The moment Kael stepped into the apartment, the familiar voices from the television drifted into his ears.
The living room was illuminated by the soft glow of the screen, painting the room in shifting shades of blue and white. Lyra was sprawled comfortably across the couch with a bowl of snacks resting on her lap, her eyes completely glued to the television.
She didn’t even spare him a glance.
"Oh, you’re back."
Kael stopped in the middle of taking off his shoes and looked at the back of her head.
"You’re not even going to look at me? You’re just going to keep staring at the TV?"
"What?" Lyra replied without turning around. "Did you get disfigured or something? If not, I don’t see any reason to look."
Kael deadpanned.
"No. Of course not."
"Then we’re good."
She lazily raised a thumbs-up over the back of the couch, her attention never leaving the screen for even a second.
Kael looked between her and the television before letting out a long sigh.
"Stupid show."
"I might just use my authority as an S-Rank Hunter to force the station to cancel it."
"Don’t you da..."
The words caught in Lyra’s throat.
Her body suddenly froze before she slowly turned around, blinking at him as if she’d just heard something impossible.
"...Wait."
"Did you just say S-Rank?"
Kael instinctively reached into his wallet to take out his Hunter ID before remembering it hadn’t been updated yet.
The Association branch was practically in ruins after everything that had happened with Scarlet Fist. Between the collapsed building and the sudden arrival of Vice-President Jonas, updating his hunter information had understandably become the least of everyone’s concerns.
Still...
He wasn’t particularly worried about proving it.
Lyra had seen enough with her own eyes.
She had watched him stand against the Beast Horde.
She had witnessed strength that no ordinary hunter could possibly possess.
Passing the S-Rank examination wasn’t some unbelievable fantasy anymore.
Even so...
The realization still left her stunned.
The two of them had awakened together.
They had taken the Hunter Examination on the very same day.
Yet somehow...
Her brother had already reached the highest rank a hunter could officially attain.
For a brief moment, an indescribable feeling surfaced within her.
A little insecurity.
A little disbelief.
The gap between them had become so enormous that it almost felt unreal.
Fortunately, the feeling disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
Comparing herself to Kael was simply unfair.
He wasn’t normal.
Calling him a genius didn’t even feel accurate anymore. Monsters like him only appeared once in a generation, if that. Measuring herself against someone like him would only make her doubt all the progress she’d worked so hard to achieve.
She wasn’t going to do that to herself.
Instead, a bright smile spread across her face.
"That’s amazing."
"I’m happy for you."
"We should celebrate later."
Then she immediately waved him away.
"Now scram."
"My dear Kelvin is about to cook dinner, and I refuse to miss it."
Kael stared at her.
"...Your dear Kelvin?"
His head slowly turned toward the television.
On the screen stood an absurdly handsome young man wearing an apron while preparing dinner inside a luxurious kitchen. Every movement looked rehearsed to perfection, and every few seconds the camera would zoom in on his smiling face.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
So...
That’s Kelvin.
For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, a faint sense of hostility quietly began brewing inside him.
A second later, he shook his head.
What the hell am I even thinking?
Letting out a helpless sigh, he turned and walked toward his room.
Just as he reached the door, Lyra suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right!"
He looked back.
"I got a call about the armor."
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Thanks, bro."
"It was really cool."
Kael simply shrugged.
"Tell that to Kelvin."
A burst of laughter immediately came from the living room.
Ignoring her, Kael opened his bedroom door before stepping inside and quietly shutting it behind him.
...
A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom after a soothing warm bath.
Fresh clothes clung comfortably to his body as he rubbed his damp hair with a towel while making his way toward the kitchen.
His dinner had already been prepared and left on the counter beneath a food cover.
Lyra must have done it.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he picked up the plate and headed into the living room.
The reality show had gone into a commercial break by then, colorful advertisements replacing the overly enthusiastic cast members.
With nothing interesting on the screen for the moment, Lyra finally shifted her attention toward him.
"So..."
She rested her chin on one hand.
"Ezra called."
Kael scooped another mouthful of food into his mouth.
"That’s cool."
"..."
Silence.
He continued eating.
Yet somehow, he could feel Lyra staring at him.
Slowly raising his head, he found Lyra narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.
"What?"
She tilted her head.
"Are you secretly interested in Ezra?"
Kael nearly choked.
"What?"
"No."
"Of course not."
"Really?"
She folded both arms beneath her chest.
"Then why would you casually gift someone a suit of armor worth tens of millions?"
"I nearly fainted when she told me."
Kael swallowed his food before answering.
"I was paying her back."
Lyra blinked.
"For what?"
"For treating my injuries after I returned from my first tower run."
"Besides..."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"While I was busy being an asshole, she helped you take care of Mom."
"I haven’t forgotten that."
"So I figured... why not?"
"She deserved it."
Lyra remained silent.
Her suspicious gaze never left his face.
After several seconds, she slowly leaned forward.
"So that’s all?"
"Or..."
Kael looked at her.
"Or what?"
A mischievous grin slowly spread across Lyra’s face.
"You know..."
"Maybe my dear brother has finally fallen in lo..."
But Kael cut her off before she could finish.
"You do realize not everyone is as much of a pervert as you are."