[A day later]

Kyle had already been discharged from the hospital.

The lantern’s healing effect had been absurdly effective, restoring every wound, major or minor, within barely a minute. After a full night’s sleep, Kyle almost felt as though he had never been injured at all.

"Careful."

Amanda’s voice carried clear concern as Kyle began descending the hospital stairs.

Kyle chuckled lightly.

"I’m fine now."

"But still..." Amanda frowned slightly. "Take slow steps and keep checking yourself for any sudden changes."

She had naturally arrived the moment his discharge was finalized.

Putting aside the fact that Blake and Veronica were both absent at the moment, Amanda genuinely couldn’t imagine being anywhere else during a time like this except beside him.

She carefully guided him toward the car, occasionally supporting him by the arm as though he might suddenly collapse at any second.

Kyle found that side of her strangely adorable.

So from time to time, he deliberately leaned a little more weight onto her just to let her continue fussing over him.

Once they reached the car, Amanda opened the passenger door for him before moving toward the driver’s seat herself.

Just before entering, Kyle glanced back at the hospital.

He heard this morning that Layena was out of danger and people from the PSC are providing her extra security.

Kyle would come to meet her tomorrow with Veronica.

*Dhak*

Soon, he took his seat.

"Are we heading to the new place?" Kyle asked while fastening his seatbelt.

Amanda nodded as she started the engine.

"Brother said you were already considering moving anyway." She glanced at him briefly. "And despite being trespassed once, the new apartment is still relatively safer."

Kyle nodded in understanding.

"I mean, it would probably require at least a Special Grade to enter that place without permission."

Amanda gave a dry smile.

"Hopefully no other Special Grade develops an interest in you."

The comment reminded her of something.

"Kyle..."

Her tone shifted slightly.

"Isn’t it about time we talked about your secret relationship with the Commander?"

Kyle froze for the briefest moment before slowly glancing toward her.

Even while driving, Amanda looked back at him at that exact same instant.

And from that single look alone, Kyle could tell she was genuinely upset.

"We talked about transparency, Kyle," she reminded him quietly.

Kyle lowered his gaze.

"I know." His voice softened. "And I’m sorry for hiding it from you."

A brief silence followed before he added,

"But I don’t regret it, Amanda."

Amanda blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Kyle remained staring ahead at the dashboard, his unfocused eyes reflecting distant memories.

"Veronica entered my life right after I awakened my powers," he said quietly. "Back then, I was confused... overwhelmed... and making mistake after mistake at every step."

Shaking his head lightly, Kyle continued,

"If it weren’t for Veronica, I probably would’ve been caught by the government a long time ago."

His voice carried genuine gratitude.

"She protected me several times without ever asking for anything in return..."

A faint pause followed.

"...except for one thing."

Amanda’s fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

"That you keep your connection with her a secret," she muttered quietly, already certain of the answer.

Kyle didn’t deny it.

And his silence alone confirmed she was right.

An unpleasant feeling settled heavily in Amanda’s chest.

Jealousy.

Unease.

Confusion.

All tangled together.

"But why, Kyle?" she asked softly. "Did the Commander just see you one day and randomly decide to help you?"

Kyle shook his head.

"No. There’s more to it than that."

He leaned back slightly against the seat.

"Apparently, she knew me from back when I still lived with my parents." His brows furrowed faintly while trying to recall fragmented memories. "When we were kids, we used to meet often."

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

"I just... don’t remember most of it."

After a brief pause, he added,

"The only thing I vaguely remember is one incident where I somehow stopped her from getting into trouble."

Amanda’s breath caught instantly.

"C-Childhood love...?"

Her voice turned shaky.

"K-Kyle... I really don’t like how that sounds."

Then, after hesitating for a moment, she quietly asked,

"Was I part of those memories too?"

Kyle let out a soft chuckle.

"I only met you two years ago, Amanda." He looked at her gently. "So obviously not."

The moment those words left his mouth, Amanda’s eyes visibly moistened.

Even the corners of her lips curled downward slightly, unable to hide the grief creeping across her face.

Kyle hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.

"Amanda... Veronica holds a special place in my life."

His gaze lowered slightly.

"For everything she’s done for me... and for the bond we share now."

Amanda’s knuckles turned white for how tightly she gripped the steering wheel.

For a brief moment, silence filled the car. It was heavy and uncomfortable but Kyle gave her time to process things.

Then, slowly, she steadied herself.

The emotional storm that had briefly overtaken her began settling as she forced herself to sort through her feelings rationally.

Finally, she spoke.

"I can’t promise I won’t get jealous when you’re with her."

Her voice was honest.

"But I won’t stop you from being friends with her, Kyle."

Kyle blinked slightly.

Amanda released a quiet sigh before continuing,

"I know how incredibly selective you are when it comes to letting people into your life." She glanced at him briefly before returning her eyes to the road. "And if you were willing to hide something like this from me..."

A faint bitterness mixed into her voice.

"Then the Commander obviously means a lot to you."

Kyle smiled softly at those words.

But the warmth barely lasted before Amanda added flatly,

"But only friendship, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I don’t care if she’s my superior or a Special Grade." A dangerous calm settled into her tone. "If she tries anything funny with my boyfriend..."

A faint dark aura practically radiated from her.

"...then she’ll be seeing my dark side."

Kyle chuckled softly.

"Sure. I’ll make sure to warn her."

Shaking his head lightly, he turned his gaze toward the window.

For the first time in a while, the burden he had been carrying regarding Veronica finally felt lighter.

The secret he had hidden for so long was no longer suffocating him.

A comfortable silence soon settled inside the car as Kyle quietly traced the passing lines of trees outside the window.

Then—

[Host... the system refrained from mentioning this earlier due to your condition, but the extraction must be performed soon.]

Kyle’s eyes widened slightly.

"!!!"

He had completely forgotten.

Melissa.

Immediately, he turned toward Amanda.

"Amanda... did you talk with Melissa?"

The moment her name surfaced, Amanda’s shoulders visibly dropped.

It wasn’t that she had forgotten.

Far from it.

She simply hadn’t brought it up because she already knew exactly what would happen once she told Kyle the truth.

But no matter how much she wished to avoid it...

Amanda had no choice anymore.

This needed to be done.

Taking a deep breath, Amanda said,

"Actually, last night...I had a chat with Melissa and..."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story, drop a comment.