The heavy doors of the Adventurers' Guild swung open, creaking against their hinges as Mika stepped inside with Kuro just behind him. The room, once buzzing with chatter, clinking mugs, and the shuffle of boots, quieted almost instantly.
Mika's expression was carved in ice. His pale eyes burned with a fury that he didn't bother to hide, and every adventurer in the hall seemed to feel it like a weight pressing down on their chests. Conversations cut short. Laughter died in throats. Tankards were lowered mid-drink.
Kuro swallowed nervously, his gaze flicking from Mika to the dozens of eyes now darting away in fear.
{Mika's… scaring everyone.}
[No s***, Sherlock. Look at him. He's practically radiating 'touch-me-and-I'll-skin-you-alive' vibes. Honestly, I'd be scared too if I didn't already live rent-free in your skull.]
{Elvastia, not helping.}
[Who said I was trying to help? I'm enjoying the show. These big bad adventurers, all terrified of one guy with a permanent ice block stuck up his a**. Hilarious.]
Mika's jaw tightened ever so slightly, though his gaze never left the hall ahead. "Tch." The sound was soft, but sharp enough to cut through the silence. For a moment, Kuro thought—no, he felt—that Mika's annoyance wasn't just for the guild's gawking adventurers.
Mika didn't glance at the others. He didn't need to. The cold weight of his presence was enough to keep the hall frozen in silence as he walked forward. His boots struck the wooden floor with a steady, unhurried rhythm that sounded louder than it should have in the hushed room. Kuro trailed just behind him, caught between embarrassment and awe.
They reached the staircase leading to the private quarters. Mika paused for only a second, eyes sweeping the hall. That single glance was enough to send more than a few adventurers lowering their gazes to the floor. Then, without a word, he climbed the stairs, Kuro following.
{Why is he so furious?}
[Because you said some depressing s*** about not being worth attention, genius. And unlike you, Mr. Doom-and-Gloom, he actually cares. Which is crazy, because last I checked, Mika doesn't give a f*** about anyone. But you? You've got him ready to murder an entire guild. Cute.]
Mika's hand twitched on the stair rail, knuckles whitening. His voice, low enough only Kuro could catch, slipped out between clenched teeth. "Cute, huh? That's what you call this?"
Kuro froze mid-step.
Elvastia went quiet for once.
{…He… he can hear you.}
[...f***.]
They reached Mika's room. The door shut behind them with a heavy thud, muffling the uneasy murmurs that had started to rise again in the hall below.
The silence inside was thick, broken only by Kuro's hesitant breath. Mika stood by the window, back turned, fists clenched at his sides.
The air itself seemed to bristle with his restrained fury.
And Kuro… didn't know what to say.