“Why are you making that face, Xenoki?” Saya poured her thoughts into Xenoki’s mind through NTS.

“I thought Milady was a cold and antisocial princess,” Xenoki replied, his expression shifting into one of mild disappointment.

Without saying a word, Saya crossed both her arms and legs.

*Heeehh,* Xenoki thought, an all-knowing smile spreading across his lips.

Noticing his expression, Saya snapped, “What do you want me to do then? Watch him destroy the planet?” Her face twisted with annoyance.

“I never said anything,” Xenoki replied with a teasing smile.

“Hmmp.” Saya turned her head away.

Xenoki then returned to his room.

Ko had been watching the two exchange glances the entire time. Driven by sheer curiosity, he finally blurted out, “You guys talk to each other with your eyes?”

Saya gave him a cold stare before standing up from the couch and walking away.

“What?! I’m left all alone here? Kenny is also out,” Ko thought as he watched Saya disappear into her room.

Saya entered her room and closed the door behind her. She took her nightwear from the closet and changed into it.

*What is that light?*

Her body completely relaxed as she slipped into the warm, high-quality silk pajamas brought from her distant hometown. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she quietly thought,

*That light felt so comforting.*

She paused for a few moments, gazing at the sky through the open window.

*It felt like I was hugging my mother once again.*

Tears slowly glided down her cheeks as she stared silently into the night sky. One by one, the stars began to appear, while the moon bathed the world in its gentle glow.

**Knock. Knock.**

The sound came from her door.

Saya quickly wiped away her tears and opened it, only to find Ko standing outside.

“What?” she asked in her usual cold voice.

Ko noticed the lingering sadness in her eyes.

“Were you crying?” He paused, looking directly into her eyes for a moment. “Did you and your husband have a fight?” he asked with genuine concern.

Without answering, Saya simply looked down at him in silence.

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to sir and explain that it’s all a misunderstanding,” Ko reassured her with a completely serious expression.

*This brat…* Saya thought, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Placing both hands on her hips, Saya bent down to Ko’s eye level and said, “Yes, go explain to my ‘HUSBAND’ that it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Her usual cold tone gave way to a soft, teasing voice as she smiled.

“Woooow.” Ko’s eyes lit up. “Can I say something?” he asked after a brief pause.

“Hmm?” Saya raised an eyebrow.

“Umm, Ma’am… this is the first time I’ve seen you smile. And you look so much cuter when you do… hehe,” Ko said with a nervous chuckle.

In an instant, Saya returned to her usual cold expression. She shot him a sharp glare before quickly shutting the door.

“Ah, wait! Where do I find your husband?” Ko called out loudly.

On the other side of the door, Saya leaned against it and looked toward the mirror beside her.

“Why is this boy telling me all this?” she murmured. “More importantly… why am I smiling like an idiot?”

Meanwhile, Ko wandered around the mansion for a while before entering a room labeled **Study**.

Without thinking much of it, he pushed the door open and found Xenoki sitting at a desk with a serious expression, carefully reviewing files labeled **Eastern Shipping Schedule**. His silver hair swayed gently in the breeze drifting through the open window.

Lowering his reading glasses with his index finger, Xenoki peered over the frames and noticed Ko standing at the entrance. He removed his glasses, stood up from his chair, and walked toward the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” Xenoki asked.

“Umm, I just wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between you and Ma’am!” Ko said, nervously hiding his hands behind his back.

Xenoki crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and tilted his head upward.

“**MILADY!!!**” he screamed directly into Saya’s thoughts.

“Ugh, what are you screaming for?” Saya asked, her voice laced with annoyance.

“What is this boy blabbering about?! What is the meaning of this?!” Xenoki demanded, his mental voice filled with absolute irritation.

“I don’t know,” Saya replied, letting out a soft, private laugh before abruptly severing the connection.

“Are you smiling right now?!” Xenoki’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. “Hello? Are you there, Milady?” he called out, only to realize the synchronization had already been cut off.

He slowly turned his gaze toward Ko, staring at him in utter disbelief.

“Okay, I understand. You can go home now. I’ll inform Kenika,” Xenoki said as he casually rolled up the sleeves of his black T-shirt.

“Wait! I didn’t even tell you what this is about yet!” Ko protested.

“I know. It’s getting late. Go home,” Xenoki replied coldly.

*Did he really understand what I said?* Ko wondered as he stared at the closed study door.

“Whatever. I’ll just inform Kenika’s aunt and go home,” he muttered before heading back toward Saya’s room.

As he descended the stairs, a strange sensation washed over him, as though something vital was missing.

*Am I feeling like this because I slept and woke up at dusk?* he wondered while making his way through the long corridor.

He stopped in front of Saya’s room and stood there for a few moments. Raising his hand to knock, he was about to tap the door when a voice suddenly came from the other side.

“What do you want now?” Saya asked through the door.

Ko let out a soft sigh.

“You scared me there.” He paused for a moment. “I’m going home. Tell Kenny when she returns… and, uh… go-good night to you, Ma’am!” he stammered before quickly turning on his heel and dashing toward the mansion’s main entrance.

Inside the room, Saya stood beside the open window.

*Is he?*

She gazed silently at the stars scattered across the night sky.

*Am I?*

A faint, relaxed smile slowly bloomed across her face.

Ko stepped out of the mansion and reached his bicycle. Instead of riding it, he began walking beside it.

“Haah… today was exhausting,” he sighed. “My body feels so heavy right now.”

Ko fell silent for a few moments.

“Sleeping in the afternoon and waking up in the evening is the worst,” he muttered to himself.

“Ugghhh!”

A sharp cry escaped his lips as he suddenly dropped his bicycle onto the ground and clutched his head with both hands.

His eyes glitched, black lines flickering across them as they radiated a sharp purple glow.

“Wh-what is this?”

“Auhhhgg! It hurts!”

Ko let out an anguished scream.

Silence swallowed the empty road.

Then, a fractured memory suddenly burst through the haze.

 “I was just checking your temperature.”

Saya’s face flashed vividly through his mind.

 “It felt like I was hugging my mother once again.”

The image of Saya’s tear-filled eyes surfaced just as clearly.

“When… did she say that?” Ko whispered, panic and confusion flooding his mind. “Am I hallucinating?”

He stood trembling beneath a flickering streetlamp, completely bewildered.

Far in the distance, four unknown figures watched his every movement from the depths of the shadows.

“Turn it off. We don’t want to accidentally destroy the planet.”

“What do you think?”

“I think we should send this data, along with the footage captured inside the Raibon mansion, straight to HQ.”

Hidden deep within the darkness, the four figures quietly discussed their next move.

To be continued...