Suzy didn’t dare take that risk.
On the thirteenth floor, inside the apartnt, Liam and Noah were still standing by the entryway.
"Co on, let’s go back inside," Liam said, turning first.
He walked into the living room, Noah trailing right behind him like a little shadow, unwilling to leave his side for even a second.
Noah curled up on the sofa, hugging the fire truck in his arms, but he had no real interest in playing with it. His eyes kept drifting toward the door.
"I don’t want Suzy to leave," Noah muttered.
"She’ll co again tomorrow," Liam said.
The boy fell silent for a mont.
Just as Liam thought he had settled down, Noah suddenly asked, "Liam, why can’t Suzy live with us?"
Liam paused mid-motion while tidying the coffee table. "She has her own ho."
"But her place is just upstairs. It’s really close." Noah tilted his head, thinking, and then his eyes lit up. "Then you can move into her place!"
If his brother moved in, he could go too. Then he could be with Suzy every day.
Liam was speechless.
Seeing his expression, Noah pressed his lips together, disappointed. "Is that not okay...? Then... then Suzy can move in with us!"
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he beca. His cheeks flushed with excitent. "That way we can be together every day! What do you think, Liam?"
"I don’t think so." Liam gathered up the snack bags, his tone calm.
But Noah refused to let it go. Hugging the fire truck, he scooted closer. "Liam, do you not like Suzy?"
Liam’s hand paused slightly. "That’s not it."
"Then why won’t you let her live with us?" Noah blinked up at him, wide-eyed and innocent.
Liam took a slow breath and turned to face him. "Noah, she’s here to help treat your wound. She’s not here to..."
He paused, unsure how to explain this to a ten-year-old.
"Not here to what?" Noah pressed.
"She’s not here to live with us," Liam said, then turned back to continue tidying.
Noah pouted and muttered under his breath, "Then she can just keep coming over."
Liam didn’t respond.
The boy rolled around on the sofa with the fire truck, then suddenly sat upright, as if struck by a brilliant idea.
"Liam!" His voice rose sharply, eyes sparkling with excitent. "You can just marry Suzy then!"
Liam froze completely.
He had seen it on TV. Once two people got married, they could live together. Then Suzy could stay with them.
"Yeah, Liam, you should marry Suzy. Then we can eat together, build Lego together, and—"
He was already lost in his own fantasy.
"Noah." Liam’s voice wasn’t loud, but the boy imdiately fell silent. He recognized the tone. His brother had used his full na.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Liam turned around, his expression serious.
Noah shrank back slightly. "I’m not talking nonsense, I’m just—"
Liam stepped forward and lightly tapped him on the head.
Noah clutched his head, glaring up at him in protest.
"Oh? Changed your mind already?" Liam said with a faint, incredulous smile. "Weren’t you the one who said you’d marry her when you grow up?"
Did this kid even know what he was saying? Did he even understand what marriage ant?
He usually seed smart enough, yet right now he sounded completely clueless.
"Yeah." Noah paused, then let go of his head, demonstrating with absolute seriousness what it ant to speak without restraint. "You’re already an adult, so you can marry Suzy first. Then when I grow up, I’ll marry her too."
He said it with complete sincerity. For a mont, Liam was so stunned he almost lost his breath.
"Noah!"
He knocked him on the head again, harder this ti.
The boy’s eyes filled with tears. "...Liam!"
For once, Liam’s face flushed red. He glared fiercely at his brother. "From today on, you are not allowed to talk about marriage!"
Startled, Noah nodded shakily. "I... I understand."
Liam took a deep breath, taking a long mont to calm himself down.
***
At the sa ti, Suzy had already made it back ho. The trip was smooth. She hadn’t run into anyone, nor had she encountered any danger.
So smooth, in fact, that it almost made the earlier unease feel like nothing more than her imagination.
As she reached her door, before she could even reach for the handle, it swung open from the inside.
Leonard and Thomas stood there like guards. It looked like they had been waiting for her for quite so ti.
Their gazes fell on her at the sa mont, and Suzy instantly felt the pressure.
"Hi..." She forced a smile and raised her hand in a small wave.
Leonard narrowed his eyes. "Get inside first."
Suzy stepped in and sat on the sofa, suddenly feeling extrely uneasy.
Leonard and Thomas stood on either side of her like silent guards.
Sohow, Leonard had produced a wooden stick nearly half a ter long. He tapped it rhythmically against his palm.
"Where did you go? You were gone for so long, and you didn’t reply to any ssages."
Before leaving, she had said she was just dropping sothing off and would be back soon.
But how long had it been? Hours. Did delivering sothing really take that long?
He had sent her ssages, and she hadn’t replied at all. The girl was seriously making him worry.
"I was going to co back, but Noah wanted to build Lego with him, so I stayed a bit longer," Suzy explained. "And I did ssage you."
She pulled out her phone, ready to prove herself, only to freeze when she opened it.
The ssage hadn’t been sent.
Lately, the signal had been unreliable. Whether a ssage went through or not was pure luck.
Her expression stiffened.
"The ssage didn’t go through. I didn’t ignore you on purpose. It’s just the network."
Leonard stared at her, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "You sure you weren’t up to sothing else?"
Suzy shook her head vigorously. "Of course not."
She turned to look at Thomas. He simply gazed at her calmly, his expression gentle.
That sohow made the pressure worse. A strange sense of guilt crept over her.
After exchanging a few more evasive words, Suzy retreated to her room and let out a quiet breath.
Thomas hadn’t asked anything, and that only made it harder. The gentler he was, the more guilty she felt.
She decided she would talk to him later.
Right now, she needed to replenish her supply of diluted spirit spring water.
She had nearly used up everything she had prepared. What little remained was running out fast, and she needed more.
With a thought, she slipped into her space.
It looked the sa as before, ticulously maintained by the spirit.
She walked around, checking for anything unusual, but found nothing. That is, until she reached the spring.
The mont she saw the pool, Suzy felt her vision go black.
What the hell?! Where did all the spirit spring water go?
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