Don's quick acceptance of the plan left Lady Noir surprised. "Really? You really think it's a good plan?" she asked.
She had always thought that although it was a good plan, it had many holes in it and definitely couldn't be executed perfectly. Because of that, she felt that Don wouldn't agree so easily. After all, for numerous years, she had been sending the old Don plans on how they could take over the world, and most times, he either simply ignored her or told her her plans would never work. So for him to accept her plan so quickly seemed almost unbelievable. It made her heart flutter as she showed him a smile.
"I'm... I'm glad you like it. So, maybe we should start... I didn't think you'd agree so fast, so I didn't really arrange to start the plan," Lady Noir began to fiddle with the controls of the projector while she struggled to form a sentence.
Gary showed her a warm smile as he watched her fumbling to speak with blushed rosy cheeks and a small smile. Anyone who spent so much time with her could see how happy she genuinely was in that moment, and that's all he wanted—for her to be happy.
He soon cleared his throat and decided to give her some help. "If I may make a suggestion, milady, since sir Predator has given his blessing for the plan, why not start by sending an application for him to the Santos Hero University? From my understanding, hero applicants are always received earlier during the year, whereas sidekicks are received in the second semester, the latter half of the year."
"Oh, right! Applications. I hope we didn't miss the deadline. I'm sorry I didn't check in advance, Predator," Lady Noir quickly apologized, feeling like this was a failure on her part.
But Don really couldn't bring himself to say anything negative to her and immediately reassured her. "You couldn't have thought of everything, Lady Noir. The plan itself is already impressive. You've done enough."
"Indeed," Gary supported. "Sir Predator is right. You've done enough, milady. Leave the arrangements to me. I shouldn't be long. You should use this time to go have a meal. I'm sure Sir Predator is famished by now."
Gary's words made Lady Noir realize that Don had indeed not eaten anything since they arrived. Her smile immediately faded, and her expression changed to one of concern as she turned to look toward Don and apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Predator. I forgot that we didn't even give you any food or ask if you were hungry. I was so excited about the plan that I completely forgot and-."
Before Lady Noir could continue, Don cut her off and shook his head while waving his arm. "Don't worry about it, it's fine. I was also very excited and completely forgot. It's only now that Gary's mentioned it that I remember that I am a bit hungry."
Lady Noir was again left surprised. She had grown so used to apologizing because of the old Don, who always found fault with her not because she was problematic, but because he found her annoying and thought it was an easy way to get rid of her.
Although the current Don had no idea as to what extent the old Don had hurt Lady Noir or treated her badly, he knew it was enough that she was cautious about everything she did and said around him, perhaps scared that he would leave her.
'Wow, he must've really gotten to her if she apologizes for minor stuff like this. Well, as terrible as that may be, it will actually work in my favor. Since she's been treated so badly, even just being normal toward her would be more than enough. It's sad, but it saves me the trouble of trying to live up to any standards,' Don thought.
Though he pitied Lady Noir to some extent, Don still looked at his situation logically, taking note of what advantages and disadvantages he had. Currently, Lady Noir was his biggest advantage. For now, though, he just needed to be careful as he slowly learned more about the world, the system, and himself.
Unaware of Don's deep thoughts, Lady Noir simply smiled, unable to express the inward joy she felt from Don treating her like this. Even the best memories she had with Don, where she blindly followed him around the playground as they role-played as supervillains, couldn't match up. Because at that time, Don was still a young, selfish, and narcissistic kid. Though Lady Noir found joy in his companionship, only now did she feel she was seeing his kinder side, which she felt was a result of her constant efforts to reach out to him.
Gary shared a similar thought as Lady Noir, thinking that perhaps Don had grown mentally mature enough to understand the struggle Lady Noir went through all just to make him happy. He very much welcomed this change in Don and appreciated how he was treating Lady Noir. 'Patience truly is a virtue. It seems I too could learn a lot from the young madam,' Gary thought as he gave her a warm smile from seeing her so happy.
The next moment, Lady Noir stood up from her seat and faced Don while gesturing toward the transportation sphere doors. "We should go."
Don nodded in agreement and also stood up before walking over toward Lady Noir and extending his hand for her to hold.
"Oh," Lady Noir trailed off and couldn't help but gulp while blushing. She slowly extended her hand to hold Don's and then took the liberty of leading the way as they walked toward the transportation sphere.
Gary watched them do so with a warm smile and an approving nod. Once their figures entered the transportation sphere doors, Gary let out a sigh and turned his attention toward the projector while putting a hand under his chin and thinking to himself. 'The young madam practically turned heaven and earth just to secure this chance. I must not fail her. To do this, I need to ensure that the plan will not only go smoothly but that Sir Predator finds enjoyment. Now, how to achieve this, given his particular set of unique interests…' With that question in mind, Gary began to plan out Don's path into the city.
Meanwhile, within the transportation sphere, Don and Lady Noir were standing side by side, and considering they were no longer walking, Don thought she would let go of his hand. But if anything, her grip had only grown tighter. 'How can a hand so small have so much force behind it? I guess I just have to get used to this,' Don thought before choosing to break the awkward silence by asking, "By the way, when will you call me by my name?" he asked her, causing her to look at him with surprise.
"Your... your name? But back when we were kids, you made it clear to only call you Predator."
'In another life, if I ever see young Don, it's on sight,' Don thought, but instead he put on a charming smile before chuckling. "You said it yourself. When we were kids. So, when we're not discussing plans for world domination, just call me Don. I would also like to call you Elle."
As soon as Don said her name, Elle looked like she saw a ghost and froze in place, her mouth wide open.
"Elle? Elle? Elle?" he called out but she seemed unresponsive. He even brought his hand to her face and waved it in front of her, but got no reaction.
Unbeknownst to him, Elle was now in her own world.
'He said my name. He really said my name.'