Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"So… that's what happened." Ariana muttered under her breath after hearing Adrian narration of the whole incident from this morning.

They were in the cafeteria like everyone else, quietly having lunch.

Ariana had woken up late, exhausted from all the traveling. When she finally got up, she overheard bits and pieces from others about some kind of clash between Sarah and Ruby.

Curious, she asked Adrian about it… and to her surprise, the reason for their fight was him.

Ruby had done exactly what Ariana had always wanted to do—she confronted Sarah for tormenting Adrian in the past.

At first, Ariana felt satisfied hearing that. But then came the part she didn't expect.

Apparently… Ruby had confessed to him.

"Are you upset?" Adrian asked hesitantly, absently rolling a bean around his plate with his fork.

Ariana shook her head. "I already knew about her feelings for you. So no, I'm not upset."

She turned to him. "And what was your reaction? What did you say?"

Adrian let out a small sigh. "She ran off after confessing. But… if she brings it up again, I'm going to reject her."

Ariana blinked at him but kept quiet.

They finished their meal in silence before Ariana finally spoke. "Want to look around town a little?"

Adrian thought for a moment. "Anything special?"

A slight flush crept onto her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean… it's been a while since we went out. So… if you're free."

Only then did Adrian realize what an oblivious idiot he'd been for not noticing her intentions sooner.

He did have some work to do—mostly related to team strategy—but still, he said, "No work. Give me an hour, and we'll go."

Ariana smiled. "Great. I'll wait for you at the entrance."

---

After they parted, Adrian went back to his room to shower and change.

If he was going on a date with Ariana, he had to look presentable. He hadn't bathed since morning training, and that was the real reason he asked for an hour.

"Haah~" he exhaled in relief as he lowered himself into the warm pool.

The heat seeped into his tired muscles, loosening every knot of tension.

A few minutes in, his eyes drifted to the dimensional group chat. That's when he remembered—he'd promised Forgelet ten tracking devices.

'Shoot…' His stomach sank. Things were awkward with Ruby now… how was he supposed to ask her for help?

"...Man, why is there no one else with the Darkness element around here?" he muttered, closing his eyes. He decided to think about it after his date with Ariana.

…

Ariana strolled down the gallery, her steps light but her mind tangled. She had changed into something more comfortable—soft fabric, loose sleeves—so she could wander freely with Adrian around town.

But the conversation they'd had that morning still lingered in her head.

Him telling her about Ruby's confession… for some reason, it didn't sting as much as she had expected.

Maybe it was because she and Ruby had grown into good friends? Or because she understood, better than anyone, how far that girl would go for Adrian? Was it something like kinship?

She couldn't tell.

But the thought made her question herself—was she really fine with her man being close to other women?

That idea crumbled the moment she remembered the afternoon, when she saw Adrian talking to a female professor from Blackthorn Academy. She had smiled politely at the time, but in truth, she'd been gripping her fork so tightly she almost imagined driving it into flesh instead of a carrot.

So no… she could still get jealous. Fiercely so.

Then why was she strangely fine with him being close to Ruby… and even Annabelle? What was this feeling?

Her thoughts spun until—

"Huh?" Ariana stopped mid-step, blinking.

It was almost like she had been thinking about Ruby so intently that she had summoned her into existence.

"Hmm—ah!" Ruby's eyes widened too when she spotted her.

The girl had been looking for the cafeteria when she came across that familiar silver hair.

Both froze for a moment.

Awkward…

Ruby awkwardly raised a hand. "Hey… how are you?"

The redhead was certain Adrian must have already told Ariana about what happened that morning.

Ariana let out a small sigh, sensing the stiffness between them. "You didn't… assault Adrian, right?"

Ruby's eyes widened, flustered. "Wha—no! Why would you even think that?"

"I mean, I've never seen you act so…"

"Timid?" Ruby guessed.

"Awkward," Ariana corrected with a faint smirk. "Shall we talk for a bit?"

Ruby hesitated, then slowly nodded.

And so, the two women began walking side by side—an uneasy silence stretching between them, filled with unspoken questions neither was quite ready to voice.

After a brief pause, Ariana asked, "Do you want to say something?"

Ruby glanced at her. She wasn't sure if Ariana was the right person to talk to about this—yet, given how close Ariana was to Adrian, maybe she was the only person she could say it to.

In the end, Ruby exhaled and said, "I… just want things to go back to how they were before today."

Ariana tilted her head. "So… you regret confessing to him?"

"Yes. I do. I feel like… Adrian's just going to completely ignore me now."

"And why do you think that?" Ariana pressed.

Ruby's lips twisted into a helpless smile. "Your man is… pretty loyal, you know. I've thrown a few hints here and there—and, yeah, I didn't know you two were already together at the time—but he always kept his distance. Made it clear what he thought of me and what would happen if I pushed too far."

Ariana couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. She'd always known he was loyal… but hearing it from Ruby herself, knowing he'd pushed her away, made her chest feel unexpectedly lighter.

Ruby let out a quiet sigh. "Because of my feelings… I don't want him to distance himself from me. I just… don't want that."

Ariana understood. Ruby had made a move, and now she believed she'd ruined everything.

And… she might be right.

For a while, Ariana said nothing, then asked, "So… you want me to help you make him forget what happened this morning, huh?"

"Please… I'm begging you. I'll do anything you want," Ruby said, turning toward her.

Ariana hummed in thought, but before she could respond, a familiar voice called out.

"Ariana?"

She turned and saw Adrian walking toward her.

When she glanced back in front of her… Ruby was gone.

She had run off without a word.

Ariana let out a slow breath. 'Such a shy girl.'