Show Me Your Stats!

At that moment, a shiver ran down Ayra's spine, and cold sweat trickled down her back. The Janus standing before her didn’t feel like the same person she had seen over the past few days. Somehow, it felt as if she was facing something entirely different—something inhuman.
Even though he was merely watching her with that ever-present smirk, without making a single threatening move, Ayra’s instincts blared alarm bells, urging her to flee immediately...
‘Even mages can barely sense a shift in mana flow, yet he noticed that I was reading his stat window?’

What exactly did "Bad Ending" mean? Was Janus considering harming her just because he found her suspicious? Was he wondering whether this mage had pulled some trick on him—some kind of spell?
A dull ache pricked at her heart, but she pushed it aside for now.
‘He’s still not entirely sure. He’s only half-convinced.’

Ayra carefully reconsidered her choices. Playing dumb? Bad Ending. Denying it? Bad Ending. Pretending not to notice? Bad Ending.
Which meant, in other words, that the artificial spirit was warning her—Janus was someone capable of bringing about a "Bad Ending."
A sharp, unpredictable, fickle, and utterly self-centered existence...

Even without the artificial spirit’s warning, she could feel it.
Cold sweat trickled down her skin as Ayra hesitated for a moment before finally making a decision. She averted her gaze from Janus but then stole a quick glance at him, her voice faltering slightly as she spoke. Her voice carried the tiniest tremble.
“You... knew I was pulling something?”

"Hm?"
Janus raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by the unexpected response. Ayra cleared her throat deliberately, taking a slow, measured breath to steady herself. Then, as if mustering courage, she glared at him.
After a pause, she hesitantly extended her hand. Her heart pounded violently in her chest from sheer nervousness. Fortunately, she had a reasonable excuse to mask her poor acting skills.

“Why are you pretending not to notice? I’m about to fall—just grab me already.”
Janus quietly stared at the pale, slender hand stretched out toward him before finally taking it. The next moment, he gave a sharp tug. Ayra stumbled forward, nearly falling into him.
A firm, muscular arm wrapped tightly around her waist, causing a startled gasp to escape her lips. As Janus leisurely traced his gaze over her pale face, he spoke in an unhurried tone.

“So you're saying you were up to something?”
“Yeah... You said it yourself yesterday, remember? That I was luring you in. You were right. So I… played a little trick.”
As she spoke, Ayra simultaneously dismissed the stat window. The small stone darted hastily back into her body.
The artificial spirit, capable of reading her thoughts, seemed noticeably relieved. That alone was enough for Ayra to realize she had made the right choice.

"I wanted you to like me too... Was I too rude?"
Janus remained silent. The longer he said nothing, the faster Ayra’s heart raced.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the arm around her waist felt like it was tightening little by little. She bit her lip before adding one more thing.

“Doesn’t it feel… like something’s changed, even just a little?”
As she murmured, she lifted her gaze toward him. Due to their excessive closeness, Janus' face was right there—practically touching hers.
Swallowing dryly, she watched as a grin spread across his lips.

Unlike before, this time, his expression lacked its usual mockery. Instead, it was a leisurely, indulgent smirk—one that suggested he was amused by Ayra’s feeble attempt at deception.
“Yeah... I guess it does feel like something’s changed.”
“What do you mean by that—”

The moment she blankly asked, Ayra felt as if her spine would snap.
Janus pulled her in so forcefully that she let out a choked gasp. But before she could even let out a proper groan, she was crushed beneath his weight.
Soft lips claimed hers.

Startled, she opened her mouth, only for his tongue to slip inside. Her heartbeat pounded so furiously that dizziness overtook her.
Maybe it was the blood rushing from her rapidly thudding heart, but it felt as if molten lava was flooding her veins.
She didn’t even notice that the earthquake was subsiding—her whole body could only tremble weakly.

When Janus finally let go, Ayra was left breathless, her legs shaking so badly that she nearly collapsed.
This time, she didn’t even have the earthquake as an excuse.
“Well, alright. Since I was already starting to like you... I suppose I can indulge you in such an adorable little trick.”

Still flushed, Ayra’s breath hitched as Janus placed his hand against her burning cheek.
Hesitantly, she pulled up the stat window once again.
Janus glanced in its direction, clearly aware of what she was doing, but he didn’t react otherwise.

However, something had undeniably changed.
[Janus Rehzedet’s Favorability has increased by 1.]
Current Favorability: 2

‘It actually went up... Even by just one. Well, in both games and reality, straightforward confessions are always a standard strategy.’
Although she chuckled wryly inside, she made sure not to show it outwardly.
Janus’ gaze sharpened as he peered beyond the crumbling castle walls.

Then, as if losing interest, he withdrew his hand and took a step back.
Though the earthquake had settled, the aftershocks still caused faint tremors beneath their feet.
Janus narrowed his eyes and grinned.

“I have to go for now. See you later, Ayra.”
“Yeah, later...”
Before she could even finish her response, Janus easily leapt over the collapsed castle wall and disappeared.

The wall was still as high as an adult’s height, yet he cleared it as effortlessly as if it were a mere step.
Ayra dumbly watched him disappear from sight before finally letting out a heavy sigh and sinking to the ground.
Only after calming her pounding heart did she scan her surroundings and let out a groan.

It had only been two, maybe three minutes of intense shaking, yet the damage was catastrophic.
A significant portion of the castle wall had completely collapsed.
Staring at the now-ruined wall, Ayra suddenly bolted upright.

She had finally remembered where she had seen that bakery sign with the clover emblem.
Without hesitation, she dashed down the devastated street.
She nearly tripped over scattered debris multiple times but pressed on, unfazed.

At last, she reached the shop and confirmed what she had been searching for.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Even after such a powerful earthquake, the sign still hung firmly in place, swaying slightly.

But in her dream, it had been different.
A terrible memory resurfaced—one from right after her abilities awakened.
She recalled the nightmare where Solar Estate collapsed, burned, and turned to ashes.

The four-leaf clover sign had been torn off, lying abandoned at her feet.
And behind her, the monsters that had chased her...
‘As if this is some kind of horrifying prophecy...’

Not all mages had prophetic dreams.
Only those whose awakened abilities leaned toward non-physical attributes did.
But… wasn’t her power somewhat related to that category?

Brushing it off as mere coincidence felt far too unsettling.
Instinctively, Ayra’s gaze turned toward the white castle.
Fortunately, since mages had been involved in its construction, the lord’s manor appeared mostly intact from the outside.

But just then, a new notification popped up.
A massive status window flickered into existence above the pristine castle, so large that it was impossible to ignore.
Silver-tinted by the sunlight, Ayra’s pupils trembled.

She read the text once.
Then again.
And again.

She even rubbed her eyes, but the words did not change.
The glowing letters cast a faint, ominous shadow over the city.
[Solar Estate Destruction Countdown: D-234 Days]

"...234 days until the estate is destroyed?"
Ayra murmured blankly, lips still swollen from Janus’ rough kiss.