Maybe it was because Lily was somewhat restrained in front of Raven—

    But in the end, we managed to finish all four pizzas before they got cold.

    Since I wasn’t a fan of cold food unless it was ice cream, I was relieved that we ate while it was still warm.

    Once we had tidied up the empty pizza boxes, Raven turned to Lily, who was sipping the coffee I had brewed, and asked:

    “So, why are you here? Do you actually have business with us?”

    It was a perfectly reasonable question.

    Even though Lily was Alice’s older sister, she was technically an outsider.

    She had shown up unannounced, without any prior arrangements, making her an uninvited guest.

    However, it seemed she didn’t like the way Raven had phrased his question.

    With an innocent expression, she answered as if the question itself was absurd.

    “Why would I need a reason to come see my darling? Ah, are you feeling guilty for taking up my incredibly valuable time? Aww, no need to be shy~”

    “So basically, you’re just here because you had nothing better to do.”

    Just when things had been peaceful for a while...

    Raven sighed, pressing his fingers to his forehead as if he were developing a headache.

    His exasperated demeanor stood in stark contrast to Lily’s honey-dripping flirtatiousness.

    Sitting beside Raven, I quietly nibbled on a cookie while observing them.

    I didn’t want to accidentally get caught in the crossfire again and receive another one of Lily’s piercing glares.

    Oh, and for the record, I had taken out this cookie earlier when I brewed the coffee. Our office was always stocked with snacks.

    I was seriously grateful that I had a body type that didn’t gain weight no matter how many sweets I ate.

    ‘That aside... Her love is so intense. She’s undeniably beautiful, but still...’

    Lily was a tall, well-proportioned beauty—her looks fit the image of a charismatic career woman.

    With her androgynous features, she wasn’t the cute type, but rather the cool type.

    She was exactly the kind of woman other women would admire, calling her a prince rather than a princess.

    Yet, here she was, gazing at Raven with the lovestruck expression of a middle schooler with a crush.

    The contrast was so jarring it almost felt surreal.

    Still, there was a reason behind Lily’s intense feelings for Raven.

    He wasn’t just someone she admired—he was the one who had saved her life and her future.

    To explain in full would take too long, but in short—

    A certain criminal organization had targeted Lily for abduction, aiming to claim the genius mechanic-magician for themselves.

    They had nearly succeeded—until Raven reached out and pulled her from the depths of despair.

    Having never experienced romantic feelings before, Lily’s heart thumped—

    And she transformed into a relentless love bulldozer, recklessly charging forward with her affections!

    ‘Still, hiding cameras all over the office just to spy on him? That’s just plain creepy.’

    But Lily had never been in a relationship before, and her way of thinking was fundamentally different from that of ordinary people.

    As a result, her love was twisted beyond repair.

    Perhaps because she could build whatever machine she wanted—

    She had resorted to stalking, secretly filming, eavesdropping, and more.

    Frankly, she was obsessed with Raven to a degree that could easily land her in jail.

    She had even been caught red-handed stealing his underwear at one point.

    Even her own sister, Alice, had once begged, “Please, do something about her. I wouldn’t even blame you if you pressed charges.”

    Even someone as laid-back as Raven had seriously lost his temper over her antics.

    After countless incidents, they had eventually reached a compromise—

    Lily would express her love without breaking the law.

    Because, in her own words, “I don’t care if I die, as long as I can love you.”

    She looked perfectly normal on the outside, but she was undeniably exhausting to deal with.

    Anyway—

    Lily placed her coffee cup back on the table with a quiet clink before speaking in a voice full of lament.

    “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to visit, but I was stuck in the lab, barely sleeping, because of my project. So the moment I finished, I came straight here. Weren’t you even a little excited to see me, darling? It’s been almost three months, you know?”

    “Well... I guess?”

    “‘I guess’?! That’s so mean! I missed you so much I couldn’t even sleep properly!”

    “Tch, what’s the big deal? As long as you’re still alive, that’s all that matters.”

    Raven replied with a dry, indifferent tone, completely unmoved by Lily’s pouty complaints.

    He wasn’t just putting up a front or saying it carelessly—he genuinely wasn’t the type to check in on people.

    He lived in the same city as his former colleagues and never once went out of his way to visit them.

    Yep, that’s a very Raven-like response. I nodded to myself in agreement.

    But then—Lily’s eyes flickered toward me.

    “...”

    “...?”

    Oh no... Is she going to glare at me again?!

    I immediately tensed up, my eyes darting around in an attempt to gauge the atmosphere.

    But unexpectedly, there was no hostility in her gaze this time.

    Had something changed in the short time we spent eating pizza together?

    She was the kind of person whose thought process was impossible for me to follow.

    Before I could figure it out, Lily shifted her attention back to Raven.

    Clearing her throat softly, she gazed at him with adoring eyes.

    “Well, I suppose that’s just like you, darling. In that case... Could I ask for another cup of coffee? I’d love to hear what’s been happening at the office while I was gone for three months.”

    “I mean... I wasn’t exactly planning to take a break right now....”

    “Oh, come on. You were just about to kill time watching the Night Week memorial dragondrome match, weren’t you? Keep me company for a little while. Making your custom bullets should be worth at least that much, don’t you think?”

    “...Fine. Yuria, could you make another cup?”

    “...!”

    It wasn’t exactly a difficult request.

    Besides, sitting across from Lily for too long was starting to feel a bit overwhelming.

    So, when Raven asked, I simply nodded and stood up energetically.

    After making her a cup of coffee, I planned to quietly slip away while they talked—maybe hide in the storage room or something.

    Three months ago, this office hadn’t even hired me as a part-timer yet.

    So, they wouldn’t mind if I disappeared for a while. They probably had mountains of things to catch up on.

    ‘Lily preferred coffee with almost no sweetness, didn’t she? She really has a mature palate.’

    The coffee station was in the small office kitchen.

    Of course, I wasn’t just mixing instant powder into hot water.

    We had an espresso machine—not a high-end one, but decent enough.

    I loaded the beans, let the machine extract the rich espresso, and mixed it with either water or milk.

    At this point, I was so used to the process that I could practically do it with my eyes closed.

    It didn’t take long for the coffee to be ready.

    But just as I was stirring the espresso into warm milk for a smooth latte—

    “Hey, Yuria? Can we talk for a moment?”

    A cold voice rang out from behind me.

    I had already sensed footsteps approaching, but I hadn’t expected her to openly initiate a conversation like this.

    Still holding the tiny teaspoon I had used to stir the coffee, I turned and studied Lily carefully.

    “...”

    Earlier, when we first met, she had stared at me with an unsettling intensity—almost as if she was sizing me up for something.

    For someone utterly infatuated with Raven, it was only natural that she didn’t like the idea of me living under the same roof as him.

    But that was a very problematic misunderstanding.

    Sure, Raven was a good person. Capable, kind, and probably one of the more attractive men in Nighthaven.

    But as a romantic interest? Not even for a second.

    I had no intention of falling for anyone.

    And considering the apparent age gap between us, it would’ve been strange for him to like me that way, too.

    If she wanted to be jealous, she should at least pick the right target.

    I continued to watch Lily in silence, mentally preparing to use the teaspoon if she tried anything funny.

    But instead of hostility, she simply leaned against the wall and nodded, speaking in an unexpectedly sincere tone.

    “...I’m sorry. I completely misunderstood. And for the way I threatened you earlier—I genuinely apologize.”

    “...?”

    That was... surprising.

    An apology? Just like that?

    I hadn’t expected this at all.

    But her demeanor didn’t seem fake.

    Slowly, I lowered the teaspoon and loosened my guard.

    Still, I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

    For someone as emotionally unstable and obsessive as her to admit fault so easily...?

    I blinked at her, tilting my head in confusion.

    Seeing my reaction, Lily exhaled lightly and closed her eyes for a moment before speaking again—this time, honestly.

    “When I watched you eat pizza earlier, I realized how you and Raven actually feel about each other. At first, I thought you were some wicked little thief trying to steal my darling away... But turns out, you’re just an adorable pet cat. I completely misunderstood. Now I know for sure that neither of you has the slightest bit of romantic interest in each other.”

    “...”

    “D-Don’t look at me like that! You kept destroying all the spy cams I hid around the office, so... I just assumed that’s what was happening....”

    It seemed like all of Lily’s misunderstandings about me had been cleared up.

    Originally, she had thought I had a crush on Raven and was trying to get in her way.

    But after eating together, she must’ve realized how completely wrong she was.

    So her obsession with love also comes with an innate ability to detect rivals?

    Come to think of it, her intimidating gaze had softened over time.

    It wasn’t just that I had gotten used to it—her hostility had actually disappeared.

    She was incredibly transparent.

    ‘Well... as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, that’s a good thing. I really didn’t want to get harassed over something that wasn’t even true.’

    And it wasn’t like she had just tried to ignore the issue and let it slide.

    She had actually sought me out to apologize in person.

    That kind of sincerity was rare—definitely within the top 1% of apologies.

    I had no reason not to forgive her.

    After all, I hadn’t really suffered much from her misunderstanding.

    Plus... she was pretty. And let’s be honest—pretty people get forgiven for a lot of things.

    “...!”

    “W-Wait... Are you actually accepting my apology?”

    “...!!”

    “Heh... Thanks. And I really am sorry for being such a terrible adult.”

    Lily’s cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment as she smiled softly and—

    She pulled me into a gentle hug.

    She wasn’t the same type of beauty as Alice, but maybe because they were sisters, there was something oddly familiar about her warmth.

    ‘Well, I’m sure at least half of this is an act. She’s trying to build a connection with me since I look close to Raven. Unlike her naive little sister, this woman... is incredibly calculating.’

    As these thoughts ran through my mind, I glanced at the kitchen mirror.

    There, reflected in the glass—

    Was Lily, looking down at me with a serious, contemplative expression.

    Yep.

    She was the most dangerous kind of “good person.”

    Love... was truly terrifying.