On the third day, when Kaito opened the door, he saw a scene of preparation.
Gold City was sitting in a chair, with her legs together and her hands on her knees, in a standard posture, like a soldier preparing for an inspection.
Her face was covered in a layer of frost and her eyes stared out the window with indifference, as if Kaito were just an invisible and non-existent person.
"Oh, intimidating me?, yesterday's mistake made her very unhappy"
Kaito noticed her feigned hardness at a glance.
He did not begin working immediately like the previous two days; instead, he stood in front of her, observing her in silence.
The air remained quiet for a few seconds.
Gold City felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and finally couldn't help but speak coldly.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and start working, tool man"
Kaito was not provoked by her words.
Instead, he smiled slightly and said in a soft and serious voice, one he had never used before.
"Miss Gold City, today we are not going to talk about massages"
Gold City was stunned.
Kaito looked into her golden eyes, which were trying to hide everything with coldness, and said clearly, word for word.
"You aren't afraid of pain, what you truly fear is never being able to return to the stage you love so much, isn't it?"
These words were like an invisible, sharp scalpel that precisely cut through the layers of her hard shell to reach her softest, most fragile core.
Gold City's face turned pale instantly.
She suddenly stood up from the chair, her golden eyes contracting violently, her voice becoming sharp with agitation.
"You... what nonsense are you saying! I don't understand what you're saying!"
"No, you do understand"
Kaito did not back down; instead, he took a small step forward, his gaze filled with pity.
"You're afraid of not winning again, afraid of disappointing those who cheered for you, and even more afraid of failing your once invincible self"
"This fear is a hundred, a thousand times more painful than your ankle injury, it seeps into your body like a toxin, making every muscle, every nerve, every moment feel like a taut bowstring, unable to find a second of peace"
"Shut up! Shut up! I told you to shut up!"
Gold City's emotions spiraled completely out of control.
She flailed her arms like a wounded young beast, trying to scream away the man who had peered into her deepest secret.
Kaito did not dodge.
He reached out and before Gold City's fist could land, he gently covered her knuckles, which were white from the effort, with an irresistible tenderness.
"Trust me and... trust yourself"
At the moment of contact, Kaito thought silently.
"System, use all the energy!"
[Instruction confirmed, temporarily activating... Intermediate Masculine Pheromones]
A scent several times stronger than before, yet richer, warmer, and more relaxing—like a substantial warm current—instantly enveloped Gold City from where they touched.
Kaito's voice seemed to possess magic, ringing in her ear and also in her heart:
"Your body, your soul... both long to run again"
"Pat-a"
A hot tear rolled down Gold City's eye and landed on Kaito's hand.
After that came a second, a third...
All her strength, all her disguise, all her pride and pretense were, in that moment, completely shattered by those soft words and that warm aura.
"Ugh..."
A suppressed sob escaped her throat.
The next second, she couldn't hold on any longer and suddenly threw herself into Kaito's arms, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, burying her face deep in his chest, crying out loud like a girl who had been lost for a long time and finally found her way home.
"Uf... Waaahhhhhh—!"
Her cries were filled with pain, reluctance, fear, and the release that came from being understood.
Kaito's body tensed and then became incredibly soft.
He gave a few gentle, clumsy pats to her back, which wouldn't stop shaking, letting her tears soak his shirt.
"Cry, it will be better once you cry"
[Ding!]
The long-awaited system notification rang in Kaito's mind, like celebratory fireworks!
[Congratulations, host! The psychological defense of the target Gold City has been completely breached and trust has reached 100%]
[Target completely healed! Physical and mental status evaluation: Perfect!"]
[Obtained a large amount of healing points! System upgrade... Upgrade complete! Current Level: Lv.2!]
Kaito comforted the girl in his arms, who was weeping inconsolably, feeling her transition from extreme tension to complete relaxation, and an unprecedented sense of achievement welled up in his heart.
However, the system message did not end there.
[System upgrade reward: You have obtained the passive bond skill]
[Crisis Intuition LV1 (passive): You can vaguely perceive malice, hostility, or heavy scrutiny from your surroundings]
The moment Crisis Intuition activated, Kaito's hand, which was holding Gold City, paused slightly.
He subconsciously looked up, his gaze passing through the door of the isolation room.
He felt a gaze from the corner of the hallway, not far from the door.
That gaze contained no malice, but it was filled with a grand and condescending scrutiny, and an undisguised curiosity about everything happening inside the room.