Aibar remained calm, pretending not to feel anything and keeping his knowledge hidden.
They were slowly walking home together. Since Maria's house was close to the school, they passed right by it, yet she continued walking alongside Aibar.
Maria seemed a little flustered, unsure of what to say, but she gathered her courage and looked at him.
"Aibar, we already passed my house, and you know that. But you didn't even mention that I'm still following you. Admit it—you figured out that we were planning a surprise for you today, didn't you?"
Maria suddenly stopped walking.
Aibar stopped as well. He turned toward her and took a step closer before calmly replying,
"Yes. I realized something was unusual when you started acting unusually affectionate toward me. But later... I figured it out."
Maria's mood visibly dropped, and she lowered her gaze to the ground.
Aibar quietly raised a hand and gently placed it on top of her head.
Maria was slightly shocked. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him.
With his usual calm expression, Aibar said,
"Interesting. Your white hair is like a blank sheet of paper. Do you think it could get stained if my sweaty hand touches it?"
Seeing him act so emotionlessly while somehow looking both silly and adorable at the same time, Maria smiled and jokingly replied,
"Why don't you find out?"
A bright smile spread across her face.
Aibar gently began patting her head.
Maria clearly enjoyed it. She closed her eyes, and the content expression on her face made it obvious.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and quietly said,
"Now I'm going to wish you'd fall asleep in class again. I suddenly want to pat your head too."
Aibar's hand stopped.
He slowly withdrew it, turned around, and resumed walking.
Following behind him, Maria tilted her head.
"What happened?"
Aibar replied calmly,
"If there's something like that—or anything else you want—you should tell me. I'll allow it. Definitely."
He paused.
"Because I'm your boyfriend."
Maria immediately began blushing.
Aibar continued,
"Just not in public. I've never liked personal attention."
Maria smiled slightly and teased him.
"My shy boyfriend. You're a superhero. There's no reason for you to be embarrassed. And you're the first superhero ever. Because of you, even the former members of Eclipse changed for the better and joined our side."
They continued walking.
"I still don't like personal attention," Aibar answered.
Maria let out a tired sigh.
"Ugh... fine. Suit yourself."
Soon, they were approaching Aibar's house.
Suddenly, Aibar stopped.
Maria stopped as well.
He walked over to a pile of dirt, crouched down, touched it with his hand, then stood up and returned to her.
Leaning forward, he carefully brushed dirt onto her knees, making it look as though she had fallen.
Afterward, he dusted off his hands.
Maria stared at him in confusion.
Without explaining, Aibar suddenly lifted her into a princess carry.
Maria let out a small surprised sound and turned bright red as she looked up at him.
"I'm just trying to preserve your surprise," he said calmly.
Then he continued,
"The plan was probably that you'd pretend to fall and say your leg hurt. That would force me to carry you—not to your house, but to mine—so I could take care of you. That way, we can hide the fact that I already figured out the surprise."
Maria blushed and slowly nodded in agreement.
Together, they headed toward Aibar's house.
Still carrying her, Aibar carefully opened the front door.
The moment he stepped inside—
"Surprise!"
A chorus of voices erupted.
Then everyone began singing.
"Happy Birthday, Aibar!"
Aibar was genuinely shocked.
His expression remained calm as always, but his mouth was slightly open.
It looked completely genuine.
As everyone sang, he gently set Maria back on her feet.
The room erupted into applause.
"Happy Birthday, Aibar!"
Aibar slowly regained his composure and said in his usual emotionless voice,
"You all organized this... for me? Thank you."
Lucas quietly moved behind him and grabbed his arms from behind, twisting them slightly—not with hostility, merely holding him in place.
Aibar immediately understood there was no ill intent and remained still.
At the same time, Symbat and So-Hyeon approached.
Each grabbed one of Aibar's ears and began pulling.
Since he had turned fifteen, they pulled his ears fifteen times.
Once they finished, Azamat stepped forward and lightly cracked an egg on top of Aibar's head.
The egg burst and dripped down his hair.
Aibar sighed.
"Wasting eggs like this isn't really a good idea."
"Ugh..." Azamat groaned. "Mr. Stubborn. Even on your birthday, you can't relax and enjoy yourself. Please, sir, forget about being so strict for just one day."
Lucas laughed and released him.
Then he patted Aibar on the back.
"Happy Birthday, brother."
Aibar glanced over his shoulder.
"Thank you."
He looked around at all of his classmates who had gathered there.
"Thank you, everyone. I will never forget this day. Never."
The room grew quiet.
"This will remain one of the greatest days of my life."
Maria immediately wrapped herself around one of his arms and pulled him further inside.
Soon everyone gathered around the beautifully prepared table and began eating.
Everyone except Aibar.
He only drank a glass of water and ate an apple.
Maria stared at him.
"Aibar, this entire feast was prepared for you. Why aren't you eating anything?"
Aibar looked at her.
"What...? Have you really never noticed?"
He paused.
"I suppose I should explain."
Everyone turned their attention toward him.
"At school, whenever it's lunchtime, I only eat athletic-style foods. Haven't you noticed? I can't eat sugar, flour, greasy food, salty food, or carbonated drinks."
He looked down.
"It makes me seem like someone with incredible discipline. But the truth is... it's a curse. Or an illness."
Maria laughed awkwardly.
"Don't joke about things like that."
She picked up a slice of cake and held it in front of his mouth.
"Come on. Open wide. Say ahhh."
As Aibar leaned his head farther and farther back to avoid it, Maria kept pushing the cake closer.
Without a word, Aibar looked at Azamat.
Azamat instantly understood and brought over a small basin.
Covering his mouth with his hand, Aibar warned everyone,
"Just a warning. This is going to end horribly. Be prepared."
Maria smiled.
"Less talking. Open your mouth."
Closing his eyes, Aibar finally took a bite.
He chewed.
Swallowed.
Then immediately leaned over the basin.
But nothing happened.
He didn't vomit.
He didn't even feel nauseous.
Slowly, he looked up.
He was stunned.
Only Symbat and Azamat knew about his condition.
Both were shocked.
Even Azamat, despite being a cyborg incapable of displaying emotions easily.
Aibar slowly placed the basin down.
"Everyone, turn around for a moment."
The others complied.
Aibar immediately grabbed another piece of cake and ate it himself.
This time, he vomited instantly.
The others turned back around.
Looking at Maria, Aibar calmly said,
"Feed me another piece of cake. Please."
Without hesitation, Maria agreed.
She cut another piece and offered it to him.
He took a bite.
Again, he prepared himself.
But once more—
Nothing.
No nausea.
No vomiting.
Then Maria handed him a piece of fried chicken.
He took a bite.
Again, nothing happened.
Everyone was completely confused.
Only Symbat and Azamat understood how impossible this was.
The party continued.
Later, So-Hyeon suddenly smiled.
"What do you all think? Aibar or Lucas—"
Aibar immediately interrupted.
"I think this question is extremely dangerous. A simple misunderstanding could start a conflict."
But everyone was curious.
It was a question they had all secretly wondered about.
Lucas grinned.
"Come on, Aibar. Don't be such a grump. It's actually a really interesting question."
Maria nodded.
"Yeah. I asked him the same thing privately once."
Aibar sighed.
"Fine. I'll repeat the answer I gave Maria."
"If we're talking about super powers, then Lucas—or even So-Hyeon—could be stronger than me. Experience matters."
Maria crossed her arms.
"And then you said that if it were purely raw human physical strength, you'd beat me, Lucas, and So-Hyeon."
Lucas laughed.
"Hey, hey. I'm not that weak. I think I'd give you a pretty good fight even without super powers."
"I never said you were weak," Aibar replied calmly. "I'm simply giving my opinion. I could be wrong. So don't take it personally."
After a brief pause, he added,
"Let's drop this topic."
Inside his mind, however, another thought appeared.
"If I ever fought with my true human physical strength alone... without holding back... I could probably destroy an entire city with a single strike."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"But fine. I'll keep pretending. I don't want to hurt anyone."
When he opened his eyes again, he remained silent.
Maria quickly returned to the previous subject.
"Aibar, back to the food issue. What exactly happened? Are you saying you haven't been able to eat properly all this time?"
Aibar calmly explained everything.
Once everyone understood, Maria immediately began feeding him food herself while eating alongside him.
The celebration eventually came to an end.
Aibar and Lucas escorted all of the girls home.
Everyone went their separate ways.
Except Maria.
She stayed behind to help clean up.
Symbat had wanted to stay as well, but her parents called her home, so she couldn't.
Maria washed the dishes while Aibar rinsed, dried, and put them away.
When everything was finished, they sat down to rest.
After a moment, Aibar looked at her.
"Maria, can you cook?"
A huge smile instantly appeared on her face.
"Oh? Are you already preparing me for married life?"
She giggled.
"Yes. I think I can make whatever food you want."
Then she added,
"Even if there are some dishes I don't know how to make, learning them for you wouldn't be a problem."
Aibar answered without hesitation.
"You're the ideal woman for me."
Maria froze.
Her face turned bright red.
"Huh...?"
Her voice trembled.
"Aibar... that's the greatest compliment I've ever received."
Aibar stood up.
"Hmm... Alexei might start worrying. Let me take you home."
He grabbed the black cloak he always carried to school and gently draped it over Maria's shoulders.
Together, they walked through the night toward her house.
When they arrived, Maria tried to return the cloak.
Aibar shook his head.
"Just bring it back to school tomorrow."
And so, after safely escorting Maria home, Aibar turned around and quietly made his way back to his own house.After returning home, Aibar stood quietly for a moment, lost in thought.
With his usual calm expression, he thought to himself:
"Today was the greatest day of my life."
His gaze drifted toward the floor.
"I wonder... now that I've somehow gained the ability to eat normal food, could my emotions be unlocked as well?"
A small pause followed.
"I want to genuinely smile. But for some reason, I can't. No matter what I feel, I can't express it outwardly."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And that frustrates me."
Aibar rose from his bed and walked toward the mirror attached to his wardrobe.
Using two fingers, he pulled the corners of his mouth upward.
A smile appeared.
For him, it looked wonderful.
But the moment he removed his fingers and lowered his hand...
The smile vanished.
Once again, there was only the same emotionless Aibar staring back at him.
It was as if expressionlessness had become a mask permanently fused to his face.
After a while, he headed down to his laboratory.
There, he continued researching ways to restore Azamat's biological body.
Hours passed.
Three entire hours.
Nothing worked.
Finally, Aibar sat down in his chair.
"My mentor is emotionless as well."
His gaze fell toward the floor.
"A mentor who doesn't even possess a biological body."
He looked at his own hands.
"And yet... despite having one, I'm no different from him."
A short silence followed.
"Even with a living body, I'm like a machine."
He paused.
"No..."
His eyes closed.
"It's not that I don't understand emotions. Quite the opposite."
He slowly opened his eyes.
"I understand them very well."
Another silence.
"Then why...?"
"Why?"
At that moment, Azamat finished recharging and stepped away from his power station.
He walked over to Aibar.
Aibar raised his head and looked at him with the same expressionless face.
Azamat folded his arms.
"Master, what are you thinking about? You almost looked like you were about to fall into depression."
Aibar remained calm.
"Mentor... if you had a biological body, do you think you'd be able to express emotions?"
"Of course," Azamat answered immediately.
Aibar lowered his eyes.
"Then perhaps I should have been the one in your place."
Azamat blinked.
Aibar continued.
"You would be able to smile. To laugh. To enjoy food whenever you wished."
He looked away.
"As for me... whether I have a biological body or not..."
A faint bitterness entered his voice.
"I'm still nothing more than a man with an iron face."
Azamat listened quietly.
Then he sighed.
"Master, are you making fun of me?"
He shook his head.
"Listen carefully, Aibar."
Sometimes you call yourself an iron-faced man."
His tone softened.
"Or an ice-faced man."
A smile appeared on his mechanical face.
"But don't forget something important."
"Even iron and ice have craftsmen capable of reshaping them."
Aibar looked at him silently.
Azamat continued cheerfully.
"You've only just begun meeting your people."
"The craftsmen who might someday repair that iron face of yours."
He pointed toward the ceiling.
"Your life is still ahead of you."
Then he waved his hand dismissively.
"And now, my master..."
"Get lost and go to sleep."
"Stop bothering me."
Aibar stared at him.
"Mentor."
"You're rude."
"Hmph."
Azamat crossed his arms.
"Sometimes you force me to be."
Aibar tilted his head slightly.
"When did you become a tsundere?"
"Huh?"
Azamat nearly choked.
"A tsundere?!"
He pointed at Aibar.
"I'm not a tsundere! I'm simply no longer babysitting you."
"You're past the age where you need a nanny."
"That's all I meant."
"Hmph."
Aibar narrowed his eyes.
"Mentor..."
"Don't test my patience."
"What?"
Azamat threw his hands into the air.
"You're the one acting ridiculous."
"You sound like a child standing in a store begging his mother."
He raised his voice in imitation.
"'Mom, buy me that! I want that one!'"
Then he pointed directly at Aibar.
"Except instead of toys, you're asking me for emotions."
"How exactly am I supposed to give those to you?"
Aibar's expression remained unchanged.
But the atmosphere around him suddenly shifted.
"What... did you just say?"
A crimson aura slowly began leaking from his body.
Azamat immediately froze.
"Oh."
His mechanical eyes widened.
"Oh no."
A step backward.
"I apologize."
Another step.
"My deepest apologies, my lord."
The crimson aura disappeared instantly.
Aibar returned to normal.
He stood up from his chair.
"Good night."
Then he calmly left the laboratory and headed toward his room.
Azamat watched him leave for several seconds.
Only after Aibar disappeared did he finally relax.
Inside his mind, he muttered:
"Tyrant."
But there was no resentment in the word.
It sounded more like the affectionate complaint of a father dealing with a troublesome son.
And perhaps...
A little bit of pride.