(Yuuta- POV)

I lay still on the floor, my head resting on her lap. It was soft, warm—so warm—and her scent, faint and sweet like lilies in spring, filled my lungs. Erza always carried that fragrance with her, but today… it felt different. Today, it told me I wasn't alone anymore.

Sister Mary had been right. All those years ago, she promised someone would love me as I was. And here she was. Erza loved me—truly loved me. She never looked at my crimson eyes with fear or disgust. Where others called them cursed, she painted them, capturing their glow as if they were something to be cherished.

How different she was from the world I once knew. Fiona—my old crush—had turned me away. She said my proposal was "too old-fashioned," but deep down I knew she was just afraid. Afraid of me. Afraid of my eyes. Erza was nothing like her. Erza had stood tall, declaring in front of our entire class that I belonged to her. No shame, no hesitation—only certainty.

I still remembered the day she first came into my apartment. Back then, I thought I would live my life in shadows. But she had filled that room, and me, with a light I never thought I'd deserve. And now, lying in her lap, I knew… that light would never leave me.

I closed my eyes tighter, pretending to be asleep. I wanted to savor her warmth a little longer. Just a little more, I thought. Let me stay here like this.

Then, her voice broke the silence. A whisper, soft and trembling, almost as though she didn't mean for me to hear.

"It must be hard, right… my mortal?"

Her lips pressed against my forehead in a gentle kiss. I didn't move, afraid the moment would shatter if I did.

"Don't hide your pain from me," she murmured, her fingers brushing through my hair. "Let me carry it with you. That's what a wife is for. Whatever comes, we'll face it together… as one soul."

Her words sank into me, each one heavier than the last, until I felt her tears fall—warm drops landing against my skin, sliding down to mix with my own hidden sorrow.

"You always wanted to hear my confession, didn't you?" Her voice broke, but she pressed on. "Then hear it now. I love you. I love you so much, Yuuta. No matter how many times you're reborn, I will find you, and I will love you again."

Her hand trembled as it stroked my hair, her sobs spilling out between the words.

"You are my only husband—the one I swore to protect, the one I want to raise a family with. No one, not time, not fate, not even death itself can take you from me. That's what I've always wanted to say… but my pride, my foolish pride, always stood in the way. I couldn't admit it."

She bent closer, her tears falling faster now, dripping against my forehead.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

Her voice soothed the ache in my chest. Lying there with my head on her lap, I thought I had finally stumbled into heaven. Some feelings can't be explained in words—you only know them when they touch you. That was what Erza's lap felt like: warmth, peace, and safety. A place I wanted to stay forever.

Then the door creaked open.

My breath hitched. Shit. I forced my eyes shut again, feigning sleep. I couldn't let Erza know I had heard her earlier confession. Not yet.

The door opened wider, hinges complaining in the quiet. Erza's voice cut through the stillness, sharp and cold.

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't dare move. But my heart pounded faster, curious and uneasy.

Then came a voice I recognized instantly. A girl's voice, heavy with Panicked.

"Erza… we need your help." Her tone wavered, then hardened into bitterness. "Not you two. Not… in front of me."

Fiona.

The air shifted. Even without opening my eyes, I could feel Erza's killing intent filling the room like a storm cloud.

Her words slithered out like ice.

"Don't make a sound, human. Not unless you want to die."

The silence that followed was suffocating. I could almost see Fiona's lips clamp shut, her body frozen under Erza's gaze.

"Yuuta is sleeping," Erza went on, her tone softer but no less dangerous. "And I don't take kindly to anyone disturbing him."

The room stayed still. Even the air seemed to hold its breath. I pictured Fiona standing in the doorway, her usual sharp tongue swallowed by fear. She knew too well how obsessive Erza could be when it came to me.

Finally, Erza's voice broke the silence again. Low, commanding.

"Now speak. Why have you come here?"

Fiona inhaled shakily. Her words tumbled out, rushed, edged with panic.

"We… we caught him."

The cold mask of Erza's voice cracked for the first time, laced with disbelief.

"Caught him? Are you serious?"

"Yes," Fiona said quickly. "The Chief caught him. But he wasn't low-ranking like we thought. He's far more dangerous."

A pause. Long, heavy. I had never heard Erza sound uncertain before, but now… hesitation crept into her tone.

"Far more… dangerous?"

"Yes." Fiona's voice trembled now, as though the weight of her words pressed down on her chest. "That's why we need your help. To send him back."

The silence that followed was heavier than chains.

And there I was, lying with my head on her lap, listening to all of it. I didn't move, I didn't breathe too loudly, but inside my chest questions were burning. Who the hell was this "chief"? What enemy could be so dangerous that even Fiona sounded terrified? And why… why did it feel like Erza was part of a world I still didn't understand?

Erza bent down, her arms sliding beneath me with that same effortless grace she always had. To her, my weight was nothing—like lifting a pillow. "I'll put him in bed first before we leave," she muttered under her breath, though loud enough for Fiona to hear.

My stomach knotted. She's leaving… without me?

I couldn't believe it. She's… working with that secret agency?

Erza had never lied to me—not exactly. She just said she couldn't explain what kind of work she was doing. I thought it was something simple, something normal. But in reality… she was making thousands of dollars doing missions for the agency.

It hit me in a quiet, sinking way. All this time, she had been handling dangers I didn't even understand, keeping it from me—not out of deceit, but to protect me.

I shook my head. She didn't lie. She just… didn't tell me everything.

No. Not today. I wouldn't let her walk into danger alone.

Before she could move, I opened my eyes. "I'm coming too."

She froze mid-step. Her violet eyes widened slightly. For a moment she just stared at me, as if unsure I was even awake. "…Yuuta? You're awake?"

"Yes," I said, sitting up in her arms a little. "I just woke up."

She froze for a second, and I could tell she was lost in thought. Maybe… just maybe, she was remembering that minutes ago, when she whispered her feelings to me while I was pretending to be sleep. The memory must have rushed back to her, because her face turned crimson in an instant.

And then—without warning—she dropped me straight onto the floor like a rock splashing into a river.

"Ouch! That hurts, Erza!" I groaned, rubbing my back while glaring up at her.

Her eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade. "Don't tell me you were awake the whole time… pretending to be asleep."

I scratched at my cheek, avoiding her gaze. "Eh, no, no. I just woke up. Really. Don't mind me."

Her lips curved, but not into a smile. In a flash, her hand shot up and tugged my hair—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make me wince. "Don't lie to me. You heard my confession, didn't you?"

My heart skipped. I tried to play it cool, even as my face burned. "Confession? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't hear anything like… 'I love you' or anything like that. Nope. Nothing at all."

Her mouth twitched between anger and embarrassment. "So you did hear it," she muttered.

I swallowed, staring at the wall like it was suddenly fascinating. My ears burned.

Before she could press me further, Fiona's voice rang from the doorway, sharp and impatient. "Sorry to cut in, but we don't have time for your little couple's drama, Chief Sara Can't hold him much longer."

Erza's sharp glare snapped toward Fiona, who instinctively folded her arms across her chest, almost as if in a quiet plea.

"Whatever this is," Erza said coldly, her voice like steel, "we'll settle it later. For now, we have to move."

Then she looked at me, clicking her tongue in mild annoyance, but she let go of my hair.

"You mortal… we'll discuss this later," she said, her voice sharp yet calm, "for daring to deceive me."

"I'll start the car," Fiona snapped, turning on her heel. Her footsteps echoed down the hall until the door clicked shut behind her, leaving us alone again.

Erza looked back at me. Her violet eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, her expression unreadable but heavy with warning. You can't run from this, that look said.

I forced a nervous laugh, scratching my cheek again. "…Guess I'm definitely coming with you now, right?"

Her voice hardened. "No. You're not coming. At all. I won't allow it."

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's office work," Erza said, her tone clipped and professional, the way it always was when she wanted to shut down the conversation. "You wouldn't understand a thing about it."

I frowned, propping my elbow on the armrest. "Oh, please. Don't play dumb with me. I already know what you really do."

Her hand stilled mid-motion. "...What do you mean by that?"

I leaned forward, lowering my voice like I was letting her in on a secret. "You're part of that group, aren't you? The one that hunts demons… or aliens."

For a heartbeat, silence. Then she turned, her voliet eyes narrowing. "You know?"

I smirked, trying to look more confident than I felt. "Of course I know. I've known for a long time."

Truth was, I'd only guessed. But the day of her rampage, I'd seen Fiona moving like no normal woman could—calm, calculated, armed. An agent of Lebius' Secret Agency. The pieces fit, and my hunch had just struck home.

Her lips parted, faintly startled. "So you actually believe demons exist?"

I laughed softly, though it came out more bitter than amused. "Believe? I've already encountered one. That's not something you forget. It left me with scars I don't even know how to explain… scars I still carry."

Her eyes softened, just for a second, before the steel returned. She looked away. "That's exactly why I'm saying you're not coming with us. You've suffered enough. This isn't your world beings."

My chest tightened at her words. I should have felt relieved, but instead… anger flickered under my skin. "So you'll just leave me behind? Again?"

Her gaze snapped back to me, sharp as a blade. "You're human, Yuuta. You're fragile. This is something you cannot face. You'll only get hurt."

Maybe she was right. Maybe I was fragile. But the way she said it—like I was something that had to be wrapped in glass and hidden away—made my blood burn.

I clenched my fists. "Then let me get hurt. At least it'll be beside you."

"What we're facing is a demon from two thousand years ago," she said quietly, her eyes darkening. "I can't risk you being there. What if he takes you hostage?"

"Oh, come on. Who would dare hurt me when you're with me?" I tried to grin, but my chest felt tight.

Her cheeks flushed red—anger or worry, I couldn't tell. "Don't expect me to protect you if something happens."

I tilted my head, smirking a little despite the tension. "So… that means I'm coming, right?"

Her glare could have cut stone, but she didn't answer.

But one thing was certain—I was coming along. I had wondered for far too long about how this agency actually worked. And now, at last, I had the chance to see it with my own eyes.

To be continue...

(Upcoming Chapter):-

The moment the Unknown Being stepped into the Lebeius Underground Base, the atmosphere shifted.

Allen's lips stretched into the most devilish smile, his voice echoing with twisted delight.

"Subarashi… Subarashi…"

That smile alone froze the agents in place. The three squad captains, along with several lower-ranking members, felt their hearts tremble. A suffocating weight pressed down on them as they realized what was happening—Allen was releasing the most malevolent aura they had ever encountered.

Raising his hand, Allen's eyes gleamed with madness as he declared:

"Behold… for the Nameless Child is coming."

Deep below, in the basement of the base, Sara Venom suddenly stiffened. A chilling shiver coursed through her body as the presence brushed against her senses. She could feel it—the intrusion of something that defied reason, something beyond comprehension.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, more fear than curiosity:

"What… what is this entity?"

END OF CHAPTER.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.