So Evah had no intention of arguing. Nodding, he pulled two apples from somewhere, offering one to Medici. "Want an apple?"
"Obviously!" Medici snatched it, biting into it fiercely, as if chomping on someone's flesh.
"Sherlock! Finished the job?" Evah called out, spotting Klein reentering his line of sight and waving.
"Yeah, Brody was stuck in a kitchen cabinet. Found him right away," Klein said, nodding. Evah tossed something his way, and Klein caught it—an apple.
Without thinking much, Klein took a bite, then grimaced. "Ugh, so sour. What kind of apple is this…?"
"You're just too into sweet stuff. I think it's fine," Evah said, crunching his own apple. He elbowed Medici. "Right, Little Red?"
Medici shot him an annoyed glance, didn't answer, and turned to head back inside.
Klein, committed to not wasting food, kept eating while asking curiously, "Jack, did you and Mr. Red fight again?"
"Not really. Just debating some stuff from novels," Evah said, shaking his head.
"Novel stuff?" Klein looked puzzled.
"Yeah, mostly about whether the heroine loves the hero for his personality, his money, or his looks," Evah said, dead serious.
"Pfft, cough…" Klein choked, coughing before saying, "You were discussing that?"
"Yep, we're all into novels, you know!" Evah shrugged. "Personally, I think it doesn't matter. Love's love. If she doesn't love other rich guys but loves him, isn't that true love?"
"…Don't go full romance-brain," Klein teased, then couldn't resist asking, "What did Mr. Red think?"
"He's a purist. Insists loving the soul, free of any gain, is real love," Evah lied without blinking.
Klein's respect for Red skyrocketed. He glanced at the sunny, carefree college kid in front of him, then thought of the sharp, playboy-looking Mr. Red, feeling a bit disoriented. "Wait, don't you two have your love views backward…?"
Jack seemed way more like the pure-love type!
"That's just stereotyping! Plus, pure love's a Hunter pathway thing. Don't let Little Red's big, tough, heartbreaker vibe fool you—he's secretly all about romance novels," Evah continued, shamelessly slandering.
Klein's mood grew even weirder.
Another bizarre impression added.
"Keep spreading lies, see what happens," Medici growled from inside, fed up with Evah piling on strange labels.
"See? He's mad!" Evah shook his head, giving a "I'll let it slide" look.
Klein: …
So Jack was totally making that up!
Klein couldn't help but laugh and cry, tugging Evah's sleeve and whispering, "Don't push it. Mr. Lucifer's not here. If you really tick off Mr. Red, I can't stop him from decking you."
"You're right!" Evah nodded solemnly, then grinned. "Next time I rile him up, I'll run faster." All apologies, no regrets.
Klein: …
That stubborn streak was all too familiar.
Klein gave up, shaking his head and letting them sort it out.
"Alright, since your job's done, hit the books until the next one comes. Learning's always priority," Evah said, nudging Klein with a smile. "I've set up the study next to your room. Go on, get to it!"
"You're not studying?" Klein didn't object—he valued learning too—but looked at Evah curiously.
He'd seen how obsessed Evah could get with new knowledge.
"I've got some Backlund connections to handle, so I'm heading out," Evah said, smiling.
Klein remembered that, unlike his fresh start, Jack had established contacts in Backlund.
So he didn't think much of it, just told Evah to be careful, and headed to the second floor to study.
Evah left too, but instead of dealing with connections, he wandered aimlessly, warmly greeting neighbors when he ran into them.
Strolling like this, he reached an artificial lake. He gazed at the water, where a blond, green-eyed youth with a gentle smile stared back. But those emerald eyes were calm, like the still lake, barely rippling.
Just like his heart since arriving in this world.
"Tch, he saw right through me…" Evah muttered, not particularly upset.
Medici's words weren't wrong. His mindset toward this world did have issues, but wasn't that normal?
"I've only been here two months. How could I love this world…?" Evah crouched, trailing his right hand through the water.
He didn't deny it. Despite actively learning, making friends, and engaging with this world, he hadn't truly blended in—something he'd only just realized.
His love for this world, for most people, was like a reader or gamer's affection for fictional characters. You couldn't call it fake, but it wasn't fully real either.
If there was an exception, Klein was probably it. As a favorite character whose life path somewhat mirrored Evah's, Klein earned a bit of genuine fondness. So, when it came to Klein's big life choices, Evah softened—like he was softening toward his past self.
That broke the dimensional wall. Evah started seeing Klein as a real friend, not just a beloved character.
And now, there might be room for one more—someone who saw through him and had the guts to call it out.
For the first time, Evah realized they weren't just set pieces or lines in a book but people like him.
Being people, they could disrupt his plans, do things he didn't expect.
"Still kinda embarrassing, though. I said I'd be a mortal, but my arrogance almost sent me skyward. Good thing I caught it…" Evah pinched his chin, lost in thought, then chuckled. "But Medici's words sure sting. Maybe I should use the Conqueror characteristic to give him a thrashing later?"
He pictured it for a moment, then casually reached into the air, using a medium from Adam to summon a familiar figure.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Griжфж!"
(End of Chapter)