She quickly lowered her head. Black hair slipped over her shoulder, hiding most of her face—and the wariness and anger of someone whose sore spot had just been struck.
She did not answer. Instead, she changed the subject.
"Lord Yongye, this would take hardly any effort on your part."
"And you seemed very satisfied with my show of sincerity just now, didn't you?"
Yongye picked up the iced cola from the windowsill, took a swig, and swallowed slowly before setting the empty bottle back down.
His gaze passed over Nōhime's lowered face, dropped to the patch of moonlight beneath her bare feet, then returned to her slightly clenched fist.
"No."
His face hardened. The teasing vanished from his voice, replaced by undisguised coldness.
"What you offered just now is nowhere near enough for me to deal with Doomsday!"
Nōhime's head snapped up.
Disbelief surged through her pale violet eyes. Her lips parted as if to speak, but all that came out was a dry, broken breath.
The mightiest hero on Earth was going back on his word?
He had made promise after promise while praising her just now!
Had all of it been sweet talk before taking what he wanted for free?
That bastard had no shame!
"Just now..." she forced out through gritted teeth, every word thick with humiliation and Rage.
Yongye cut her off.
"That was then. This is now."
He stepped forward until less than half a pace separated them. Looking down into her pale violet eyes, which trembled with Rage, he let his cold smile deepen into one of amused calculation.
"Besides, you're asking for too much."
"If you want me to deal with Doomsday... you'll have to pay extra!"
Nōhime's jaw tightened for an instant.
She drew a deep breath and forced down the anger