That evening, partly to treat Thomas to dinner and partly to celebrate her space leveling up, Suzy chose a local hot pot restaurant.
During her days in M Country, she had sampled quite a few local specialties. So dishes were decent, but most other dishes didn’t quite suit her palate.
Fortunately, she had stocked plenty of takeout als inside her space. Every night, she secretly supplented her dinners and never let herself go hungry.
But tonight was different. Tonight, she wanted sothing hot and comforting.
Sothing fiery.
After sitting down, she ordered a rich, spicy beef tallow broth.
The red oil shimred under the lights as the pot began to boil, releasing waves of fragrant heat into the air.
Suzy tried her best to make conversation, hoping to narrow the distance between herself and Thomas.
Unfortunately, his attitude remained cool and reserved.
He had never been a talkative man. No matter what she said, his responses were short.
"Mm."
"Okay."
"I see."
Suzy wasn’t particularly skilled at socializing to begin with.
When her attempts were t with such minimal feedback, her enthusiasm slowly cooled. In the end, they simply ate in silence.
The surrounding tables were a lot lively—laughter, clinking glasses, animated chatter.
Their table, however, was quiet except for the steady bubbling of the broth.
Strangely, Suzy didn’t feel overly awkward. Perhaps she had grown accustod to Thomas’s temperant.
Soon, her attention shifted entirely to the hot pot. It was fragrant and intensely spicy—so addictive that she couldn’t stop eating even though her lips were burning.
She kept drinking water between bites, cheeks flushed an unnatural red from the heat.
Her silence, however, made Thomas uncomfortable.
He glanced carefully at her. Just as she tilted her head back to drink water, she caught his gaze.
She lowered her cup, tilting her head slightly in confusion. Her lips were swollen from the spice, her face glowing with warmth.
Thomas’s eyes flickered briefly across her reddened mouth.
"You stopped talking," he said suddenly.
Suzy tightened her grip on her chopsticks. After a long pause, she muttered, "I ran out of things to say."
She had talked for quite a while earlier. His indifferent responses had made her feel as though she were pressing her warmth against cold iron.
Even soone with relatively thick skin had limits.
"Mm," he replied.
Suzy simply noted his short response.
Right.
They were clearly not operating on the sa frequency.
The al ended up feeling... average. But then again, als with Thomas were always like this.
She had already grown used to it. Still, it hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped. She had imagined using this dinner to successfully increase his favorability, maybe even secure the binding.
She had overestimated herself. Thomas was like solid steel—quiet, impenetrable, sealed tight.
Did she really want to pursue soone like this?
It felt like it would be exhausting.
Back at the hotel, Suzy went to bed early, after all, she had an early flight to catch.
***
The next morning, she packed her belongings and opened her door on ti.
Thomas was already waiting outside.
Black T-shirt. Cargo pants. Expression unreadable. Leaning against the corridor wall like a sculpture carved from stone.
"Let’s go," Suzy said, giving him a small wave.
They got into the car.
As he started the engine, Thomas lowered the passenger-side window slightly.
"Seatbelt," he reminded her.
She fastened it.
The car pulled onto the road.
Suzy rested her chin in her palm and gazed out the window. The scenery along the way was pleasant.
After a few monts, she realized sothing––he had lowered the window for her. She was prone to motion sickness and preferred fresh air while riding in cars.
The previous tis, she had always rolled the window down herself.
Thomas had rembered. He truly was a professional bodyguard.
Instinctively, she turned to look at him. He was as he always was—focused, steady, eyes on the road. His own window remained firmly closed, not even cracked open.
Perhaps that was simply his habit.
And yet, for so reason, Suzy felt her mood soften slightly.
Suzy only glanced at him for a second and hadn’t intended to say anything.
But Thomas spoke first.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." She looked away, then, after a brief pause, she asked, "Will you go back with ?"
She rembered her uncle ntioning that Thomas was born in their country, though he had spent years abroad handling military business.
"Not sure," he replied evenly.
A quiet pang of regret stirred in her chest. This goodbye... would probably be their last eting.
In less than two months, the disasters would descend. The order would collapse. Once that happened, international travel would beco nearly impossible.
If he didn’t return before then, he likely never would.
Suzy sighed inwardly.
Such a rare SSS-level specin... It was a sha to miss him.
Still, she was self-aware.
She wasn’t close enough to him to influence where he chose to live. And she could sense it—Thomas wasn’t particularly interested in her. He was simply fulfilling his duty as a bodyguard. Nothing more.
She didn’t want to force anything.
That would feel aningless.
***
Two hours later, the car arrived at the airport.
"Well... I’ll be going then," Suzy said after collecting her ticket. "Thank you for everything."
Thomas stood there quietly, watching her with a steady gaze. "Have a safe trip."
She nodded and turned toward security. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
Then she turned back.
He... was still there.
Standing amid the flow of travelers, eyes fixed directly on her. As if, in that very mont, those dark pupils held only her.
When their gazes t, her heartbeat stuttered. Sothing unnaable rippled through her chest.
Without thinking, she walked back to him.
"Forgot sothing?" he asked, faint surprise in his voice, though his expression remained composed.
"I forgot to give you sothing. A farewell gift." She rummaged through her backpack and took out a small, delicate bottle. "This. Use it if you get injured."
Though Thomas was quiet and carried a perpetually cool expression, Suzy genuinely liked him.
He felt dependable. Safe. With him around, she had never encountered danger.
Not to ntion... He was handso. A great binding target.
Of course, she felt a little tempted. But fate didn’t seem to allow it in the end.
Still, she wasn’t giving up without trying.
The bottle contained spiritual spring water. It was the only thing she had that was both practical and valuable enough to gift.
Thomas looked like soone who lived on the edge of danger. If he were injured, the spring water could save him.
She hadn’t given much—just a small vial. Maybe, one day, it would help him at a critical mont.
Maybe it would raise his favorability.
"And... if you have ti, stock up on supplies," she added lightly. "If fate allows, we’ll et again."
She smiled brightly at him, then she turned and walked away.
This ti, she didn’t look back.
Thomas stood still until her figure disappeared into the crowd. Only then did he lower his gaze.
The small transparent bottle rested in his palm––small and cold. After a mont, he carefully slipped it into his pocket.
Then he strode out of the airport, feeling a strange tightness in his chest.
***
After more than ten hours in the air, Suzy landed safely in C City.
The mont the plane touched down, she called Leonard. He was currently in a neighboring city and couldn’t pick her up.
The good news was that he had asked Adam to help, and Adam had agreed.
"When you arrive, just contact Adam directly. I’ve got sothing to handle here," Leonard said.
Before Suzy could respond, the line went dead. She stared at her phone for a second, then dialed Adam’s number.
The call connected quickly.
A warm, magnetic voice ca through the receiver. "I’m already here."
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