When Nox walked back to Regea, he saw him staring at an item with eyes that practically sparkled with excitement.

  “A medium dimension bag, huh? It has up to fifty cubic meters of space. Don’t worry, I’ll buy it.”

  “W- What? No, you can’t do that. It’s thirty silver coins,” Regea protested.

  He hesitated, fingers hovering just above the protective glass, as if touching it might shatter the dream he’d been waiting for.

  “I need a bigger bag too, so if both of us buy one, we’ll get another one for free. You can give that to Beatrice then.”

  “T- Thanks… I’ll repay you!” Regea said, clenching his fists. Being helped like this felt strange, heavier than any debt he had owed.

  As they walked to the checkout, Nox grabbed a Mana ring from the shelf and added it to the pile.

  “That would be eighty silver coins, sir,” the lady said.

  “Here.” Nox handed her the coins, meeting her sharp gaze.

  “We don’t take stolen money.”

  The surrounding chatter fell silent for a heartbeat. A few customers glanced over, pretending not to listen, curiosity flickering in their eyes.

  “It’s not stolen, ma’am,” Nox said lightly, a laugh hiding any tension.

  The woman quickly regained her composure. Her face was shocked, as if she couldn’t believe what she just said.

  “Oh… I’m sorry. Have a great day.”

  Regea exhaled slowly, realizing he’d been holding his breath the entire time.

  Outside, Nox studied his two Mana rings carefully.

  “I can’t wear both, so I’m gonna try combining them,” he thought.

  When Regea looked away, Nox brought the two rings together. The mana he had just recovered, was sucked out of his core, messages flickering before his eyes.

  -Combining two identical items, -40% effectiveness for one

  -You have combined a new item

  Name: Mana Ring

  Grade: Artificial

  Type: Ring

  Description: You can only wear two rings at once, +8 Mana

  “Even with the 40% reduction, this is still worth it,” Nox thought. If identical items stacked perfectly, the system would be broken. There had to be a price.

  “Hi guys!” the girls called, stepping out of the store with arms overflowing with clothes.

  “Nox, I got you a cute outfit,” Lina said, pointing at a bunny suit complete with floppy ears.

  Her grin widened just slightly too much; the kind of grin that meant she had already planned something.

  “I would never wear that,” Nox clarified.

  She didn’t look disappointed; if anything, she looked challenged, her eyes glinting mischievously.

  “You will,” Lina whispered, while nodding at Beatrice.

  Beatrice adjusted her grip on the box twice before handing it over.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Uhm, I got something for you too, Regea,” she said, pulling a shiny black suit out.

  “What? But this looks so expens—”

  “E- Ehem, thank you so much! I mean… I also got something for you,” he quickly corrected himself when he saw her nervous glance.

  “R- Really?” she asked.

  “Well, it’s not much, but here,” Regea said, offering the dimension bag.

  “Wow, 50 cubic metres? Thank you!” she said, smiling brightly.

  When the two walked away, it was like Nox and Lina didn’t exist anymore.

  “Did you pay for all those things?” Nox asked, nodding toward Beatrice.

  “I’m the princess. Such things are nothing to me,” she replied. Her tone was laced by mockery, as if she was imitating something she had heard tons of times before.

  “So, you also had the idea with the suit?”

  “Yeah, but you had the idea with the bag, right?” she countered.

  “Well, I needed one anyway, so it’s not like I did it just for him,” Nox replied.

  Lina leaned closer, studying his face as if weighing whether to tease him or thank him.

  “Trying to act like you don’t care?” she realized, pinching his cheek just lightly.

  After more shopping and a quick meal, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in faint gold. The group marched back to the giant castle. Bright light shined through the windows, illuminating the street.

  “In six weeks, the group tournament begins. We need to train thoroughly,” Beatrice said.

  “Nox and I have something to do, so I’d advise you two meditate together,” Lina grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

  “They always need a small push to get started. Well done,” Nox murmured.

  They entered a small training room. Large windows gave view to the Holy empire, old wooden dummies standing beneath them.

  Usually, students never came here. The room was too small and on the castle’s rear; no sound came in or out.

  “Alright, then let’s start medit—”

  “Nuh-uh, I can only heal you if you wear the bunny suit,” Lina said, tilting her head and watching closely, testing boundaries.

  “That wasn’t part of the deal… ahhh-” Nox groaned as she tugged at his ear.

  “Fine. Only the ears.”

  “Alright. We’ll get there,” Lina replied.

  Nox glanced around multiple times before putting the long, black ears on.

  “Wow, you look adorable,” Lina said, licking her lips.

  “As long as no one sees us… it’s fine.”

  She settled behind him as he began meditating.

  - +40% mana from Ring of Healing Meditation is now in effect

  Mana flowed smoother than usual, guided and steady, as if shared rather than drawn.

  “You think the other two are training as effectively as us right now?” Nox asked.

  “Hmph. No one can be as good as us,” she said, pulling back his head so it rested in her lap.

  He tried to sit back up, but the mana in his body resisted, drawing him closer to her.

  “I’m going to keep you like this until you fall asleep, then carry you to bed,” Lina whispered, threading her fingers through his silver hair.

  “Guess I have no choice,” he muttered.

  Breath slowed first, then thoughts followed.

  “Huh? They just left us standing here,” Beatrice said.

  “Looks like we should train too,” Regea suggested.

  “We can do that tomorrow. Let’s meditate instead.”

  The two stepped out onto the balcony and sat on the cold stone. An awkward silence lingered; not even the talkative Beatrice knew what to say.

  “It’s fresh… come closer,” she murmured without thinking.

  Only when Regea slid closer did she realize her own boldness. Her face burned red. Neither spoke of the shrinking distance.

  “Why did I say that? I hope he didn’t notice my face,” she thought, “I’m sixteen but I’m so embarrassed?”

  Little did she know, he was thinking the same thing.

  “W- What do you think about Lina and Nox?” Regea asked, breaking the silence.

  “They’re great. They fit each other perfectly,” Beatrice answered, her certainty untouched by envy.

  “I agree. Nox actually paid for your bag,” Regea admitted.

  “Oh… it was the same for me and Lina,” Beatrice laughed, loud and clear.

  “Deep down, they’re really the same.”

  She hesitated, long enough to make her choice. She briefly glanced at him but knew that he would never make the first move.

  “Yeah… so are we,” she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder.

  A short silence lingered, the night’s cold pushing against Regea’s warmth.

  “Did I go too far?” she thought, bracing for a joke.

  Instead, his arm wrapped around her, drawing her closer. His grip was firm, his muscular arms grasping her tightly. It was a different type of safety; the one she wanted to hold onto forever.

  They sat on the stone floor, gazing at the endless stars glowing above in the dark night sky.

  After Beatrice fell asleep, Regea carefully lifted her and carried her inside, adjusting his grip as if the slightest jostle might break the moment. He was unusually calm which confused him even more.

  “I should see how Nox and Lina are doing with their training.”

  Through the quiet, darkened cafeteria, he passed every training room and entered the last one.

  Peeking inside, he found them asleep—Lina leaning against the wall, Nox curled in her lap. Lina had strapped the full bunny suit over his clothes. Her fingers were wrapped around his stomach, as if afraid the costume might come off.

  Moonlight traced soft lines across their faces, silver and gold blending together. They looked like angels walking the earth.

  “They really are perfectly compatible,” Regea murmured, closing the door and ascending the stairs with the sleeping girl in his arms.

  Some bonds didn’t need explanation. They simply existed.