The Extra's Rise-Chapter 183: The End of the Year Festival (6)

"Wow. He really confessed," Rachel muttered, staring at the three other girls gathered in her room. The air was thick with something unspoken, something electric that neither of them wanted to acknowledge too soon. Arthur had gone to sleep early, exhausted after the day’s battles—not that anyone could blame him. Fighting Lucifer in the morning and then baring his heart in the evening? It was enough to drain anyone.

"I wasn’t expecting it," Seraphina admitted, her voice steady but softer than usual. Her silver hair caught the dim glow of the room’s ambient lighting, making her seem almost ethereal. "It was... real. I couldn’t feel anything but truth in his words."

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"Same here," Cecilia added, stretching her arms behind her head as she lounged on the couch. "I was drawn to him early on, mostly because he had so many layers to unravel. But in that moment, every last one of them peeled away. No mystery. No masks. Just him." Her voice wavered slightly as her cheeks darkened. "He… really likes us."

Rachel’s sapphire eyes gleamed mischievously as she pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. A soft click, and then—

"Arthur is... precious to me," Cecilia’s recorded voice rang out through the room.

Silence.

Rose blinked, then let out a quiet chuckle. Seraphina tilted her head, her normally unreadable expression betraying a flicker of amusement.

Cecilia, on the other hand, turned an immediate, fiery shade of red. "Oh, really?" she snapped, fumbling for her own phone. "Alright, Saintess, let’s not pretend you’re any better."

Another soft click.

"I WANT HIM TO FUCK ME!" Rachel’s own voice blared back at her.

The world stood still for a second.

Rose, for the first time that evening, looked genuinely stunned, her mouth slightly parted. Seraphina’s icy composure cracked as a faint pink dusted her normally pale cheeks.

Rachel, meanwhile, had gone rigid, her brain buffering like a failing AI.

"You—" she choked out, eyes wide in mortified betrayal.

Cecilia’s smirk was victorious. "Play with fire, Saintess, and you will get burned," she said, leaning back like a queen on her throne. "You brought out the recordings first."

Rachel, still recovering from the auditory assassination of her dignity, tried to rally. "Y-you’re just trying to distract from the fact that you keep flashing skin to get his attention!" she accused, pointing an unsteady finger at Cecilia.

Cecilia arched a delicate brow and glanced down at her outfit. A casual crop top. "Haa? It’s just a crop top," she said, feigning innocence. Then she grinned, voice laced with wicked amusement. "You know, boys tend to like girls who are a bit wild."

"Arthur isn’t like that!" Rachel shot back, crossing her arms with conviction.

"He’s still a teenage boy," Cecilia sing-songed.

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Her mind betrayed her with the sudden memory of the way Arthur had looked at her—at all of them—earlier. That moment of raw honesty.

Cecilia let out a satisfied chuckle. "Well, none of you have kissed him yet anyway."

That single statement was the verbal equivalent of tossing a mana grenade into the room.

The atmosphere changed.

Seraphina, who had been relatively quiet throughout the exchange, slowly turned her gaze toward Cecilia. The air around her suddenly felt colder. "You kissed him?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm.

The temperature in the room dropped.

Rose, who had been spectating with amusement until now, took a slow sip from her drink as if debating whether she should stay or evacuate.

Cecilia, for the first time that evening, hesitated.

Rachel’s eyes sharpened, Saintess mode activating.

"Cecilia."

Cecilia raised her hands in mock surrender. "Now, now. Let’s not jump to conclusions, ladies."

But Seraphina’s icy stare did not waver.

Rachel was still locked on her like a targeting system.

And Rose? Rose was just enjoying the chaos.

"So," Seraphina repeated, voice slow, measured. "Did. You. Kiss. Him?"

"Yes," Cecilia declared without a shred of shame, arms folded as she leaned back, smirking. "I took the first step, alright? He’s hot. I’m a girl. Sue me."

Rachel and Seraphina blinked, staring at her as if she had just confessed to committing treason.

"You—" Rachel started, visibly struggling to process the sheer audacity.

"—just admitted that out loud," Seraphina finished, her silver eyes narrowing slightly in what could have been mild amusement.

"What? Like you two haven’t noticed?" Cecilia scoffed, flipping her golden hair over her shoulder. "Come on, we all have eyes. And let’s be real, he’s only getting hotter by the day."

Rachel opened her mouth, then closed it, looking vaguely betrayed by reality itself.

Seraphina, however, tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful look crossing her face before she spoke in her usual calm tone. "I was the first one he saw in a swimsuit."

The room went silent.

The three other girls slowly turned to face her.

Seraphina merely blinked at them, her expression as composed as ever. "A bikini," she clarified, as if that somehow explained everything.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Seraphina shrugged. "I was going for a swim. He happened to be there. Though," she added, her voice carrying the barest hint of amusement, "he couldn’t take his eyes off me."

Rachel’s expression contorted somewhere between disbelief and despair. "T-That’s—!"

Rose, beside her, was nodding sagely, as if she had seen this coming.

Rachel groaned, burying her face in her hands before looking up, determination flashing in her sapphire eyes. "I—I loved him first!" she declared, though her voice faltered toward the end, sounding less like a proclamation and more like a plea for validation.

Silence.

Then, Cecilia chuckled. "And what has that gotten you?"

Rachel deflated instantly, looking away. Rose, ever the supportive friend, patted her gently on the shoulder.

Cecilia, however, was already grinning again. "Anyway, if you really wanted to get ahead, there’s a certain... action you could take. He wouldn’t be able to resist you."

Rachel’s head snapped up. "What action?"

Cecilia’s smirk widened. "I’m not telling."

"Rose, tell me!" Rachel turned desperately to her, grabbing her hands.

Rose simply averted her gaze, a small knowing smile on her lips. "Sorry, Rachel. It would be too unfair."

Rachel pouted, turning toward Seraphina, who merely shook her head, unimpressed by the display.

Rachel slumped in defeat.

"Well," Cecilia sighed dramatically, stretching her arms behind her head, "it doesn’t really matter. I’ll be monopolizing him for summer break anyway."

Rose, who had been quietly sipping her tea, set down her cup with a soft clink. "He’s coming to Avalon, you know. I live in Avalon too."

Cecilia’s smirk wavered, just for a moment.

Seraphina, watching the exchange, let out the tiniest, most imperceptible hum of satisfaction.

"My uncle helped him create his Grade 6 art," Seraphina said, her voice as steady as ever, though a faint note of satisfaction lingered beneath the surface. "He’ll return to Mount Hua soon enough."

Rachel’s expression twitched. She folded her arms, tapping her fingers against her elbow as if searching for an argument, something, anything, that the Creighton family could offer in return. But no matter how she turned it over in her head, there was nothing.

Arthur already had the Laplace Method for five-circle magic, a technique that placed him on par with the finest spellcasters of her family. When he reached the Integration-stage, the Tower of Magic’s method for six-circle casting would serve him just as well as Creighton’s techniques.

Rachel, for the first time in a long while, had nothing.

Cecilia grinned, positively radiant in her enjoyment of Rachel’s plight. "Oh, what a rare sight. The Saintess is down in the dumps," she cooed, her voice practically dripping with amusement. She leaned forward, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Do you need a hug, Rach? Some words of encouragement?"

Rachel’s fingers twitched.

Seraphina, watching from the sidelines, sighed internally. Here we go again.

Then, as if struck by divine revelation, Rachel clapped her hands together, her sapphire eyes bright with triumph. "Light magic!"

Cecilia blinked. "...Yes?"

"It’s a huge part of his arsenal! I can help him with that!" Rachel declared, practically glowing with smug confidence.

Cecilia tilted her head, then, with deliberate slowness, let out a small chuckle. It grew into full-blown laughter, rich and taunting. "Oh wow," she gasped between giggles. "How incredibly helpful! Teach him to do what he’s already naturally better at!"

Rachel’s triumphant expression soured in an instant.

"You—" she started, but Cecilia, still grinning, clasped her hands behind her back and leaned in with a smirk.

"What’s next?" Cecilia continued, thoroughly enjoying herself. "Are you going to offer him a crash course in how to breathe? Maybe some private lessons on blinking efficiently?"

Rachel’s glare sharpened, her aura flickering dangerously close to a full-blown explosion.

On the sidelines, Rose observed the back-and-forth with mild curiosity. She turned her gaze toward Seraphina, who, to Rose’s mild surprise, was watching the exchange with the mild detachment of someone observing the weather.

"Is it always like this with them?" Rose asked, raising a brow.

Seraphina exhaled, the smallest shake of her head betraying her weariness. "Always."

As Rachel and Cecilia continued their bickering, Seraphina simply sat down, resting her chin on her hand.

It was going to be a long night.