I Escaped the Cage, but the Yandere Women Found Me

Inside the changing room at The Full Moon Lounge, Cyrus Calder stood with his shirt off while Helena Baird moved behind him.

Even without being able to see her face anymore, Cyrus could still feel her attention resting on him.

It had always been like this.

Even now, after knowing Helena for quite some time, Cyrus still had no clear idea why she treated him so well.

At first, he had simply accepted the help because he needed it.

A place to work.

Food when he was hungry.

Money when he needed it.

A new phone when his old one became increasingly inconvenient.

Helena offered those things with such little hesitation that Cyrus had eventually stopped questioning every favor the moment it appeared.

But now that his life in Grayhaven had finally settled into something resembling a routine, curiosity returned from time to time.

What exactly did Helena want from him?

More strangely, did she actually want anything in return?

A faint tug came from the costume belt around his waist.

Cyrus remained still while Helena worked on the clasp behind him.

Her fingers occasionally brushed the edge of the accessory, and for a moment he thought he could feel her warm breath against his back.

The changing room suddenly seemed smaller than before.

Cyrus glanced slightly over his shoulder.

Helena did not appear bothered by the distance between them.

Then again, that had always been one of her habits.

She seemed unusually unconcerned with personal space whenever she decided something needed to be done.

At this point, Cyrus knew enough about her to recognize that much.

The clasp opened.

Helena removed the white tail and stepped back.

Whatever warmth Cyrus thought he had felt disappeared with her movement, making him wonder whether he had imagined it.

Helena held the costume piece in one hand.

Cyrus quickly pulled his shirt back on.

While fastening the buttons, he looked at her again.

The faint intensity that had been present in Helena's eyes earlier seemed to have eased slightly.

Or maybe it had not.

Cyrus could never tell.

Her attention toward him always carried that same difficult-to-read warmth.

It was never aggressive.

Never demanding.

Just strangely persistent.

He had been about to mention that he still needed to change the rest of his clothes when Helena spoke first.

"Those women sitting at the bar earlier. You knew all of them?"

Cyrus nodded.

"Most of them are people from school. Teachers and classmates."

Helena's eyes lowered slightly.

"And the rumors in the lounge haven't caused you any trouble?"

"No."

Cyrus shook his head.

If anything, the situation was not entirely bad.

If those rumors resulted in harmless private work where he only had to model clothes or make drinks, Cyrus could probably tolerate more of them.

Having money available felt extremely good.

The problem was when the arrangement became anything beyond that.

Helena looked toward the locker.

"Are you still using the phone I gave you?"

"Yes. It works really well."

That was an understatement.

The new phone had opened up an entire side of ordinary life Cyrus barely knew existed.

Food delivery, games, better maps, faster messages, school materials, videos, and practically everything else worked more smoothly.

Helena nodded.

She did not seem interested in extending the conversation much further.

Before leaving the changing room, she said, "Think about whether there's anything else you want. If you come up with something, tell me."

Cyrus blinked.

"Anything?"

Helena had already started toward the door.

"Something reasonable."

Then she left.

Cyrus stared after her.

Was she planning to give him another gift the next time she asked him to help with something?

If that was the case, cash would still be the easiest option.

He genuinely could not think of anything he urgently wanted right now.

Money solved that problem perfectly.

If he had enough of it, he could simply buy whatever he eventually decided he wanted.

Outside the changing room, Audra Sloane had been watching the door.

Only about a minute had passed since Helena followed Cyrus inside.

To Audra, every second felt unnecessarily long.

Malcolm Baird noticed.

"You still look worried."

Audra barely reacted.

Her attention kept returning toward the staff hallway.

Malcolm leaned against the counter.

"Since this is your first time here, aren't you curious about what Cyrus is usually like while he's working?"

That finally pulled Audra's attention toward him.

She looked at Malcolm properly.

He was handsome in an older, more relaxed way, and his calm voice carried the easy confidence of someone completely comfortable in his own space.

Malcolm continued.

"Most first-time customers who notice him eventually ask about him."

Audra was not surprised.

With Cyrus's appearance, it would have been stranger if nobody became curious.

Malcolm seemed amused by her lack of denial.

"He's actually brought us quite a few repeat customers."

"Does he normally dress like that?"

Audra asked before she could stop herself.

Malcolm smiled.

"No. Tonight was special because of Halloween."

Audra nodded.

The answer encouraged another question.

"How long has he been working here?"

Malcolm told her.

Then Audra asked what Cyrus usually did during a shift.

What kind of customers came in.

Whether the work was difficult.

Malcolm answered each question without making the conversation feel like an interrogation.

Eventually, Audra hesitated before asking something else.

"How does he usually deal with customers who become too interested in him?"

Malcolm thought for a moment.

"Most people back off once they know a little about his situation."

Audra's expression changed.

"His memory loss?"

Malcolm looked mildly surprised.

"So he told you about that?"

"Yes. He mentioned it once while we were studying together."

Malcolm nodded slowly.

"Then the two of you must be fairly close."

Audra lowered her eyes.

A small warmth appeared inside her almost immediately.

Fairly close.

She liked how that sounded.

They did spend time together nearly every day.

Cyrus trusted her enough to ask for help with school.

He had also told her about something as serious as his memory problems.

Maybe their relationship really was closer than she had allowed herself to claim aloud.

Malcolm noticed the tiny change in her expression but did not comment.

Instead, he glanced toward the hallway.

"There. They're coming back."

Audra looked up immediately.

Helena had returned first.

She calmly walked back to her usual place and sat down as though nothing unusual had happened.

Audra's eyes moved past her.

A few seconds later, Cyrus appeared from the hallway in his regular clothes.

Less than five minutes had passed.

Once Audra had something else to focus on, the waiting had apparently gone much faster.

Cyrus approached the counter.

Helena spoke first.

"You worked extra hours tonight. Go home and get some proper rest."

Malcolm laughed quietly.

"You're starting to sound more like the manager than I do. Cyrus, get some sleep when you get home."

Cyrus nodded.

"Thanks. I will."

Then he looked toward Audra.

"Ready to go?"

Audra stood.

"Yes."

She kept the small movement in her expression under control, but the relief inside her was obvious to herself.

Cyrus had finished work.

Now they would be leaving together.

Malcolm watched the two students walk toward the entrance.

The bell rang above the door.

Then they disappeared into the Halloween night.

He looked away only after they were gone.

The lounge was still relatively busy despite the late hour. Conversations overlapped beneath the music, glasses moved across tables, and costumes continued passing through the room.

Malcolm picked up another cup.

Then, in a voice low enough that only Helena could easily hear, he said, "That might be the first time I've seen you act that friendly toward another girl around him."

Helena looked at the coffee in front of her.

"She's pretty."

Malcolm glanced at his niece.

"That's enough?"

Helena remained calm.

Malcolm gave a quiet laugh.

"Even when the other women around Cyrus are hardly unattractive?"

"I've seen her before."

Helena's answer was simple.

That explained part of it.

Audra was not entirely unfamiliar to her.

They had crossed paths once already.

Helena had seen enough to know that the girl was not reckless and that Cyrus did not seem uncomfortable around her.

Malcolm studied Helena's expression.

For an elf-blooded woman who usually reacted to most people and situations with almost unnatural calm, she was remarkably straightforward whenever Cyrus became the subject.

Malcolm decided to push a little.

"You're not worried she'll take him away?"

Helena finally lifted her eyes.

"He wouldn't leave because of something like that."

"You sound confident."

"He likes working here."

Helena took another slow sip.

Malcolm smiled.

"That wasn't exactly my question."

Helena said nothing.

Malcolm continued.

"What if that girl really does become important enough that Cyrus stops coming here?"

Still no visible reaction.

"What if she takes him somewhere else and you barely get to see him anymore?"

Helena looked back down at her coffee.

Her expression remained completely natural.

No jealousy surfaced.

No irritation.

No dramatic change appeared in her voice.

When she finally answered, the words came with the same quiet composure she used for everything else.

"Then I'll take him back."

Malcolm paused.

Helena lifted her cup again.

She had said it as though the solution were obvious.

As though Cyrus leaving with someone else would simply create another problem that could be corrected later.

Malcolm studied his niece for a moment longer.

Then he decided not to ask what, exactly, she meant by taking him back.

With Helena, the answer might be much more complicated than the words made it sound.