He stared at the grain of white rice in silence as the woman wiped the drop of sweat from her forehead and smiled.
"A straight line... is this an Alpha? Do Alphas protect omegas?"
As he stared at the piece of uncooked white rice, he noticed that it was also straight. Didn't a straight line mean an Alpha?
"Uh... yes! Whatever you think is right! That'll be 5 gold stars."
The woman rejoiced, her hands already moving to pack the folded handkerchief carefully in a small paper bag. She even threw in a bunch of candies as freebies, as if that was enough to cover the amount she was requesting!
"5 gold stars for this?! You're scamming people here!"
He slammed his hands on the table, getting up from the cushion he was sitting on.
"If you don't want it, then scram!"
The woman disdainfully looked him over and snatched the paper bag from his side. Ellis stood and watched, his tone completely changing as he spoke again.
"When did I say I don't want it?..."
He quickly took out 5 gold stars the size of his fingertips and paid the woman, obtaining the paper bag from her. He didn't believe this small grain of rice would ever be able to save him in the future, but he was ready to spend all his money to get any type of life-saving miracles.
After walking around in the market for hours had his body thoroughly aching, he decided to retreat for now. He had some simple suits in his closet; he would just wear one of them. As they walked back to the entrance of the market where they could fetch a carriage back home, Ellis bought a few accessories to go along with his mask. But when they were passing the vendor he had bought his mask from, he was forced to stop and gawk at the person standing at the vendor. The person was wearing a black cloak, but his body was surrounded by a bright light.
The aura of the main character. That had to be it.
Sure of it, Ellis strolled casually behind the man, quietly observing his indecision as he lingered over the masks. With a smug little gesture, he rubbed a finger beneath his nose before sidling closer—so near that his shoulder nearly brushed against the man's.
"Are you having trouble choosing?"
Ellis chimed in, and the man's hand instantly recoiled from the mask he had been about to choose—snapping back like a startled fox fleeing at the sudden presence of a human intruding on its space.
"Uncle, can you get the masks from the drawer?"
Ellis cheerfully addressed the old man, who had been growing prickly with impatience at the cloaked figure's silence and wordless loitering. But when he seemed to realize that Ellis knew the mysterious customer, the tension eased from his face, and he quickly moved to fetch the drawer of special masks.
"Here you go, young man. I personally designed these masks. I only offer these to the people who I know will treasure them."
"You're good at figuring that out, uncle. We will definitely treasure these masks!"
Ellis picked up a mask that most closely resembled his own and held it out for the figure beside him to see. But the other didn't spare it so much as a glance—already on the verge of bolting—when Ellis suddenly seized his hand and called out to stop him.
"Loren."
The man, who had kept his head bowed beneath the shadow of his hood, stirred at the sound of his name. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, and Ellis found himself staring into eyes that glistened like sunlight striking water. It was as though the light had sunk deep within, swallowing the red rays and casting back only the green and blue—leaving behind a glimmering cyan, clear and unearthly.
It was him! The main character. Lorenz Foxhead. Seeing he was right on the mark, Ellis flashed a warm smile at Lorenz. It had been a while since he smiled this genuinely at someone.
"How did you know?"
Lorenz spoke in a voice as clear as water, sharp enough to realize that Ellis had deliberately called him 'Loren'—a careful choice meant to conceal his true identity from the others, even though Ellis clearly knew his full name. But he hadn't even shown a hint of his face to Ellis. He was curious to know how his cover had been blown so easily. Ellis didn't answer him; instead, he aligned the mask over Lorenz's face and confirmed:
"This one is perfect for you."
Still holding onto Lorenz's hand, who hadn't said more, Ellis turned back to the old man.
"Uncle, we'll get this one."
"Mila, can you pay for the mask?"
Only at that did Lorenz return to his senses.
"I can pay for myself."
He moved to pay, but Ellis grabbed both of his hands to stop him as Mila paid the old man and hung another bag on her arms.
"You're too friendly with strangers."
Lorenz said, shrugging free of Ellis's weak grip. Ellis, however, didn't take it as an insult—on the contrary, it was precisely the image he wished to project: that of a harmless, friendly citizen, easily likable to all.
"Since I helped you with the mask, can you help me choose a collar?"
Maintaining the smile on his lips, Ellis took hold of Lorenz's hand again, interlocking his fingers with him as he dragged him to walk with him, swaying their locked hands without even hearing Lorenz's response. He knew the reply would be a confident 'No.' But to his quiet delight, Lorenz allowed himself to be dragged, and that simple compliance filled Ellis with a warm happiness. He hummed softly, the sound carrying his contentment.
"Why are you not wearing one already?"
Unexpectedly, Lorenz lifted his free hand and tugged Ellis's shirt collar upward, covering more of his exposed nape as he spoke. Ellis's steps faltered, and he tilted his gaze up toward Lorenz—still just as tall as he remembered. A faint shake of his head pushed away the disheartening thoughts creeping in. Only after losing his previous life had he realized how much he had taken for granted. He used to brood over his height, never satisfied with it… yet now, he didn't even have that.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that their swaying hands had stilled, Lorenz leaned his head down slightly, just enough for his eyes to meet Ellis's. Ellis held his gaze for a moment before his eyes drifted lower, settling on Lorenz's neck. Almost without thinking, his hand reached out to tug at the cloak, intending only to glimpse the skin beneath—but the fabric shifted more than he expected, falling open to reveal the breadth of Lorenz's chest.
"...."