The Extra's Rise-Chapter 90: Homecoming VI

"Well, I hope you're all having fun!" Alice Nightingale announced cheerfully as she stepped into the living room, her energy as bright as a midday sun. "Arthur, Aria, how about you two go buy some food for our guests?"

"Mom, we have delivery—" Aria began, only to be cut off by Alice folding her arms in a way that could topple empires.

"I'm not paying extra," she declared, her tone brooking no argument. "Go, go."

Arthur and Aria exchanged a long-suffering look before dragging themselves off the couch. "Fine," Arthur muttered, trudging toward the door with Aria in tow.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Alice's warm smile shifted ever so slightly, and she turned back to Rachel and Cecilia with an expression that was almost... calculating. "Now then," she said, her voice still pleasant but with a subtle edge. "Shall we talk?"

Rachel tilted her head, her golden hair glinting in the light. "Yes?"

"Ah, sorry," Alice said, scratching her cheek as a hint of nervousness crept into her posture. "You both said no honorifics, didn't you? I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's alright," Rachel reassured her, raising her hands quickly. "Please, Ms. Nightingale."

Alice smiled, her confidence returning. "Thank you, Rachel." She settled into her seat with practiced grace. "I just wanted to ask about my son. How is he?"

Rachel immediately brightened, as if someone had flipped a switch. "Arthur is a wonderful friend!" she began, her words spilling out in an enthusiastic rush. "He's strong, talented, hard-working, super intelligent, and... oh, he's so caring too!"

Alice listened with a soft smile, her eyes twinkling as Rachel continued her glowing review. Finally, Rachel caught herself mid-ramble, her hands flying to her mouth as her cheeks turned pink. "I—I mean, he's... great."

"I'm glad you like him, Rachel," Alice said warmly. "Being close to the Saintess is a very good thing, after all." Then her gaze shifted to the other girl. "And what about you, Cecilia?"

Cecilia, who had been suspiciously quiet until now, shrugged without meeting Alice's eyes. "He's cool, I guess," she muttered.

Rachel blinked at her, her expression caught somewhere between shock and worry. "Cecilia," she said, leaning forward. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Cecilia snapped, pulling back as if Rachel's concern were physically painful. But Rachel didn't let her retreat, grabbing her wrist firmly.

"You," Cecilia hissed, her crimson mana flaring instinctively. But before it could take shape, Rachel's golden mana flickered in response, purifying the air between them. The clash was brief, barely a spark, but it was enough to make Cecilia scowl.

"Your mana doesn't even have any fight in it," Rachel said softly, her sapphire eyes narrowing. Then her gaze shifted to Cecilia's face, and she gasped.

"...Shut up," Cecilia whispered, her voice trembling.

Rachel didn't move, her expression unreadable. "So I was right."

"So what?" Cecilia snapped, her voice cracking slightly. "I thoroughly ruined everything anyway."

Finally, Cecilia looked at Alice, her face pale, her usual smirk nowhere to be seen. "Ms. Nightingale," she said quietly, "I think I should leave."

"Fine, go," Rachel said, crossing her arms with a triumphant smile. "Leave and give up on him."

Cecilia froze mid-step, her shoulders stiffening. Slowly, she turned back. "What did you just say?"

"Isn't this admitting defeat?" Rachel asked, her voice calm but sharp. "He's the first boy you like, and you're giving up."

"What's the point?" Cecilia said bitterly. "I still won't—"

"There is always a point," Alice interjected gently. Her voice was calm but carried a weight that silenced both girls. "Dear, have you ever tried to harm Arthur?"

The question hung in the air like a blade. Cecilia's crimson eyes flickered, her thoughts racing. Had she? No. She'd fought him, yes, during the Island Survival, but it was a game, a sparring match. She had never truly tried to hurt him. Even in her cruelest moments, when she toyed with people like they were nothing more than chess pieces, Arthur had been... different.

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"I don't know anything," Cecilia whispered, her voice hollow.

But the truth was clawing its way to the surface. Why had she wanted to break Arthur? To make him kneel before her? It wasn't about power. It wasn't even about control. It was about love—the only kind of love she had ever known.

The kind that was sharp and cruel, that left others on their knees while she stood triumphant. That was how it was supposed to be. That was the only love she thought she deserved. And yet...

"But I can't harm him," Cecilia said, her voice cracking. "So I can't even love him like I know how to."

Her words hung in the air, raw and vulnerable in a way that felt completely foreign coming from her.

Rachel's expression softened, her golden mana flickering faintly. "Then maybe it's time to learn a different way," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cecilia's crimson mana surged briefly, a flicker of her old self, before it died down completely. "I don't know how," she admitted, her voice breaking.

Alice leaned forward, her voice kind but firm. "Then don't give up, dear. Not on yourself. And not on him."

For once, Cecilia didn't have a sharp retort. She just stood there, her crimson eyes glistening with something she didn't quite understand.

"The wonderful thing about love," Alice began, her voice warm and soft, "is that it's never the same for everyone. Love is as unique as the people who feel it. It bends and twists in different ways, shaped by who we are. But there's one thing all real love has in common: it's always a win/win. True love builds, strengthens, and nurtures. It doesn't destroy. Harming someone as a way of expressing love..." She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That isn't love. That's obsession. A poor, twisted imitation—worse even than the most possessive love. But you, Cecilia? You're not obsessed."

Cecilia flinched as if struck, but Alice's smile remained gentle. "If you were, you'd have hurt him. You would have tried to destroy him, even if it meant destroying yourself. But you didn't. You answered honestly. Even when you wanted to 'break' him, you never crossed the line, did you?"

Cecilia's crimson eyes darted to the floor, her voice almost a whisper as she shook her head. "No... I didn't."

Alice's smile widened, a motherly warmth radiating from her as she nodded. "Then I'm fine with you trying."

"Trying?" Rachel interjected, blinking in surprise. Her sapphire eyes flickered between Alice and Cecilia, her golden mana stirring faintly with her confusion.

"Yes, trying," Alice said, turning to Rachel with a mischievous wink. "Typically, it's the men who have to win our hearts, isn't it? But both of you seem to have found yourselves in the reverse situation."

Rachel's cheeks flushed, and Cecilia's head snapped up, crimson eyes narrowing with suspicion. "What are you getting at, Ms. Nightingale?"

Alice leaned back with a knowing smile, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "Arthur is a wonderful boy—kind, clever, and talented. But he's not easy to win over, is he? He's focused, cautious, and more guarded than he seems. You both have your work cut out for you if you want him to see you for more than what you show on the surface."

"I don't—" Cecilia began, her voice defensive, but Alice cut her off with a playful wave of her hand.

"Oh, please, dear," Alice said, her tone light but firm. "Let's not pretend. You wouldn't be sitting here feeling like this if he didn't matter to you. And Rachel, dear, you've already admitted as much." She turned her sparkling gaze back to Cecilia. "But here's the important part: love doesn't have to come fully formed, perfect and polished. It's something you learn, something you grow into. It doesn't have to look like what you've known before."

Rachel's golden mana pulsed faintly as she turned to Cecilia, her expression softening. "See? I told you it doesn't have to be the way you think."

Cecilia crossed her arms, her crimson mana flickering with a faint hum of defiance, but there was no sharp edge to her voice as she replied, "And you're suddenly an expert, are you?"

"No," Rachel said with a small smile, "but I know enough to know that Arthur's worth it."

Alice chuckled, standing up and brushing her hands together as if the conversation had neatly concluded. "Well then, girls," she said, her tone brisk but amused, "it sounds like you both have some thinking to do. And for what it's worth, I wish you both the best of luck."

"Luck?" Cecilia muttered, glancing at Rachel with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, luck," Alice said, her smile turning sly. "Because Arthur is as stubborn as they come, and winning his heart will take more than just charm and persistence. You'll need to truly understand him—and perhaps yourselves, too."

With that, she turned and left the room, leaving Rachel and Cecilia in a charged silence, the weight of her words settling over them like an invisible tether.