After Empty City’s sudden attack, Night Zero refused to feed him no matter what he said. She sat across from him in silence, eating lunch alone. Her face flushed crimson to the ears, and her stolen glances revealed she wasn’t angry—just shy.

Still, an apology was necessary.

“Sorry about earlier. I got carried away. Your hand just looked… too tempting.” He pressed his palms together, earnest.

Night Zero hesitated, then forgave him. It wasn’t a big deal—just too sudden, too embarrassing.

Swaying her tail behind her, she sipped tea from a cup that had appeared out of nowhere, nodding slowly.

*Classic tsundere behavior*, Empty City thought.

“By the way, this tea’s been my prized stash for ages.”

“Really?”

“Of course not.”

“Seriously, Empty City, keep this up and you might lose me.” She puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance, though her eyes held no real anger.

“The view here is amazing, though.”

“Yeah. It’s my personal space. Or… an imaginary world?” Empty City shrugged. Explaining every ability would take a lifetime.

Wind rustled through serene forests. Birdsong and insect hums filled the quiet. Just the two of them—no gossip, no interruptions.

*So… nothing we do here gets seen?*

“Exactly.” Empty City grinned wickedly, his gaze saying he’d already read her mind.

“Wait—how’d you know what I was thinking? Mind-reading?!” Night Zero covered her face. Her weird thoughts were exposed. She wondered if he’d guessed *that* direction. He had. Alone together in a private space? Perfect for anything.

“No way I have that. Your face screamed it. As your boyfriend, I’d be clueless not to notice.”

“Mmph…” Night Zero ducked her head, blushing. Since dating, she’d realized his prison bravado was genuine—he was just a playful, mischievous guy.

*Why… do I like a guy like this?*

“’Cause I’m strong, handsome… and I love you.”

“Ahhh! Don’t just blurt that out!” *Especially lines that make my heart race…*

Watching her, Empty City’s eyes softened with affection.

…

After lunch, he’d have loved to stay, but afternoon duties loomed. First, ignoring Hamlet for now—Empty City’s relationship with his students was terrible. His foul morning mood had bled into class, tanking their opinion of him.

“If that’s true, apologize properly this afternoon. Teach well. Got it?” Night Zero insisted before leaving.

*If only it were that easy.* He watched her vanish around the corner before heading to class.

Morning lessons had been half-hearted, but he’d noted the basics. Afternoon started with two fundamental combat classes: mechanical weapons like guns and cannons, or close-quarters fighting—bare fists or swords. Other teachers handled those; Empty City was just the supervisor. Afterward came Advanced Combat Training—a step beyond basics. Students teamed up, fought, and those with Meta Abilities held the edge. But such students were rare. Night Zero had given him class files, but he hadn’t read them yet. He had no clue about his students’ skills.

Before reaching his classroom, he ran into the man who’d challenged him to a duel.

Duels belonged in Roman arenas, not modern times—but this teacher was dead set on winning.

*Fine. Post-lunch exercise.*

“Yo, Kongcheng Teacher. Eager for this, huh?” The man smirked. *Where’d he get that idea? I’m totally not pumped,* Empty City thought dryly.

“Time. Place.” Empty City cut to the chase.

*Tch.* Hamlet clicked his tongue, jabbing a finger at Empty City’s nose. “Perfect. Our first class is in the combat room too. We’ll settle this in front of the students. If I win, you—”

“Relax. You won’t win.” Empty City brushed past him, clapping Hamlet’s shoulder without breaking stride. Left behind, Hamlet stomped his foot, vowing to crush this arrogant newbie—forgetting the chilling pressure Empty City had radiated back in the office.