"I-I was just giving her some food."
"Food?" Ada raised one of her brows at his answer before questioning him, "Where did you get the food from?"
"I-It was from the sack that I've been carrying around."
"Oh? And why is there food in there?"
"W-Well..." Everette blanked and couldn't think of a single excuse for why without having to give up his plan. He wanted to see the looks on their faces when he arrived on the back of a humongous beetle.
Ada, seeing his troubled expression, just sighed, "Tell me when you're ready." She didn't want to force him into saying things he didn't want to say.
He nodded with a grateful smile. Ada tilted her head up and noticed how dark it had gotten. "We should get moving back to the cafeteria. Staying outside during the dark is still dangerous for us."
She pulled out her hand for him to use to get up. His hand gripped her before getting pulled back up onto his feet. "But of course, that doesn't mean I wouldn't protect you~."
She rubbed his head, which incited a blush from Everette. He pushed her head off of his head with a tinted face before growling, "Stop doing that."
She chuckled before turning back around to walk back towards the cafeteria. She glanced back and gestured with her head for him to follow her.
***
They walked through the corridor that led towards the cafeteria. Deciding that the silence between them was getting annoying, she decided to make some small talk.
"So! What happened to that window at the Chapel?"
Everette perked up before sighing, "Patrick clashed with Coll." Ada gave a surprised expression before asking:
"Did he win?"
Everette shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. But he is alive and doesn't seem to show any kind of wounds." He looked to see Ada's reaction to the given information but found her yawning with a relaxed expression.
Ada noticed the strange look Everette was giving her before explaining the reason why she was so relaxed, "What's with the look? Do you think I chose some random person to become our driver?"
She then placed her arms behind her head and leaned into it, "If what you're telling me is true, then we can probably assume that Coll level is probably around level 17-18 and that he might not be that strong on his own."
Everette raised a brow, "Why do you say that?" He couldn't understand what thoughts led her to make that conclusion.
"That's because Patrick is level 17."
He then facepalmed as he heard him answer, 'Of course she would know this level.'
"That may be true, Ada, but we can't cross out the possibility that he was toying with Patrick like the sociopath that he is."
Ada gave a thoughtful expression before answering, "That could be a possibility, but do you think someone like him wouldn't have gotten serious from the start? He must've known that Patrick was in the soldier stage."
Everette couldn't retort against her reasoning, "I guess so... But I still think he was toying with him, considering he spared him."
"Spared?"
Everette nodded and explained to her what happened after Patrick flew out the window. Ada's expression shifted a couple of times before ending with a sigh.
"I see... To think he would just kill him off..." Ada referred to Victor's death.
She then tilted her head side to side before coming up with a theory, "Maybe! When he spared Patrick, he was probably low on stamina and just needed an excuse to get away without making it seem like he was tired out."
Everette widened his eyes at her theory, "That could actually be true. You actually are pretty smart!" Ada then pouted towards him before folding her arms and turning away.
"Hmph! What do you mean, actually? I've always been smart! I just act dumb."
Everette gave her a deadpan look before turning away and snickering, "Yeaah... Suurreee..."
BAM!
***
The two walked into the cafeteria to see everyone preparing to go to sleep. Everette nursed the top of his head as they approached a couple snuggling up in a corner.
"Oh hey, you guys! Come take a seat!" Jack gave them away before pointing to a spot next to them with his entire hand.
Seeing that there wasn't a spot beside Jack because the corner was in the way, Everette decided just to sit next to Amelia. Just as he approached to take his seat on the floor, Ada stepped in and snatched it before patting the side beside her.
Pat Pat
"Come and sit, Everette." He couldn't help but feel like she was demanding that from him. He raised a brow and just took his seat beside her.
His eyes then took a brief glimpse towards Ada, who happened to be staring at the couple snuggling together. She then turned back to Everette with a weird smirk.
"What's with that look?"
"Oh~ It's nothing~" She then reached around behind his head and to the side of it before pulling his head into her shoulder. He tried to struggle free.
"H-Hey! What are you—" Before Everette could finish his sentence, Ada shushed him before pointing towards the couple, who seemed to have already dozed off into the lands of dreams.
He quieted down before questioning her in a hushed tone, "What're you doing?" She chuckled before leaning down next to his ear.
"I'm getting ready to sleep. You should, too. Just imagine my shoulder as a pillow for YOU to sleep on."
Everette raised a brow at her, emphasising the "you" part, but he just gave up and shut his eyes. He unconsciously shuffled up next to her, which elicited a sudden tremble from her.
He opened his eyes before giving her a questioning look, "Is everything okay? Are you cold?"
"H-Huh? N-Nope! I-I'm fine."
Everette wanted to go further before a yawn escaped his mouth, finally putting him to sleep. "I'm tired; good night, Ada."
She smiled before leaning her cheek onto his head and closing her eyes, "Good night to you too, Everette."
***
"Mmgh~..." Ada stirred awake and stretched her back before releasing a relaxed moan. She turned to the side to see the couple still sleeping together.
Ada noticed a blanket covering them before noticing she also had one. Her hand moved to the side, and she patted the spot where Everette should be by her side. "Hm?"
Feeling the familiar person not by her side, she twisted her head and widened her eyes at the missing figure. She immediately began shuffling around before noticing a letter sliding along the ground due to her shuffling.
She held it and began to read it inside her head.
["If you're reading this, Ada, I should have left to continue what I was doing by now. If you're also willing not to sleep in, try to get something to eat before continuing with the plan."]
She sighed in relief before deciding to do as he said and go try to find something to eat. She noticed others had woken up and had worried expressions on their faces.
After asking around and getting something to eat, she approached Owen, whose shoulder seemed to have gotten better after becoming dislocated. She decided to ask him why everyone looked so worried.
"Mmy Ebrymon so wmorried? (Why is everyone so worried?)" Ada was currently eating toast that was hanging out of her mouth. Owen smiled wryly at her before asking her to finish eating before asking.
After she finished and asked Owen what was happening, he began to explain to her what happened.
"Coll went out."
She tilted her head and questioned him on the reason why it seemed so strange, "Doesn't he and his party go out often?"
Owen nodded vigorously, "Yes! That's the thing, Coll left his party behind and left on his own!"
Ada then fell into deep thought, 'Even if it was only a few days that we've been here, we never once heard or saw Coll go out on his own... What could be—'
Before she could finish her thought, A scream erupted from one of the people who sat on the very top of the stacked tables that were neatly organised on either side. The person stared out the window with an expression that seemed to get worse over time.
They then turned around and began to fumble all over their words, "E-Everyone run! I-It's t-the..."
"Just calm down and tell us!"
"Yeah! It can't be that bad, right?"
The person then raised his voice - correlating to the dire situation due to what he saw outside, "RUN! ITS THE BEET—"
Before he could finish his cry, the wall cracked and erupted open. Knocking over all the tables and with some collapsing on some people nearby.
A massive beetle with a single mandible flew through the wall while chasing after two figures that seemed to be clashing even after being sent through the wall. One wielded a greatsword with a similar design to the remaining mandible of the beetle, While the other wielded a pure white shortsword with lines etched into it.
Time seemed to slow down for Ada as she recognised one of them, 'H-Huh? EVERETTE!?'