In Lecture Hall 3, Derek stood trembling with anger and anxiety. After his aggressive outburst, Luo Yan was simply waiting for the slightest chance to beat him up.
"I was going to ask him to look for Elliot's girlfriend, Liora Val, and question her… well, The girl can wait. I want to beat this bastard up right now," Lou yan thought to herself as she stretched out her arms and cracked her fingers, her spirit igniting so intensely that she smiled involuntarily, trembling as well—ready to strike Derek.
"Damn it! Damn them! Damn everyone! … If I wait for that bastard at the train station, I swear I'll break his ribs. But there are two stations—I don't know which one he'll come from!", Derek thought to himself, tapping his foot rapidly in agitation and biting his fingernail so hard it broke from the stress.
"Screw it. I'll find him by the end of the day! Doesn't matter which station I go to—we'll all be back here tonight!" Derek continued, tense and determined. He stopped biting his nail and left the room immediately—without saying goodbye, without apologizing to Luo Yan, without saying a word.
"Huh?..." Lou Yan muttered looking toward the path Derek had stormed out of, her expression unreadable.
"G-Go to hell!" she shouted loudly, hoping Derek might hear her and get provoked.
"He really ignored me...", she said in a disappointed tone, having hoped she could smash Derek's skull and send him to the grave. Bored and frustrated, Luo Yan flopped to her side, lying next to the corpse and staring into its lifeless eyes. She sighed and closed her own.
"I hope Noah's doing alright."
———————
In Sector 6, Building 4, Floor 3, Room 201—the girl allowed Noah into the room. He looked around, scanning it carefully. The walls were painted a bright white, and shelves were hung on them holding plants and an award Noah couldn't identify. He noticed the wide brown couch, and the room itself was larger than any he'd seen in Sector 11. There were two doors, each leading to a different room. He figured one led to the bedroom and the other to the bathroom—he saw clothes on the floor through the open door. Apart from that, the place was neatly arranged.
"Calli Lan..." the girl said in a soft but gentle and delicate voice.
"Calli lan?", Noah replied with an uncertain expression.
"It's my name. My name is Calli Lan," she said, pointing to herself as she introduced herself.
"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lan. You can call me Noah," he said with a respectful tone and warm smile.
"No need to be so formal," Calli replied quietly. Noah's smile faded for a moment but quickly returned.
"You have a lovely, tidy room... They say your surroundings reflect who you are, and it seems like your room tells me a lot about you," Noah said, looking around again.
"And what does my room say about me?" Calli asked, smiling from the compliment and gesturing for Noah to sit on the couch.
"As if you're pretending to be composed, but there's a storm behind that smile—and I want to fall into its trap," Noah said with a soft, intimate smile as he sat where Calli indicated.
"Do you always talk like that?" Calli asked, flattered, slightly flustered, and shy.
"If it's worth it," Noah said, locking eyes with her and smiling kindly.
"A-Anyway, you came about Erica, right?"
Calli said, trying to return the conversation to its purpose.
"Erica? What about Erica?" Noah said, feigning confusion, resting his head on his hands as he smiled at her alluringly.
"F-Focus, please. You said you knew her, right?" Calli asked nervously, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear unconsciously.
"Ah, yes, that's right. You could say we're... acquaintances. We haven't seen each other in a while, but it seems she didn't have enough time to tell me about you," noah replied with a feigned tone of regret and disappointment.
"So you've known her from the beginning… then you can't be him." Calli muttered the last part, eyes lowering.
"Excuse me? Who are you talking about?"
Noah asked, curious. He finally felt like he was getting somewhere.
"Actually… do you remember the day that Winters family student died? That same night, a letter was slipped under our door. When we opened it, no one was there. The letter was for Erica—it was a long love letter. At the end, it asked her to meet him today at dawn in Lecture Hall 3. There was no name or address, and Erica seemed really excited about it, she's secretly a very romantic person," calli explained clearly, lifting her head to look at Noah.
"A love letter?...Maybe, the killerSends a love letter, lures the girl to a secluded place at dawn, then kills her and escapes? Could he be choosing his victims like this? That would make tracking him easier…" Noah thought, excited by the theory. He looked at Calli and saw the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
"Let me guess—you felt something was off and told her not to go, especially since the timing was so early?" Noah said with a warm, gentle smile.
"Yeah, I mean... I had every right to be worried. There's a serial killer running loose in the university and no one seems to care. What if...? What if...?" Calli trembled, her hands shaking, eyes quivering. She bit her lip so hard ,Noah could see the tears building up from stress and fear for her friend.
At first, Noah was confused. But then he saw her shaking hands and gently held one to reassure her. Kali looked up in surprise.
"Don't worry about your friend. She'll be fine... I... I really do understand your worry,"
Noah said with a comforting smile. Calli seemed to calm down, not pulling her hand away.
"Really?... You… understand me?"
Calli asked. Noah noticed her hand had stopped shaking. It was his cue to take center stage.
"Yeah... My parents were killed when I was a kid, right in front of me, in a brutal way... They were screaming at me to run while I stood frozen, watching the killer start up a chainsaw. I ran away in terror, leaving them behind... But when I looked back...they were already..." He spoke with a voice full of sorrow and guilt. His eyes teared up just enough for a tear to fall. He bit his lip hard while Calli looked at him, shocked and sorrowful. Noah gasped, took a deep breath, and looked up at her.
"Anyway... I didn't let that event define me. I moved on with my life. I stopped worrying about what happens around me. I learned to ignore the negative... and enjoy the life my parents died to protect," he said with a gentle smile, though tears still shimmered in his eyes.
"Oh, Noah... I—I'm so sorry to hear that. When I hear your story, it makes my worry seem like nothing in comparison. I'm really sorry," Calli said, gripping his hand tighter.
"Don't worry about that. All I'm saying is, you don't need to be so anxious about your friend. Tears like those will ruin your pretty face," Noah said with a flirtatious smile.
"Stop it, you're saying that like you're not crying yourself," Calli replied, playfully hitting his shoulder. She finally let go of his hand.
"My tears have a valid reason—unlike yours," Noah said with a light chuckle, making calli laugh with him.
"You're... really strange," Calli said in a teasing but affectionate tone. A comfortable silence settled between them. Then, suddenly, calli wrapped her arms around Noah and hugged him tightly.
"C-calli?" Noah asked, startled, confused, and tense.
"It's just... you have this strange effect on me. I suddenly feel safe and calm around you. I hope that's just your personality—not some weird skill," Calli whispered in his ear, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I don't have any strange skills like that," Noah said as he wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug.
"Good,"calli whispered seductively and intimately into his ear.
"...She is a pawn, she completely believes everything I say. This was easier than expected. just fill their heads with praise and lies, and they will give you their hearts. Everything was just a lie, but since she was in a weak state, worried about her friend who is now dead, her mind accepted those lies only because it needed comfort and reassurance... Those kind of people 'pawns' are easy to manipulate," Noah thought coldly to himself with a smile behind Calli's back. Then, his smile disappeared as he sensed Kali moving, for she had pulled away from the embrace.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me, i-it's just that I..." Calli stammered, having not thought for a moment about what she was doing hugging a stranger she just met today.
"There's no need to worry about that, I understand you completely," Noah said, calming calli with his usual friendly smile.
"...Th-thank you for understanding," calli said, blushing deeply.
Noah remained silent, watching calli's shy expressions, knowing he had achieved what he wanted.
"Blushing shyly is a sign of acceptance and need. I made her accept me to enter her heart, and made her feel the need for my presence because I reassured her... As a human who observes society without engaging, I realize shyness is also a signal from the brain showing honesty, vulnerability, and... emotional excitement. I have penetrated her heart more than I intended, and although I didn't mean to do this at first, I may now be the candidate she wants to befriend to get closer and form a bond stronger than just friendship based on emotional and physical intimacy... And when this happens, I must..." Noah thought to himself, he wasn't impressed by what was happening but his facial expression showing a shy friendly smile.
"I-I will leave now," Noah said, deliberately stumbling over his words to show nervousness and shyness.
"Really?" Calli said, shocked by Noah's sudden decision to leave.
"Yes, I'm a little late for some friends, they might worry about me," Noah said, rising from his seat and heading to the door, opening it to leave.
Calli kept watching from behind as Noah opened the door, preparing to leave. Then, Calli felt a little tension, knowing she was about to do something wrong; you could hear her swallowing her saliva.
"I can't let him leave... I've never felt comfort or safety near a man before. I don't want to lose a man who reached out to help and revealed his past to me, trusting me. His eyes always met mine; he didn't look at my body or even glance at anything inappropriate... A man like this will never be appreciated by others because of his kindness... But if necessary, I will seduce him to be with me and have him... I don't want to hesitate..." Calli thought to herself after gathering her last shred of courage and confidence. Then her lips parted to speak.
"W-wait," Calli called Noah as she succeeded in catching his attention.
"What is it—" Noah smiled before turning to look at Calli but was interrupted by what she was doing. Calli was sweating so much her skin glistened. She was pulling the edge of his shirt near her chest so that Noah could see the gap between her breasts.
"T-there's a killer loose around here... I'll be in danger, so... please stay," Calli said nervously, her cheeks and entire face flushed. She had also pulled her shirt down over one shoulder to tempt Noah.
"...I think I've entered her heart more than I expected," Noah thought to himself, then closed the door behind him.
"I thought you wouldn't ask."