Ethan was in a good mood after finally completing his mission in the eastern district.

The Commander had sent him to respond to a distress call, but it turned out to be nothing more than an aggressive Nightmare causing havoc. Suppressing it hadn’t taken him long.

Once everything was dealt with, he informed the base and headed straight toward the hospital.

He already knew his mother would skin him alive once he returned home tonight, but honestly, he didn’t care.

The one person who made all of it worth enduring was lying in that hospital room right now, needing his attention.

On the way, he bought some porridge along with a few fragrant candles before making his way upstairs.

However, the moment he stepped into the room, the smile on his face disappeared.

Someone else was already there.

And it happened to be the one person he despised the most.

"You..." Ethan growled as he walked inside, his brows knitting together. "Why are you here?"

"Hmm?" Kyle glanced at him calmly. "I just came to visit her."

Ethan clenched his fists tightly. "You barely even know her, so why are you suddenly acting concerned about her?"

More importantly...

How had he even gotten inside?

This was a restricted area, not some place any random pebble could wander into.

"Well, why are you getting so worked up?" Kyle asked with a smile as he turned toward Layena. "Layena herself doesn’t seem offended, does she?"

The girl looked at Ethan and replied softly, "We’ve been friends for some time now, Ethan. So it’s perfectly natural for him to come visit me."

Friends...?

Since when?

Ethan nearly dropped the porridge in his hands.

How had they even met?

Layena was an extremely reserved person. She barely spoke to anyone in the university unless it was absolutely necessary.

And it wasn’t just in class either. Even within the team, she rarely interacted with others.

Forget calling them friends, Layena usually treated everyone as little more than strangers unless they were on a mission together.

That alone explained Ethan’s reaction.

"Alright, Layena. I think I should get going now," Kyle said, feeling the awkward silence settling heavily around the room. This guy really had a talent for ruining the atmosphere.

However, just as he stood up, Layena lightly tugged at his sleeve.

And Ethan caught that small movement.

Kyle ignored Ethan’s stare and turned back toward her.

Layena looked up at him with droopy eyes as she asked softly, "You...will come visit me again, right?"

Dhak.

This time, the porridge really did slip from Ethan’s hands.

He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Layena...

...had actually asked him to come see her again?

His mind went blank.

Bile rose in his throat.

His eyes widened faintly, and without saying a single word, Ethan hurried out of the room.

No...

That couldn’t be possible.

Naturally, both Layena and Kyle noticed him rushing away.

Kyle couldn’t help but ask, "I hope there’s nothing going on between you two, or I might have to-"

"There is nothing between us," Layena interrupted coldly. "He just cares about me a little too much. I’ve told him more than ten times to mind his own business, but..."

Kyle gave a wry smile. "Is he like this with everyone else on the team?"

Layena slowly shook her head.

And that was enough for Kyle to understand.

Of course Ethan had feelings for her.

"Well, forget about him," Layena said softly. "You’re going to visit me again, right?"

Kyle reassured her, "Yeah, I will. The university isn’t reopening anytime soon anyway, and I still have ten days left before enrollment. Until then, I’ll probably just wander around."

Layena blinked in surprise. "Huh? But you won’t be free during those ten days either."

Kyle’s brows slowly rose. "What do you mean?"

Layena tilted her head slightly. "Don’t you know? Before joining the academy, you’d given a tour of the base and taught how everything works."

Kyle frowned.

He did vaguely remember Veronica mentioning something similar before, but at the time, he hadn’t fully understood what she meant.

Something about gaining experience and basic knowledge beforehand.

"What exactly do you mean?" Kyle asked. "Can you explain it a little more?"

Layena hesitated for a moment. "Umm...I’ll tell you, but please don’t mention to the Commander that it was me."

Kyle almost told her that it wouldn’t matter since Veronica probably wouldn’t mind anyway.

But he kept those words to himself and simply gestured for her to continue.

Layena adjusted herself on the bed.

Kyle helped fix the pillow behind her and tilted it slightly so she could speak more comfortably while lying down.

Resting against the pillow with her head slightly raised so she could look at him properly, Layena finally spoke.

"If you suddenly enter the academy right now, it would probably overwhelm you..." she said softly. "Because you barely know anything about this side of the world."

Kyle hummed thoughtfully. "But isn’t that the academy’s responsibility? To introduce me to all these things?"

Layena nodded lightly. "It is. The academy teaches you the important parts, like combat, control, history, survival, and how to handle Nightmares properly. But there are also many small things Nightwalkers naturally learn over time, things we consider too trivial to even mention."

Kyle listened quietly.

"For example," Layena continued, "most Nightwalkers tend to channel Genesis while bathing or early in the morning after waking up. It’s not exactly the most efficient time for it, but it became a habit over generations."

She glanced toward the ceiling as if recalling something.

"Some people also avoid eating heavy meals before circulating Genesis because it makes them feel sluggish. Others keep scented candles near their beds while sleeping because they believe it helps stabilize their flow. There are even teams that develop their own little customs during missions."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"To outsiders, those things probably sound meaningless, but to us, they’re normal."

Kyle stared at her for a moment, genuinely surprised.

Right...

He had only recently stepped into this hidden side of the world. To him, everything still felt unfamiliar, almost detached from reality.

But for Nightwalkers, this wasn’t some mysterious hidden society.

It was simply their everyday life.

Layena looked back at him and added softly, "You’ll naturally start understanding these things once you spend more time around other Nightwalkers. That’s probably why the Commander wants you to experience the environment first before throwing you into the academy."

Kyle slowly nodded as everything finally began making more sense.

So Veronica wasn’t just worried about academics or combat training.

She wanted him to adapt socially as well.

To understand the mindset, habits, and culture of Nightwalkers before he suddenly found himself surrounded by hundreds of them.

After thinking for a moment, Kyle scratched his cheek and asked, "Then...what exactly will I be during that time? Like some sort of intern?"

Layena nodded, "Yes, you can say that."

Kyle chuckled hearing that, "Then...please take care of me, senior."

Layena’s cheek tinted red hearing that for some reasons..but she didn’t avert her gaze from her responsibility.

"Don’t worry, I will guide you properly....junior."

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please drop a comment.