The room stayed quiet after that.
Too quiet.
Adam leaned against the wall, arms crossed, while Aria sat on the edge of the bed. Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Outside the room, faint footsteps echoed through the hallway again.
The guards were still moving around.
Still watching.
Still waiting for something.
Adam's mind returned to its usual rhythm—observing, calculating, predicting.
Aria noticed.
Of course she did.
She sighed and leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You're doing it again."
Adam glanced at her. "Doing what?"
"Thinking like the world is a giant puzzle."
"…It is."
Aria turned her head and looked at him.
"You know," she said casually, "most people would be panicking right now."
Adam shrugged slightly.
"Panicking doesn't solve problems."
"Neither does acting like a machine."
That made him pause.
Aria sat up again and walked over to him.
For a moment she simply stared at his serious expression.
Then she poked his forehead lightly.
"Lighten up, shall we?"
Adam frowned slightly.
"I'm perfectly calm."
"That's not the problem."
She crossed her arms and smirked.
"The problem is you're so serious that you suck the fun out of danger."
"…Fun?"
Aria nodded toward the door.
"We're trapped in some weird place with criminals and probably a bigger plan going on outside."
Then she grinned.
"And honestly? It's a little exciting."
Adam looked at her like she had just said something ridiculous.
"You find this exciting.?"
"Absolutely."
She leaned closer again, lowering her voice.
"Think about it. You ran away from home because life was boring."
Adam didn't deny it.
Aria tapped his chest with her finger.
"Well congratulations."
She gestured toward the door.
"Your life just got interesting."
Adam was quiet for a moment.
Then, slowly…
A faint smile appeared.
Not out of confidence.
Not out of calculation.
Just a small spark of amusement.
Aria noticed immediately.
"There it is."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"That expression."
She stepped back with a satisfied grin.
"You're finally enjoying the game."