Before Dante could respond, she was already pulling out her notepad, scribbling "emotional support muffin/duck plan" with sparkly ink.
Seeing this, Dante thought, 'Well, this isn't so bad.' So he didn't bother explaining further about his ability to sense emotions. After all, Solène's intentions were good, and harmless. 'Who knows, maybe it'll actually come in handy someday.'
'She... Kaela isn't sad at all. There's only calm calculation here—just like when I look at myself. The only difference is the way she looks... so sad and disappointed. Is she... an actress? What is she hiding?'
Although Dante used to have the power to read minds, he was never all that interested in digging into the dark secrets of others—unless he had to, unless it directly affected him in some harmful way.
'Accidentally learning someone's dark secret... really ruins your whole day.'
Dante glanced at Solène. She was Kaela's friend. 'I wonder if Kaela's hiding something dangerous from her... But no, from what I've seen, Kaela doesn't have any ill intent toward Solène. It should be fine.'
'Just to be sure, I'll check one more time myself. Hopefully she doesn't have any twisted intentions toward Solène.'
Dante understood: everyone had their dark secrets—everyone except that airheaded Solène. Even him. And those secrets weren't always harmful or evil. Sometimes they were just embarrassing habits or odd preferences that society would judge. That was why he avoided using his mind-reading ability before—he'd learned the hard way. Just one stray dark thought was enough to ruin his entire day. So he kept his distance from people, did everything he could to block out his power.
When the match between Kaela and Kara ended, Dante and Solène left the arena and met up with Kaela at somewhere outside—a stone bench by the lakeside. The sky was already painted with twilight hues. Solène fussed over her friend, offering comfort, while Dante kept his distance, quietly observing to make sure Kaela truly didn't harbor any malicious intent. After a while, he was satisfied she meant no harm. Then he approached and greeted Solène, ready to head home.
But Solène grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait, Dante, can you stay for a bit?"
Dante stopped, eyeing her with mild suspicion. "What's up?"
Solène tilted her head, hands clasped behind her back, her voice dropping (in a way that was definitely suspicious):
"I just... I feel like there's something weird going on between you and Kaela. You two aren't, like... secretly dating or something, are you?"
Dante frowned. "Huh? What? No."
Solène nodded, clearly not convinced.
"Mm-hmm. It's just... the way you two look at each other. Like you've got some shared past no one talks about. And if it's not romance, then maybe it's one of those 'we fought each other to the brink of death and now we respect each other' kinda things?"
Kaela arrived just in time to catch that last part, raising an eyebrow.
"...What?"
Solène spun around, beaming.
"Aaaah, Kaela! Hey, don't you think it's weird? The way Dante keeps looking at you like you're some unsolvable puzzle he wants to crack but is scared to?"
Dante's face reddened; he sighed.
"Solène, you're imagining things."
Kaela actually smiled for the first time that evening.
"It's okay. I find it amusing."
Solène blinked, then brightened even more.
"See! There's chemistry already! Alright, I'll go buy muffins. You two... work things out or whatever, okay?"
And with that, she dashed off, leaving the two of them in a slightly awkward, but somehow lighter, atmosphere.
Kaela leaned back against the bench, catching her breath, hair slightly damp from sweat, but her posture relaxed now that the tension had eased.
Dante felt a flicker of awkwardness, but quickly pushed it down with practiced ease. He'd done this countless times before—feel the discomfort, take a deep breath, and regain that calm, confident exterior. He turned to Kaela, speaking as if he didn't quite know what else to say.
"Hey, Kaela... that match just now... I, uh, thought it was strange. You weren't going all out, were you? You were holding back, weren't you?"
His question came out awkwardly—repeating itself a little, trailing off mid-thought. Maybe because he wasn't used to talking much.
Kaela lifted her head to look at him, face unreadable at first. Then she smiled, faint but genuine.
"Yeah. So what? Are you disappointed? That I could've won easily if I really tried, but I didn't—something like that?"
She paused, choosing her words carefully before continuing.
"I tried. I really did. But it wasn't enough. She's really, really strong. I didn't have a way to stop her completely."
Dante stood there, hands in his pockets, silent for a moment. His gaze sharpened, watching her closely.
'There it is—the emotional ripple of someone lying. Got you.'
But out loud, he simply said:
"Yeah... I get it. That must've been tough for you."
'So, we're the same kind of person after all. Both actors, huh.'
'Whatever she's hiding... it doesn't concern me. Let it be.'
He glanced away, toward the lake where the lights shimmered on the rippling surface.
Kaela followed his gaze, and for a few quiet breaths, they simply stood in the stillness. The reflection of the lights on the water made it feel like time slowed down.
Then she spoke, softly but clearly:
"You're hiding something too, aren't you?"
Dante turned back to look at her, brow raised—not surprised, exactly. More like he'd expected this.
"Is that so?" he replied evenly. "And what is it you think I'm hiding?"
Kaela shrugged, leaning back fully against the wall behind the bench.
"Just a feeling. Someone like you... you're not easy to read. And not easy to trust, either."
Dante let out a quiet laugh, as if to say fair enough. He stepped a little closer.
"You're half right."
Kaela tilted her head. "Which half?"
"Not easy to read."
This time, Kaela chuckled softly—despite her exhaustion, unable to hide the amusement.
"And the 'not easy to trust' part?"
Dante met her gaze, as if searching for what lay beneath her calm facade.
"If I told you I was trustworthy... would you believe me?"
Kaela was quiet for a moment, then shook her head slowly.
"I don't know."
"Is that so." Dante slipped his hands deeper into his pockets. "Because I like to think I'm pretty honest. And worth trusting."
A breeze drifted by, carrying the scent of the lake and the sound of night insects. The silence between them felt easier now—less strained.
Kaela exhaled, this time revealing just how drained she really was.
"You know... I'm actually pretty impressed by you."
Dante froze for a beat, realizing what she'd just said.
"...Huh?"