“…”

  Staring at Eve’s outstretched hand, Lilith smirked, her smile brimming with confidence as she scoffed at the self-assured girl.

  “Danang, die? Obviously. Who do you think he is? A ruin explorer… a fool who willingly falls from the border of hell into its depths, shaving away his life for cash. That’s Danang. No one’s immortal. Death’s just part of being human.”

  Lilith fished a cigarette pack from the pocket of Danang’s discarded coat, plucked one out, and lit it with a battered Zippo. Thin purple smoke curled into the air, stinging her eyes. She rubbed her tearing eyelids, exhaled, and grimaced at the sharp taste on her tongue before sipping from a mug filled with sludge-like coffee.

  “Eve, from the way you talk, Danang’s life is tied to Lumina’s bug, and you could kill him with a single thought. That right?”

  “…Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Then do it. Kill him now.”

  “…Oh?”

  “Go ahead. Stop Lumina’s bug and take his life. You don’t care, right? I’ll wait. Hurry up.”

  Tapping the mug’s rim with her nail, Lilith’s amused smile carried no trace of deceit. She urged Eve to take her decade-long partner’s life and resumed typing on her keyboard.

  “…You don’t care about Danang?” Eve asked.

  “Care? Sure, I’d miss him. But you brought his life to the table first. Must not mean much to you, right? Easy to discard as a bargaining chip? Fine, kill him. If you do, that’s one less weakness for me.”

  The air between them froze, like cracks splintering frost-covered glass, creating a chilling, hostile atmosphere.

  Eve’s mistake was clear: using Lumina’s bug and Danang’s life as leverage. Lilith, despite her rational and articulate demeanor, was still a denizen of the undercity. As Danang had warned, she was someone who used others and discarded them the moment they showed weakness.

  Sweating invisibly, Eve licked the corner of her lips, maintaining her seductive smile while crossing her legs, her mind racing with strategies.

  Should she briefly halt Lumina’s function to rattle Lilith? No—that would irreparably damage her alliance with Danang.

  Intimidation was the quickest route. She could press her silver wings against Lilith’s throat, a mere nick enough to force compliance. But then what? Could she trust Lilith not to confide in Danang? No—without Lilith’s cooperation, her plans would stall.

  “Eve,” Lilith said.

  “What?”

  “You’re terrible at negotiating, aren’t you?”

  “Huh? No way—”

  “I can tell. I’ll give you credit: thirty out of a hundred. Barely passing.”

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  Laughing gleefully, Lilith stubbed her cigarette in the ashtray, her youthful, charming smile breaking through as she slapped her knee.

  “You’re miles better than Danang, though. That guy kills every other ruin explorer he meets and shoots at gang members without a word. He doesn’t even know what negotiation or discussion means—what an idiot.”

  “…Better than Danang?” Eve echoed.

  “Yup. If Danang and I were meeting for the first time, stuck in this kind of mind game, he’d pull his gun, grab me by the collar, and say, ‘Talk or die.’”

  Recalling Danang’s actions in the ruins and the Pleasure District, Eve pictured the young man pulling the trigger without hesitation and gave a wry smile.

  But Lilith’s jab about being “better” stung. Eve glared at the girl toying with her, exhaling her discomfort in a sigh.

  “…Care to enlighten me on where I lost points, Professor Lilith?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Sarcasm, huh? First, you played your cards in the wrong order.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Exactly that. This is the undercity, and I’m one of its people. If you knew that, using someone’s life as a bargaining chip was a wasted move. If I were part of one of the three organizations, you’d be the one blackmailed—pegged as a weakling who values others’ lives.”

  “…”

  “Second, you took too long choosing your approach. If you know what you want, what you need, don’t give your opponent time to think. Throw in some irrelevant chatter to throw them off, then hit with a surprise move.”

  Slipping into a white lab coat, Lilith called out, “Alright, Danang, we’re done,” and turned to the monitors, summoning Danang from the shower.

  “Done already?” Danang asked, stepping in.

  “Yup.”

  “Alright. The data—”

  “Hold on.”

  “What?”

  “Put some clothes on. I don’t want to see your naked ass.”

  Prompted by Lilith’s words, Eve turned and froze. Danang stood there, his chiseled, steel-like body covered in scars, his mechanical arm deploying a blade. He glanced at the wide-eyed girl and sighed.

  “What? Never seen a guy’s body before? Relax, you’ll get used to it.”

  “W-Well, yeah,” Eve stammered.

  “By the way, Lilith, is Eve… is she trustworthy or not? Which is it?”

  “Half and half. Not a villain, but I wouldn’t call her a saint either.”

  “Evidence?”

  “Woman’s intuition. That not enough for you?”

  “…Fine. But Eve, how long you planning to stand there frozen? You saw plenty of naked bodies in the Pleasure District. What’s with you?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Eve snapped. “But yeah… you should definitely put some clothes on.”

  “…Whatever. Wait, Lilith, didn’t you say you were lonely before I left for the ruins?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “How about now?”

  Lilith’s back straightened, her ears flushing red.

  “Eve’s here, but that’s fine, right? You’re beautiful, Lilith. Your hair, your skin—more stunning than anyone in the undercity. Right now, I’d say… you shine brighter than the stars in the digital sea.”

  “W-Wait, Danang, hold on! I’m not ready—”

  Danang’s hand brushed through her hair, grazing her slender neck. Lilith let out a heated breath, biting her lower lip.

  “Danang! Lilith!” Eve interjected. “Um, that kind of stuff… do it when no one’s around!”

  “In this moment, this time, you’ve always looked radiant to me. I’ve always… wanted to touch you. So, Lilith… don’t you want me?”

  “Danang, I-I…”

  Steeling herself, Lilith turned to face him. His mechanical arm flicked forward, delivering a sharp thwack to her forehead. She groaned in pain and heat as he regarded her with a cold stare.

  “Payback for last time. Learn your lesson and don’t pull that stupid crap again, Lilith.”

  He donned his underwear and armor, slipping into a spare coat from the rack.

  “I knew it was something like that!” Lilith shouted. “That hurt, you jerk! How dare you toy with the pure heart of a tragic, genius beauty!”

  “You started it, Lilith. Besides, that doesn’t even count as a fight.”

  “You idiot! Moron! Perverted creep!”

  “Hey, watch the language. And who calls themselves a ‘tragic beauty’? To me, you’re a healthy, brainy beauty.”

  “Shut up, you perv!”

  Silently, Lilith stood and landed a precise kick to Danang’s groin. The rugged man collapsed, writhing as the smaller girl stomped on him. “You little…!” he groaned, gasping in pain.

  “…”

  Watching the scene, Eve unknowingly let a genuine smile slip across her face. Her gaze drifted to the monitor, where a blue sky flickered on the screen.