Chapter 95: Date with Chloe
The following morning was... suspiciously quiet, too quiet. Silas slowly opened one eye, looking around. He heard no loud footsteps, no Gromda enthusiastically asking if breakfast was ready, and no Anna humming in the kitchen while making coffee. This had been their routine for the past few days, so he’d become accustomed to it. Chloe had declined an apartment offer from the Board just to live with him. Anna rarely went home; she had decided to stay with him, and he wasn’t complaining. Gromda’s situation was fairly obvious.
Silas frowned as the sudden quiet was new to him.
’Something’s wrong.’
The system answered immediately.
[They’re both asleep.]
’Impossible.’
[Believe it or not, they stayed up until almost three in the morning discussing hairstyles.]
’Seriously?’
[Mostly Gromda asking questions and Anna answering. Chloe left after five minutes.]
As for how Anna understood what Gromda said, let’s just say... Silas and Chloe kind of managed to teach Gromda a few things in English. Fortunately, she was very smart and picked up fast, not to mention her rank as an S-Rank. S-Ranks were broken entities who found everything as... simple and easy. She wasn’t all that fluent yet, but she could speak a few sentences, which Anna had to think hard to understand and answer in simpler words, which Gromda would also have to think hard to understand.
Silas couldn’t help but chuckle. He carefully turned his head. Beside him, Chloe was already awake. She was lying on her side, white hair spread across the pillow like silk, quietly watching him.
"Morning."
"Morning."
"You’ve been staring."
"You were sleeping."
"Fair enough."
A tiny smile tugged at Chloe’s lips.
"You’ve become prettier."
Silas blinked.
"I... what?"
"You’ve become prettier."
"I’m supposed to say thank you, right?"
"I think so."
He sighed dramatically.
"My masculinity has officially died."
"I don’t think you had much left after that evolution you talked of, except of course... that part."
"Ouch."
"I like it."
"That doesn’t make it hurt less."
She reached over and gently brushed a loose strand of his pink hair behind his ear.
"It suits you."
Silas looked into those icy blue eyes for a long moment before smiling.
"Want to skip reality today?"
Chloe tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"A date. Just us."
For the first time that morning, Chloe’s expression visibly softened.
"I’d like that."
Twenty minutes later, the apartment door slowly creaked open. Silas poked his head out first, looked left and right. The hallway was empty. He gave Chloe a thumbs-up, and she quietly stepped out. The two of them tiptoed toward the elevator with the exaggerated caution of two burglars, but the elevator dinged, causing both of them to freeze.
An elderly woman walked out carrying groceries. When she saw them, she looked at them, and Silas looked back. She appeared to be one of the unknown staff members, but as to what she was doing on his block, no one knew. She had most likely been called by Anna.
"Morning."
"Morning."
She continued walking. The instant she disappeared around the corner, Silas and Chloe simultaneously exhaled.
"We’re acting suspiciously."
"We are."
"Too late to stop?"
"No."
"Good."
The elevator doors closed, taking them down with it. Meanwhile, back inside the apartment, Anna slowly emerged from the guest room, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Coffee..."
She shuffled toward the kitchen.
"Gromda..."
The orc woman emerged from another room, still yawning.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Anna looked around.
"Where’s Silas?"
Gromda blinked.
"Where Chloe?"
Both women slowly turned toward the empty sofa, then toward Silas’s bedroom and the neatly made bed, which was visible through the open door. Their eyes met as they said simultaneously.
"They’re gone."
"They’re gone."
"They abandoned us."
"They abandoned us."
Anna dramatically grabbed her chest.
"I’ve been betrayed."
Gromda looked equally offended.
"My mate betray me."
The atmosphere became strangely heavy. Anna narrowed her eyes as she suspected something.
"They’re on a date."
Gromda’s eyes widened.
"Without us?"
"Without us."
They both reached the exact same conclusion.
"We’re getting revenge."
Downtown New Liberty...
Unlike yesterday’s media frenzy, today Silas had come prepared. He wore a black hoodie, a plain cap, a face mask, and simple jeans, nothing that screamed National Hero. Chloe wore a white oversized hoodie beneath a long cream-colored coat, loose black trousers, white sneakers, and a white cap. Her long hair had been braided into a single thick braid resting over one shoulder.
Without her academy uniform and emotionless posture, she looked less like an Ice Queen and more like an incredibly beautiful university student. Several people glanced at them, as those two together looked unfairly attractive. Silas noticed immediately, his racial trait to sense emotions activating unconsciously.
"They’re staring."
"They are."
"Should we run?"
"That would make us look guiltier."
"Fair."
They continued walking. There wasn’t much conversation as there didn’t need to be. Sometimes Chloe quietly slipped her hand into his; sometimes Silas squeezed it gently, and neither commented on it. The city itself provided enough noise. Children laughing, cars passing, street performers playing violins, and the smell of fresh bread drifting from bakeries.
After nearly three weeks trapped inside a rift, the ordinary sounds of civilization felt almost unreal.
"It’s noisy," Chloe quietly said.
Silas smiled. "I missed it."
"Me too."
Their first stop was a clothing store. Silas walked straight toward the men’s section. Five minutes later, he was holding six shirts.
"Thoughts?"
Chloe looked at them and sighed.
"They’re all black."
"They’re stylish."
"They’re identical."
"They have... different buttons."
She stared at him.
"They’re identical."
Silas sighed.
"I’ve been defeated."
Without another word, Chloe walked away. He followed, and ten minutes later, his basket looked completely different. There was even a pink shirt.
"Pink?"
"It matches your hair."
"Pink is gayish."
"Your hair and eyes look more gayish."
"..."
He accepted his fate. It was Chloe’s turn, and she had no intention of buying anything, while Silas strongly disagreed.
"This one."
"No."
"This one."
"I already have clothes."
"So?"
"They’re sufficient."
"They’re boring."
"They’re practical."
"They’re criminal."
She looked at the elegant white dress he’d picked up.
"It’s pretty."
"I know."
"Fine..."
"You smiled," Silas grinned victoriously.
"I did not."
"You almost did."
"I almost froze you."
"Worth it."
A tiny smile escaped her anyway, one so faint that anyone else would’ve missed it, but Silas didn’t. None of them noticed someone across the room raising a phone.
"Isn’t that... Nah. It kinda looks like... They’re too normal to be those people."
The stranger shrugged and walked away, while Silas and Chloe remained blissfully unaware. For today, they weren’t the S-Rank students who conquered a blue rift.
They were simply two young people enjoying a peaceful day together, something both of them had nearly lost forever inside the rift.