"I wasn’t—" Milan started, then gave up.

"Okay, yes. Exactly that. But in my defense, I had no idea she’d grown into such a beautiful, capable, amazing—"

He stopped himself.

"See? I’m doing it again. This isn’t like me. I’m usually composed."

"You’ve never had a real crush before?" Jolthar asked, genuinely curious.

"Not here," Milan admitted.

"In my previous life, sure. But here, I’ve always kept emotional distance. Told myself these were just characters, or at best, people who couldn’t understand where I really came from. It was easier that way."

He looked at Jolthar seriously.

"But Nora... she’s real. And smart. And strong. And apparently completely oblivious to the fact that I can barely string sentences together around her."

Jolthar grinned.

"You know what the really funny part is?"

"What?"

"She’s a reincarnator too."

Milan’s eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Nora, she’s also from our world."

Milan processed this information, and his expression shifted from shock to something else—hope, maybe, mixed with renewed embarrassment.

"She’s... she’s like us?"

"Yep," Jolthar confirmed.

"Which means you can actually talk to her about it, once you stop turning into a tomato whenever she speaks, anyway."

"This is not helpful," Milan muttered, but there was a smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh, it’s extremely helpful," Jolthar countered.

"Because now you know you don’t have to hide that part of yourself from her. You can be honest about where you came from and what you’ve experienced. She’ll understand in a way few others could."

Milan took a deep breath.

"You’re right. Of course you’re right. I just need to... calm down. Act normal. Or at least, act like I usually act."

"There you go," Jolthar encouraged.

"And Milan? For what it’s worth, this side of you is actually kind of refreshing. You’re always so controlled. It’s nice to see you lose your composure over something as simple as a pretty girl."

"Simple?" Milan gave him a look.

"Have you seen her? She rode in on a drake. She’s managing an entire barony’s administration. She’s probably the most competent person I’ve met in either life, and she’s—"

"Beautiful, capable, amazing," Jolthar filled in with a grin.

"Yes, you mentioned."

Milan glared at him, but there was no real heat in it.

"You’re enjoying this too much."

"Absolutely I am," Jolthar admitted.

"Now come on. Let’s get back to the meal before they wonder what happened to us. And try to at least fake composure."

"Right. Composure. I can do composure."

Milan straightened his clothes and took another deep breath.

"Just... please don’t tell her about the squatting and muttering in Japanese thing."

"No promises," Jolthar said with a laugh.

*

Cleora sent Nora to look for them, and she also walked around to find them.

And she found them in the small courtyard, standing close together and speaking in low voices. Something about their body language—the way they stood, the intensity of their conversation—made her pause before interrupting.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

Both men turned, and Jolthar gestured for her to join them.

"Actually, your timing is perfect. Nora, we need to talk to you about something important."

She approached cautiously, her instincts making her assess potential threats even in this seemingly safe environment.

Milan stared with wide eyes, shocked at Jolthar’s abrupt announcement. They just learned about each other, and he was already going to tell Nora. Milan was already shaking with anxiety.

"What’s going on?"

Jolthar glanced sideways at Milan, who was already shaking his head frantically, eyes wide with silent protest.

Jolthar ignored him.

"Well," he said casually, "there is something you should know."

Nora raised her brows, telling him to continue.

Jolthar looked at Milan and Nora and said, "Milan here... is gay."

"What?!" Nora blurted out.

Milan nearly choked. "I am absolutely not—! Where did you even get that from?!"

"Nani o itteru nda? Fakkuyu, Jolthar!!"

Milan burst out in frustration, his face flushing as the Japanese slipped out before he could stop himself.

Silence fell.

Nora’s eyes widened. Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head toward him.

"...You speak Japanese?" she asked.

Milan froze.

Jolthar’s lips curled upward. That mischievous glint returned to his eyes — the one that meant he was absolutely enjoying this.

"Well," Jolthar said casually, "I was going to reveal it properly... but since he just blew his own cover..."

Milan groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "This is why I didn’t want you talking."

Nora stepped closer, curiosity now overpowering confusion.

"Explain. Both of you."

Jolthar folded his arms, leaning lightly against the courtyard wall.

"Milan isn’t from this world," he said.

She looked at Milan, who waved at her, nodding his head.

"Hi," he said with a weak smile on his face as he felt more embarrassed as he cursed in front of her. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Nora’s eyes went wide, and she actually took a step back, realizing what he said.

Her response came automatically in english.

"You’re... you’re a reincarnator? You?"

"Born in Osaka, died in a traffic accident, woke up as a baby prince in a fantasy world," Milan confirmed.

"The whole isekai experience, except without the convenient game system or overpowered cheat abilities."

She stayed silent for a minute as she processed the information.

Jolthar asked, "Are you okay? Are you panicking?"

She looked normal, but her expression said otherwise.

It was a different kind of feeling knowing that there are others like you in this world. At first, when she learned about Jolthar, she was happy that there was one more like her and felt safe knowing that he was staying with them.

"I am panicking. I’m screaming inside myself."

Jolthar nodded, "Yes, screaming is good."

Milan and Nora stared at him, as if he was being too casual about the reveal.

Milan blinked at him. "You’re way too calm about this."

Nora stared as well, her expression somewhere between disbelief and accusation.

"He just revealed that he died, reincarnated... and you’re treating it like we’re discussing the weather."

Jolthar shrugged lightly.

"We already died once. It lowers the shock value of most things."