"You two started something fun without me?!"
Olivia's voice rang out from above, sharp and full of accusation.
Lily instinctively looked up.
Olivia was leaning halfway out of the window, her hair slightly disheveled, one side flattened from sleep. Her expression hovered somewhere between betrayal and irritation.
For a brief moment, Lily felt a flicker of guilt.
Then she glanced at Kane—
—and that feeling disappeared immediately.
He didn't even react.
No, that wasn't quite right.
He heard her.
He just didn't care.
Kane stood there, completely absorbed in his own thoughts, the corners of his lips curling upward into something that could only be described as dangerously pleased.
The wish.
Lily's expression tightened.
He was still thinking about it.
Of course he was.
That stupid bet…
She clicked her tongue quietly.
Olivia, clearly unsatisfied with being ignored, pulled herself fully out of the window.
Before Lily could even process what she was doing—
Olivia jumped.
A rush of air, a brief drop—
—and then thud.
Her landing was clean, but not subtle. Dust burst outward from beneath her feet, scattering across the yard in a loose cloud.
"I also want to fight!" Olivia declared, brushing her hands off as if she hadn't just thrown herself out of a window.
Lily blinked.
Kane turned.
Their eyes met for a fraction of a second—
—and then, in perfect sync:
"Fight him/her."
They both pointed.
At each other.
Silence.
A beat passed.
Then Lily frowned. "What? Why me?"
Kane didn't hesitate. "You haven't fought yet."
"I just fought you," Lily shot back. "And I don't even have mana right now."
That wasn't an excuse.
It was a fact.
Her reserves hadn't recovered yet. She could force something out if she really tried, but it would be sloppy—and more importantly, pointless.
Kane shrugged, completely unmoved. "Not my problem. I won. I decide."
Lily stared at him.
"…That's not how it works."
"That's exactly how it works."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
Olivia looked from one to the other.
At first, she waited.
Then she frowned.
Then she tried to speak—
"Hey—"
Ignored.
Lily stepped closer to Kane. "Winning doesn't mean you get to control everything."
"It literally does when there's a bet involved."
"That wasn't part of the agreement!"
"It didn't have to be."
"That makes no sense!"
"It makes perfect sense."
Their voices rose, overlapping, colliding—
—and Olivia slowly stopped trying.
Her expression flattened.
"…Hello?"
Nothing.
They didn't even glance at her.
It was like she wasn't there anymore.
Like she had been erased from the situation entirely.
Olivia's eye twitched.
For a brief moment, she considered forcing her way into the argument.
Then she exhaled slowly.
No.
This wasn't worth it.
Not when they were like this.
By the time their argument finally burned itself out, it didn't end with a conclusion—
It just… stopped.
Like both of them suddenly realized they were wasting energy.
"…Let's just go out," Lily muttered.
"Yeah," Kane agreed instantly.
Olivia stared at them.
"…You're both unbelievable."
The decision was made just like that.
No resolution.
No apology.
No fight.
Just a complete shift, as if the previous ten minutes hadn't even happened.
Lily wasn't sure whether that annoyed her more—or relieved her.
They left the house not long after.
Behind them, the yard remained in quiet ruin.
Scattered dirt, faint scorch marks, patches of disturbed ground—
A silent record of what had just happened.
A group of maids stood nearby, already beginning the cleanup.
One of them paused, watching the trio leave.
"…Again," she muttered under her breath.
Another sighed, picking up a broken piece of debris. "At least nothing exploded this time."
"That we know of," a third added dryly.
They exchanged looks.
None of them said it out loud—
But the thought was shared.
Young miss has questionable taste in friends.
The capital was alive.
The transition was immediate.
From the contained chaos of the estate to the open, flowing movement of the streets—
It always felt like stepping into a different world.
Lily walked slightly ahead, her gaze drifting across the surroundings.
Shops lined the streets, their displays carefully arranged to catch attention. Vendors called out to passersby, their voices blending into a constant hum of activity.
It was… normal.
Ordinary.
And for some reason, that made it feel almost unreal.
Her thoughts drifted.
To the fight.
To Kane.
To the wish.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
She hadn't forgotten.
Not even a little.
If anything, the more time passed, the more it lingered in the back of her mind like an unfinished sentence.
What was he going to ask?
That was the real problem.
Not if—
what.
Because knowing Kane, it wouldn't be simple.
It wouldn't be reasonable.
It would be—
Annoying.
Her lips pressed together.
She needed to be careful.
Very careful.
"Lily?"
She blinked.
Olivia had stopped in front of a shop, looking back at her.
"Oh—sorry," Lily said, refocusing.
Olivia tilted her head slightly, then shrugged. "Come on."
The two of them stepped into a clothing store, drawn in by Olivia's sudden interest.
Kane didn't follow.
Lily noticed that.
But she didn't question it.
At least… not immediately.
Inside, Olivia moved quickly between racks, her earlier irritation seemingly replaced by something more manageable.
Lily followed, though her attention wasn't entirely on the clothes.
Her thoughts kept drifting.
Back to Kane.
Back to the wish.
It bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
Not because she couldn't handle it—
But because she didn't know what form it would take.
Uncertainty.
That was the problem.
When they stepped back outside, the sunlight felt slightly harsher than before.
Lily adjusted her sleeve absently—
Then froze.
Kane.
He was standing near a stall, his back partially turned.
Talking to the vendor.
Holding something.
"…Hey," Lily called out as she walked over. "What are you buying?"
Kane stiffened.
It was subtle.
But she saw it.
a small silver object.
Then, almost immediately, he turned and hid the item behind his back.
"Nothing."
Lily stopped in front of him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That didn't look like nothing."
"It's a gift," Kane replied smoothly. "For my sister."
Lily studied him.
His expression.
His posture.
There was something off.
Not enough to call out—
But enough to notice.
"…Right," she said after a moment.
She didn't push further.
Mostly because—
She didn't care that much.
But also because—
Olivia had just stepped out of the store.
And Kane had already shifted his attention.
"Olivia," he said, walking up to her, "do you have anything you want Lily to do?"
Lily froze.
Her head snapped toward him.
Olivia blinked. "What?"
"Why are you asking that?!" Lily demanded at the same time.
Kane shrugged. "Just looking for ideas."
Ideas.
Lily's eye twitched.
Of course.
Of course he was.
He wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.
Her glare sharpened, but Kane only seemed more amused.
That made it worse.
The following days were… exhausting.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Constantly.
Kane didn't use the wish all at once.
No-
He held it over her getting her to do whatever he wants
Whenever Lily found a quiet place to read—
He appeared.
Without fail.
"Come study."
It sounded reasonable.
Almost.
Except it wasn't.
Not really.
Because Kane didn't study.
He talked.
He interrupted.
He leaned over her shoulder and commented on things she already understood.
Or worse—
Things she was trying to understand.
"You're holding the book too stiffly," he said once.
Lily didn't even look up. "That's not a thing."
"It is now."
"…Go away."
"No."
"Why."
"Because I can."
Lily's grip on the page tightened slightly.
She forced herself to keep reading.
To focus.
To ignore him.
It didn't work.
"…You're not even reading your own book," she snapped finally.
"I'm supervising."
"You're irritating."
"Same thing."
Lily shut her book.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Then turned to look at him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Kane was smiling.
Not widely.
Not mockingly.
Just—
Amused.
Like this was all a game.
And that—
For some reason—
Was more frustrating than anything else.
"…You're enjoying this way too much," she said.
"Obviously."
She exhaled sharply.
Then opened her book again.
Because arguing further wouldn't help.
And she knew it.
That didn't make it any less irritating.
A few days later—
Lily noticed immediately.
Something was off.
Olivia was quiet.
Not the usual kind of quiet.
Not relaxed.
Not thoughtful.
Tense.
Her steps were slightly heavier.
Her expression slightly tighter.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked, glancing at her.
Olivia didn't answer right away.
Then—
"Midterms are next week."
"…Okay," Lily said slowly.
"And my mom saw my entrance exam score," Olivia continued, her tone flattening, "so she forced a tutor on me."
Lily blinked.
That sounded…
Normal.
Reasonable, even.
"…Isn't that a good thing?" she asked.
Olivia stopped walking.
Turned slightly.
"No."
That single word carried weight.
Lily paused.
"…Why?"
"I hate him," Olivia said.
No hesitation.
No exaggeration.
Just—
Certainty.
"He's arrogant. Annoying. And the only reason my mom hired him is because he's good at theory."
Lily felt a quiet sense of reluctance settle in her chest.
This wasn't about studying.
This was about a person.
And she—
Didn't want to get involved in that.
"He's the kind of person," Olivia continued, "who would do anything just to get praised for being smart."
"…I see," Lily replied carefully.
She didn't offer advice.
Didn't comment further.
Because she already knew—
Nothing she said would help.
"…You know him?" Olivia asked suddenly.
Lily hesitated.
Before she could respond—
"Corey Key," Olivia said.
Lily froze.
The name landed.
And immediately—
Something clicked.
A face.
A habit.
The slight adjustment of glasses mid-sentence.
The way he would interrupt—
Correct—
Clarify.
Uninvited.
"…He's in our class," Lily said quietly.
Olivia blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
Lily nodded.
Her thoughts shifted.
Reorganized.
Re-evaluated.
She knew him.
Not well.
But enough.
Enough to understand.
Enough to—
"…Yeah," she said after a pause. "I know him."
Her tone remained neutral.
But internally—
Her opinion wasn't.
She remembered the small interruptions.
The unnecessary corrections.
The subtle edge in his voice when he explained things—
Like he wasn't just sharing knowledge.
But proving something.
"…I don't really like him either," Lily admitted.