"What's your relationship with Shin Keir?" Yeri asked bluntly.
Loki chuckled. "Who are you calling Shin Keir? So distant with your own fiancée?"
Yeri shot him a glare.
No wonder he had insisted on sitting next to her on his very first day after transferring. She had thought he was just a weirdo and hadn't overanalyzed it. Now it was clear, she should have.
After all, what kind of student transferred at this point in the semester, when graduation was just around the corner?
"The boss was worried you might be getting bullied at school," Loki muttered. "So he asked me to check."
"Bullied?" Nina immediately bristled. She stood straighter, hands on her hips. "Am I invisible to you? With me here, who would dare bully Yz?"
Loki shrugged, completely unfazed by being exposed.
"So… he just wanted to check on me, not spy?" Yeri asked.
Instead of answering directly, Loki glanced at her, then shook his head. "I really don't get what the boss sees in you. Maybe it's because you're the complete opposite of him."
He eyed her critically. "You're so weak you look like you'd choke just by drinking water."
"Who are you cursing?!" Nina slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"I'm just telling the truth," Loki replied, looking like a child being scolded rather than a grown man.
Yeri's mouth twitched.
Weirdo aside, what was truly infuriating was that Loki had already adapted to school life with terrifying speed and could even keep up with the lessons.
Levi quickly gestured for Nina to sit down. Since Loki was clearly sent under Shin Keir's orders, at the very least, he didn't seem to harbor malicious intent.
Out of curiosity, Levi asked, "So, Loki… how old are you?"
Loki paused mid-bite, fries hovering in the air. He frowned, clearly thinking hard.
"Hmm… should be thirty-two." He tilted his head. "No, wait- what year is it now?" After a moment, he nodded solemnly. "I think I'm thirty. Not more than thirty-five."
The three of them "..."
Nina scanned him from head to toe, even more irritated. Was it just her, or did he look younger than she did?
Yeri also remained unconvinced. He just didn't want to tell them his real age, right?
Before long, the topic shifted.
Loki began offering unsolicited tips on fighting stances, which immediately captured Nina's attention, given her interest in martial arts. He also showed surprising enthusiasm for online games, effortlessly engaging Levi in discussion.
None of this escaped Yeri's notice. Loki had seamlessly befriended the two of them without even trying.
As expected of Shin Keir's people, she thought.
Even so, she pulled out her phone and sent Shin a message.
She fully expected a barrage of excuses, something along the lines of 'for your own safety' or 'because I'm worried about you.'
The reply she received, however, made her question the very foundation of their relationship.
[Shin]: Loki gets bored easily and keeps bothering others. They couldn't take it anymore, so I sent him to a new environment. Just bear with him.
Yeri stared at the screen.
She didn't know whether she should be angry… or embarrassed.
A new environment?
What did he think school was, some kind of training camp?
And why did it sound like he expected her to take care of his subordinate instead?
Yeri was so taken aback that she didn't know how to respond. By the time she gathered her thoughts, lunch break was already over.
But then, why had Loki said he was there to check on her? Was that truly Shin Keir's intention or just an excuse?
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Eventually, she decided not to dwell on it. Since Loki hadn't interfered with her studies or caused any trouble, she decided to let it go.
---
After school, Yeri casually scrolled through her phone. One message in particular made her eyes light up.
Without hesitation, she said goodbye to Nina and Levi and hurried toward the school gate.
There, she saw a familiar figure she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Sister Lianna!" Yeri exclaimed, quickening her pace.
Lianna, dressed in a fitted brown women's suit, turned at the sound of her voice. When she saw Yeri, her face softened into a warm smile.
"You look great," Yeri said, unable to stop herself from studying her. "How have you been? I mean… are you okay? Where have you been all this time?"
Lianna laughed lightly and patted Yeri's shoulder.
"I'm fine. Truly." After a brief pause, she asked, "Do you have time today? I'd like to treat you to a meal."
Yeri didn't hesitate but rather than a restaurant, she preferred a café.
So the two went to a quiet café nearby, one with only a handful of customers.
Once seated, Lianna chuckled as she noticed Yeri glancing at her again and again, eyes brimming with questions.
"Thank you, really..." Lianna said softly at last. "For reaching out to Sean and helping me understand him better." Her voice wavered, and her eyes grew moist. "If not for that… we wouldn't be on the same page now. I can't even imagine what might've happened."
Yeri didn't need to ask what she meant.
It was enough to know that the misunderstanding had been resolved.
"How is he now?" Yeri asked gently.
Lianna smiled. "He's doing well at school. Much more enthusiastic than before."
Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Actually, I wrote a response to the note you left in his book just in case you ever saw him again. But I suppose that never happened." She paused, curiosity flickering across her face. "Still, I'm wondering… how did you know I could read a foreign language?"
Yeri was momentarily puzzled.
Tristan had sealed her memories as a succubus, naturally, she no longer remembered curing Lianna's depression, nor the fragments of Lianna's life she had once seen. Including the fact that Lianna could read a foreign language.
Those memories were gone.
Yeri tilted her head slightly. There was only a vague sense of something missing, like trying to recall a dream that had already slipped away.
How had she known?
"I think… you must've told me at some point," Yeri said uncertainly. "I just can't remember when."
"That's fine," Lianna replied easily. "It's not important anyway." She had long assumed she must have mentioned it before. "As for the note I wrote, it was simply to thank you."
Yeri nodded, stirring her coffee slowly as she observed Lianna.
She wanted to say it, that she looked like a completely different person now. Her aura, her clothing, her expression… most of all, the light in her eyes.
There were no forced smiles, no hollow despair. She looked vibrant. But Yeri held herself back. Lianna probably didn't want to be reminded of her darkest days.
Unexpectedly, it was Lianna who took the initiative.
"Yeri, believe it or not," Lianna said, her voice trembling with barely contained excitement, "I can see normally now. The world isn't vague or blurry anymore! I meant the colors are clear."
She laughed softly, half in disbelief, half in joy. "I never thought there'd come a day when my eyesight would improve without even seeing an ophthalmologist. I also went back to my psychiatrist, and she was shocked by my progress." Her eyes glistened. "No, she even said I might already be in full recovery. Just a few more follow-ups, to be sure."
Yeri felt genuinely happy for her. Lianna's depression had once been severe, but she had survived it and chosen to give herself another chance was nothing short of remarkable.
As their conversation continued, the name Zahn Neri inevitably surfaced.
"I want to divorce him," Lianna sneered lightly, though bitterness lingered beneath her calm. "But he's gotten very good at hiding lately."
Back then, he had forced her to stay on a remote island, convinced she would eventually change her mind. But after their last conversation ended in quiet despair, he must have realized there was no point keeping her there. He brought her back to the city and then vanished.
Since then, Zahn Neri avoided her like she was a plague.
If anything, they were back to square one. No lawyer dared take her divorce case.
Lianna knew exactly what he was doing, dragging the matter out until she grew exhausted, until she stopped insisting.
If that was his plan, then he shouldn't blame her for being heartless. If he wanted to use his family's influence to restrain her, then she would respond in kind, with leverage he couldn't afford to ignore.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Yeri asked earnestly.
Lianna shook her head. "No need." A small smile curved her lips. "I enrolled in a short piano course today. And once this year's college entrance exams open, I plan to take them and return to college."
Yeri smiled for her but worry crept in as well.
The Neri family's influence was like a lingering shadow. If they truly wanted to stop Lianna from pursuing her studies, they could easily place obstacle after obstacle in her path.
"Actually…" Lianna hesitated, then reached into her bag. "There is something I need your help with."
"If I can, I'll do my best," Yeri replied without hesitation.
Lianna handed her a USB drive. "Can you give this to CEO Keir? Just tell him, it's what I promised from our conversation before."
She decided not to go to KGG herself. She have a feeling Zahn Neri has people watching her.
Yeri accepted the USB, then tried to lighten the mood. "Sister Lianna, you trust me too much. What if I peek at what's inside?"
Lianna shrugged. "That's fine. You can look if you want. It doesn't matter to me anymore." Her gaze sharpened slightly. "But it's something the Neri family would go to great lengths to make sure it never sees the light of day."
Yeri's smile vanished. Suddenly, the USB in her palm felt scorching hot.
What kind of conspiracy did she just get dragged into?
Seeing her reaction, Lianna suddenly laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Look at your face! Hahaha~"
Yeri pouted. But at the same time, she was startled. Lianna joking like this, so freely, so naturally was something she hadn't expected.
She had truly changed or perhaps this had always been the real Lianna.