Sonya grabbed my face with her hands, giving my cheeks a little pinch and shake. "Can you not just jump straight to that? Is your brain filled with nothing but sex?!" Her voice was half-whisper, half-exasperation, but her eyes held a glint of amusement.

I let her manhandle my face, simply nodding.

In my heart, I answered honestly: Yes, that's right. In my head, aside from the simmering plans for revenge, that's pretty much it. Sex and dominance, it's the only thing keeping me sane.

Then, in a flat but deliberately provocative tone, I said, "Repeat that sentence later when you're moaning my name."

Sonya's face flushed crimson from her ears down to her neck.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, shaking my head more vigorously. "How... how can you say something so vulgar so confidently to a woman's face?"

'Maybe because that's how we communicate at home,' I thought, but of course didn't say it out loud. Delilah, Angeline, even Gwenneth... lewd words and immediate action were our daily language now.

Sonya kept shaking my face, as if trying to rattle the naughty words right out of my skull. "If you keep talking like this, no woman will ever want to get close to you, you know! They'll think you're a creep, or worse, that you only want one thing!"

Then, abruptly, she released her grip. Her expression grew more serious. "Dating isn't just about sex, Adam. If you only want to be with me just for that purpose... we should end this. Right now. And don't come looking for me again. Okay?"

I nodded, this time with a more neutral expression. For now, I'd just go along with it.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, clearly ruffled by my earlier words.

Seeing her start to settle, I changed the subject. "Why don't you just quit that job of yours?"

Sonya looked at me, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're a regular person. Not an Awakener. But you work in a place filled with powerful people with unstable minds. You've been lucky so far. But what if one day, someone really loses control? Why do you stay in a job that's clearly so dangerous?" I asked, trying to sound like someone who cared—and part of me genuinely wondered.

Sonya narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to jinx me or something?"

"I'm just asking," I replied quickly, raising my hands slightly. "Didn't mean it like that."

Sonya studied me for a moment, then suddenly offered a thin, somewhat bitter smile. "I get what you mean. And... thanks for worrying."

She then explained, her voice calmer. "Well... my main reason is simple, the pay there is huge. Matches the risk. If I left, I'm not sure I could find another job with a comparable salary. You know how hard it is to find decent work these days."

I nodded, understanding her reasoning—though I saw things differently.

"But your brother is graduating soon. He's one of the top students. A major guild will definitely recruit him. He already has sponsors. You could live comfortably without having to work somewhere so dangerous."

After our first meeting—after I'd visited her room—Sonya had clearly looked into who I was. That wasn't difficult. As a newly Awakened, I'd made a bit of minor news.

When she learned that I was actually Maximus's classmate, she was stunned and immediately flooded me with questions about her brother.

Apparently, Sonya had no idea that Maximus had been involved in bullying me. That bastard had done a good job playing the role of the perfect younger brother in front of her. She also admitted that Maximus rarely spoke about his life at the academy.

So, I told her what I knew about Maximus at the academy, of course omitting the parts where he tortured me. Because of that, in Sonya's eyes, I'm just her brother's perverted classmate. We eventually agreed to keep our relationship a secret, an idea she had suggested herself.

Back to the conversation, Sonya answered me gently, yet with quiet resolve.

"I don't want to be a burden to my brother."

"But he only managed to get where he is now because you worked day and night to pay for his schooling and training at good facilities," I argued.

Sonya gave a small smile. "That was my responsibility. And as his older sister, my pride would be hurt if I started depending on him. And... I don't want to live off anyone's pity. Even if it's family."

I snorted. "So your brother is allowed to rely on you, but you're not allowed to rely on him. Is that it?"

Sonya nodded, her thin smile still in place.

"Yeah. Pretty cool, right?!" she said, trying to inject some humor.

I, intending to please her—and genuinely feeling she had an admirable side—nodded.

"Yeah. You're very cool."

Sonya's smile widened, making her pretty face shine. But then, she continued in a more reflective tone. "But actually... maybe I also like my job. Taking care of people who are... crazy. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to get close to a crazy, perverted bastard like you."

She squinted her eyes, teasing.

Hearing that, I laughed. A laugh that came out honestly.

Sonya smiled too, then said, "You're not denying it? So you're self-aware that you're a crazy, perverted bastard?"

I nodded, still smiling. "I am the world's most insane, perverted bastard."

This time, Sonya let out a small laugh, her voice like a light bell in the quiet of the park.

After our laughter subsided, a comfortable silence fell between us. But only for a moment. Sonya's expression suddenly shifted, becoming somber.

"About Pablo earlier... it made me sad, and reminded me of my own past," she said softly. "I've told you before, right? Maximus and I are from an orphanage too, after our parents died in a Dungeon Break. But... thankfully, our orphanage wasn't like Pablo's."

I just stayed quiet, listening.

Sonya quickly caught her own sudden somber mood and tried to shift it. She changed her expression, then asked, in a tone like she was just making casual conversation, "You're really not close with my brother, are you? In class?"

I lied smoothly. "Even though we're in the same class, we hardly ever talk."

Sonya sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of disappointment. More like relief.

"Oh, I see. It's just... my brother... he does get along with his friends, right? At the academy?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Why do you ask?" I countered.

"He... he has issues with kids from elite families," Sonya explained. "He hates them. A few times he's entered competitions or vied for scholarships, and in his view, the kids from big families always win, even when he's more deserving."

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