the same quiet detachment she always carried. She seemed slightly removed from reality, her presence hovering between worlds, giving her an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality that made the space around her feel different somehow.
IAM slowly said, "Are you here for me?"
For a moment, she froze—so subtly that someone else might not have noticed. But IAM did. The pause was short-lived; she blinked once and shifted her gaze, letting it drift past him to scan the area around his bed.
As she looked around, IAM's mind began to race. Could this encounter be another manipulation? Another situation spun by that being? The thought crept in, whispering in the back of his head like a parasite.
But then he exhaled slowly.
Even if it was, what difference did it make? These people—Natsuki, Thor, Henry, Reuel, yohan all of them—were all real to him. They spoke, they acted, they felt. Their words had weight; their emotions were true. Whether some higher existence had nudged them into his path or not didn't erase that.
He had formed real connections here. Bonds that mattered.
IAM would respect anyone he met, whether good or bad, with the same decency he'd show someone from Earth. Suspicion was natural, maybe even necessary—but it shouldn't consume him. He wouldn't push people away out of fear of the unseen hands.
Yeah... that was the only reason why. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
As she scanned the room, clearly not finding what she was looking for, Natsuki finally turned her attention back to IAM. There was a slight hesitation in her face, then she began to speak almost reluctantly.
"Have you seen a pouch anywhere?" she asked, her voice with a faint edge of urgency. "It's a red-patterned pouch, with the brand GlowUp on it."
IAM frowned slightly, the mention of the brand triggering a memory. GlowUp… That sounded familiar. "Zara…?" he asked cautiously, testing the name.
Natsuki simply gave a small nod. "Have you seen it?"
IAM's eyes flicked around the room, scanning the floor, the tables, the beds, but nothing seemed out of place. He shook his head slowly. "No, I haven't…"
She had a faint crease in her eyebrows as she muttered, "It should be around here."
IAM caught the implications behind her words and offered, "Maybe someone took it to lost and found or something."
"I already checked…" she replied quietly.
IAM sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe we just haven't searched hard enough."
Natsuki went quiet for a moment. IAM thought he saw a slight, almost imperceptible smile tug at her lips before she suddenly moved closer, beginning to look around in his space.
He hesitated for a moment, then quickly swung his legs off the bed and moved to help.
Natsuki's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him. "Are you not injured? You should stay in bed."
"Oh no, no, I'm not… I… I… uh… had a bit of a complication," IAM stammered, his words tripping over themselves.
She raised a single, dainty eyebrow. "A complication?"
"Yeah… a complication," he repeated, his voice quieter this time.
There was a pause. A brief silence filled the space between them.
IAM swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "I… I passed out… in the kitchen… of my dorm… and my friends brought me here…"
Natsuki glanced at him for a second, her gaze lingering, before turning to inspect the drawers. IAM said uncomfortably. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"There isn't anything to say," she replied simply, her tone was calm but unreadable.
"OK… I'll take the left side and you take the right?"
Natsuki didn't respond, but IAM started moving, scanning the area for the pouch. As they worked, he asked, "Why was Zara here in the first place…? Is she okay?"
"That's something you have to ask her about," she replied, her tone neutral. "I'm not in the position to say."
"Oh… okay," IAM muttered. The room fell into an awkward silence as they continued searching.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from one of the beds out of view, "Why don't you just smooch already!"
IAM froze, surprised—he hadn't realized one of the beds was occupied. Natsuki's frown deepened at the interruption, her attention flicking toward the source of the voice.