Miles Sherman didn’t refuse. The robots on base could deliver to the dorms, but they couldn’t fetch orders from the food street outside.

The best they could do was deliver to the main gate, which still required someone to go out and pick it up in person.

So it was a job that had to be done by a person.

It was a task he could do on his way. After helping Zoe Pierce with her problem, he could head out to buy the food. Miles Sherman looked at the two of them and said calmly, "Alright, you two head back first."

Erin Xavier and Chase Shaw didn’t give it a second thought and went back inside.

Having lost some time, Miles Sherman glanced at his watch and quickened his pace.

Just as he reached the artificial garden, he stopped in his tracks.

The artificial garden was no longer a novelty for the others on base. Most people came during the day, when they could see the greenery. At night, only a few scattered lamps were lit, draping the scene in a soft, hazy veil, like fine gauze.

And there, a figure stood under a tree.

Her long hair wasn’t tied up as it usually was. Instead, it was gathered to one side in a loose braid. She wasn’t in her training uniform, either. She wore a long, black dress—one Miles Sherman had never seen on her before.

A shawl was draped over her shoulders, and her head was bowed, her gaze fixed on the ground.

The lamplight illuminated most of her profile, leaving the rest veiled in shadow.

That heart-pounding sensation returned.

She seemed to sense him with her spiritual power. She looked up, her exquisite, lovely face breaking into a smile.

Unconsciously, Miles Sherman’s hands curled into fists.

This was from Miles Sherman’s perspective; Zoe Pierce was completely unaware. The smile she offered him was born entirely of awkwardness. Despite endless mental preparation, the moment she actually saw him, the nervousness returned, clinging to her like a shadow.

"Miles Sherman," she said, breaking the silence, her voice a little sheepish.

As she watched him approach with a steady gait, she found herself tensing up again.

Miles Sherman stopped in front of Zoe Pierce. Now that he was closer, her scent became distinct. It wasn’t perfume, but the clean smell of steam, making it obvious she had just showered.

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked down at the girl before him, who seemed especially tense and conflicted. His voice was softer than usual as he asked, "What’s wrong?"

’At this point, there’s nothing left to hide.’

Zoe Pierce pulled up her diagnostic report from today and showed it to Miles Sherman. "It’s just... I might need you to help me with something."

The unexpected medical report made Miles Sherman’s brow furrow.

He scanned the entire report in an instant, but his expression grew dazed, his tone uncertain.

"So, you mean..." Miles Sherman’s gaze settled on Zoe Pierce’s face, studying her expression. "You want me... to give you a temporary mark?"

The girl bit her lip, clearly unsettled. A blush crept up her cheeks, a splash of crimson rouge on her fair skin.

The moment he said it, he felt his own canines begin to itch.

It was a tingling sensation, like a feather brushing against his skin.

Zoe Pierce inevitably met his gaze and explained, "Yes... you know there’s a problem with my gland... so, I might need a temporary mark..."

’So, I’m the first person she thought of to give her a temporary mark?’

Miles Sherman’s gaze grew deeper, and he unconsciously began to rub his thumb and forefinger together.

"But I’ve already found a way online," Zoe Pierce said, pulling out a barrier patch she had prepared. "After the temporary mark, I’ll put this on. No one should be able to find out." She pressed her lips together, her voice weak and lacking confidence.

’If Nathan Lockwood were here,’ Miles Sherman thought, ’he’d surely teach her that in a negotiation, no matter how disadvantaged your position is, you have to project an unwavering confidence.’

But he wasn’t Nathan Lockwood. And so, as he watched Zoe Pierce try to explain that she needed a temporary mark from him because she was sick, all he felt was a faint ache of tenderness.

’She seems to really care what I think of her.’

Miles Sherman cut into her explanation. "Okay."

A single word was enough to convey his stance.

Zoe Pierce fell silent instantly.

"This is just because you’re sick, right? It’s okay."

Zoe Pierce could feel the gentleness in his voice. He raised his hand, placed it on her head, and ruffled her hair lightly. His gaze was just as tender.

It was the exact same look he had when she’d seen him talking to his younger siblings in the training room.

Her heart, all at once, grew calm.

Her earlier anxiety and restlessness vanished, but she still lowered her head and said, "Sorry to trouble you."

Only after reaching out did Miles Sherman realize what he was doing. His fingers brushed through strands of her hair, and he reluctantly pulled his hand back.

He didn’t say it aloud, but for a moment, his heart soared. It soared with joy that he was the first person she had thought of.

"It’s nothing." Miles Sherman’s gaze shifted to the nape of Zoe’s neck. "Let me see your gland."

The girl turned, completely unguarded, exposing the fair skin of her nape. The barrier patch was still there. Miles Sherman’s long fingers touched its edge.

The patch, meant to block her pheromones, peeled off with ease.

Now, nothing blocked his view of her gland.

Miles Sherman’s brow furrowed slightly. Even though he’d never seen an Omega’s gland in person, he knew what a normal one should look like from textbooks and online resources.

Zoe Pierce’s gland was just as she’d said—it looked sick, abnormal.

He was somewhat lost in thought, his fingers unconsciously stroking the skin there.

Zoe Pierce: "Miles Sherman... could you be a little quicker...? When you do that... it tickles."

’I’m not trying to rush him, it’s just... this is really strange.’

She hadn’t felt this when Dr. Lancaster touched her. But with Miles Sherman pressing and stroking the area, a subtle, strange sensation spread out from her gland.

So, to stop the feeling from continuing, she couldn’t help but urge him on.

Hearing Zoe Pierce’s words, Miles Sherman pulled his fingers back. "Hold on to the tree. The marking might hurt a little."

If they were lovers, this position wouldn’t be necessary. She would be sitting on her lover’s lap, held in her Alpha’s embrace, and the temporary mark would be over in a moment.

But they weren’t in that kind of relationship, and Miles Sherman had no excuse to embrace her from behind.

*

「Inside Erin Xavier’s Dorm」

"Chase, where are you going?" Erin Xavier asked, looking up from her game. Chase Shaw, who had been sitting beside her, had suddenly gotten up and looked like he was about to head out. "Didn’t we agree to wait for Miles to get back?"

Chase: "Yeah. Get Nathan Lockwood to come over. I’ll be back in a little while."

Chase Shaw had just had a sudden thought: Zoe Pierce had probably never had this kind of barbecue before.

So he planned to run out, buy some for her, and bring it back.

’It wouldn’t take much time, after all.’

Ever since the day he’d had a falling out with Nathan Lockwood, Chase Shaw had faintly sensed that his feelings for Zoe Pierce were becoming increasingly clear.