"No," Wednesday suddenly spoke, interrupting his attempt.
Her gaze remained fixed on the corridor ahead; she didn't look at him, nor did she pull her hand away.
Her tone sounded the same as usual, characterized by the absolute rationality of discussing experimental data:
"There is no need to waste energy on such meaningless micromanagement. Current physical contact does not affect movement efficiency or analytical thinking."
Her voice was steady, but if one listened very closely, perhaps a trace of an almost imperceptible, tiny tremor could be detected beneath that icy tone.
Azem Gray paused for a moment before relaxing, even subconsciously tightening his grip on her hand slightly.
"Alright."
He smiled, his tone becoming relaxed and even a bit curious.
"To be honest... holding your hand like this feels quite... strange. But not bad."
Wednesday didn't respond; she simply resumed her pace, continuing to lead him forward.
However, those fingers being held, hidden within her sleeve, curled very slightly.
The two of them remained silent as they crossed the dense, gloomy woods behind the academy, finally arriving at the location Xavier had hinted at through his prophetic paintings—
The entrance to a pitch-black cave emitting the scent of damp earth and an unknown aura.
A cold wind blew slowly out of the cave, carrying an unsettling hissing sound.
The relaxation on Azem Gray's face vanished instantly, replaced by a subconscious alertness.
He took a step forward, unobtrusively releasing Wednesday's hand to place his body between her and the cave entrance.
"Stay close to me."
His voice dropped low, and those eyes that were always dancing with madness or playful light now sharply scanned every shadow of the entrance.
"Let's go. Let's see what's actually hiding inside."
Taking the lead, he was the first to bend down and crawl into that dense darkness.
Wednesday followed behind, looking at his back as he unhesitatingly shielded her, and at Riot atop his head, who had temporarily quieted down and was also alertly sensing their surroundings.
Her pale lips pursed slightly, and an extremely complex, hard-to-read glimmer flickered in the depths of her dark eyes.
Then, without a word, she followed him quietly and swiftly into the unknown darkness.
The light inside the cave was dim, and the air was thick with dust and the rank smell of some beast's residue.
Azem Gray switched on a flashlight, the beam sweeping across the cave walls and floor.
"Wow~" He let out a flippant whistle at the sight before him.
The flashlight beam settled on rusted metal shackles, deep claw marks on the rock walls, and several broken, twisted claws scattered on the ground.
"Look what we've found. It seems our Mr. Hyde has been a guest here more than once, enjoying some rather unfriendly 'hospitality.'"
He crouched down, his nostrils flaring slightly as he carefully sniffed the lingering scent in the air.
"No smell of disinfectant or cold metal... this isn't the Plague Doctor's handiwork."
He frowned, trying to distinguish the scents.
"Only Hyde's sweet, delicious scent... and another person's. It's faint, but it's there. It seems someone else is holding Hyde's leash."
He took a deep breath through his nose, a look of confusion appearing on his face:
"Strange... that other person's scent... I feel like I've smelled it somewhere before?"
Wednesday crouched down behind him, her gloved fingertips carefully picking up a broken claw, using the light to inspect the cut closely.
"Take it back for DNA comparison. There might be a lead in the police missing persons or criminal databases."
Her voice was as calm as ever, as if she were collecting ordinary experimental specimens.
"Good idea!"
Azem Gray also picked up a larger broken claw with a grin, weighing it in his hand, his eyes shining.
"Though I think its better destiny is to become part of my private collection! Look at this curve! This sharpness! If I polish it and set it on a picture frame or the dorm fireplace as a decoration, it would be perfect!"
"A creature like a Hyde is quite rare and unusual, isn't it?"
He even started gesturing.
"It would be even cooler if I could get its entire skull to hang up!"
Hearing this, Wednesday glanced at him. There was no disapproval on her pale face; instead, she gave an extremely slight nod, her tone even carrying a rare hint of near-appreciative agreement:
"Excellent aesthetic. It possesses a primitive and direct deterrent of death."
Having received validation, the smile on Azem Gray's face grew even brighter.
However, this 'Gothic harmony' didn't last more than a few seconds.
The smile on Azem Gray's face suddenly froze, his eyes went blank as if his attention had been instantly snatched away, and a sentence completely unrelated to the current scene blurted out in a swaying tone:
"Oh, my god... Enid... you look... so beautiful in that..."
The cave instantly fell into a dead silence.
Only the dust motes floating in the flashlight beam danced soundlessly.
Wednesday slowly—extremely slowly—turned her head, her deep gaze like two frozen lakes, silently locking onto Azem Gray.
Azem Gray snapped back to his senses, realizing what he had said, and immediately rubbed his nose awkwardly:
"Uh... Sorry! The language function synchronized again! Let me see what's going on over there..."
He closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating on sensing the other end of the shared consciousness.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes, his tone carrying a bit of helpless admiration and a hint of boastfulness he hadn't even noticed himself:
"Oh... Enid and I are picking out dresses for the dance tomorrow night... um... honestly... that dress... really is... quite beautiful..."
His voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke, because the way Wednesday was staring at him was no longer just cold; it was almost about to condense into physical icicles.
Survival instinct made him try to compensate, squeezing out a bright and foolish smile as he abruptly changed the subject:
"Hey! Wednesday! I mean... look! A dance! Let's go too? We should go buy a formal outfit too! What do you think?"
Wednesday's brow suddenly furrowed, as if she had heard something completely preposterous.
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