Before Klein could decide whether Mr. Red was truly a tough-talking softie, he landed his first detective job: Lawyer Jürgen's cat, Brody, had gone missing. Following the principle of proximity, Jürgen and his grandmother saw Klein's new newspaper ad and hired the nearest detective, Sherlock Moriarty, to find the cat. The pay, for such a task, was quite generous.
Klein: …
It wasn't the detective life he'd imagined, but he wasn't about to turn it down. Grabbing his cane, he headed out to hunt for the cat.
"Hmm, so this so-called fate really does exist…" Evah watched Klein leave, muttering to himself.
Klein's current address wasn't the same as in the original story. Though not far from Jürgen's, it was two streets away. Yet, somehow, Jürgen still came to Klein for the cat job, just like in the book.
Evah wasn't too surprised. Ince Zangwill's script, barely different from the original, and Qilangos's near-identical hurricane path showed this world's timeline might indeed follow a set fate.
"But clearly, fate isn't unchangeable. It depends on whether you've got the power. My Shadow of Time works similarly. For those I summon from the past, they're handed a script of their fate early, but most lack the strength to change it…"
Evah's fingers tapped the balcony as realization dawned. "From the future's perspective, the present is just another past. Time, for others, is a river you can't step into twice, but for me, that's never been true…"
"I don't get your twisted hobbies. You really find this playing-house nonsense fun?" Medici's voice cut in, dripping with his usual sarcasm.
Evah glanced at him, a smirk forming. "Of course it's fun. I never forget I'm just a mortal."
"Mortal? Hah!" Medici laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke, eyeing Evah like a monster in human skin. His smile turned mocking. "No offense, but you're less human than me, a born mythical creature. You're like that paranoiac, but better at exploiting hearts. You dissect everyone you know, breaking them down with profit, affection, or whatever else, then take what you want from them."
Medici glanced toward Klein's departing figure. "Mortals don't treat everything like a game. They've got flaws, sure, but they pour real emotion into those they love. You, little monster, have you ever felt anything for anyone in this world? Or is it all just a game, chasing the ending you want?"
Evah blinked, as if truly seeing the man before him for the first time—not just a high-sequence tool but the Red Angel who followed the Ancient Sun God, saved the world, and was once the greatest schemer.
Then Evah smiled, brighter than ever. "Keeping you around was definitely the right call, Medici. You're really interesting."
"But you're wrong about one thing. Even in a game… players can pour real emotion into it." Evah raised a hand, as if shielding his eyes from the sun or trying to grasp it. He turned to Mr. Red, his smile softening. "You should be glad that, whatever my true nature, I chose to be a mortal. I didn't stay floating above but came down to earth to play this 'playing-house' game you mock."
Medici didn't argue. His words were both his honest take on Evah and a test—probing how Evah viewed this world, his so-called friends, and whether he genuinely saw himself as mortal or was fully aware of his nature, just playing the game with intent.
The result… Medici looked at the blond, green-eyed youth, gritted his teeth, and couldn't hold back. "Your so-called emotion is just stringing your friends along like fools?"
"Not fools," Evah said, shaking his head, looking genuinely puzzled. "Do you bare your entire self to your friends?"
Medici froze, unable to answer. He wouldn't either.
"Exactly. You don't show your friends everything," Evah said, laughing. He patted Medici's shoulder. "And, funny enough, my good friend hasn't shown me everything either. I deceive him with this fake identity, and he deceives me with his. That's fair, right?"
This touched on information Medici wasn't privy to.
Evah continued, "I didn't expect you to be such a hopeless romantic, Little Red. My god, when you fall in love, you're not gonna ask your girlfriend if she loves your face, your sequence, or your soul, are you?" The last bit was pure teasing.
Medici's face darkened. "I'm not that bored."
"Really? I don't buy it," Evah said, grinning cheekily.
Medici: Not grinning back.
Evah shook his head, sighing sincerely. "No wonder you got along with Angel of Fate Ouroboros. In a way, you're just as pure."
Fists clenched, temper flaring!
"Hah!" Too angry to stay mad, Medici let out a cold laugh.
"But I'm not like you romantics. I don't care why emotions arise—deception, manipulation, whatever. I'm from chaos, and chaos has no pure emotions," Evah said, his tone shifting. He patted Medici's shoulder again. "That said, I don't disagree with you. I do see this world as a game. But if you all make me care enough, it could become real to me."
He smiled, bright and sunny. "So, wanna be friends?"
Medici caught the subtext: enough friends, enough emotions, enough anchors to keep this potentially sky-bound being grounded.
A fully grounded Evah wouldn't smash the game and take the world down with him on a whim.
"…You lunatic!" Medici cursed after a long pause.
"Yep, that's me!" Evah knew why he was cursing, just as he knew Medici wouldn't say no—not because of Evah's charm but because the Creator's camp would want him earthbound even more than he did.
(End of Chapter)