Chapter 65: Not Dating... Yet

"Noctis!"

Before I had a chance to respond, she came over and wrapped both arms around me.

My face sank into her shoulder as I stood there in surprise. Although her embrace was gentle, she held me tightly as if she had no intention of letting go.

"So you finally decided to show your face."

"Hello, Auntie..."

"What do you mean, not visiting for several months? I’m still angry with myself for letting you live alone."

"You didn’t send me away. I wanted to live on my own."

"That doesn’t make me feel any better."

After pulling back slightly, she took my face between both hands. She turned my cheeks from side to side as she carefully examined me.

"You’ve lost a little weight."

"I’ve been working out recently."

"Isn’t Eris feeding you properly?"

"I’m not his mother," Eris said. "Besides, he’s the one who cooks for me."

Her mother’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Noctis cooks?"

"He’s quite good," Eris replied. "Even better than yours—"

Eris stopped when she met her mother’s gaze.

"Better than mine in what way?"

"Nothing."

I struggled to suppress my smile as I watched their exchange.

When Eris’s mother turned back toward me, she noticed my clothes.

"My, my... You’ve changed your style."

"I wanted to start wearing simpler things."

"They suit you. Making a few changes before starting university might be good for you."

Unlike Eris, she accepted my choices without questioning them.

As the staff carried the bags behind us, the large logo of the bridal shop caught her attention.

She raised a hand to her mouth and pretended to be surprised.

"My, my... Did you buy a wedding dress? Kids... I know how much you love each other, but isn’t it a little early for something like this?"

Eris pointed at me without the slightest hesitation.

"It’s for Noctis."

Her mother’s eyes suddenly widened.

"What?"

"It’s for cosplay!" I immediately interrupted. "There isn’t going to be a wedding."

An expression resembling disappointment briefly appeared on her face before she turned toward Eris with curiosity.

"Do you have a picture?"

"Yes."

"Eris, don’t—"

Eris had already taken out her phone.

When her mother took the phone and saw the image on the screen, her lips parted slightly. She enlarged the photograph and examined it carefully for several seconds.

"Noc, is that really you?"

"Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately? You look gorgeous, sweetheart!"

"You don’t have to say that out loud."

Eris’s mother turned the screen toward me, forcing me to look at the picture of myself standing in front of the mirror in a wedding dress once again.

"You’re going to send me this picture," she told Eris.

"No, she isn’t," I said immediately.

"I already did," Eris said with a grin.

"Wait, what?! Are you kidding? Why did you do that?"

"What? Mom asked."

"Eris!"

Eris’s mother watched our argument with amusement before wrapping her arms around both our shoulders.

"Dinner is almost ready. Your father is in his study, but he’ll join us soon."

Eris and I moved into the sitting room beside the main hall.

Eris’s mother sat across from me, and the cheerful expression on her face became slightly more serious.

"Eris told me you were trapped inside the Overlap."

’I should’ve known she would tell her mother...’

"Yes, but nothing serious happened. I hid somewhere and waited for things to settle down before returning home."

"Are you sure you weren’t injured?"

"I don’t have a single scratch."

Technically, I was telling the truth. A few hours ago, my body had been covered in broken bones, cuts, and bite marks, but Cecilia’s potion had erased all of them.

"You should have gone to the hospital after something like that," she said.

"I really didn’t need to."

"Of course you think you didn’t. When you broke your arm as a child, you said it only hurt a little and hid it for three hours."

The Noctis who had lived in this body before me had left behind far too many embarrassing memories.

"This time was different."

Just as Eris’s mother prepared to argue, the door opened again.

The tall man who entered carried an air completely different from the warmth of Eris’s mother. His broad shoulders and straight posture made him resemble a soldier, even though he wore only a simple dark shirt.

Several gray strands ran through his short, dark crimson hair, while his nearly golden eyes carefully examined everything around him.

Eris’s father...

He usually appeared serious and distant in Noctis’s memories, but he had never treated me badly.

When his gaze found me, the stern expression on his face softened slightly.

"It’s been a long time, Noctis."

I stood up.

"Yes, Uncle. It’s good to see you again."

He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. Even that small gesture carried enough strength for me to feel its weight.

"It’s even better to see that you’re alive."

Eris had acted remarkably fast when it came to telling her family everything.

"I was lucky," I said. "I hid somewhere safe and waited for the Overlap to be cleared."

His golden eyes remained on my face for several seconds. Then his gaze shifted toward the black bracelet around my wrist.

I pulled my arm a little closer to my body, making sure Umbrella remained still like an ordinary accessory.

Eris’s father didn’t ask any questions.

"Surviving inside an Overlap isn’t easy for someone without a Nexus," he said. "You made the right decisions."

"I’m getting pretty good at running."

"Sometimes running is the right choice."

The genuine approval in his voice made me feel even guiltier about the lie than I had expected.

Once dinner was ready, we moved into the spacious dining room. Although a dozen people could have comfortably sat around the long table in the center, we all sat close together at one end.

Soup, roasted meat, baked vegetables, and several kinds of salad were brought to the table. Since this was the first proper meal I had seen since the cereal I ate that morning, my stomach immediately reacted to the smell.

During dinner, the conversation returned to the Overlap.

My spoon froze in midair when Eris’s father said he had reviewed the footage of the mysterious Guardian.

"Orochimaru?" Eris asked.

"He used that name. There is no information about him in any official records, and the Nexus he used doesn’t fully match any known class."

I took a small sip of my soup and tried to look uninterested.

"Do you think he’s strong?" Eris asked.

"His ability is powerful. He himself is still inexperienced."

My fingers tightened around the spoon.

Eris frowned.

"He killed hundreds of monsters by himself."

"His raw power and instincts are good, but his movements were untrained. Most of the monsters he faced could be considered weak, yet he still took unnecessary hits, used his ability inefficiently, and willingly placed himself in positions where he should have been killed several times."

The fact that everything he said was true only made me more irritated.

"Maybe it was his first real battle," I said.

Eris’s father turned his gaze toward me.

"Possibly."

"He still managed to destroy the Nexus Node," Eris said, defending Orochimaru. "He saved everyone."

"I’m not denying that. He’s brave and learns quickly. With proper training, he could become a valuable Guardian."

The irritation inside me was replaced by a small sense of pride.

At least he didn’t think I was completely useless.

Eris’s mother placed her fork on her plate.

"I also saw the video showing how he killed the ram-headed creature. That poor monster... Even I felt the pain while watching it."

I nearly choked on my water.

Coughing, I placed the glass back on the table.

"Do we have to talk about that part?"

’Why does this woman say such strange things?!’

Eris’s mother looked at me in surprise.

"You saw the video too?"

"Everyone saw it. It appears on every social platform I open."

"Ball Slayer," Eris said with a laugh.

I wanted to bury my face in my hands, but that would have made my reaction far too personal.

"People on the internet are truly stupid."

After silently listening to the conversation, Eris’s father took a sip of his water.

"His method wasn’t honorable, but it was effective. If I were cornered, I would do the same."

’At least one person at this table understands me.’

As dinner neared its end, Eris’s mother picked up her phone again. She opened my wedding dress picture and enlarged it several times.

"When is the cosplay competition?"

Eris gave her the date and explained the remaining preparations. When her mother said she wanted to attend the competition, I struggled to swallow the last piece of food on my plate.

"Your entire family doesn’t need to see me wearing a wedding dress."

"Dad already saw the picture," Eris said.

I slowly turned toward her father.

The man calmly placed his fork on his plate.

"The dress suits you."

My soul was about to leave my body.

"..."

Eris lowered her head to hide her laughter.

While her mother looked through the other pictures on Eris’s phone, she accidentally swiped to the one we had taken in our matching shirts.

Her hand immediately stopped.

After enlarging the photograph and examining where our cheeks touched, an extremely satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"This picture is much nicer."

Eris reached for her phone.

"Mom!"

Her mother easily moved it out of reach and sent the picture to her own device.

After looking at the photograph on his wife’s phone, Eris’s father silently turned toward his daughter. Eris’s face had become almost as red as her hair.

Her mother studied the two of us in turn for several seconds. Then she rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands.

"So, how long have you two been dating?"

Eris and I both tried to answer at once, nearly choking on our drinks.

"We aren’t dating yet!"

"We aren’t dating!"

Her mother’s smile grew even wider.

"Yet?"