Lily's hand hovered hesitantly over the parchment, fingers trembling slightly as they reached for the glowing contract. A strange warmth bubbled in her chest — equal parts excitement and apprehension.

'Is this it?' she thought. 'Will I finally be able to use mana… like the others?'

She took the contract from Kyle's hand and examined it carefully. The runes along its border glowed with a soft violet hue. Her eyes scanned the document.

It was surprisingly short.

There was only one clause:

< Kyle Celestian will assist Lily in awakening her mana in exchange for her eternal silence regarding the method of awakening. Lily shall not disclose Kyle Celestian's involvement to any third party under any circumstances, nor hold him responsible for any consequences that may occur post-awakening. >

Lily looked up with a smile. "The terms are really good. Simple. Clear. Easy to understand."

Kyle returned the smile with ease. "Of course they are. What kind of monster would try to scam an unawakened girl?"

He chuckled lightly. "And don't worry, I'm not some cheapskate trying to save a penny off you. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty loaded."

Lily tilted her head playfully. "Is that so?"

"Yup. You don't need to pay me a single credit. All you need to do is sign that contract." He handed her a sleek black pen with a silver tip. "That's it. Just a signature, and I'll make your dreams come true."

As she held the pen in her fingers, Kyle's eyes gleamed.

'Just sign it… and then you'll have nowhere to go but me. I'll be your anchor. The only one you'll depend on… rely on… trust. All your dreams — I'll make them come true.'

Lily gave a sweet smile. "Thank you so much for helping me."

But just as she lowered the pen to the paper… she stopped.

Her smile didn't fade — in fact, it grew sharper. Her eyes locked with Kyle's.

"You know," she said softly, "this contract is just too good. Too easy. No price. No consequence. Just a dream handed to me on a silver platter."

Kyle's voice remained calm. "That's because it's real. It's meant to help you."

"But… the greatest scammer I've ever known — and the smartest person in my life — once told me something," she said, walking slowly around him. "He said… 'If it feels too good to be true, it's not a miracle — it's a setup.'"

Kyle's smile cracked.

"I… don't understand what you mean," he said, trying to recover.

Lily leaned closer, her voice a whisper. "Let me rephrase it for you: 'Anything that shines too bright is either a lie... or a trap.'"

She stepped back, arms crossed. "But what truly bothers me is… I've never wronged you. Never even met you before. So why are you trying to trap me?"

Kyle blinked. 'She's saw threw it…' he thought.

A voice echoed in his mind. [ "This girl's pretty sharp," ] Sabrina muttered.

'I thought she'd be like the others — easy to bait with a shiny offer,' Kyle responded mentally.

Just then, Lily's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What if I take this contract to miss selena ? What would she will make of this?"

A cold shiver ran down Kyle's spine.

No. He couldn't allow that.

His expression softened immediately. "Miss Lily, please… I wasn't trying to hurt you. I swear. I just wanted to help."

"Oh really?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Then let's go ask Miss Selena whether this 'help' smells fishy or not."

Kyle tensed. 'Damn it…'

Silas sitting on his shoulder in his crow from asked 'master should I get rid of her '.

Kyle was about to answer.

But then suddely Lily giggled. "Relax. I'm just joking. I'm not telling anyone."

Kyle blinked in confusion as she waved the contract like a napkin.

"This thing looks fake anyway. After all, there's no one in this world who can awaken someone's mana just like that. I'm guessing… you were trying to flirt with me? Using this fake contract as an excuse to ask me out?"

She smirked. "Because if you are — you're not the first one to try. You'd be surprised how many boys think they can buy my attention using money and other things."

Kyle stared for a moment… then chuckled darkly.

'Well played,' he thought. 'I like her even more now.'

"You're cute, you know that?" Kyle said with a grin. "So yeah… I was hitting on you, why not try my luck?"

Lily gently fiddled with the silver pendant resting on her chest, her fingers casually running along its edges. Then she looked at Kyle with a sly smile.

"Well, you've officially failed," she said with a teasing lilt. "And to tell you the truth… your face? Yeah, totally not my type."

Kyle blinked.

'What…?'

No girl had ever said that to me before.

'I have C-ranked charm,' he thought with disbelief. 'That's way above average. Girls always try to hit on me… always…'

His jaw twitched slightly as Lily stood up, brushing her clothes and flashing a playful grin.

"Goodbye. I think my friends' class must've ended by now."

Before kyle could even muster a retort, a familiar voice echoed through the academy courtyard.

"Lily! Where were you?! I was looking everywhere for you!" Alden jogged toward her, beaming.

Lily turned, her face lighting up. "Bid bro Alden looks like your Class is over?"

"Finally!" Alden grinned. "I'm all free now. Come on, the others are waiting."

"Okay!" she said, running up to him.

As they started walking, Alden glanced over his shoulder toward Kyle, eyes narrowing.

"Was that guy troubling you?" he asked.

Lily shrugged. "Nah. He was just trying to hit on me."

Alden stopped dead in his tracks. His aura flared slightly, and he turned sharply, storming toward Kyle.

Kyle raised an eyebrow as Alden approached, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Listen, ugly," Alden growled, "this is your first and *final* warning. Stay away from my sister — or you'll be dealing with me."

Kyle's smile twitched. 'Ugly… again?' he thought.

He stared Alden down, then smirked. "So, you're the famous brother she was talking about? You look pretty weak to me. Not as handsome as she made you sound either."

A vein popped on Alden's forehead. "What did you just say?!"

Kyle's smirk widened. "You heard me, sir."

Before Alden could lunge, a sharp *smack* landed on the back of his head.

"Ow! What the hell—?"

"Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with a visitor, you idiot?" Ava's voice thundered behind him, her expression dark.

Alden turned. "This guy's provoking me!"

Ava rolled her eyes. "Let's go. I don't have time for your nonsense."

Then, without warning, she grabbed his ear and dragged him away.

"OW! OW! HEY! PIPSQUEAK! I can walk on my own, you know!"

"Shut up, dummy!" Ava snapped, yanking harder.

Lily laughed at the scene as the three of them disappeared around the corner, leaving Kyle standing alone.

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

'That girl… Lily… she's something else.'

A voice echoed in his mind saying.

[ "What do you mean by that?" ]

Kyle folded his arms. "Did you seriously not notice what just happened?"

[ "Oh, I noticed. She was scared and tempted for a second there." ]

"Exactly."

Kyle looked out at the quiet hallway.

"First, she saw through my scheme — saw the contract for what it was. A trap."

He began pacing slowly.

"Then, she asserted dominance by threatening me. She didn't panic or back away. She straight-up said she'd tell Selena Vega. That wasn't a bluff — it was a warning."

He paused, smiling.

"And then… once she saw I was rattled, she changed her approach — called the contract fake, claimed I was hitting on her. That was her way of giving me a way out. A silent agreement that said, 'You forget what you did, and I'll forget what you tried.'"

"Because even she wasn't completely sure whether the contract was genuine or a forgery, she chose not to accuse me recklessly.

After all, if she had wrongly blamed me and the contract turned out to be fake, it could've brought serious trouble to her family—especially considering I'm, even if adopted, the grandson of the Sword Emperor himself.

So instead of risking unnecessary conflict, she played it safe and smart at the same time by giving me a way out in this."

Silas, still in crow form on Kyle's shoulder, cocked his head.

"And What about the pendant master?" he asked.

Kyle looked up at it.

" Oh that If I'd made a move on her — even tried to attack her and grab her — she would've shattered that necklace. It's was a summoning artifact. Someone would've teleported here instantly to save her as she knew im an awakened and she stood no chance against me."

Silas let out a low whistle. "She's terrifying."

Kyle grinned wider.

"Yeah. And that's why I want her even more."

His eyes glinted dangerously.

"She's unlike anyone I've ever met. I also wonder who was she trying to summon."

---------

A/N:

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