“Though I don’t quite know what you’ve misunderstood... I’ll accept your apology. After all, you’re a beautiful instructor,” Caius said with a generous smile.

  At the same time, his hand was already acting out of line—fingertips trailing along Holan’s slender fingers until they reached the back of her hand. He gently enveloped her delicate fingers in his palm.

  Feeling the warmth of that large hand, Holan blushed inwardly.

  No man had ever held her hand like this before. It felt unfamiliar… yet not unpleasant.

  Moreover, Caius was surprisingly restrained. After successfully holding her hand, he didn’t take it any further. He just sat there, quietly, half-holding it with a respectful calm.

  Even though he truly wanted to explore the soft touch of that delicate hand more, he reined himself in.

  Holan appeared to be in her late twenties, seemingly experienced—but from her reaction, Caius could tell that when it came to matters of the heart, she was no different from a young girl like Hilda.

  And that, to Caius, was irresistibly endearing.

  He couldn’t rush things. He had to let her adjust slowly—only when she was ready would he take the next step.

  The fact that Holan hadn’t pulled away was already the greatest victory.

  The warmth of Caius’s hand made Holan’s cheeks flush. But she didn’t pull back. Instead, pretending not to notice, she maintained her ladylike composure and changed the subject, saying, “Are you free tonight?”

  “Candlelight dinner?” Caius’s face lit up with surprise.

  Seeing his expression, Holan’s heart fluttered. It meant he truly wanted to share a romantic candlelight dinner with her.

  So she nodded. “Mm.”

  But then Caius’s expression collapsed into dismay, confusing Holan. “What’s wrong?”

  “If I’d known you were free tonight for a candlelight dinner, I wouldn’t have taken this mission…” Caius sighed, pulling out the mission slip for investigating the Bloody Lands in Nofalark Forest.

  Holan took it and, upon reading it, looked a little disappointed—but she quickly collected herself and nodded thoughtfully. “It’s okay. Another time. The investigation in Nofalark Forest is important—it concerns the safety of Grilla City and the surrounding towns.”

  “It mostly concerns your safety!” Caius said seriously.

  “Oh? Is that so? Not about the mission reward?” Holan chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents.

  “Of course not! If the Bloody Lands threaten Grilla City, then you’re in danger—Belle too. I don’t want either of you getting hurt,” Caius said with righteous determination.

  To Holan, those words sounded like a roundabout confession.

  She smiled brilliantly, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The soft light from the window spilled over her, making her look impossibly gentle.

  “In that case, you’re really my hero,” Holan said with a warm smile.

  “It’s an honor!” Caius laughed heartily.

  The two gazed at each other in silence. And finally, Caius’s hand couldn’t resist anymore.

  Well—he didn’t manage to hold back completely.

  His thumb began to gently stroke the back of Holan’s hand.

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  To be fair, Holan’s hands were truly worthy of someone in magical research—well-protected, smooth as jade, delicate and soft in his grasp.

  It tickled Holan slightly—but also felt oddly comforting.

  Especially in the quiet between them, she felt a sense of peace. She found herself becoming a little attached to this feeling.

  Kiki, watching their hands and then their faces, tilted her fuzzy head.

  Caius was smiling sweetly at Holan, while Holan propped her chin on her other hand, gazing out the window, a faint curve on her lips.

  Little kitty didn’t understand.

  But little kitty also wanted to hold hands with the big guy.

  The tingling sensation from her hand grew stronger, and Holan found herself increasingly flustered. It wasn’t just her hand—it felt like her heart was itching too.

  It was becoming too much.

  Finally, she pretended to spot something outside, gently pulling her hand back and pointing out the window. “Look, a Solstice Bird just flew past.”

  Caius looked a little disappointed—he had wanted to enjoy that soft hand a little longer.

  But sensing Holan’s desire to withdraw, he didn’t resist. He released her hand gently, allowing her to pull back, then followed her finger and looked outside.

  “Where? Where?”

  “It’s gone now,” Holan said with a smile.

  “That’s a shame. I heard Solstice Birds are beautiful—and they herald the coming of winter,” Caius remarked.

  “Yeah, it’s already late September. Winter is almost here. After this winter, I’ll be a year older,” Holan said wistfully.

  “That would make you nineteen, huh?” Caius teased.

  “Ha! You really know how to flatter a lady~” Holan laughed, clearly delighted.

  Caius chuckled, then something seemed to occur to him. “How’s silly mushroom doing these days? Has she adjusted to life at Hydis?”

  “She’s doing fine. I’ve been keeping a close eye on her. She’s attending classes regularly and participating in magical research,” Holan nodded.

  “But she’s very shy. She still hasn’t made a single friend… I worry about her.”

  “No need to worry,” Caius said suddenly. “Do you know how introverts make friends?”

  “How?”

  “They don’t,” Caius grinned.

  “They wait for the extroverts to find them, to like them, to accept them—and become their friends.”

  Holan burst out laughing. “That still sounds like not making friends.”

  “She doesn’t need many,” Caius shook his head. “In truth, none of us do. Just a few true friends—that’s enough.”

  “The kind you can talk with, share your heart with, rely on.”

  “Everyone else is just passing through.”

  “With silly mushroom’s personality, she’s not destined to have many friends. So there’s no need to force it.”

  “She’ll try her best to meet others’ expectations—just like how she managed to complete your assignment even while she was in the depths of suffering. Too many expectations would only weigh her down.”

  “She has me. And she has you. That’s enough—for now.”

  “Maybe in the future she’ll have more friends. But anyone new will have to pass our test first.”

  “Wow, you make it sound like we’re her parents,” Holan giggled, covering her mouth.

  “Haha,” Caius laughed. “Honestly, I’ve always felt that way.”

  Holan nodded. “Me too, actually.”

  They exchanged a look, blinked at each other, and both burst into laughter again.

  “Alright, I should get going. I’ve got a mission to take care of. I’ll leave silly mushroom in your care,” Caius said, standing.

  Holan seemed a little reluctant, but still nodded. “Alright.”

  “Oh, by the way—where’s Hilda? I’ve finished preparing the forging materials for her sword. I need to get the deposit from her,” Caius asked.

  Holan didn’t know he was planning to go to Nofalark Forest with Hilda, since Caius had slyly kept that detail to himself.

  So she didn’t suspect anything. “She should be in the student council president’s office right now.”

  “She doesn’t have class?”

  “She’s a genius. She already completed most of the curriculum for the next few years. Aside from the occasional session, she doesn’t need to attend class regularly,” Holan replied with a smile.

  “Impressive. In that case, I should charge her a little extra for the deposit,” Caius nodded, causing Holan to burst into a fit of giggles.

  "Don’t try to rip her off—she may be rich, but she’s not stupid," Holan reminded him.

  "Of course not, I’m no swindler," Caius replied with a grin, waving his hand. "Alright, I’m off!"

  "Wait... one second," Holan suddenly said.

  Caius turned around, looking at her curiously.

  Holan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Because of what happened between you and Hilda, the entire Academy knows. Most of them probably... got the wrong idea about you."

  "You know how it is—Hilda has a lot of admirers. Some of them might cause trouble for you, so be careful."

  "Don’t worry, I can handle it," Caius said with a smile, waving once more. "See you."

  Only then did Holan relax, nodding gently. "See you."

  Caius's strength was undeniable. If he could defeat Hilda, then those other suitors likely wouldn’t pose much of a threat either. So she didn’t need to worry too much.

  Just like that, Caius left the library with Kiki by his side.

  At that moment, Kiki tugged gently on Caius’s finger.

  He looked down at her.

  The little Catgirl reached out her tiny hand and said, "I wanna hold hands too, meow."

  Caius was taken aback, then laughed. "Of course you can."

  He reached out and gently took her small hand in his.

  Her hand was even smaller than Holan’s.

  Feeling the soft warmth wrapped around his fingers, Kiki beamed, skipping along beside him with joy.

  From a distance, they looked just like a father strolling hand-in-hand with his daughter.