"Hm, with you here, I guess you already know what happened, right?" Knox said, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Ahh, you mean Simon and Meilyn? Yes, they were in the middle of a rather fierce fight just a moment ago~" Serene replied lightly.
"Wow, there's no way those two would fight for no reason…" Knox said as he stared straight at her. "So something must have influenced them. For example…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Your feather."
Serene let out a soft chuckle.
"Hehe, my ability is the manipulation of emotions. I can't create emotions that don't exist at all."
"Haha, that's funny. Even if you can't create emotions from nothing, your ability is more than enough to turn a tiny spark into a raging storm," Knox said casually. "Turning a 0.1 into a 100… sounds about right."
At Knox's words, Serene simply smiled without denying it.
Knox looked at her and could only sigh, then screamed inwardly, Yae Miko! Come and get your naughty daughter! If possible, ask Ei to hit her butt with her shoe! Wait… if this is Inazuma, it should be geta, not shoe…
Knox fell into thought for a moment.
Should I look for Simon and Meilyn? Hmm… forget it. That giant Bigkrum is too much of an eyesore. If it shows up again, I'll notice it right away…
He rested his hand on his chin, then shifted his gaze toward Serene.
"Well then, my business here is done. Goodbye~" he said casually, giving a small wave before turning around to leave.
"Oh my, are you really planning to leave just like that…?" Serene said, her expression looking like someone who had just been abandoned by a blonde scumbag.
Knox glanced at her.
A completely deadpan look.
Without replying, he simply turned away and continued walking.
Seeing that her act had no effect at all, Serene straightened up immediately. The "sad" expression from before vanished without a trace, replaced by her usual composed smile. The speed of that change alone said enough about how thick her skin was.
"By the way, if you're not searching for Simon or Meilyn, then could it be that you're looking for that unidentified giant monster that was running wild here earlier?" she asked.
Knox stopped.
A moment later, he looked back over his shoulder.
"That's right. Do you happen to know where it went?"
"Oh my, is that a favor?"
She paused mid-sentence.
Something crossed her mind.
Back then, Knox had casually said something rather unsettling.
Those who break their contracts shall suffer the wrath of the rock.
At first, she thought it was just meaningless nonsense.
But now, her instincts were warning her.
Making any kind of deal with Knox Aznable was something that required extreme caution.
"…Never mind. Let's call it a transaction," Serene said after a brief pause. "I'll give you information about that monster, but you'll need to pay something in return."
Knox didn't answer immediately.
"Hm… I can't really verify whether your information is true or not… but fine." He shrugged lightly. "As for payment, how about I show you my base camp?"
A short while later, Knox and Serene arrived at his base camp.
At first glance, Serene couldn't see anything unusual.
Even so, something felt off.
The forest in front of her looked normal, but her instincts kept warning her that what she was seeing wasn't the complete picture.
Then the surroundings began to shift.
Trees moved aside, bushes twisted away from one another, and rocks slowly slid across the ground. Piece by piece, the illusion fell apart, revealing what had been hidden behind it.
Some vanished entirely, as if they had never been there to begin with.
Illusions peeled away one after another.
For the first time, a faint crack appeared in Serene's composed expression.
"What on earth…?!"
She had already accepted that Knox was abnormal.
But this—
This base camp, guarded by those imposing skeletons, felt less like a camp and more like the territory of a hidden boss.
Serene once again felt that Knox was someone who completely existed outside the framework she had in mind.
Recalling what Knox had said earlier, she asked calmly,
"So… what exactly is your offer?"
Knox shrugged lightly.
"I'll let you stay at my place for the night. Moreover, I'll provide a proper shelter, food, and drinks. How about it?"
Serene paused for a moment.
"…Providing a proper sanctuary on an island like this… that's definitely worth considering."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Food…
For a brief second, something crossed her mind.
The desserts Knox had made before.
The texture.
The taste.
The absurd level of perfection.
…Those sweets were ridiculously good.
She clicked her tongue softly inwardly, forcing herself to stay composed.
After thinking for a moment, she asked,
"…Is it possible to take a bath?"
"Of course!" Knox answered without hesitation.
Serene gave a small nod.
"Alright! Then the deal is done."
Inside Knox's house.
The atmosphere was… surprisingly comfortable.
Knox and Serene sat across from each other, quietly resting for a moment.
"It's a nice place," Serene said, her tone calm.
"Yeah," Knox replied casually.
After taking a small sip of her tea, Serene set the cup down and got straight to the point.
"Since I've already received my payment, I'll give you the information I promised."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"However, all I know is the direction the monster was heading. If you go there and don't find anything, don't blame me."
"I know. Just give me the direction, I'll track it myself," Knox said without hesitation.
"Alright. Then take this."
Serene raised her hand lightly. A faint glow gathered at her fingertips before forming into a delicate feather, which she then handed over.
"This feather will point you in the direction it moved. Just follow it."
Knox accepted it with a small nod.
"Thanks, Serene."
Serene leaned back slightly, her expression returning to her usual composed look.
"Then please leave. I'm planning to take a shower now."
Then Serene looked at Knox with a mischievous smile.
"Or… do you want to watch me take a shower~?"
If it were a normal girl saying that, she would probably be blushing by now.
But this was Serene.
A rare, bona fide thick-skinned girl.
If the person standing in front of her had been Simon, he would have definitely turned red.
Unfortunately for her—
It was Knox.
And Serene was still underestimating just how thick his skin really was.
"Huh? What's the point of watching you take a shower?" Knox replied calmly.
Before Serene could respond—
He added, without missing a beat,
"If anything, wouldn't it make more sense to take a shower together~?"
For the first time—
Serene's expression cracked.
Her face, which had been perfectly composed until now, looked like a piece of flawless glass that had suddenly shattered into fine cracks, turning into something closer to stained glass.
It felt like she had just thrown a punch at a wall of cotton.
She struck—
But it didn't work at all.
"…Haa."
Letting out a slow breath, Serene simply stood up and walked toward the bathroom without another word.
Knox watched her leave, tilting his head slightly.
"Hmm? Does that mean you agree?"
"….."
No response.
"Forget it. I've got priorities. Girls just slow me down," Knox muttered.
With that, he stepped out of the house, the feather in his hand already pointing toward a certain direction.
Knox moved swiftly through the forest, following the direction indicated by the feather Serene had given him.
However, quite some time had already passed since the earlier commotion.
There were no more signs of it.
No lingering aura.
No movement.
Bigkrum's clone had already disappeared.
Knox clicked his tongue lightly.
"Hm… at this rate, do I have to wait until Simon and Serene fight tomorrow?"
He slowed his steps, clearly losing interest.
Just as he was about to give up on tracking Bigkrum and look somewhere else, he picked up a pair of familiar presences nearby.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Oh?"
Not long after, two figures stepped out from between the trees.
"Knox!"
"Knox."
It was Claudia and Merida.
Knox raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Huh. Fancy meeting you two here."
The three of them regrouped naturally, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Claudia was the first to speak.
"Since it's already the second day of the survival test, we're planning to start heading toward the main island soon."
"If you're aiming for bonus points, it's about time," she added.
Knox nodded.
"That makes sense. Two hundred points just for entering the safe mansion."
Merida, standing beside Claudia, spoke in her usual low tone.
"…So we're planning to hunt just for today, then head back early tomorrow."
Knox glanced at them.
"Early? Wouldn't it be better to hunt as much as possible and enter on the last day?"
Claudia let out a small, awkward smile.
"Well…"
Her gaze shifted toward Merida.
Seeing that, Knox immediately understood.
"…You want to rest early."
Merida nodded slightly.
"This island is uncomfortable… I want proper sleep."
She paused, then added with unusual firmness,
"I'm going inside and getting a good night's rest."
Knox looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
"I see."
After thinking for a bit, he made a suggestion.
"Then, how about coming to my place?"
"…Place?" Claudia blinked.
"You can sleep there," Knox continued casually. "And there's a bath too."
"…A bath?"
For the first time, Claudia's eyes widened slightly.
"A bath, too?!"
That single sentence hit harder than any argument.
Claudia's reaction said everything.
The idea of being able to properly wash up, in a safe place, away from constant tension and surveillance, was far too tempting.
Knox's offer felt like rain in the middle of a drought.