Jean tugged on the straps of her backpack as she walked through the hallway of the art building.

At this point, she knew–she had toe here.

It was still early. The building was empty.

She followed the corridor all the way to the stairwell from before.

Pale morning light streamed through the windows, mixing eerily with the shadows at the stairwell.

In the dim, dusty air touched by sunlight, she could see particles floating like motes in ba /bsunbeam.

She squinted instinctively.

Then she stepped onto the stairs, raised bher /bhand, and knocked on the bwall /bnear the stairwell. She called upward:

“You. Come out.

At first, there was only silence.

Jean started to feel discouraged, about to give up and turn back-

When suddenly, the faintest footsteps, soft band /balmost inaudible, slipped into her ears

He wasing.

She’de here today for one reason- -to meet the mysterious figure face to face.

After what happened yesterday, she was nearly certain now:

Whoever this person was, whatever connection he had to Abyssal Choir, he didn’t mean her harm. In fact, it seemed like they were secretly working btogether/b.

If that was the case, she had no breason /bto be afraid. No need to tiptoe around.

She wasn’t going to guess anymore. She wanted answers

The footsteps grew louder, clearer.

bAnd /bthen she saw the–ck sneakers.

Her eyes moved upward, taking in the rest: a teenager in all bck/b, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old.

His jet–ck bhair /bwas sharp and neat. His long, narrow eyes gleamed like obsidian in the dark, scattered with faint stars of cold light.

His skin was pale–almost translucently white, the kind where you could see veins just beneath the surface.

The entire vibe he gave off was cold and bloodless,

“What do you want, Jean?”

Suddenly, the icy boy curled his lips into a smile, his eyes bending like crescent bmoons/b.

It was like a high–strung cat suddenly curling its tail and inviting you closer. The smile would’ve been cute–if it weren’t for how strangely out of ce it looked on someone with such a cold, emotionless face,

bAnd /byet somehow, it didn’t bsh/b.

Chapter 39 The Truth bUnveiled /b

This boy clearly knew her.

So she did her best to take familiarity.

“About the Hope Cup she said cautiously, watching his reaction.

Finished

The boy’s smile deepened. “The Hope Cap, huh… You must’ve bseen /bthe news. Thanks to you, everything went smoothly.”

Jean’s brain raced.

On one hand, she didn’t want to expose her memory loss. On the other, she needed to coax more info out of him.

She pressed her lips together and sighed blike /bsomething bwas /bweighing on her. “But what if I hadn’t managed to pull it off yesterday!

The boy stepped closer. His eyes were like colil, polished beads–utterly detached. He chuckled. “Honestly? I wasn’t counting

Jean was puzzled.

“Those tasks I gave you were just training,” bhe /bsaid breezily “Still, you did better than I expected.”

Jean’s mind was starting to piece it all together.

She forced a rxed tone and said. “bHow /blong do you n to hide out in this dark little building?”

The boy tilted his head, then suddenly leaned toward her-

Jean jumped.

Her eyes widened on instinct.

He was so close she could see her reflection clearly in his obsidian–ck pupils.

“If I’m stuck here, isn’t that because of you?”

His voice was clear and crisp, like wind chimes on a summer evening.

Because of her?

What did that even mean?

The memory gaps, the missing plot details–even the novel didn’t mention this part. Jean was starting to feel the pressure.

Still, she kept a straight face. Even if she didn’t understand, she couldn’t let him know.

Then the boy badded/b. “The organization sent me to protect you in secret. I have to stay nearby… bYou /bknow I can’t show my Laceb, /bso this bis /bthe only option.”

Jean, honestly—

His voice dropped slightly. “You shouldn’t havee looking for me today.”

Jean’s heart skipped a beat.

Did he notice something

She felt a flicker of nervousness, but her face remained calm. Her mind, meanwhile, was racing.

The organization he mentioned…

Chapter 39 The Truth Unveiled

assign someone to guard her.

Still, it was strange.

Finished

The host clearly wasn’t a fighter. The boy didn’t even trust her bwith /bserious tasks. She’d only been given things to “train‘ with

So how had the host even gotten involved with Abyssal Choir in the first bce/b!

Why was she considered so important that someone bwas /bassigned to protect her?

She’s not useful, but she’s still special. bProtected/b.

As for the boy–bhe /bhad to remain nearby, but hidden. That’s probably why he never left the art building.

And the ckout at Central Theater? That bwas /blikely his doing too.

Jean continued piecing it all together, calmly looking at the boy as she said, “You’re right. I shouldn’t havee to find you… If you get exposed, bthat’d /bbe bad.”

“But about yesterday…” she hesitated. “I was just… curious.”

“It’s like the news said,” he replied simply.

Jean smiled faintly. “Got it.”

Jean left the art building.

She understood most of it now.

There were still a lot of unanswered questions, of course–but she couldn’t push him too hard. That bwould /bonly raise suspicion.

This would take btime/b.

She’d y the long game.

She remembered the Abyssal Choir insignia she’d found in the host’s room, Looking back… it had all been connected. bThat /bpin–it had been left behind by the host herself.

Host what were you trying to do?

None of this was in the book. You were just a disposable side character. So how did you end up joining some secret organizationb? /b

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