Seraphine''s eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry as the bright lights of the hospital ward came into focus. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sterile white room around her. The faint beeping of a heart monitor reached her ears, along with the distant murmur of voices outside the door. Her body ached all over, her muscles screaming in pain as she shifted slightly in bed.

    "Where... am I?" she muttered, her voice hoarse and weak.

    "Place where weak people end up." My voice cut through the stillness, calm and unbothered.

    Her head turned toward the sound, and her gaze landed on me, sitting beside her bed with my legs crossed, a book in one hand and a piece of gum in my mouth. I was leaning back in the chair, looking completely relaxed, as though I belonged there. My black coat hung over the back of the chair, and my sword rested against the wall, its handle catching the light.

    She stared at me for a moment, her lips twitching into a faint smile. "Truly..." she exhaled heavily, the tension in her shoulders easing as relief washed over her.

    She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her pale fingers clutching the sheets as she looked at me with a soft, questioning gaze.

    "So... what happened there? I don''t think you''d hit me hard enough to land me in the hospital," she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

    I leaned back in the chair beside her, arms crossed. My eyes lingered on the bandage around her arm before meeting her gaze.

    "I didn''t," I said calmly. "You used up all your aura and collapsed."

    Her lips parted slightly, as if to argue, but then she sighed, her shoulders controlling.

    "I see..." she murmured, almost to herself.

    The room fell into a heavy silence. The faint hum of the machines and the occasional beeping of the monitor punctuated the stillness. I could see the questions swirling in her eyes, but she didn''t voice them. Instead, she looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the blanket.

    There was a long silence between us, broken only by the faint rustling of paper as I turned a page in my book. Seraphine''s gaze drifted upward, her eyes locking onto the ceiling as if she were searching for answers in the blank white tiles above her.

    Finally, she spoke, her voice soft and thoughtful. "In the end... I couldn''t defeat you."

    I didn''t bother looking up from my book. "Wasn''t that obvious to you?" I replied, my tone as dry as ever.

    "Still..." she murmured, her voice trailing off. Her expression shifted, her eyes growing distant as if she were replaying memories in her mind. There was something in her gaze, something almost painful.

    She was lost in her thoughts, and I didn''t interrupt. It wasn''t my place to pry. I simply kept reading, letting the sound of turning pages fill the silence.

    "Cutiepie..." she said suddenly, her voice breaking the quiet.

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    "Yes?" I replied without looking up.

    "Thank you," she said, her voice soft but sincere.

    The night was bitterly cold, a sharp breeze nipping at my skin as I finally reached home. The warmth of the house was a welcome change, and I shrugged off my jacket, tossing it carelessly onto the chair.

    Beneath it, I was left in nothing but a snug crop top, the chill still clinging faintly to my bare arms.

    "Becoming girl has given me a delicate skin...when will this all be over..sighh." I said it to myself.

    Hunger gnawed at me, so I headed straight to the kitchen. The soft sizzle of oil in the pan filled the air as I stirred the ingredients together. The aroma was tempting, but something was missing. Scooping a small bit with my fingers, I tasted it.

    "Umm... needs more salt, I guess," I muttered to myself, wiping my hand on a nearby cloth.

    As I reached for the salt bottle on the counter...

    *TING* *TONG*

    The sharp ting-tong of the doorbell cut through the silence, startling me. I froze, the bottle still in my hand.

    "Who could be here at this hour?" I mumbled, glancing at the clock. It was far too late for visitors.

    Setting the bottle down, I made my way to the door. The moment I opened it, my tired eyes were greeted by a familiar face—one I wasn''t exactly thrilled to see at this moment.

    "You..." I said, my voice betraying in disbelief and exhaustion as I wasn''t expecting her to come right away like this.

    Before I could utter another word, Seraphine''s voice rang out, cheerful and unapologetic.

    "Good evening, Cutiepie!!!"

    Before I could react, she leaped forward, her energy as boundless as ever, and flung herself onto me. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders as if she hadn''t seen me in years, though it had probably been only hours.

    My body instinctively staggered back to catch her weight, her warmth pressing against me as her giggle echoed in my ear.

    "Seraphine..." I sighed, completely exasperated

    As I steadied myself, I pulled back just enough to meet her mischievous gaze.

    "Why are you here now? And, more importantly, how are you even here?" I asked, my voice sharp with disbelief. "Shouldn''t you be in a hospital bed?"

    She blinked at me, tilting her head with a guilty smile. "Umm... I ran away," she replied nonchalantly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Don''t mind. I am feeling all good now."

    Her words hit me like a brick wall. My face lost all emotion, the weight of her recklessness sinking in.

    I sighed heavily, my hand moving to pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Without another word, I stepped aside, closing the door behind her as she casually strolled in, completely unbothered by my reaction.

    As she wandered into the living room like she owned the place, I leaned my back against the door, staring at the ceiling for a moment.