By the time Brandon finished changing, it was already afternoon.
He stepped out of the changing booth, towel in hand, drying his damp hair.
As he nced around, his eyesnded on Amelia sitting by a bench, her attention focused on something in herp.
"...?"
Curious, he walked closer and noticed she was writing in a notebook.
A diary?
Brandon raised an eyebrow.
"Didn''t know you kept a diary."
Amelia didn''t look up, continuing to scribble.
"I''ve been keeping one since I was a child. Helps me process everything."
He sat down beside her. "What are you writing about?"
"Just recording the day. I like keeping track of everything that happens. It''s a habit."
She paused, ncing up at him with a small smile.
"You might make it in there too, if you''re lucky."
Brandon smirked.
"I better be the main character."
"Hehe~ What do you think?"
She chuckled, giving him a warm smile.
Brandon chuckled at Amelia''s yful tone, feeling the warmth in her smile.
As she returned to her writing, he pulled out his phone, idly checking the notifications.
The first message caught his eye.
[Kael]
—Infiltrating Milis isn''t easy. The upper echelons are heavily guarded, and security''s tighter than expected. But I''ll get it done. Don''t worry, I''ll meet your needs.
It was from Kael, the Primordials Third Seat.
Brandon frowned.
He knew it would be tough.
Illya might''ve been the better choice for the job, but if things went south, Kael had the strength to safely retreat.
Then his eyesnded on the next message.
[Zed]
—Rafael has woken up.
Brandon''s heart skipped a beat. Rafael? Awake?
He stared at the message, disbelief washing over him.
Rafael had been in aa for so long, no one expected him to wake up.
Especially today.
Brandon''s heart pounded as he reread Zed''s message.
For a moment, he couldn''t move, his mind trying to process the words.
Rafael—who had been in aa for months—was awake?
His thumb hovered over the screen, and he tapped the message, quickly opening it.
—Yeah, you read that right. He woke up today. I saw it with my own eyes. He''s not fully lucid yet, but… he''s awake, Brandon.
Brandon blinked, his grip on the phone tightening.
"Brandon? What''s wrong…?"
Amelia noticed his sudden change in demeanor.
Brandon blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Ah? Oh, nothing. Just some progress with the artifacts."
"Right…. the artifacts."
Amelia puffed her cheeks, pouting.
"I can''t believe you didn''t tell me…. I could''ve better prepared for it….."
"It was a surprise. I told you, I would support you, and now that I''ve established my value, my backing would greatly support your reputation."
"I…. I guess so."
Although her reaction seemed to becking, Amelia was truly grateful.
The moment she found out about her mysterious backer, it didn''t take long for her to piece the puzzle together.
Locke Enterprise? Who else could it have been but Brandon?
It surely wasn''t Belle, she was already busy enough with paperwork.
And Brandon''s mother was heavily busy monitoring Aurelia''s tutoring.
That left the only person who always left the apartment without prior notice.
"But still…. You could''ve told me, I would''ve helped out with your presentations and pitches."
"I appreciate the gesture, but you''re already busy enough. In any case, this is my own way of assisting you."
Indeed.
Initially, Brandon had told her he would greatly assist her in her endeavors—to be precise—her goal in bing the Grand Marshal.
However, over the past few months, Brandon hadn''t shown any signs of following through on his words, leading her to believe it might take a few more years before he actually started.
At least, that''s what Amelia initially thought.
But now?
Things took a turn.
Thingspletely took her aback.
He had been hiding something this grand.
He really was amazing.
Brandon had told her how lucky he was to have her, but Amelia thought otherwise.
For her, she was the one who was lucky.
She felt her face flush with heat, and she couldn''t help but….
"Anyway as I was say—Nmh!?"
Kiss him.
"...."
Cutting off whatever he was saying.
Amelia pulled away after a brief kiss, a smile forming on her face as she gently touched her lips with her finger.
"What was that for?"
Brandon stared at her dumbfounded, tilting his head.
Smirking, Amelia''s lips parted open to say,
"Your reward."
***
Raven wandered aimlessly through the stalls, his hands tucked in his pockets. Reinhard and Rachel trailed close behind, chatting about some random snacks they''d found.
"Hey, Raven, try this."
Reinhard tossed him a weird-looking fruit skewer.
Raven raised an eyebrow but took a bite. His face immediately scrunched up.
"Huekk! What even is this?"
Reinhardughed in response.
"No idea, but it''s terrible, right?"
Rachel shook her head.
"You two do know the vendor is right behind us?"
"...."
"...."
They moved on, exploring more of the vendor stalls, asionally grabbing random snacks or checking out strange trinkets.
The atmosphere was light, and the banter between them made time pass quickly.
But then, something caught Raven''s eye.
"...?"
Just for a second, a glint of tinum blonde hair flickered in the corner of his vision. He paused, his yful mood shifting instantly.
He turned around, scanning the crowd.
Nothing.
Just the usual buzz of peopleughing, talking, and enjoying the resort.
Raven had sensed something.
There was someone.
The signature was rather familiar.
"Hey, you okay?"
Reinhard''s voice snapped him back to reality.
Raven blinked, his gaze still lingering where the figure had been.
"Yeah, I''m fine… thought I saw something."
Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"Someone you know?"
"Nah…. must''ve been nothing."
***
Brandon immediately headed back to hispany building after departing with everyone else.
He informed Amelia he would be home in a bit, and she should head back home first.
Amelia noticed something was up, and didn''t pry further. Must''ve been importantpany stuff.
In any case, Brandon immediately headed to the room where Rafael Asami was resting.
Brandon stepped into the dimly lit room where Rafael Asamiy, staring nkly at the ceiling.
"...."
Zed stood silently beside him, arms crossed, his expression grim.
"He''s been like this for a while."
Brandon approached the bed, ncing between Zed and Rafael.
"What''s his condition?"
Zed sighed.
"Physically, he''s stable, but... mentally, it''s like he''s not here. He doesn''t recognize anything, or anyone."
Brandon leaned over, looking directly at Rafael.
"Sir Asami?"
There was no response.
Rafael''s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, devoid of any recognition or emotion.
Brandon feared this would be the case the moment he woke up.
But then, an idea lit up.
"Do you remember your daughters?"
Suddenly, Rafael''s eyes flickered, his fingers twitching slightly.
"...."
His lips parted, barely mouthing a word, but no sound came out.
It was the first sign of recognition. Brandon leaned in closer.
"Your daughters…. do you remember them...?"
Rafael''s gaze, though distant, held a spark of something familiar. It was faint, but it was there.
Zed shook his head.
"It''s like his memories are just…. gone. He woke up, but his mind hasn''t."
In any case, his conditions seemed to be stable.
Once there were more responses, they had nned on bringing him to a real hospital to further check his conditions.
In any case, the next day came before he knew it.
December 22, 2149.
The day of the scheduled funeral for the brave rankers who died in the tower had arrived.
Evelyn''s heart was heavy as she stood before the monument, her gaze fixed on the names engraved in stone.
The air was cold, but she barely felt it.
Her eyes focused on one name, the only name that mattered to her.
—Yi Jihyeon.