On the way back to Kizen, riding the skeletal horses, Lorain—who was riding together with Knox—sat behind him, leaning lightly against his back as she spoke.
"Thanks for cooperating with Kizen. Right now, your safety is the main concern. That priest might target your life at any time, anywhere. For now… maybe you should skip classes."
"No."
Simon shook his head immediately.
"I'll just go about things as usual."
"…Isn't that too dangerous?" Lorain asked.
"It's fine. He might not have seen my face. And even if he did, if he tries something, there'll be some trace left behind."
A strange glint shimmered in Lorain's crimson eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous. I don't need clues that come at the cost of your life."
Before Simon could respond, Knox spoke first. His tone was gentle, almost like he was comforting a sulking child.
"Lorain, listen. Although Simon's idea does put him in danger, from another perspective, it could also be considered the safest choice. If he starts skipping classes or acting out of the ordinary, the priest will only become more certain of who Simon is."
Knox continued calmly. "What do you think the priest would assume if they saw Kizen's security tailing Simon? They'd immediately realize Simon has already reported everything to the upper ranks."
"That may be true, but—!" Lorain protested.
"When a fanatic is cornered, can you predict what kind of unpredictable act they might commit?" Knox interrupted softly.
Lorain bit her lip.
Their enemy had carved the 'sin' of a Core into their own body just to infiltrate Kizen. The behavior of fanatics did not follow normal logic.
Large-scale hostage situations.
Suicide attacks.
Those were not uncommon among extremists.
If something like that happened inside Kizen, it would not only damage the academy's external image but also give those who already doubted its ruling system a legitimate excuse to rise up.
"Besides," Knox added, "like I said before, this might also be the safest choice. You could say… the darkest place is under the lamp."
"…Alright."
Lorain exhaled slowly.
Knox then turned his head slightly toward her. He lifted his right hand and gently placed it on top of her head.
"Don't worry, Lorain."
The warmth surprised her.
She froze for a second—then recognized it.
That familiar warmth.
The same warmth that had rested on her head countless times before.
Lorain closed her eyes unconsciously, leaning into it like a cat basking in sunlight. A small smile formed on her lips as she leaned against Knox's back.
"…Thank you, Knox. I'm glad you're here…"
Knox only smiled gently.
Meanwhile, Simon felt speechless.
You two really show affection anywhere, huh? Even in the Restricted Forest?
Then Lorain sensed a gaze.
She suddenly remembered.
Simon was still there.
Her eyes snapped open. She straightened immediately, coughing lightly as she adjusted her posture.
"Cough. But if I notice even the slightest hint of something strange, I'll protect you. Even if I have to restrict your freedom. Remember this: there's no need for you to sacrifice yourself for everyone else's safety."
Her words sounded reassuring.
But the faint flush on her face betrayed her composure.
"…I'll keep that in mind," Simon replied.
Of course, Simon did not consider this a sacrifice at all.
"There's no way I'm stopping school life over something like that."
Missing classes would only widen the gap between him and other students.
And if that gap grew too large—if one day he had to leave Kizen because of poor grades or lack of skill—
Kizen was not a place that bent over backward for personal circumstances.
If he let go now, he would be the only one losing out.
Either way, there were risks. So Simon chose to push forward with his school life.
There was still so much to learn.
Knox glanced at Simon.
"Simon, what Lorain just said was serious. I won't say your life is more precious than your school life—because your life is your choice. But at least… be careful, okay?"
His tone carried a quiet reprimand, like catching a kid doing something reckless.
Simon coughed awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
And so, the three returned to Kizen.
Simon headed back to the dorm as if nothing had happened.
Leaving Knox and Lorain alone.
The two of them decided to walk together for a while, enjoying the night air.
Under the moonlight and the cold night air, Knox and Lorain walked side by side.
Knox suddenly realized it had been quite a long time since he had walked alone with Lorain like this. Just the two of them. So without saying it out loud, he decided to walk her all the way back to her dorm.
Meanwhile, Lorain was thinking the exact same thing.
It had been a long time since she walked together with Knox alone like this. The sour mood she had earlier because of the priest had completely vanished. Her steps were even slightly light, almost as if she was hopping.
Then, Knox pulled out two disposable cups from his subspace.
Inside them was warm red ginger milk.
Lorain, still walking happily, caught the aroma first. She sniffed lightly, then turned her head and noticed Knox holding a cup in each hand.
She immediately slowed down and drifted closer to him like a child who wanted something.
"Knox, what is that? It smells good!" Lorain asked.
Knox smiled and handed her the cup in his right hand.
"This is red ginger milk. It'll warm your hands and your body. But be careful, it's hot."
Lorain accepted the cup, and her fingers brushed lightly against Knox's.
Her face flushed slightly.
Just slightly.
Because, who was Lorain?
She was the one who had stayed with Knox the longest in his life. Of course she had experienced physical contact with him before. Holding hands, brushing fingers—those counted.
But experience didn't mean immunity.
She was the type with low attack and low defense.
Lorain quickly looked away, facing forward to hide her flushed cheeks, and took a careful sip.
"Emmm… this is delicious! Knox, I want more!"
Knox chuckled and took a sip from his own cup.
"Alright. I'll make it for you later in a bigger glass. One that keeps the heat from dissipating."
Hearing that, Lorain slowed her steps deliberately until she was walking directly beside him.
Now they moved in sync, side by side.
If someone happened to witness this scene, they would either feel their heart break… or scream internally, I ship them!
As they walked, they talked about their student lives.
Lorain complained about how people either tried to flatter her or were too scared to even approach her. Then she proudly talked about how she answered the professor's questions perfectly and easily dominated class participation—similar to Knox's clash with Hector.
Her face clearly said, Praise me. Praise this ancestor.
Knox smiled helplessly at her expression.
But inwardly, he was genuinely surprised.
In the original novel, Lorain had been rather lazy. Intelligent, yes—but not someone who liked using her brain unless necessary. Very much like a certain stupid white-haired paramecium protagonist from Honkai Impact 3rd.
Seeing her change like this, Knox felt a quiet sense of pride.
Of course, he didn't forget to praise her properly.
Hearing his praise, Lorain's expression turned smug. She lifted her chin slightly, clearly pleased.
Then Knox began talking about his own student life.
About the unknown boys who tried to pick a fight when he and Simon were searching for an empty dorm room. About forming his group with Cindy, Claudia, and Merida. About clashing with Hector in the bathhouse. About his achievements in class.
And more.
At first, when Lorain heard that some random nobodies had tried to cause trouble while Knox was looking for a dorm room, her crimson eyes glinted coldly.
"How dare they…" she muttered.
Then—
When she heard that Knox's group consisted entirely of girls.
Yes.
All girls.
Lorain's expression darkened.
"Heee… thieving cats?" she muttered quietly.
Then, the dark aura disappeared just as quickly as it came. As if nothing had happened.
Then she turned toward Knox with a bright smile.
"So… tell me more about your group members."
For some reason, Knox felt that smile was slightly terrifying.
But he still explained about Cindy, Claudia, and Merida in detail.
Then—
When Lorain heard about Knox's clash with Hector in the bathhouse, a sudden burst of bloodlust flickered in the air around her.
"That bastard! How dare he….Hector Moore, right? Heh. Just you wait!"
Knox could practically feel the temperature drop.
Because of Lorain's sudden "explosion," Knox had to spend quite a bit of time—and of course, promise several desserts—to calm her down.
After Lorain finally calmed down, the faint red aura that had flared around her when she was angry slowly disappeared.
Whenever Knox saw that cool crimson aura surrounding her, he was always reminded of Gundam 00 or Gundam Unicorn. He had even once suggested giving her red aura a name—something like Trans-Am or NT-D Mode.
Of course, Lorain rejected that idea immediately.
Without realizing it, they eventually arrived in front of the girls' dormitory.
Lorain was the first to notice.
For a brief moment, her expression changed—like a puppy left alone in the rain.
She inhaled slowly, then exhaled.
After composing herself, she looked at Knox and smiled.
Under the moonlight, her beautiful smile was truly mesmerizing.
Knox, seeing that scene, thought to himself:
Wow. What a beautiful CG! Screenshotted!
"Knox, thank you for walking me here. Hehe!"
"No problem," Knox replied with a soft smile. "Besides, it's been quite a long time since we walked together like that. Next time, how about we have lunch or dinner together? Or maybe just coffee, like today?"
Lorain's eyes lit up instantly. Her smile seemed to sparkle under the moonlight. She nodded vigorously, almost too eagerly, as if afraid the chance would disappear.
"Emmm! Okay! Promise, okay?"
"Of course."
The two said their goodbyes.
Knox waited until Lorain entered the dormitory safely.
Only after the door closed behind her did he turn around and walk back toward his own dorm, beneath the strangely warm moonlight mixed with the cold night air.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Girl's Dorm Manager: About Couples
Dorm Manager (watching a black-haired girl standing with a white-haired boy right in front of the dorm gate): ... (╬≖_≖)
Dorm Manager: Normies… go explode!!! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻