Further back in the line, Chronos let out a low whistle.

"As expected of our general," he murmured with pure appreciation coloring his voice.

Then he turned to Lilianna, who was visibly gritting her teeth. Her hands clenched at her sides as she watched the pair disappear into the building together.

Chronos said, "Look. It’s not going to be easy."

Lilianna glared at him and said, "I already knew that from the start, you don’t need to say it twice."

The interior of Xylos’s Shopping Center was, as always, overwhelming in its grandeur. Neville and Grayson walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing as they walked through the crowd.

Neville became a little conscious because of what happened earlier. He repeatedly checked the validity of his ticket for the aquarium

"Is it just me, or is the temperature in this part a little higher?" Grayson asked, rolling his shoulders as he couldn’t bear Neville acting like this anymore.

Neville glanced at him and asked skeptically, "There should be stabilizers here."

"I don’t know either, maybe there were a little too many people around?" Grayson shrugged

Neville thought carefully before nodding.

"Maybe it was just that." Then he saw Grayson stretching his legs. "You came too early. Did you skip leg day?"

Grayson glanced at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I’ve never skipped leg day." He said with a lazy grin on his face. "In fact, there was a place right around here where you can do some physical activity."

"A gym?" Neville asked, tilting his head.

"No, an adult playground."

"Adult...playground?" Neville asked carefully, skeptical whether there was really such a thing as an adult playground.

Grayson saw that looked on his face and beamed as he dragged him, "Follow me."

"W-wait." Neville stuttered as he asked, "What about the aquarium?"

"Check it later," Grayson said as he led Neville there.

Soon, they arrived at a huge extension of the section of the mall that was filled with what Neville could describe as the athletics dream.

There was all sorts of sports-related equipment and a court for every type of sport.

Neville took in the sight as he caught his breath. Then he panickingly checked their distance to the aquarium. Grayson just let him be and watched as he sighed with relief.

Grayson patted Neville’s back and said, "Don’t worry too much."

Neville nodded, still unable to stop himself from anxiously checking. But this time, he was checking the schedule of the aquarium.

"The main exhibition doesn’t open three hours from now," Neville said while scrolling through the program list. "There’s a feeding demonstration at noon, and a special deep-sea exploration simulation in the afternoon."

Grayson hummed in agreement, standing quietly, waiting beside Neville. The occasional silence between them was comfortable, at least much better than the awkwardness earlier.

But something was nagging at the back of Neville’s mind, a question he had been meaning to ask since they fell in line in the entrance.

"Did you eat breakfast?"

Grayson glanced at him. "I had one nutrient solution."

"One nutrient solution? You really drank it even though you hate it?"

"As long as I won’t go hungry quickly."

"Make sense but..." Neville gave him a pointed look. "When did you become such a terrible liar?"

Grayson’s lips twitched—not quite a smile, but close.

He didn’t answer Neville and instead pointed towards Neville’s sling bag. "What do you have in there? That’s bigger than before. It looked packed."

"I brought a few things," Neville admitted. "Some snacks, bread snacks, and lemon juice."

"Bread snacks?"

Rather than explaining, Neville spotted a nearby picnic area—a small cluster of tables set aside for visitors who wanted to rest after exercising.

He grabbed Grayson’s sleeve without thinking, tugging him toward an empty table near the edge of the space.

"Sit," Neville commanded, already unzipping his bag.

Grayson sat and didn’t argue or raise an eyebrow at being ordered around. He just settled onto the bench quietly and watched as Neville began pulling zip-lock containers from his bag.

"These," Neville announced proudly, "are perfect for breakfast."

He set two packs on the table.

The first had shakoy—twisted donuts covered in a generous coating of sugar, their golden-brown surfaces catching the ambient light.

The second contained kabak, sesame-coated bread balls that were dense, chewy, and utterly addictive.

Grayson picked up one of the shakoy, examining it with curiosity. "Did you make these?"

"Last night." Neville pushed the kabak closer to him. "Try this one too. The sesame brings out the sweetness of the dough."

Grayson took a bite of the shakoy first. His expression didn’t change dramatically, but his actions clearly conveyed that he liked it.

"Good," he simply said as he took another shakoy to bite.

Neville felt an unreasonable surge of pride. Getting a compliment from Grayson was really rewarding for him more than anyone else’s compliments.

"If only we had tea or something hot to go with it," Neville mused, picking up his own shakoy. "I only brought lemon juice nutrient solution. It’s good, but not really breakfast material."

Grayson reached for his own bag, and he pulled out a large, high-end thermos. Its surface was gleaming with temperature-control indicators.

Neville stared. "What was that?"

"It’s tea. I brewed it this morning." Grayson unscrewed the lid, and the fragrant steam of freshly steeped tea wafted into the air.

He poured two cups that he packed with it and slid one across the table to Neville.

The tea was perfect. Not too hot, not too sweet, with a subtle floral undertone that complemented the sugar-dusted donuts perfectly.

Neville wrapped his hands around the warm cup and took a long sip, letting the warmth settle into his bones.

Grayson worked his way through two shakoy and three kabak. While Neville savored his food more slowly, watching the crowds pass by and occasionally stealing glances at his Grayson.

Even though he already dressed himself in a casual outfit and even went as far as to wear eyeglasses, Grayson still caught other people’s eyes, he thought. I can’t deny that he’s also great with glasses.

The peaceful moment was shattered by a high-pitched shriek.

Neville nearly choked on his tea.