"What a shame. I was hoping to have more fun with you." Olivia reached out and brushed her fingers along his face before letting her hand rest there.

Gerbaut went still. Not relaxed, never that.

Misha’s unease spiked at once.

"Olivia..." she called out at once, clinging to the faint hope that her words might finally reach her. "Olivia, don’t you dare."

The woman kept smiling.

"Olivia!"

Before Gerbaut could move, Olivia closed the distance and pressed her lips against his.

Misha’s brain stopped functioning.

Out of everything Olivia might have done, she chose the one action capable of detonating Misha’s soul on the spot.

The courtyard fell silent.

Gerbaut went perfectly still, as if the kiss had struck deeper than any blade and stolen the breath from his body before he could think to resist.

The usual steadiness in his eyes vanished in an instant, disbelief followed it, raw and rare, and Olivia drank every bit of it.

Her lips moved against his with slow, teasing intent, drawing the moment out until it felt heavy with heat as though she meant to savor every trace of his reaction.

When she finally pulled back, she left barely a breath between them. It was close enough for her warmth to linger against his mouth.

She held his gaze and smiled. Mischief sparked in her eyes, her smile soft and knowing, like she was fully aware of the effect she had on him.

"There’s that face," she murmured, her voice low and silk-smooth. "I was wondering what it would take~"

Misha felt heat rush straight to her face. "Y-Y-You!"

She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Her mind spun too fast, tripping over shock, outrage and a level of embarrassment so intense it nearly turned her vision white.

「 Possession Time Remaining: 00:00:15 」

Gerbaut was staring at her as though his mind was still trying to process what had just happened.. "You... "

"Yes, yes, I get that a lot."

Olivia stepped away at last and rose to her feet as if she had not just thrown the entire situation into chaos.

She folded her hands behind her back and rocked lightly on the heels of her boots while humming a tune to herself.

Misha could only wish the ground would swallow her. Preferably before she got her body back.

「 Possession Time Remaining: 00:00:09 」

Olivia tilted her head, but she kept her gaze on him. Something eased in her eyes. The playful spark stayed alive, yet the sharp, predatory amusement that accompanied it slowly withdrew. "You know... I think I like you."

Gerbaut’s eyelid twitched.

Misha wanted to disappear. She felt fresh horror rise inside her chest. She did not want to witness this. She did not want to stand inside her own body after Olivia confessed to Gerbaut. She did not want to think about his reaction, or about how impossible this entire scene would sound if anyone tried to explain it later.

If embarrassment had levels, she had already ascended beyond them.

「 Possession Time Remaining: 00:00:03 」

The glow around Olivia began to flicker. The possession was ending.

Olivia clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed by the timing. Then she stepped backward and pointed at Gerbaut with a playful grin stretched across her face.. "Don’t die before I come back, handsome~ "

The glow intensified, then the light around her body exploded.

「 〔SYSTEM NOTICE〕

Soul Possession has ended.

Capricorn Chamber entering cooldown. 」

Misha stumbled forward as control of her body returned all at once.

The first thing she saw was Gerbaut.

The second thing she saw was Gerbaut still staring at her.

Heat exploded across her face. Panic followed so fast that her thoughts never had a chance to catch up. She dropped on her knees without hesitation and bowed so low her forehead nearly struck the ground. "I AM SO SORRY!!!"

The apology burst out of her with enough force to make her lungs ache. Shame burned through every inch of her. She wanted to explain, to deny everything. She wanted to crawl into a hole and live there forever. Instead, all she could do was kneel there in complete humiliation since she was left to deal with the disaster Olivia had created.

Gerbaut said nothing. He only stared at her in stony silence and that somehow made it worse.

If he had scolded her, Misha could have accepted. If he had insulted her, she could have probably defended herself. If he had looked disgusted, at least she would know where she stood.

But the silence from him gave her nothing to fight against.

Misha’s shoulders stiffened as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I-I didn’t mean any of that!" She blurted out, still bowed low. "Well, I mean, I meant none of it because I didn’t do any of it! It was Olivia! Not me! I know that doesn’t make it better but–"

She cut herself off before her spiraling explanation buried her even deeper.

Please say something, anything...

Several long seconds passed before Gerbaut finally opened his mouth.

"Olivia..."

Misha froze.

"That’s her name, right?"

"..."

Slowly, she lifted herself from that near-prostrated bow, though she still knelt on the ground and looked far too stunned to regain any dignity.

And for one blank moment, Misha could only stare at him.

Out of everything he could have said, that was not what she expected.

His expression looked as calm and as serious as ever and that somehow terrified her even more.

"... Yes?"

"I see."

Another pause followed.

Misha felt sweat forming on her back as the silence dragged on. "I-I’m really sorry!"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Gerbaut’s mouth. It only appeared for a moment before disappearing.

Misha almost thought she imagined it.

Gerbaut looked down at her. "You don’t need to apologize."

Misha stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious?

"I absolutely do!"

"You didn’t do any of that."

"Technically... it was my body." She pointed at herself with both hands.

Gerbaut seemed to think about it then he nodded once. "Fair point."

Misha let out a wounded sound. "Why did you agree so fast?"

"You made a convincing argument."

"That wasn’t the response I wanted..." She mumbled under her breath as a small pout appeared on her lips.

"Still, I don’t blame you."

Misha lowered her head into her hands. "You’re making this worse..."

"Hm."

"Stop agreeing with me!"

The man stood there completely unaffected as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened.

Meanwhile, Misha felt like she would remember this moment every night before falling asleep for the next ten years.

"Does Olivia always behave like that?"

"Oh gosh." She snapped her gaze back at him, staring at him in disbelief.

Of all the questions he could have asked, that was the one he chose?

She covered her face with both hands once again.

"Misha."

"..."

"Misha."

Slowly, she lowered her hands.

Something about the way he looked at her reminded her of a teenager who stumbled upon something interesting and didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Misha immediately disliked that look. She wanted to cry. "That was her first time possessing me..."

The words came out weak. Pathetic, even. Like a defendant presenting her final argument after the jury had already reached a verdict.

Gerbaut didn’t answer. He simply stood there, thinking. Eventually, he turned his back on her and started walking towards his spear. "Good."

She looked at him questioningly. "Wha...t?"

He picked the spear from the ground.

"If that’s her first time." His voice trailed off.

Misha’s eyes widened. "No."

He rested the spear against his shoulder before turning his gaze at her. "No?"

"Please don’t finish that sentence."

For some reason, the corner of his mouth twitched like he found something amusing. "It concerns me."

"It concerns me too!" She immediately covered her face once again. Then she paused.

Wait... Concerned?

Her brain slowly processed the word as she slowly lowered her hands.

A terrible realization suddenly struck her. A hand immediately covered her mouth.

There was no way... right?

Gerbaut wasn’t exactly the type to spend his time talking, or socializing... or smiling. He was a robot. A robot wearing a human skin.

Then she looked at him, the suspicion growing stronger.

He glanced at her. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Misha."

She immediately looked in the opposite direction.

Gerbaut stared at her for several seconds. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile. It disappeared when she returned her gaze to him.

"Gerbaut, don’t be offended, okay?" The word slipped out before Misha could stop them. She was curious. She needed confirmation even if she hoped she was wrong.

"Are you going to ask a question that will offend me?" He raised a brow.

"... Maybe."

His eyes narrowed immediately.

That should have been her cue to retreat but she decided to ask anyway. "Are you a virgin?"

"..."

Everything fell silent. Even the wind seemed to disappear.

"That was your first kiss, right?"

"..."

As the silence stretched out, Misha’s confidence began to crumble. Maybe she should run. Maybe she should throw herself off the nearest cliff.

"Misha."

Her soul nearly left her body. "Y-Yes?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

He spoke calmly, yet for some reason, Misha felt the air around her grow slightly colder after.

"Because when Olivia–" She stopped herself when she noticed Gerbaut’s expression darkened.

"I see." His voice stayed flat. "You were analyzing my reaction."

"I wasn’t analyzing!" Her voice rose, then faltered. "... Maybe a little."

With a sigh, Gerbaut looked off to the side, then turned away. He began walking towards the signal tower.

Misha stood up and hurried after him. "So... was it?"

"..."

"Come on, I won’t say a word to anyone!"

"..."

The silence itself felt like an answer and Misha’s eyes widened when she realized it. "Oh my gosh!"

"Stop."

"It was!"

"Misha."

Gerbaut stopped walking and Misha nearly walked into him.

The man stared down at her with the exhausted look of someone questioning every decision that led him to this moment. Then, he turned away and continued on towards the tower.

For the first time all day, Misha heard something that sounded suspiciously like a sigh of defeat.