Muell’s triumphant cry somehow made Noah a little sad. She hugged him and mumbled melancholy, kissing him on the cheek, “What is this… Seems like you’re all grown up now.”

“But I’m only two years older, Noah.”

“If you’ve grown up to age five in three months, you’ll grow up faster, Muell. Take it slow for me.”

He had grown a little, but his tiny balled-up hands were still cute, and there were red marks on them like he had hit something. Noah lifted one of his hands to see where he was hurt, but Muell just smiled awkwardly and wiggled it.

“I… haven’t washed my hands.”

“…this looks like bloodstains though.” Noah erased the smile from her face. Not again!

Avoiding her gaze, Muell cried out in a hurry, “I didn’t hit anybody! I only hit the guy I was supposed to!”

“What? What do you m… oh, don’t tell me.”

While she and Kyle had been looking around the lab and the process, Muell had been in charge of Adrian. And Kyle was the one who’d told him so. Noah jerked her head and looked up at Kyle. Then she discovered him doing something he rarely did: avoiding her stare like Muell did.

“I have a rather militant style of interrogating. Especially with powerful criminals.”

Noah was speechless at his ridiculous explanation. Perhaps because of the time they’d spend together, Muell was starting to resemble Kyle.

“Hey, Noah. Actually,” Muell said, carefully tugging on her shirt. When she bent down to lean her ear closer to him, he whispered something.

“What?”

As soon as she heard it, her jaw fell wide open. Adrian was trying to do what? She couldn’t think anymore. Noah stood straight up and put Muell back onto her shoulder. 

“Where is the bastard held at!?”

***

“This is so funny. Where are you threatening to harm yourself?”

The door to the temporary detention center slammed open. A man leaning against the wall looked up to see who it was. The one who’d stormed in was none other than Noah, the woman who had once occupied Eleonora’s body and acted indifferently to him.

Standing below her knees was a black curly-haired dragon and behind her was the general manager of the Protection Bureau, who had no expression on his face.

“Where are you trying to play tricks on me?”

Noah entered the temporary detention center, bringing in cold air from outside. As she strode closer, she opened her mouth as if she were about to scream when she saw Adrian, but only blinked in bewilderment when she saw another man wiping his bloody lips and feet.

“Geez… You really beat him like a dog, Muell.”

“It was self-defense. He threatened you before! Whatever is dangerous to you is dangerous to me.” The young dragon, who had been punching him mercilessly a while ago, grasped onto Noah’s leg and showed his teeth toward him.

“Self-defense, yeah right. Where did you learn that word from…”

Sighing deeply, Noah approached closer. She reached out to grab Adrian’s chin, then turned his face to both sides. Adrian, who remained alert, was in better shape than the other Adrian, whose entire face was blue and swollen. She pushed the man’s body wiping his feet and squatted down in front of him, “Hey.”

“What…”

“You’re trying to die without anyone’s permission?”

Adrian delayed his response, only glancing up at Noah’s face. The beautiful woman, so different from Eleonora, held a lot of power in her eyes and grabbed him. “Psycho. Are you nuts? If you think you’re going to give up these past four months and run away cowardly by yourself…”

“Noah.”

“What, what!?”

“Be careful.”

“What?”

The other Adrian, who had been laid out on the floor like he was dead, lifted himself. Muell’s magic collided with his magic to crush barriers, and an intense spark flew out. It was right when the spark was about to strike Noah.

“Cover your ears, Noah.”

A deafening gunshot rang out in the tiny detention center that was less than the size of a public bathroom. And blood started to pour from Adrian’s waist, who had tried to get up while gritting his teeth. His latest model collapsed weakly to the ground.

With eyes full of anger, Kyle slid over to Noah and lifted her. 

“Let’s back away. I think we have to quarantine in another room anyway. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to face him directly.”

“Huh? No, hold on…” Noah pleaded something, but Kyle didn’t even pretend to hear and pulled her behind him. It was a move to block her from Adrian’s vision. Seeing him do that, something inside of Adrian stirred.

“…must be friends.”

There was a strange atmosphere between them even when she had occupied Eleonora’s body, but after Noah found her original body, they looked like lovers no matter what. Lovers. Adrian recounted the word inside his head. It was weird. Despite having always craved a lover, it was merely a word that rolled from the tip of his tongue.