"Miss Yuliya."

"Ah, yes?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to go. I have an appointment at eight-thirty. I'll walk you to the station after this meal."

"...."

Yuliya's fork paused. The lively glimmer in her eyes dimmed for a moment, replaced by something that made Julius momentarily consider whether he should have phrased it differently.

But she nodded, setting her fork down.

"I… see." Her smile was small but sincere. "Of course. You must have your responsibilities."

Julius pushed his empty plate aside. "I appreciate the meal. And the date."

Her fingers brushed nervously against one another. "I'm glad you did. Really."

Silence settled between them for a breath before Yuliya spoke again.

"Then… after we finish, please take me there. I'd like that."

* * *

Dropping Yuliya off at the station, Julius made sure she boarded through the VIP entrance. It was only right she take the priority line after such a long day.

"Dimitri, it was a lovely day."

Julius nodded. "Likewise, Miss Yuliya. We should do this again."

"R-Really?"

Julius nodded.

Yuliya bashfully clasped her hands behind her back, as if waiting for something. Her eyes wandered to him, then to the floor, then back again. Julius did not need SIBYL to understand what she expected, stepping closer as a result.

"Miss Yuliya. Thank you for today."

"A-Ah—"

Before she could look fully up at him, Julius placed a hand gently on her shoulder and leaned down. His lips brushed her forehead in a light touch. The contact lasted only a second, but Yuliya felt like her world was spinning.

"D-Dimitri…?"

Julius smiled.. "Please reach home safely."

For a moment, she couldn't even speak. Her cheeks were burning, and her hands flew up to cover them, trying to hide the deep shade of red spreading across her face.

"I'll see you on Monday," Julius said before turning around, giving her no chance to respond.

"...."

Yuliya stood at the platform, frozen, her mind caught between disbelief and exhilaration. Only when the announcement for boarding echoed did she finally move.

She stepped inside the VIP carriage in a daze, still touching her forehead where his lips had pressed.

Even as the doors closed and the train began to depart, she remained frozen in her seat, replaying the moment again and again.

"Hehe~"

Perhaps it was the greatest day of her life.

* * *

Julius returned to his apartment complex, only to stop the moment he reached his door. The thin slip of paper he always wedged between the frame and the hinge was lying on the floor outside.

"...."

Someone was inside.

He stepped closer without making a sound, keeping his gaze fixed on the door. Nothing else around the area seemed disturbed. There were no signs of a break-in.

That only made it worse.

Whoever entered had done so cleanly.

He slid a hand into his coat, holding onto the concealed weapon he'd kept with him ever during the entire date, before unlocking the door and pushing it open.

"...."

Another piece of paper slipped down. He stared at it in silence, trying to understand what was happening. When he left, he always placed the smallest indicators around his door.

So what was the piece of paper outside, then?

"Dimitri Ilya Mikhailov."

He lifted his gaze.

Sitting at his desk like some dramatic villain from an old film, slowly spinning the chair around as if he had rehearsed the moment, was a man with black hair and deep, dark irises.

Julius did not recognize the face, but the voice was unmodulated, the tone was familiar, and the slightly scuffed pronunciation of Russian made everything click immediately.

"Gabriel?"

"Damn, how did you know?"

"You bastard."

Julius stepped fully inside the apartment. Of course, it was Gabriel, disguising himself with holo-tech. He was the only person who knew Julius's habit of placing tiny indicators by the door to test for intruders. Gabriel had clearly gone out of his way to mess with him.

"What are you doing here?" Julius asked.

Gabriel spun in the chair as if he owned the place. "The Master and the Prime Minister are in the country for a diplomatic meeting. I was assigned as one of the bodyguards, and the Master told me to track you down."

"Father, huh? He's here?"

"Yes. The Soviets seem eager for an intellectual exchange."

Despite the tensions between Germany and the USSR, both nations still needed each other in subtle ways. To maintain global stability, exchanges of research, shared lectures between universities, and collaborative demonstrations of new technology were necessary.

Every few years, both governments met to discuss scientific alignment, trade routes for essential minerals, coordinated cyber-security protocols, and regulatory cooperation for AI oversight.

These diplomatic meetings were the anchors keeping the façade of peace intact. Julius knew that well.

"The Master wanted to know how you're doing," Gabriel continued. "And he also wanted me to tell you this directly. He said, 'If he's planning something stupid, I want to hear it from his mouth.' His words. Not mine."

Julius clicked his tongue quietly and leaned against the counter. "I'm not planning anything stupid."

"That's what worries him." Gabriel eyed him. "And me."

Julius ignored the latter half and crossed his arms. "How long are they staying?"

"A few days. They'll be visiting Moscow State, touring a cybernetics lab, and talking about quantum safety regulations. There's also a closed-door summit about the Eurasian energy grid."

"Is that so? Then tell Father I'm fine. I don't need anything. And I'm not going to see him."

Gabriel nodded, his eyes wandering around the small apartment.

For someone of Julius Sebastian Schneider's status, the place was almost laughably modest. It was even more modest than the standard units rented out by Revenant Knights earning minimum wage.

"It really has been a while," Gabriel said. "How have you been, Young Master? What have you been up to?"

Six months had passed since Julius had left Germany. Six months since he had vanished from the eyes of the Directorate, from the eyes of his father, and from the eyes of the entire European bloc.

Julius's eyes followed Gabriel as the knight wandered around the small apartment. "I've been making progress."

"Progress, huh?" Gabriel leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. "Come on. Tell me about it."

Julius let out a short chuckle before sitting on the office chair Gabriel had taken earlier. He began recounting everything that had happened over the past six months.

"No way. Seriously? You actually pulled that off?" Gabriel burst into laughter.

"Apparently," Julius replied.

For a moment, the atmosphere felt comfortable. No matter how many people he had met in the USSR, Julius couldn't help but feel lonely. Seeing Gabriel again eased the loneliness inside him somewhat.

But the moment was short lived.

"Huh? And now you are mixed up with some researcher's daughter?" Gabriel raised a brow. "What kind of trouble are you getting yourself into?"

"Nothing much," Julius said. "It's necessary for now."

"Necessary? You're telling me you left Doctor Isolde all the way in Germany only to spend your time flirting with Soviet Russian women? …Is she hot?"

"Damn straight she is," Julius said. Without pretenses, Yuliya was objectively an attractive woman by any man's standards. "Speaking of which… how is Doctor Isolde doing?"

"The same as always. Working nonstop. Complaining nonstop. Worried nonstop. The moment I told her you were alive and not rotting in some Soviet basement, she nearly made me swear it on my career."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I sometimes help out whenever I'm free, but the Doctor's been filling in for you. You really left her with everything."

Julius sighed. "I know. I plan to return eventually."

"Well, you better," Gabriel replied. "If you take too long, she might actually find a new business partner."

"...That would be a tragedy."

"No, really," Gabriel continued. "Last week, she almost bit my head off just because I mentioned your name in the wrong tone."

"...How's Annelise?"

"You missed her school ceremony. She's in fifth grade now. If you don't hurry, you might miss her graduation, too."

"Come on. I won't be gone that long."

Gabriel raised a brow. "Six months, Young Master. Six months passed before you even realized it. And from what you told me, you've yet to even touch the true reason you came here."

"...."

It was the truth. Time had slipped through his fingers before he noticed. It was already near the end of November.

"I might miss New Year's entirely," Julius said. "But Gabriel, listen. There's something wrong with this place. And I intend to figure it out."

"Something wrong?"

Julius leaned back, gathering the thoughts he had pieced together over the past months.

Then he began explaining everything. His suspicions about Zima-12. The restricted wing. The screams behind the reinforced steel. The traces that matched no ordinary project. Information Yuliya had told him.

Anomalies.

And the moment that word left his mouth, Gabriel's expression broke for the first time since he arrived.

"That… are you taking drugs?"

His reaction was golden.

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