They ended up having a proper feast.

Amanda had prepared several of Kyle’s favorite dishes, the kind he usually had to go outside just to eat.

Including noodles.

Making noodles from scratch without relying on instant packs was genuinely time-consuming, yet Amanda had somehow managed to prepare everything within half an hour.

Kyle ate until he felt completely satisfied.

By the time he finished, all he wanted to do was collapse somewhere and lazily spend the rest of the afternoon doing absolutely nothing.

Unfortunately, Amanda had other plans.

"I actually booked an appointment at three," she admitted with an apologetic smile. "She’s a very punctual person, so... would you mind resting after we come back instead?"

She felt guilty but it was hard to get the time of the person they were dealing with. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Kyle let out a quiet sigh before pushing himself to his feet.

"No, I get it. I’ll go change first."

Amanda nodded. "I’ll contact Layena in the meantime. She’ll probably be discharged tomorrow."

Kyle paused for a brief second.

Then he turned slightly and asked, "Are you planning to go see her when she’s discharged?"

Amanda blinked in mild surprise before nodding. "Yeah, I was thinking about it. Why?"

Kyle shook his head lightly and continued walking away.

He avoided the topic for now, but sooner or later, he’d have to tell her that he and Layena had already become fairly close over the past few days.

I’m seriously overthinking this for no reason, he thought inwardly.

Layena was simply a friend.

And Amanda was never the kind of person who would object to that.

Honestly, he probably should’ve mentioned it casually from the start instead of making it feel like some complicated issue in his own head.

Shaking his head, Kyle pulled open the wardrobe and picked out a pair of trousers along with a dark green half-shirt.

As he glanced through the collection inside, he realized most of his clothes were far too casual now.

That probably wouldn’t work anymore.

He was officially a working member of society now.

*Smug*

Naturally, he needed to buy more formal outfits.

After changing into the new set of clothes, he stepped out of the room and immediately heard Amanda talking on the phone nearby.

"Yeah... sure."

Her voice sounded oddly dazed as she disconnected the call.

Kyle approached her curiously. "What happened?"

Amanda looked up at him before answering,

"She asked whether you’d be coming too... Kyle."

Kyle froze for a split second.

Still, not wanting to make things awkward or overly dramatic, he casually rubbed the back of his head and explained,

"Well... we’ve been chatting every now and then ever since the resort incident." He gave a small shrug. "You know she figured out my identity that day, and then we ran into each other again when I went out to buy a gift for your father."

Amanda smiled faintly.

"I see..."

Then, suddenly, her eyes narrowed and the amusement vanished from her face.

"...Kyle, aren’t you getting awfully friendly with a lot of women lately?"

Kyle instantly retorted.

"What’s with the way you’re saying that? You sound exactly like my brother." He let out a huff before continuing, "Amanda, Layena is just a friend. Besides, we’re working in the same unit now. Isn’t it better if we get along properly?"

Amanda hummed softly and crossed her arms. "True... true."

Kyle could immediately tell she wasn’t fully convinced.

And honestly, he understood why.

Lately, he had been getting close to a lot of new people.

And somehow, every single one of them happened to be women.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he stepped closer and gently held her shoulders.

"Babe," he said softly, "they might all be close to me and someone I got along with, sure. But you..." His gaze settled firmly on her. "Your place can never be replaced. You were my first choice, and you’ll always remain my priority. The person I fell in love with."

Amanda instantly pouted.

"You’re not even trying to hide it anymore," she muttered. "You just say things like that to soften me up."

Kyle smiled faintly and brushed her cheek with his thumb.

"But I mean every single word."

His voice lowered slightly.

"I swear."

Amanda let out a helpless sigh.

It was like seeing an attack coming straight at you, fully aware it would affect you, yet still being unable to defend against it.

Shaking her head, she turned away slightly.

"Let’s just go already. I don’t want her scolding me for being late."

Kyle followed after her, curiosity surfacing again.

"Is she someone close to you?"

As they stepped out of the house together, Amanda explained,

"Her family runs a company that supplies tools and equipment to Nightwalkers. They have branches all across Guhang and even outside the nation." A faint smile appeared on her face. "I bought my first equipment from her too."

Kyle nodded while pressing the elevator button.

"If you’re this confident about her, then I guess I can stop worrying about my first gear."

Amanda grinned proudly.

"Obviously." She lightly bumped his arm. "Just leave everything to me."

....

The place was located on the eastern edge of the city.

Each of Montclair’s four edges held its own significance.

The eastern and northern districts were dominated by towering corporate buildings, massive skyscrapers, and various public establishments, making them the busiest parts of the city.

The building where Amanda finally parked the car happened to be the tallest tower in all of Montclair.

Kyle stared up at it briefly before blinking in realization.

"Wait... isn’t this the same tower we came to during your birthday last year?"

Amanda grinned proudly. "Yup."

Then she coughed lightly and added,

"Also... sorry for lying to you back then about us sneaking inside. We weren’t actually trespassing." Her grin widened mischievously. "It was my connections that got us access to the top floor."

Kyle looked at her with a wry smile.

"Wow, babe. You’re terrifyingly good at acting." He shook his head in disbelief. "The entire time I genuinely thought we were committing a crime. My stomach was in knots thinking we could end up in prison at any moment."

Amanda instantly wrapped herself around his arm, laughing softly.

"Ahaha... forget about that already." She leaned closer against him. "I’m just happy we made good memories there."

Kyle snickered.

"I’m seriously starting a list of every lie you’ve ever told me."

Amanda laughed even harder at that, clearly wanting the topic buried before it could grow any further.

Soon, the two entered the towering building together.

Entering the place had him realize that he might have dressed a little lightly for a place like this.

The lobby alone was larger than some mansions he had visited before. Towering ceilings stretched far above, lined with massive crystal chandeliers whose soft golden glow painted the marble floor beneath in shimmering reflections.

Even the scent was refined. A mix of polished wood, expensive perfume, and something fresh he couldn’t identify.

Near the reception stood a woman dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Her golden nameplate gleamed faintly beneath the lights. She maintained a composed posture, hands folded neatly before her, her expression professional.

The moment Amanda approached, the woman’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly before she respectfully lowered her head.

"Miss Maylith."

"Oh, hey." Amanda smiled casually. "I had an appointment with Tear."

The woman nodded immediately and checked something on the terminal in her hands.

After a brief moment, she spoke again.

"Yes. Please follow me."

She gestured toward the left corridor that stretched deeper into the building.

Amanda and Kyle quietly followed behind her, passing through a long gallery before eventually arriving at an elevator.

Kyle couldn’t help glancing around with interest.

The last time he had been here, they had climbed through the service stairs all the way to the rooftop. This was technically his first proper time entering the tower itself.

And honestly...

Almost everything around him felt mesmerizing.

Maybe it was because he’d spent so long disconnected from normal society lately, but even simple details now seemed strangely fascinating to him.

Soon, the three entered the elevator.

The woman didn’t press any button immediately. Instead, she stood before the panel above the regular controls as a scanner descended and scanned her eyes.

Once the verification completed, she entered several keys manually.

A second later, an entirely new set of projected buttons illuminated beneath the original panel.

Kyle blinked.

Goddamn... this seriously feels like something out of a sci-fi movie.

He probably should’ve expected this level of secrecy considering the kind of place they were visiting.

Even then, seeing it firsthand still caught him completely off guard.

And to add cherry on top, the elevator began to move downwards.

So...the store(?) was located in the basement(?), huh?

He was somehow getting excited about this more and more.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Man...I really debate sometimes writing things from Kyle’s perspective. And him over complicating relationships is also a part of his personality. Don’t worry though, he will go through development.