Well, he did think that but, even so, Blake knew that this was easier said than done.

’Once this whole thing is over, I’ll have to check Myles’ favorability again. Fifty coins... yeah, it’s going to take a while before I can afford that.’

The last time he’d checked, it had been thirteen.

Now, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to assume it had gone up.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Blake let out a quiet sigh, scratching the back of his head.

’I mean, things are way more casual between us now. Hugging, speaking our minds... stuff like that. I’ve got to be past thirteen at this point.’

Still, there was a problem, if he could call it that.

As he walked into class, Blake took his seat next to Myles, where he’d left his things earlier before heading to the teacher’s office.

Myles glanced at him the moment he walked in, just a quick look, before returning to whatever he was writing.

Yeah, there was definitely no ba-dump or anything like that, and that was kind of the issue.

Things needed to move forward somehow. As it stood, they were stuck in this weird, undefined space, neither friends nor lovers...

’Confessing doesn’t work. I’ve already done that. More than once. He never actually responds to it.’

They’d even gone on what Blake had called dates, twice, but were those really dates? He’d said it out loud, right in front of Myles, and still, there was no acknowledgment or confirmation.

So who even knew what Myles thought they were?

Blake stole a glance at him, and immediately, his gaze dropped to Myles’ lips.

’Seriously, this is embarrassing.’

He snapped his head away just as quickly, feeling the cringe crawl up his spine, a faint blush creeping onto his face.

’At this point, he pretty much lets me do whatever I want. So, would that still apply if I tried to kiss him?’

The last time he’d kissed Myles on the cheek, he’d even smiled.

But a cheek and lips were two very different things.

’Well, no rush, I’ve got time. Even Spoon hasn’t been pushing me about that kind of stuff. Not yet, anyway.’

***

"What happened?"

Blake raised an eyebrow as he shut his locker.

"You mean the bullies? They apologized in the end."

He turned toward the cafeteria, ready to move on, but Myles grabbed his shoulder, stopping him and pulling him back.

It had been a while since Blake had felt that familiar chill from Myles.

But this time, it was different.

’He was quiet before, sure... but normal quiet. Or at least, that’s what I thought.’

Without another word, Myles started walking. Blake followed, naturally, until they reached the bathroom.

Once inside, Myles stepped into one of the stalls and pulled Blake in with him, locking the door behind them.

"...Um."

"What did they tell you?"

"Huh? The bullies? Nothing much, really. They made a big deal about apologizing, but then they just did it."

"Why did you cry?"

Blake’s eyes widened.

Cry? He hadn’t cried. His eyes had just watered a little, one tear at most, so that didn’t count.

’Besides, I didn’t cry because of them... what does he even think of me?!’

But more importantly, how did he even notice something like that? His eyes weren’t puffy in the slightest...

Still, before he could respond, Myles tilted his chin up. His thumb brushed against Blake’s lower lip, pulling it down slightly.

"Why did you bite your lip that hard?"

Now this was too much.

Ignoring how close they were, something Blake was very much failing to do, he had absolutely no idea what excuse to give.

"I don’t want to tell you."

Myles stilled.

"...Don’t get the wrong idea," Blake added quickly, his voice softer. "It’s just, not something I want to talk about."

For a moment, nothing.

Then Myles let go of his chin, looking down at him like always.

"Okay."

That felt a bit strange.

Had Blake ever refused him so directly before?

Yeah, no. Not really.

A small flicker of guilt settled in his chest, even though he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong.

"Hey, Myles."

Blake glanced away for a second before exhaling, a small smile forming.

"Thanks for waiting. It means a lot. Just, when I do tell you... promise you’ll comfort me."

"Okay."

Blake pushed the stall door open and stepped out, Myles right behind him.

"C’mon. We’ve got to eat."

***

School was finally over.

Blake had done his best to keep himself together throughout the day: cracking jokes when needed, acting normal, pretending like nothing was off, but the moment he got home, all of that effort just dropped.

He barely made it to his room before collapsing face-first onto his bed.

For a while, he didn’t move.

It wasn’t exactly exhaustion, not the kind sleep could fix, at least. More like tension, coiled tightly in his chest and shoulders, refusing to let go. His mind kept circling the same thoughts, over and over, never quite settling.

Myles.

The tunnels.

Asher.

And of course, Alfred Hicth had to resurface again.

Everything was, of course, connected, and yet just out of reach.

"Tch."

Blake rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

’Lying here won’t get me anywhere, I guess.’

With a quiet groan, he pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair before standing.

"Alright. Food first."

The best to get himself to think straight was making his favorite dish... soup!

As the water heated, he leaned against the counter for a moment, staring blankly ahead before letting out a slow breath.

"Let’s just get this over with."

Carrying the pot along, Blake moved back to his room and set everything down carefully before pulling out a chair and sitting.

From his desk, he took out a folded sheet of paper, the one he’d been scribbling on for days now.

"Spoon."

[ Yes, Dear Host. ]

"Take out the blueprints."

The distorted ring materialized in his hand, cool against his skin.

At once, a holographic projection flickered to life above his desk.

Blake leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.

He already had a suspicion.

No, more like a conclusion he’d reached before even checking.

Still, seeing it confirmed it.

’Yeah.’

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.

Every single school Asher had attended over the past few months, including this one, had no underground tunnel.

’Why have I never thought about checking our school... that would’ve made things way easier!’

Blake tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling again.

And, of course, there was just no way that was a coincidence.

Alfred Hicth and Asher planned to investigate from school to school, choosing only locations where the tunnels didn’t exist, including this one, just to find UD.

"And that means..."

Blake’s gaze shifted back to the hologram, eyes sharpening.

Myles chose this school knowing there wasn’t any underground tunnel. He didn’t know how Myles got to know that, but it wasn’t a coincidence.

He let out a quiet, almost impressed breath.

’He really went all out to stay hidden, huh...’

Because there was no way he didn’t know.

If Blake could piece this together with limited information, then someone like him, with whatever resources or people he had, there was no chance he’d missed it.

Which meant he already knew something about Asher and his mentor searching for UD, even before he got them closer by mistake.

"Is that right?"

Blake frowned slightly, tapping his fingers against the desk.

All of this meant Asher knew about the underground structure and that, the possibility he’d considered before, the darker one, couldn’t possibly be true.

Asher was really such a righteous person, the hero. And aside from how Blake perceives Alfred, which was part of why he even thought about that horrible scenario, he still did die for this world, that much he couldn’t ignore.

He wasn’t someone from this world, so he couldn’t possibly understand from the informations he had what kind of positive utility the tunnels have.

"Still..."

Blake leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Speculation won’t get me anywhere."

What he needed was something concrete, and that could only be achieved by reaching AFE and all the other locations he thought of.

And that meant getting money by completing the base mission as soon as possible!

"Love tracker."

The map appeared, and instead of focusing on Myles who, surprisingly, was at home, he began tracing the other places he had jumped to and from, locating them with the help of his memory.

Blake reached for his paper again, signing those places up, comparing everything with the holographic blueprint still hovering in the air.

"...Yeah."

A lot of them were deep in the mountains.

He let out a long, heavy sigh, slumping back in his chair.

"Well, that’s inconvenient."

Not impossible, though.

The mission didn’t require him to actually enter a base, just to find one physically.

"Alright."

Of course, he chose the closest one, which was almost out of Alendrei city.

Blake stood up, stretching his arms slightly before glancing at the pot he’d left earlier.

The water was already simmering.

Perfect timing.

"Guess tomorrow’s the day."

There was no point dragging it out.

If anything, the sooner he checked, the better.

Because the longer he stayed in the dark, the worse it would get.

Blake grabbed a spoon, stirring the pot absentmindedly as his thoughts drifted once more.