I turned toward Bearlo once again, ready to explain the disadvantages of the situation to him, but what greeted my sight made me pause for a second.

That bastard was looking at me with determined eyes.

I had seen him like this once before, back when we first met, back when he had chased after me as my enemy because I had insulted his girlfriend.

Ahh, this bastard.

I didn’t know why, but he carried the same intensity in his eyes even now.

Did he seriously fall in love with that trap or something?

I narrowed my eyes, but even then, his behavior didn’t feel like love.

Still, one thing was clear.

Looking at his expression, I knew there was no convincing him to hand his friends over without resistance.

"Argh. Dammit. Whatever." I ran a hand through my hair in annoyance. "Fine. They can stay for some time. But what’s their plan after that?"

With those words, my eyes naturally fell upon the culprits in question.

A white-furred bear with long eyelashes and softer features, alongside a rugged-looking bear sharing similar traits, only with a long beard.

I expected some kind of answer.

Any kind.

But instead, all I received were blank, clueless stares from the two bears... along with Bearlo.

"Plans?"

I asked again, but all three bears tilted their heads at the same time, staring at me with expectant gazes.

They don’t have any plans, do they?

I let out a sigh, far too tired to deal with their useless shenanigans anymore.

"I will think of something tomorrow. All of you just go back to doing whatever you were doing and stay out of sight."

I instructed them calmly.

"Others might not have recognized them as A.S.S members until now, but there is no guarantee some oversmart nerd obsessed with ass won’t stumble onto them."

After seeing all three nod enthusiastically, I turned toward the red-haired woman dozing off behind me. The moment she sensed my gaze, she immediately snapped to attention.

"And you, Ms. Fiona, thank you for helping my familiar. I am extremely grateful that you kept everything a secret, but you can leave now. I will handle things myself from here."

My voice remained steady as she smiled.

"No problem. Bearlo is my disciple after all, and his problems are my own."

My own smile widened slightly at her confidence and trust in Bearlo.

That’s one more useful connection for the long term, I guess.

With those words, I walked upstairs toward my room as the hall behind me burst into chatter, mostly the new bears thanking Bearlo repeatedly.

From the gaps between the stair rails, I could see Bearlo smiling like a fool while awkwardly thanking them back.

But then the trap bear, Bearlina, said something that immediately caught my attention.

"I can’t wait to return to my planet. If only you could come with me, I would have loved to introduce you to my twin sister."

Bearlina spoke warmly.

"But no worries. I’ll tell her all about you. I’m sure she would love to marry someone like you, Bearlo."

That, by itself, wasn’t anything strange.

But then my eyes fell onto Bearlo’s face.

His eyes curved upward as a creepy grin spread across his lips.

"Huehuehue... You would do that for me, huh? Thanks. Since she’s your sister, I am sure she must be a fine young bear."

My foot slipped off a stair, nearly sending me falling backward.

This delusional ginger bear.

So this was why he had been acting so determined.

I immediately understood the reasoning of this dumb bear. He probably wanted to become the hero of Bearlina’s family and was already hoping they would marry their daughter off to him.

I seriously couldn’t understand his mind.

This ugly son of the forest had already gotten his heart broken not once, but twice. First because his girlfriend betrayed him. Then because the second one turned out to be a dude.

And yet...

Now this piece of shit was marching straight toward a third heartbreak.

Not to sound racist since I had no idea how bear society worked, but would those white-furred ones even accept a red-furred bear from a completely different world... and probably a different species altogether?

But oh well, it wasn’t my place to interfere in his love life.

And who knew? This poor guy might somehow manage to marry her and produce an entire army of loyal minions for me.

Anything could happen, after all.

And as long as he was happy, he would naturally become even more loyal anyway. So that wasn’t a problem either.

So, I looked at my delusional ginger subordinate, wished him good luck, and sincerely hoped he would finally find the love of his life.

With those thoughts in mind, I arrived in front of my room. The familiar door and atmosphere felt strangely comforting, as though I hadn’t returned here in an eternity.

From tomorrow onward, my busy life would begin once again, filled with noisy classmates, troublesome friends and constant planning to execute my upcoming plans.

But today...

Today, I wanted to rest peacefully.

I was fully prepared to collapse onto my bed and sleep the exhaustion away because the day had been far more tiring than expected.

But the moment I opened the door and stepped inside, my movements halted. A feminine figure stood within the room, engulfed in deep shadows.

Her features were completely obscured, yet I could clearly sense the smugness radiating from her presence.

My body tensed instantly.

Then suddenly, the world around me froze as I felt an invisible barrier envelop the entire room. Outwardly, I remained calm. But inside, my thoughts began racing.

Is this an assassin sent by someone?

Varek? Or somebody else?

"Who are you?"

I asked with a steady expression.

"I am not here to hurt you, Rael."

A soft, distorted voice echoed through the room.

"I merely came for a pleasant conversation. With my current form being designed entirely for infiltration without notice, this is the most I can manage."

She explained far more than necessary for a single question, likely trying to ease my guard. I didn’t relax completely, but I knew her words were true.

Fiona was still downstairs chatting with Bearlo.

And judging by the fact that she hadn’t noticed this woman’s presence, there were only two possibilities. Either this woman was monstrously powerful... Or so weak that she escaped notice entirely.

The woman walked toward the chair beside the table before taking a seat. Then she pointed toward the chair opposite her as she continued.

"I am the one you have been waiting to speak with."

A faint smile lingered behind her distorted silhouette.

"So... how about we have a small chat?"