Maybe it was because she'd only just come out of that northern blizzard, or maybe it was simply because she was an Ice-Make mage.
Either way, the moment her lips covered his, they were cold—like a sharp snowflake landing without warning on Shane's mouth.
The world seemed to be vacuumed hollow in that instant.
Shane's pupils shrank hard. Everything in his vision drained of color until only Ultear's eyes remained—so close they filled his world.
Those black irises were terrifyingly calm. No haze, no wavering—just clear, blunt focus, reflecting his stunned face like a mirror.
No warning. No build-up.
Just seconds ago, she'd looked thoughtful, aloof, like she was pondering something profound.
After what felt like a long time, she finally pushed him away.
But that small retreat didn't thaw the frozen air between them.
Ultear stood there, her cheeks showing not the slightest blush. Instead, her face was drawn tight, expression hard.
None of the softness she'd shown in her mother's arms.
Nothing like a girl who'd just given her first kiss.
"W-What… do you mean by that…?"
Shane's back was rigid against the bookshelf. His mind was a bowl of mush.
A moment ago he'd been imagining what it would be like to unlock Lancer's true name—then this sudden "attack" slammed him senseless.
Was she possessed by some unseen demon? Was it Hades' mind control?
Otherwise, how could Ultear—the one who always looked at him with a dead-cold face and spoke to him like he was gum on her shoe—do this?
In a heartbeat he imagined a hundred ridiculous explanations, and instinctively skipped the simplest one.
"Is it that hard to understand?"
Ultear tilted her head, looking at him like he was the strange one.
She asked softly. Her black hair slid down her cheek, veiling half her face in shadow, making her look even more unreadable.
She didn't give Shane a second to run or play dumb.
That icy, slender hand reached out. Her fingertips caught his jaw with pinpoint accuracy, and with a small, firm pressure, forced him to lift his head—to look straight into her eyes.
And then she came in again.
But this time it wasn't a fleeting brush.
Her lips—cold at first—had warmed from the contact, taking on Shane's heat, turning soft and hot.
Shane's eyes widened in disbelief, watching her long lashes tremble right in front of him.
Then that crisp, sweet scent unique to her spread through his mouth.
She was clumsy, but stubborn in a way that didn't care about dignity—like she was confirming something. Bit by bit, she deepened the kiss.
It wasn't gentle.
It was dizzying. Brazen. A possessiveness that made no sense and didn't need to.
In the library's hush, only their interlaced breathing remained.
Until the air in Shane's lungs began to run out, Ultear finally eased back, leaving only the tiniest gap—just enough for their eyes to snare each other.
Both of their eyes were glazed with lingering moisture.
A clear, silvery thread stretched between them—then snapped silently as the distance opened.
"Haa…"
Ultear released his chin, but her fingers didn't leave him. They slid up his skin slowly, then stopped at the corner of his mouth.
She lifted her thumb and wiped away a trace of wetness there—roughly, possessively, like staking a claim.
When she was done, she didn't step back.
She stayed so close their noses nearly touched.
Those deep, indifferent eyes were a predator's net, pinning down Shane's frantic, evasive gaze until he had nowhere to look but her.
Only after a long pause did she speak, flatly:
"Now… do you understand?"
I don't understand at all!
Shane wanted to shout it.
But under that cold beauty and aggressive pressure, his throat went dry and he couldn't force out a single word.
He tried to go limp and play dead.
Ultear narrowed her eyes, dangerous.
"And your answer?"
Shane swallowed, making one last desperate attempt.
"Y-You… got possessed by a demon?"
Ultear didn't blink.
She just watched him.
That wordless pressure was worse than any threat.
Under that stare, Shane crumpled immediately. His shoulders slumped, voice hoarse.
"Y-You… like me?"
He forced out the obvious answer.
"Wrong."
Ultear didn't soften. She stepped in again, fully sealing him between the bookshelf and her body.
"You know what I'm asking you to answer."
She kept advancing—breath-stealing.
Of course Shane knew what she wanted.
She'd already gone so far as to rip her heart open and shove it into his hands. Even if he was slow, he understood now.
But—
Erza's face flickered through his mind. Crimson hair. That blunt, earnest gaze.
Shane clenched his fingers, restless, thoughts tangled into a knot.
If he'd known it would turn into this, he would've never left Erza home alone to practice sword drills!
Even if he had to tie her up, he should've dragged her along!
If Erza were here—if she were even just standing nearby—Shane didn't believe Ultear would dare do this.
And yet the moment that thought formed, Shane felt a jolt of terror—
Because he knew Ultear.
If she'd truly made up her mind, then even if Erza were here, even if Ur were watching, Ultear would still do it with that same calm face.
At least… Erza wouldn't be as easy to ambush as Gray. She could probably stop her… right?
"And we still have to go home and tell Erza we're safe… and then…"
His brain spiraled into a storm of useless thoughts.
Staring at the girl in front of him—eyes stubborn, refusing to accept anything but what she wanted—Shane finally sighed like a man walking to the gallows.
"…I like you too."
Soft, but clear in the space between them.
He couldn't deny it.
This cold, nasty, occasionally fragile, impossibly stubborn bad woman—
He did have feelings for her he couldn't ignore.
Otherwise, with Shane's personality, he would've shoved her away and refused at the first second.
Hesitation itself was an answer.
At those words, the rigid tension in Ultear's face finally eased. The corner of her mouth curved into the faintest smile—barely there, but real.
"As expected…"
She knew him too well.
Slippery as an eel. If she didn't force him into a dead end, if she didn't block every escape route, he'd absolutely talk his way out with a thousand righteous excuses.
She wasn't as easy to fool as Erza.
Raised inside a dark guild—if she liked something, she'd use everything she had to take it.
Even so, after getting what she wanted…
Seeing the guilty, conflicted look on Shane's face still annoyed her.
He was definitely thinking about Erza right now.
Is liking me really that hard for you?
Ultear bit her lip, wanting to punch him.
But she also understood "too much is worse."
The prey was already in her web.
Now she couldn't tighten it too fast—she had to give him time to digest, and then… slowly reshape him into something that belonged to her.
"…Fine. I understand."
She drew in a breath, settled her emotions, and gave him the smile of a winner—casual, unbothered.
Then she turned and pushed the door open.
Warm air rushed in through the crack, lifting her black hair.
At the threshold, she paused without looking back.
"As for Erza… I don't mind."
"…If you can convince her to accept it too."
"Huh?"
Shane's brain was still rebooting. He didn't understand the abrupt, dangling words.
Don't mind? Convince her?
What did that even mean?
Was that a hint… or a declaration of war?
And after he'd forced himself to face his own feelings and answer her, why was this her reaction?
No explanation—just leaving?
Before he could chase her with questions, her slender back was already gone beyond the doorway.
Only one light sentence drifted back on the wind:
"I'll be waiting at the station… don't bring Gray."
~~~
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