The sun rose, radiating warmth and signaling the breaking of dawn.
Nana stirred, her arms moving lazily as she slowly awoke, her eyes fluttering open. She glanced to her side and realized Rylan wasn't there.
"Idiot, you couldn't even drop a note," she thought, a mix of annoyance and resignation filling her mind. "Well, not that I'm surprised; he is always hard to read."
With a sigh, she walked towards the bathtub, easing herself into the warm water. She relaxed, gazing up at the ceiling as her long, thick black hair spread out, framing her face. The serenity of the moment contrasted sharply with her internal frustration.
Nana thought to herself, "That weird guy is going to be turning 18 next week. What should I get him? Hmm..."
"Aha," she exclaimed as a bright idea came to her. Walking out of the bathroom, she noticed an unfamiliar presence sitting on the bed. It was a very beautiful young lady, dressed corporately, who appeared to be around the same age as her.
Nana was instantly on alert, wondering how this stranger had gotten in. The young lady stood up and turned to Nana, her eyes sharp and inquisitive.
"Are you his girlfriend?" the woman asked, her tone steady.
Nana furrowed her brows, her towel tied securely around her slim waist. "So what? What if I am?"
The woman giggled. "It's clear you lied. Rylan is too nerdy to confess his feelings to a pretty lady," she said confidently, as if she knew everything about him.
"Dammit... she knows this side of Rylan. Is she his ex?" Nana's thoughts raced.
"Who... who are you?" Nana asked, her voice steady despite her internal turmoil.
"I'm Elana from the Elite Squad Zero," the woman said, displaying her badge.
"Squad Zero?" Nana thought. She knew them—an elite group granted immense power by the gods through the hero candidate selection. They were the most feared people in Justice Haven.
"Sorry! For my rude speech!" Nana quickly apologized. If there was anything she wanted to avoid, it was being on the bad side of a member of Squad Zero. "But why are you here? If Rylan has done something, please punish me instead."
Elana's expression shifted to one of seriousness. "You see, I couldn't help but confirm my curiosity about who has been with him these past few years," she explained. "But strangely, I could only pick up two scents—his and yours."
Nana's confusion deepened. "I have never seen any human with two scents, not even a monster, but strangely, I picked the smell from you as well," Elana continued, her eyes narrowing as she studied Nana.
Nana's heart pounded. "What does that mean? Why would I have Rylan's scent?"
Elana's gaze softened slightly. "That's what I'm here to find out. There's something unusual about your connection with Rylan. It might explain why he has been so difficult to track."
Nana took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "I don't know what you're talking about. Rylan and I... we just live together."
Elana raised an eyebrow, her skepticism evident. "We'll see about that."
"Where is he?" Nana asked.
Elana walked majestically towards the door, her aura radiating an intense magical pressure.
"She's obviously strong," Nana thought, eyeing her suspiciously.
Elana gasped in shock as her eyes glowed. She had been secretly trying to scan Nana's skills, but her attempts seemed to be bouncing back.
"Till we meet again," Elana said, walking out of the door.
Nana furrowed her brows as a smirk appeared on her face.
Outside, walking along the walls of the house beside the window while eating a rice bun, Saske smiled mischievously.
"Huh, what an interesting guy," he murmured to himself, amused by the unfolding drama.
*
*
*
Rylan woke up, finding himself on a hospital bed.
"Ah," he muttered. "How come?" Quickly, he dashed to the mirror.
"Thank goodness," he sighed in relief. For a moment, he had thought his eyes had been plucked out. "What a weird dream," he thought. But come to think of it, how did he end up in a hospital bed? As he tried to piece it together, his head began to hurt badly.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch. I must have hit my head pretty bad," he groaned.
"Wait a minute, aaaaaaa!" Rylan screamed as he got a good look at himself in the mirror. His hair was longer than before, his emerald green eyes sparkled, and his muscles were well-defined. He looked beautiful beyond comprehension.
Hearing the scream, a teenage boy of the same age in the same ward came out, dressed in hospital clothes. He had reddish, rough, and strong hair, and his face looked like mashed potatoes, giving him a funny appearance. His demeanor suggested anger issues and a disdain for pretty boys.
"Hey," the boy tapped Rylan on the back. Upon turning, he saw Rylan's compelling look.
"Pretty boy!? Aaaaa!!! What are you looking at!?" he yelled in anger.
"Sorry, but you, erm, kinda tapped me first," Rylan replied, feeling nervous.
"I know your type. You're stealing people's girlfriends, aren't you?" the boy accused, his face contorting with rage.
He suddenly went on a rampage, thrashing and yelling, "I'll kill all the pretty boys in the world, starting with you!" It took six doctors to pin him down, eventually putting him to sleep with a tranquilizer.
Rylan sighed in relief as he finally escaped the boy's grip. The doctors, too, were exhausted from the ordeal of taming the pretty boy hater.
"Sorry about that," one of the doctors said, panting. " That's izuki freeman he has extreme anger issues and tends to take it out on guys who are better looking than him."
"Eh, he's a psycho, not normal at all," Rylan replied, heaving a sigh of relief.
A female doctor approached Rylan, her professionalism wavering as she couldn't hide her admiration for his looks. She quickly composed herself and handed him a report. "You were in an accident and brought in by a friend," she explained.
Rylan took the report, nodding. "Thank you," he said, still trying to piece together how he ended up here.
As the nurse left, her cheeks turned red, unable to hide her blush. She gave Rylan one last glance before quickly exiting the room.
"A friend?" Rylan thought to himself. He knew something wasn't right. He didn't even have a car, so how could he have been in an accident?
"Thorn!" Images flashed back in his mind. It wasn't a dream after all; his expression saddened as he remembered the intense battle from yesterday. Thorn and the rest... they were dead.
But who brought him here? Why would the nurse make it look like he had an accident? And how come he was fully recovered?
Suddenly, his phone began to ring. He quickly picked it up.
"Nana," he thought aloud.
"Hello?" he answered, his expression keen.
"Where have you been? We need to talk," Nana spoke, sounding serious.
"Sure," he replied, walking towards his long jacket. He put it on and walked out of the hospital, now officially discharged.
As he stepped outside, the morning sun greeted him, casting a warm glow on his newly transformed appearance. His thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and concern, but one thing was clear: he needed answers, and probably Nana might have them.