Emilia apologized, and the air finally calmed. Akane broke the silence.
"Okay then, guys… should we get going now?"
Emilia tilted her head. "Where to?"
Kaizen opened his mouth, but Rex quickly cut in with a nervous laugh.
"Ahem—nothing, Emilia! We're just going to a friend's house to work on a college project, haha."
Emilia smiled warmly. "Oh, I see. You guys are batchmates now. It's nice to see that Kaizen and Rex finally made more friends. Back then, Kaizen barely spoke to anyone—always wanted to be alone. But Rex never left his side. After that, my brother Dante and I met them, and we all became close."
Dante, in a heavy voice, muttered, "Friends, huh? Rex is our friend and cousin. But him?" He shot Kaizen a glare. "You still haven't forgotten what happened that day, have you, sis?"
Emilia sighed. "Stop it, Dante. It was all a misunderstanding. It wasn't Kaizen's fault."
"How?" Dante snapped. "Look at his eyes. That same bloodlust… he hasn't changed. He's still that bloodlust demon."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"Bloodlust demon?" Yui whispered, puzzled.
Emilia quickly forced a smile. "Oh, it's nothing! Just some old misunderstanding. Don't worry about it." She grabbed Dante's arm. "Come on, let's go."
As they reached the car, Emilia waved. "Bye, everyone! Nice meeting you all! And Kaizen—don't you dare forget about me!"
She blew a flying kiss, making Akane frown and glare at Kaizen.
Once they drove off, Akane crossed her arms. "Well… that was something."
Kaizen shrugged. "Let's just focus on getting to your place and making a plan, yeah?"
Berlin nodded, starting the car. As they drove, the tension slowly melted away. Jokes and laughter filled the ride, and soon the awkwardness from earlier was gone.
When they reached Akane's home, no one was shocked this time—it was a mansion, complete with a vast garden and golf area.
Kaizen whistled. "So this is what a top businessman's house looks like, huh?"
Krish nodded. "Yeah… this is next level."
Yui smiled faintly. "Not surprised. I already knew who Akane's dad is."
Rex's eyes widened as he looked around. "Bro, look at this! There's a whole golf course! This isn't a house—it's a resort!"
"Alright, alright," Akane said, half embarrassed, half amused. "Save the commentary. Let's head inside."
Berlin opened the door, and the group froze—
A line of maids stood waiting, bowing in perfect sync as Akane entered.
Kaizen blinked. "This place is unreal… man, what the hell is going on?"
Krish stayed quiet, taking it all in. Yui scanned the hall with quiet curiosity. Rex was still too amazed to even blink.
Akane turned to them with a small, proud smile.
"Welcome to my home, everyone. Let's head to the lounge—we've got a lot to discuss."
As they followed her through the grand hallway glittering with chandeliers and paintings, the awe slowly gave way to anticipation. Something about this visit felt different—like the calm before a storm.