Not long after Nicholas sat down, the waitress approached their table.
"Good day," she greeted in a flat, monotonous tone—only for her expression to shift ever so slightly into one of disdain the moment her eyes landed on him. "Good day, sir. I hope you haven't come back to ogle my body."
Her voice was perfectly even, leaving everyone to wonder whether she was joking or dead serious.
For those unfamiliar with Nicholas Darklight, it was more than enough to give them the wrong impression.
"Trust me, I'd rather be anywhere else right now…" Nicholas muttered, sinking deeper into his chair as a dozen pairs of eyes turned his way.
Sydney, who would normally scold him, only gave him a sympathetic look this time.
"We just sat down," Ethan interjected unexpectedly, "so could we get a little more time to look over the menu?"
Nicholas blinked. Of all people, Ethan—son of Blackbourne, the cop who had arrested him not too long ago—was the one stepping in to save him.
How funny.
Nicholas wondered if Ethan even knew. Still, he mouthed a silent 'thank you.' Ethan responded with a thumbs-up.
"Ah." The waitress seemed to realize her misstep. "My apologies. I'll return in a few minutes." She gave a short bow before retreating.
Nicholas glanced around, noticing several hostile gazes aimed his way. He merely rolled his eyes.
Lillie then began introducing each of her friends to him. Halfway through, someone asked why Nicholas Darklight was even there.
Lillie explained brightly, "He found my precious bracelet! It's suuuper important to me! And the way he found it was kinda cool. Like a detective~!"
Nicholas felt several jealous stares immediately directed at him. Even Average-kun wasn't exempt—though his glare was far weaker than the rest.
C'mon, man…
He sighed. "I think you should focus less on me and more on how it got there," he suggested, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Lillie gasped, slapping her palm with her hand. "You're right! How did it end up like that?"
"End up like what? We're still not fully caught up on the story," Ethan cut in, drawing everyone's attention.
Nicholas leaned back. "It was stuck to a piece of gum."
The table erupted in gasps. A few even asked if Lillie had washed it.
"Mouu! Of course I did, I'm not stupid!" she pouted.
"So whoever was chewing gum was the culprit…" Sydney muttered, her voice low but still audible. She then, not so subtly, glanced over at Tod's table.
Tod, who had been pretending to act casual, suddenly looked stiff. His facade was crumbling fast.
Real slick, class prez…
Nicholas debated whether to call Tod out, but decided against it. His goal wasn't to eliminate rivals—it was to see if Lillie would accept Average-kun as a romantic partner. Everything else was secondary.
The waitress returned to take their orders. Barely three minutes later, she was back with everyone's food. Everyone's except Nicholas's.
He frowned. A little too discriminatory, don't you think?
But instead of stewing on the maid's rudeness, his thoughts drifted toward Sera.
Nicholas couldn't figure her out. Every time Average-kun tried to start a conversation with Lillie, Sera's loud interruptions drowned him out.
She's not doing this because she likes Lillie or Average-kun. Anyone with half a brain could see she has feelings for blond Nicholas… so why's she interfering?
"Say, Li—" Average-kun started.
"Lily~! Did you see this new purse? Isn't it cute~?" Sera immediately shoved her phone in Lillie's face.
Lillie's eyes lit up. "It's horse-themed~!" she squealed.
So she likes horses… Nicholas thought dryly.
But Sera was becoming a problem. If Average-kun was to stand a chance, she needed to be dealt with.
Nicholas pinched Sydney's side to get her attention.
She barely managed not to yelp, turning to glare at him as though he had deeply offended her.
Ignoring her expression, Nicholas whispered his plan.
Sydney's face twisted with confusion, disgust, and reluctance. Still, she agreed. Even if she didn't know why, she chose to trust him.
Strange—considering how much she claimed to hate him, her trust in him ran deep.
Excusing himself, Nicholas headed toward the restroom. To reach it, one had to pass through a door at the far end of the cafe, which led into a long hallway with two doors—one for men and one for women.
Nicholas waited inside the men's restroom for a minute or two. Then, a loud shriek rang out.
He didn't react. Instead, he waited.
Seconds later, a door slammed open.
"Oh God. Why did this have to happen to me?" Sera's voice echoed down the hall.
Perfect. Sydney had done her part.
Nicholas waited until Sera entered the women's restroom before slipping out of the men's. Now he leaned against the hallway wall, arms folded, waiting for her.
A minute later, she emerged, flustered. A faint stain marked her shirt.
"Hello there," Nicholas greeted lightly.
She shrieked before realizing it was him. Relief quickly followed annoyance.
"My bad, didn't mean to scare you," Nicholas said, raising his hand like he was swearing an oath.
"What… what are you doing here?" Her voice carried a sharp edge, though underneath it was something almost fearful. Like prey determined not to go down without a fight.
"I had to use the restroom."
His gamble had paid off. He figured Sera wouldn't want her crush to see her looking less than perfect, so she'd slip away alone. Which meant the perfect chance for a one-on-one talk.
"You came out right after me? Are you stalking me?"
Nicholas frowned. "I literally went in before you." Maybe have your eyes checked. He bit back on the remark; now wasn't the time. "It's probably my presence concealment skill. Makes me so forgettable I might as well be invisible."
"..."
Sera just stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"...That was a joke."
"I must've forgotten to laugh," she shot back.
Nicholas dropped his carefree mask. "Since it's just us, I might as well ask: why are you getting in the way? You clearly know what's going on, so why are you against it?"
That caught her off guard. She blinked several times before blurting, "So you really were trying to set them up. God, I was hoping that wasn't true!" Her voice cracked with distress.
Nicholas tilted his head, curious. "Why?"
"Why?" Her eyes snapped to his. "Why are you messing with us?!"
He flinched, stung. "Messing? They came to me asking for help. That's all."
"You should've refused, like you always do!"
"..?"
Sera sighed, rubbing her temple. "You always stay out of personal stuff. You never get involved. So why now? Why this group? Why us?"
Nicholas kept his expression flat, though internally he scoffed. Victim syndrome.
"But why are you so against it?" he pressed.
"Because it's not about me!" Her voice rose.
It isn't?
"It's about the whole group and Lily. Did you even ask her what she wanted? What if she doesn't want to date anybody? If she turns him down, everything falls apart. Awkwardness. Tension. The group we've built, ruined, because you stepped in when you never do."
She took a shaky breath. "You've always been the observer, never the participant. But now? Now you make everything more complicated."
With that, she turned and stormed off back to the table.
Nicholas lingered, staring after her, then quietly retreated into the restroom again. He splashed water on his face and looked into the mirror.
What stared back was a disheveled boy with no style, no direction.
Her words hit harder than he expected.
On Monday, blond Nicholas had approached him alone, wanting to talk. He'd avoided him. The next day, the blond had returned with his friends, asking for help with Average-kun. But thinking back… blond Nicholas's expression then had been pained, like he was saying what he didn't mean.
"Considering he hasn't helped me much, and instead helped Sera… yeah. On Monday, he probably wanted to tell me to refuse. But I brushed him off."
Nicholas gritted his teeth. He'd missed the signs.
He stared at his reflection, disgusted.
"Seriously. Just what are you doing?"
Should he back out? Or was it too late? Help the boy confess or discourage him?
No. He needed more information first. Lillie's answer mattered more than anyone else's.
Once he had it, he'd decide what to do.
When Nicholas returned to the table, only Sydney seemed to notice. She still looked irritated. "Where were you?" she whispered.
"Thinking."
Her expression twisted in disbelief. "Don't tell me I splashed water on Sera for no reason."
Nicholas didn't meet her eyes. "I wouldn't say no reason. But I'll need you to do something else—steer the conversation toward romance. Books, shows, whatever." His gaze flicked toward Sera.
Sydney opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but stopped herself. She knew she wouldn't get one.
It took some time, but eventually, Sydney guided the discussion toward romance in media. Nicholas waited. Patient. Silent.
"Speaking of romance," he finally interjected, "how do you all feel about dating?"
The entire table froze. Sera's eyes went wide.
"Uh, bud… why are you asking that?" Ethan broke the silence, leaning forward with suspicion.
Nicholas gave a small shrug. "Just curious. I don't really have strong opinions on it myself, so I wondered what other people my age thought."
In his mind, it was a perfectly reasonable excuse—simple, logical, and neatly hiding his true intention.
Of course, the only one who caught on was Sera, who stared at him as though he'd grown a second head.
"Aha… I think I know why they call you the Monster of Logic now," Ethan muttered, leaning back.
Nicholas tried not to grimace at the all-too-familiar nickname.
"I don't see what the harm is. At least it'll be interesting—this conversation was getting a bit repetitive anyway." Sydney jumped in, her eyes gleaming. "Personally, I think romance is wonderful!"
Nice follow-up, class prez.
"Well, in that case, I don't have any strong opinions either," Ethan said with a shrug. "I just wanna focus on becoming a cop like my dad."
"...I'm not saying anything." Max, the spiky-haired one, leaned back in his chair, shutting himself out of the discussion.
"Hmph." Sera turned away, twirling a lock of her hair. Nicholas caught the faintest blush on her cheeks.
Perfect.
Surprisingly, Sera did nothing to oppose him this time and let it slide. She definitely wanted to hear what the blond Nicholas had to say.
Blond Nicholas hesitated as all eyes turned to him. His smile was faint, almost regretful. "Unfortunately, I'm incapable of having a relationship at the moment."
Sera's face fell slightly.
Interesting phrasing.
Now it was Average-kun's turn. His face flushed bright red, but after a moment, the color drained, replaced by a steady, hopeful smile.
"I think romance is great. There's even someone I like. I just hope they can accept me." His delivery was good—calm, without glancing at anyone in particular, no hints at who it might be.
"Aw! I'm so happy for you!" Lillie said, beaming.
Nicholas winced internally. Didn't expect him to just blurt it out. And… does she know? His gaze flicked toward Lillie.
And then, suddenly, all eyes shifted to her. For the first time, in the short time that he'd known her, Lillie actually faltered, trembling faintly under the weight of everyone's attention.
"I—"
"I'm also interested in someone!" Tod's voice boomed from a nearby table, his whole torso sprawled across it as he waved for attention.
Gasps erupted. Tod, openly expressing feelings? Unheard of. Girls giggled, some whispering excitedly.
Nicholas buried his face in his hand. Why couldn't the buffoon have waited just a few more seconds?
"Didn't know you were part of this conversation," Nicholas muttered, lifting his head. "Also, weren't you the one chewing gum back in the gym?"
The silence that followed was sharp.
"You picking a fight with me, Darklight?" Tod snapped, clearly done with being pushed around.
Nicholas gave a shrug, his tone light but insincere. "Sorry if it came out that way. Just asking out of curiosity. Honest."
Nobody believed the 'honest.'
Brad tugged Tod back into his seat, but the damage was done. Tod sat, fuming, his glare locked on Darklight.
And then Nicholas noticed—the glares weren't just Tod's. Students from other tables were staring at him too, hostility simmering.
Sensing the tension, Lillie quickly redirected the conversation, but the sharpness in the air lingered.
"What am I even doing here?" Sydney whispered nervously.
"I told you. You're my plus one," Nicholas whispered back, keeping his tone casual. "No way I was going without you. You dragged me into this, remember?"
Nicholas exhaled. His eyes seemed hollow, his expression unreadable. To the others, it might've looked like disdain.
Tod couldn't take it.
"That's it! Darklight—you and me, outside. Now!"
He stormed toward Nicholas. Sydney moved to intervene, but Nicholas raised a hand to stop her.
"It's fine." He stood, his voice calm. "Well?"
Tod hesitated, unsettled by how willingly Darklight had accepted.
Together, they slipped out the back of the café, away from the cameras.
"Well?" Nicholas braced himself. If Tod decided to throw the first punch, he was ready.
But instead, Tod placed both hands on Nicholas's shoulders.
Something was different.
"Why you gotta do this to me, man?" Tod's face twisted with pain.
"...?"
"The one time I wanna do something good for myself, and you're standing in the way."
Nicholas froze. A strange sense of déjà vu struck him—he'd had a very similar conversation not too long ago.
"I really like Lily, man. Why do you have to antagonize me?" Tod's voice cracked.
Nicholas was… surprised, to say the least.
"You've never gotten this personally involved with anyone before. Do you seriously like Lily too?" Tod's anguish was clear.
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down a bit. I thought you called me out here for a fight." Nicholas was caught off guard by the raw emotion Tod was showing.
Tod blinked, confused. "Huh? You think I'm crazy? I'm never fighting you again after what happened last time."
"Also… you think I like Lillie?" Nicholas asked, just to be sure.
"You don't?" Tod frowned.
"No," Nicholas replied flatly.
"Then why are you getting involved so much? You never do anything by yourself—you're always just watching. So why not let me get close to Lily?" Tod's voice wavered between confusion and frustration.
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "And hiding her bracelet was your idea of getting close?"
Tod winced. "Nah, man. I just thought it'd be… romantic or something if I gave it back to her during the dance instead of when we were setting up."
"Wait." Nicholas's eyes narrowed. "You mean she really did lose it? And you just found it?"
"Yeah?" Tod tilted his head, unsure.
"So you didn't take it from her?"
"No. I just picked it up off the floor. Figured it'd be a better moment if I gave it back later."
Nicholas sighed. As much of a dunce Tod was, at least he wasn't a malicious one.
"Random question," Nicholas said suddenly. "You ever hit anyone with your car?"
Tod's eyes widened. "Huh? I don't even own a car!"
Rumors will be rumors. To Tod, hiding the bracelet hadn't been wrong—it had been some half-baked idea of romance. He wasn't malicious. Just… an idiot.
But something else was.
The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long across the alley.
And then—something shifted.
The darkness seemed to ripple, come alive.
Two glowing white dots appeared behind Tod.
Nicholas's instincts screamed.
He tackled Tod to the ground just in time, both of them dodging the thing that lunged from the shadows.
"Oi! Darklight, I didn't hit you! Don't you only go after people who throw the first punch?!" Tod's voice cracked with fear.
"Shut up." Nicholas pushed himself up, eyes locked on the creature.
It rose slowly. Its torso was vaguely human, but grotesquely stretched. Long, sinewy arms pressed into the ground, supporting a body that had no legs. At its full height, it loomed three to four meters tall.
Its head was massive—three times the size of a human's. Its skin was pitch-black, blending seamlessly with the dark. No hair, no features, nothing but a void.
Except for its eyes. Two white dots.
Then, it opened its mouth.
Rows of jagged white teeth gleamed—not like bone, but like shards of metal. Or mirrors. The surface reflected everything, even Nicholas's own face staring back at him in warped fragments.
"What the… Darklight! What the fuck is that?!" Tod scrambled backward on his hands and heels, pale with terror.
Nicholas stood, eyes sharp, though his chest tightened.
He chuckled grimly. "What's it look like? It's a monster. Plain and simple."
Tod wanted to argue, to call him crazy. But the sight of the thing—its unnatural teeth, its alien shape—robbed him of words. His stomach turned. What else could it be but a monster?
"It'll be fine," Nicholas said softly. His voice carried an odd calm, steadying Tod in spite of everything.
Still…
So you're the one who's been giving me an uneasy feeling since yesterday, huh? Nicholas's gut twisted with fear, but the truth was undeniable. He had to kill this thing. Otherwise, it would kill them both.