Mina's eyes snapped up to the vines on the ceiling.

Her face hardened in a way Raizen didn't expect. Not professor-friendly. Not polite at all.

"Enya" Mina hissed. "Get down. Now."

The warmth from earlier was gone so completely that Raizen almost believed he imagined it.

Enya swung gently, upside down, like Mina didn't just order her. Her grin widened.

"Awee!" Enya kept swinging. "You're back to scary Mina."

Mina's jaw clenched. "Get. Down."

Enya chuckled, then let herself drop.

The vines loosened at the last second and she fell like a cat. She caught herself on her hands, feet landing a half second later, then straightened as if she practiced dramatic entrances for fun.

Mina looked furious. In a quiet, contained way that meant she was seconds away from exploding. And then she did.

Mina stepped forward and started speaking fast, so fast the words crashed into each other.

"You can't - you can't do that, you can't just listen, this isn't – what are you - you don't understand - this is serious - you're not supposed to be here – you can't just hear any of that - you can't -"

Raizen's eyes narrowed.

Mina wasn't just angry. She was panicked.

Her cheeks had gone red, not from heat, but from a mix of embarrassment and fear. She looked like someone who held her mask on too long, and it finally slipped.

Enya watched her, head tilted, amused. Then she turned to Raizen like Mina wasn't even there.

"Huh?" Enya asked. "You understand what she's blabbing?"

Mina made a sound that was halfway between outrage and pure stress.

Raizen closed his eyes for a second. He rubbed his temple with a finger.

Why was he doing this?

He wasn't even supposed to be here today. He was too tired to think about any of this. Instead, he was stuck in a greenhouse, negotiating with a dangerous child while Mina was losing it.

Raizen opened his eyes and took a slow breath.

"Mina" he said, calm but firm. "Uhh… Let's slow down again..."

Mina stared at him, still tense, still breathing too fast. She looked like she wanted to argue, but the words didn't come out right anymore.

Raizen turned to Enya.

"Since you already heard everything" Raizen said, "there isn't much to explain."\

Enya's expression brightened instantly.

"Right?" Enya said, nodding quickly. "Finally, someone reasonable… That's exactly what I'm saying."

Mina whipped her head toward Raizen. "Raizen -"

Raizen lifted one hand slightly, a quiet "wait" signal. Then he looked Enya straight in the eyes, dead serious.

"What can I give you" Raizen asked, "so you don't tell anyone?"

Enya blinked.

Then her whole face lit up like someone just offered her the keys to a vault.

"Anything?" Enya repeated, delighted. "Like… anything anything?"

Raizen didn't move. "Within reason."

Enya leaned forward, suddenly energized, and her grin turned wicked.

"Even arranging a marriage with you?"

Mina made a choking sound. Raizen's brain stalled. His eyes widened slightly before he could stop it.

Then he cleared his throat and mumbled, "I told you to keep it within reasonable parameters, please."

Enya burst out laughing.

"Oh, relax" Enya said, waving a hand. "I'm joking. Chill."

Raizen exhaled, but it didn't fully relieve the tension. Enya didn't feel like someone who joked for nothing. Even her jokes felt like little knives that tested your reactions.

Then she stepped closer. Too close.

She was shorter than Raizen, but she rose onto her toes effortlessly, face inches from his, eyes bright and serious at the same time.

Raizen didn't move. He forced himself not to step back.

Enya spoke softly, like she was sharing a secret.

"I want to take part in the Nyx hunts."

Mina reacted instantly.

"No" Mina snapped. "Absolutely not."

Enya's smile deepened.

"What?" Enya asked sweetly.

Mina's voice got sharper. "We could never trust someone like you on a battlefield."

Enya stared at her. Her smile was completely gone now. Then she flicked her fingers. Two small seeds hit the floor near Mina's boots. Raizen barely saw them before they split open.

Vines shot up in an instant, wrapping around Mina's ankles and pinning her feet to the wooden walkway.

Mina froze. Not because she couldn't move.

But because she realized how quickly Enya could do that.

Enya tilted her head at Mina, expression innocent in a way that felt insulting.

"Someone like me?" Enya repeated. "What could you possibly mean, Miss Mina?"

Mina's face went pale under the embarrassment.

She tugged once, testing the vines, then stopped. The vines held her in place easily. Not painful or crushing, just extremely firm. Like Enya wanted control, not harm.

Raizen sighed, then he reached out and firmly placed one hand on Enya's shoulder.

"Enya" Raizen said. "Please. Let's just all calm down."

Enya glanced at his hand, then up at his face. Her eyes narrowed a little, like she judged whether to ignore him.

Raizen kept his tone even. "She's tired. She didn't mean it like that."

Mina opened her mouth, outraged. "I -"

"What she meant" Raizen cut her off, sounding almost painfully lame on purpose. "…Is that it can happen. But only if you promise you won't hurt anyone, and you'll be completely serious."

He paused, then turned his head slightly toward Mina.

"Right, Mina?" Raizen said.

Then he winked.

It was the smallest wink. The most forced wink in history. The kind of wink you used when you were trying to defuse a bomb by asking nicely.

Mina's eyes widened at him like he betrayed her.

Then she looked down at the vines around her ankles, then at Enya's face, and something in Mina's expression tightened into reluctant calculation.

"…Yes" Mina said stiffly. "Right."

Enya's grin returned instantly.

"See?" Enya said happily. "It's not that bad, come onn!!"

She snapped her fingers again.

The vines loosened and retreated into the floor as fast as they appeared, leaving Mina just standing there.

Enya turned back to Raizen with bright eyes.

"Thanks, finally!" Enya said, sincere for the first time. "I won't tell anyone anything."

Raizen nodded slowly. "Perfect."

Then he added carefully, "…And you're going to be serious."

Enya nodded too fast. "I will. I swear."

Raizen glanced at Mina, then back to Enya.

"Don't you have classes right now?" Raizen asked Enya.

Enya's grin turned sneaky again. "Welllll... I was supposed to be in detention."

Mina's head snapped up. "Enya."

She didn't even flinch.

"I escaped" Enya continued cheerfully. "There's a ceiling window. It's not my fault it's there."

Mina looked like she was about to start another lecture.

Enya added quickly, "So I came here to look at flowers and plants. Because I'm bored."

Raizen stared at her. "You escaped detention… To look at flowers."

Enya nodded. "Of course? What other better activity is there?"

Raizen sighed and rubbed his temple again.

"Go back" Raizen tried. "Before someone notices."

Enya pouted dramatically. "You're boring."

Raizen didn't react. "Hey, it's not my fault you got detention. Look, maybe I'll even kindly ask Mina to bring you a plant you can… Uh… Stare at, as much as you want"

Enya stared at him for a second longer, then sighed like she was the adult in the conversation.

"Alright, fine"

Then, unexpectedly, her expression shifted. The mischief didn't vanish completely, but she straightened her posture like she remembered she had pride too. She brushed her hands on her skirt, then held one hand out toward Raizen.

"Since we're doing this" Enya started, tone suddenly formal, "we haven't officially met yet."

Raizen blinked. "Huh?"

Enya kept the hand out, completely serious. "My name is Enya. I'm thirteen years, five months and eight days old. I love all plants. I want to be a botanist or a Nyx Hunter in the future… But I'm still deciding."

Raizen stared at her hand.

Then he started laughing, but not because it was hilarious. Because it was so unexpected his brain didn't know what else to do.

"What's with that formal introduction?" Raizen said, still laughing.

Enya's eyes narrowed. "It's respectful, no?"

"Okay, okay" Raizen wiped at his face once, trying to calm down. Then he shook her hand. "I'm Raizen. Sixteen, pretty sure..."

Enya nodded like she was writing it down in her head.

Raizen continued, trying to match her tone. "I… Love learning and working."

Enya made a disgusted face instantly. "Ew"

Raizen paused, then added, amused now, "And I want to become a Vanguard. Or Nyx Hunter, however you call it."

Enya's expression shifted from disgust to interest.

"Oh" Enya said, leaning in slightly again. "So you actually have something going on. You're not as bad as I thought, after all."

Mina finally recovered enough to speak without sounding like she was about to explode.

"Enough" Mina said, voice flat again. "Both of you. Go."

Enya turned toward Mina, suddenly sweet.

"Yes, Professor Bad Mina" she said brightly.

Enya turned back to Raizen and grabbed his hand with a stronger grip than he expected.

Raizen stiffened. "Enya -"

"I'll show you around!" Enya said eagerly. "Plants are my specialty."

Raizen glanced at Mina as Enya started pulling him toward the stairs.

Mina lifted her umbrella slightly, like she dismissed him. "At least don't get lost."

Raizen straightened his posture and gave Mina a small salute, half serious, half joking.

"Yes, ma'am."

Enya laughed and tugged harder.

So hard, actually, that Raizen stumbled once, then barely caught himself.

Raizen followed, and a quiet unease settled in his chest.

Because this felt like a win.

But it also felt like the start of a bigger problem.

And he had no idea where Enya was taking him.

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