Knox had finally settled on a name for his second identity. Jin.
When Knox announced it, Nefthis blinked once, then nodded in approval—though her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as if she sensed there was some deeper meaning behind the name. Still, she didn't pry. She simply accepted it with a small, knowing smile.
With that, the recruitment was officially wrapped up.
Before Nefthis and Jane could leave, Knox raised a hand casually.
"Before you go—how about dinner? I mean, you've already had drinks and cake. Might as well complete the set, right?"
The reaction was instant.
Nefthis' eyes sparkled. Actually sparkled.
Her head bobbed up and down so fast it left an afterimage, like a chibi character glitching in excitement.
Jane, in contrast, maintained her calm expression… but if one looked closely, her eyes carried a faint glimmer of expectation. The corner of her lips even curled upward by a barely noticeable millimeter—so small it might've been an illusion.
Knox placed the last plate on the table—a vibrant golden-orange paella, steam gently rising from its surface, the aroma rich enough to make anyone's stomach rumble. Beside it, two glasses of iced tea glistened with tiny droplets of condensation.
The moment Nefthis sat down, her eyes widened almost comically.
"Whoaa… it looks so good…" she whispered, a thin line of drool threatening to escape before she quickly wiped it with the back of her hand.
Jane maintained her usual cool façade… except her eyes never once left the paella. And if someone had a magnifying glass, they would see the tiny, almost invisible upward curl on her lips.
"Please enjoy," Knox said with a bright smile, taking his own seat.
They didn't need to be told twice.
The instant the spoons touched the rice, the sound of quiet, almost reverent munching filled the room. Nefthis devoured the paella with sparkling eyes, swinging her legs like a child enjoying her first candy. Jane ate calmly, elegantly—but her pace betrayed her. For someone with such a composed personality, she was finishing her plate very fast.
Before long, the large pan of paella was completely empty. Not a grain of rice survived.
Nefthis let out a satisfied sigh, slumping back in her chair.
"This is… insanely good…" she muttered, already reaching for her glass of iced tea. "If I lived here, I'd definitely become useless in a week."
Jane slowly turned her head toward her so-called leader, expression flat, silent, utterly speechless—as if she wanted to say, "You're already useless."
"Alright, we should go," Jane said as she stood up.
"Noooo! Five more minutes! I want dessert!" Nefthis protested, grabbing onto the chair like a child refusing to leave a playground.
Jane's eyebrow twitched. "We are leaving. Now."
"Noooo—"
Without another word, Jane grabbed Nefthis by the collar like lifting a misbehaving cat.
"H-hey!! Jane!! Put me down!! Knox, help meee!!"
Knox waved cheerfully. "Take care on your way home~"
"Knox!! Traitooooor—!!"
The door closed behind them, leaving Knox alone in the suddenly quiet house.
He stretched, letting out a small breath.
"Well… that was fun."
Knox finished cleaning up the plates and utensils, humming a little as he washed the last pan. Once the kitchen was spotless again, he headed to his room to pack—clothes, essentials, notebooks, and a few cooking tools he refused to leave behind.
Tomorrow, he'd be heading out with Nefthis and Jane.
By the next morning, Knox stood in front of his house, fully prepared and lightly stretching as he waited. The air was cool, the sky still soft with dawn.
A moment later, two familiar figures appeared at the end of the street.
"We're heeere!" Nefthis called, waving both hands energetically as she jogged over.
Jane followed behind her, expression calm as always—but Knox noticed her faint nod of greeting, a quiet acknowledgment that she was ready as well.
"Alright! Let's go!" Nefthis declared with bright enthusiasm.
The very next second, a magic circle lit up beneath their feet—blue, intricate, and humming with mana.
"…Teleportation?" Knox muttered.
Before he could say more, the world around them dissolved into light.
When Knox opened his eyes again, everything had changed.
He was standing inside a room—no, a bedroom—but not at all what he expected from Kizen or the Dark Alliance. Instead of gloomy walls or necromantic motifs… the place was overflowing with cute, colorful decorations. Plushies lined the shelves, pastel ribbons hung near the curtains, and the entire atmosphere felt warm, soft, and pinkish.
It was the last kind of room he expected to ever appear in.
A faint shiver crept up Knox's spine.
…Why does this room feel like it's radiating Elysia energy?
He could almost—almost—hear a cheerful "Hiii~!" echoing somewhere in the air.
Knox blinked twice.
"…Where the hell am I?" he whispered.
Suddenly, a girl's voice—one that sounded about the same age as Knox—slipped into the room.
"Hmm? Who's there…?" She sounded sleepy, like someone who had just woken up.
Knox turned toward the voice.
That's when he saw her: black hair, crimson eyes, and a faintly dazed expression.
Honestly, Knox was a little stunned. He didn't usually run into girls his age, let alone ones who looked like this. He already knew Lorain was beautiful—he'd seen her in the manhwa, and even the novel's illustrations. But seeing her in person was something else entirely.
In fact, the manhwa and illustrations didn't do her justice. Not even close.
Maybe it was because Lorain was still this young, but right now, she looked more cute than beautiful.
Nefthis suddenly clapped her hands. "Lorain! Why are you still sleeping?! Wake up!"
A sleepy voice answered from the bed, muffled under a blanket. "Mmm… Mom? Jane? And… who…?"
Knox stepped forward with a small smile. "Hello. My name's Knox Aznable—you can just call me Knox. Your mother and Sister Jane brought me here."
"...Sister Jane?" Jane cut in sharply, blinking at him.
Knox tilted his head. "Yeah? Is that weird?"
Jane looked away, a bit too quickly. "Not at all. You may call me however you like."
If you paid attention, the corner of her lips had lifted—just a little—clearly pleased.
Lorain finally pushed herself upright, her black hair a total mess, crimson eyes still hazy with sleep. She squinted at Knox for a second. "Knox… You look familiar."
Nefthis sighed dramatically. "Of course he looks familiar. You literally sleep next to his books. Look—beside your pillow. You've been hugging them since last night."
Knox glanced at the books Nefthis pointed to—and yes, they were his. Actual physical copies of the novels he had written.
Lorain followed his gaze, and the moment she realized what they were—what they meant—her eyes snapped fully awake.
Her sleepiness evaporated instantly.
She shot to her feet, practically teleporting in front of him.
"WAIT—YOU'RE KNOX AZNABLE?! The White Devil?! The White Comet?! And—more importantly—that GENIUS WRITER?!"
She thrust one of his books forward with both hands. "AUTOGRAPH, PLEASE!"
Knox froze for half a second, startled. Then he caught the title of the book she was holding.
Your Lie in April.
He almost laughed.
"Sure thing," he said, giving her a bright, genuinely cheerful smile.
He took the book, opened the cover, and signed it. Then he added a little extra—because why not?
To the cute and beautiful Lorain, who shines like a starry night.
And beside it, he quickly sketched a chibi version of her.
When he handed it back, Lorain beamed, practically glowing. Then she noticed the drawing.
"It's so cute!" she squeaked.
But as soon as she read the personalized sentence, her entire face turned bright red. She snapped her gaze away, ears burning.
"T-thank you very much…" she mumbled.
Nefthis watched her daughter with an unmistakable, smug auntie-like smile. "Ho ho…"
Knox, meanwhile, simply assumed Lorain was reacting like any excited fan meeting her favorite author for the first time.
Nefthis suddenly cut in with a mischievous lilt in her voice.
"Knox, just so you know—Lorain cried at the ending of that book. The moment Kaori died, she bawled her eyes out. She even considered sending you a razor." Her smile turned downright evil.
"Mom!! W–WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" Lorain's face turned scarlet in an instant.
Nefthis burst into laughter, and just like that, the chase began—Lorain lunging at her mother like a tiny, furious cat while Nefthis dodged with the elegance of a 'grown woman' who had done this many times before. It looked absurdly childish.
Jane watched the scene unfold with a blank expression. Knox couldn't help but laugh.
At the sound of Knox laughing, Lorain froze mid-pursuit. She straightened up, cleared her throat, then asked,
"Anyway… why are you all here?"
Knox answered honestly, "Well, before I realized it, we were suddenly teleported here. You can ask your mother—she's the one who did it."
Lorain slowly turned her head toward Nefthis, eyes narrowing like she was firing lasers.
Nefthis coughed once, then pointed at Knox with all the confidence of someone pretending nothing was wrong.
"I brought you… a friend!"
"A friend?" Lorain repeated, glancing at Knox.
Knox nodded lightly. "I'd like to be your friend, of course. But before that, I think a proper explanation is needed."
.
.
.
Knox explained everything: his "special ability" that allowed him to raise a shadow army, the circumstances of Nefthis recruiting him, and the matter of his soon-to-be second identity.
Lorain listened in stunned silence. By the end, she looked shocked… but also genuinely happy.
Seeing her daughter smile like that, Nefthis was convinced she'd made the right decision.
In fact, she was already thinking she hadn't just brought home a new friend for Lorain—
she might have brought home a future son-in-law.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Loraine: About Sending Razors
Loraine: Hmm… I heard that if you don't like a novel, some readers try to send razors to the author?
Loraine: But… why razors? Why not… daggers? (￣▽￣)✧
Knox: (;￣Д￣)