Oh my, I found a little bug!

Damian's face instantly flushed at the sight of the pitiful Anya.

At that moment, from his perspective, several vivid roses appeared out of thin air and spun gently around Anya, their faint fragrance seeming to spread through the air.

Anya covered her face and sobbed. "Sorry, Anya isn't a shorty. Sorry..."

That tearful voice actually made his heart beat faster.

Damian desperately wanted to comfort her. His lips moved slightly, but something seemed to catch in his throat, leaving him only able to make sounds like "Ah... mm~ mmm..."

His hands hovered helplessly in the air, rising and falling as he struggled to figure out what to do.

Inside, he was already a complete mess.

Sh-she's reflecting on it so seriously. How can she be this cute?!

Watching from the side, Twilight's lips curled into a pleased smile before he realized it.

It seemed he wouldn't need to guide her any further. Anya had successfully apologized. To be able to contribute to protecting world peace at such a young age was truly impressive.

Damian's faint blush gradually spread until his whole face was as red as a ripe tomato.

Seeing this, a flicker of concern crossed Ewen's eyes, and he couldn't help asking, "Lord Damian, your face suddenly turned bright red!"

"Sh-shut up!" Damian hurriedly shifted his gaze to Ewen and Emile, finally finding his voice again. "I'm angry! Angry! Don't you get it? How could I possibly feel that way about a commoner like... uh..."

Before he could finish, the image of Anya staring at him surfaced in his mind again.

In Damian's eyes, Anya's squinting expression somehow turned into a pair of big, watery eyes gazing adorably at him!!!

His heart gave a violent jolt!

Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded wildly, as though it were about to leap out of his throat.

In a panic, Damian swatted away the "thump" sensation beside him that seemed to represent his heartbeat, then simply shut his eyes and shouted, "Damn it!!"

"I'll never admit it-my pride won't let me!"

After shouting, he turned and hurried away in a fluster, not even bothering to eat.

Ewen and Emile watched Damian's retreating back with admiration in their eyes, already filling in the blanks in their heads.

"As expected of Lord Damian! Even a woman's tears can't soften his heart!"

"Heh heh heh. We'll let you off for today, then..."

Anya stared blankly in the direction Damian had gone. "..."

So had he accepted her apology or not?

Beside her, Karen had already been moved to tears by the scene. He took out a tissue and gently dabbed at the corners of his eyes. "Sob, sob. Poor second son. Anya captured his heart so easily..."

After a pause, he couldn't help adding admiringly, "But Anya is so cute... even a handsome man like me can't help being smitten!"

"That's my ship for you. The tsundere second son and adorable Anya..."

This was exactly why he had come to the school. Money didn't matter. He had already lived without it for over twenty years anyway...

What mattered was getting to enjoy his favorite ship!

No one could resist adorable Anya!!!

Unlike the deeply moved Karen, Twilight felt his heart quietly shatter.

To him, Damian's reaction made it perfectly clear that he hadn't accepted Anya's apology. Plan B could officially be declared a failure. His eyes were filled with despair, without a single glimmer of hope.

Karen looked at Twilight lying on the ground in despair and gently shook his head.

"For a spy, you're still too green. You can't even recognize a child being shy and tsundere. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You need more practice, Twilight."

"Sigh. Plan B failed after all. Can I only count on Plan A now?"

Standing on the roof, Twilight looked at Anya taking her midday break in the classroom and shook his head.

Anya had already worked very hard. The plan to improve their relationship through an apology had failed, but he wouldn't take his frustration out on her.

"Did I push her too hard? Is that why she cried so much..." Seeing Anya cry at noon had shaken him, too.

Hadn't he become a spy so children could smile?

"I'll just let things take their course from here."

Twilight came down from the roof. He still had to work at the hospital that afternoon, and he had already left his clothes in the academy's woods.

Few people went there in the first place, especially during the midday break. It was safe.

Below Twilight, Karen heard him coming down. His half-closed eyes suddenly opened, and he followed.

"Let's see what Westalis's top spy can do."

He was itching for a fight. Although he had fought just last night, that had been with a blade. Personally, he preferred the feeling of fists striking flesh.

"Phew~ It should be around here." Twilight pushed aside the hanging vines and followed the marks left on the tree trunks, finally finding the case behind the bushes.

Just as he was about to touch it, a familiar voice came from behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

"Oh my, a little bug has wandered in. Honestly." Laughter sounded behind Twilight as Karen's figure slowly emerged from the woods.

Damn it. He found me. Twilight's hand froze in midair, and cold sweat kept seeping down the back of his neck.

He had no desire to fight Karen. His last attempt to sneak in was still fresh in his memory.

Karen had been that strong while drunk. Twilight didn't even dare imagine how strong he would be sober.

Of course, Karen had been sober back then, too, but for the sake of his ship, he could pretend to be drunk.

Now, though, things were different. He wanted to test Twilight's strength.

This absolutely wasn't revenge on Yor. It certainly wasn't because he couldn't beat her and liked her daughter, leaving him no choice but to take it out on her husband.

The corners of Karen's mouth lifted slightly in a cruel smile.

"I hope you can keep me entertained for a while."

Before the words had faded, Karen had already become a blur.

He closed the distance to Twilight in an instant, then sharply raised his right leg and spun into a vicious back kick, driving it toward Twilight's chest with tremendous force.

Twilight reacted incredibly fast, tilting his body slightly to one side and deftly avoiding the blow.

However, Karen's strength far exceeded his expectations.

Karen's foot swept through an arc in the air and slammed into a small tree behind Twilight.

Crash-

With that single impact, the tree snapped in half, and its trunk crashed heavily to the ground.

You've got to be kidding. He has that much strength... Twilight's heart jolted, and surprise flashed in his eyes.

He had already experienced Yor's strength firsthand, but the Karen before him seemed every bit as strong as she was.

A chill crept into his heart.

It looked like... he was in for another beating.