The Boy Who Walks Beyond The End-Chapter 96: Just close enough

The courtyard was quieter now, the noise of sparring students and bustling academy life fading into a background hum. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the stone floor.

Zen sat on the edge of the old fountain, elbows resting on his knees, eyes locked on the shifting clouds above. The air around him pulsed gently—calm, but expectant.

"Found you."

He didn't need to turn. That voice, clear and soft like a bell caught in wind, belonged only to one.

Lyra stepped into view, her cloak fluttering behind her. "You always disappear after things get intense."

Zen's crimson gaze slid toward her. "Needed a moment."

She stood in front of him, arms crossed, studying him like he was a riddle only she could solve. "You always do."

He tilted his head slightly. "And yet you always follow."

"Someone has to make sure you don't sulk yourself into a shadow," she teased, stepping close enough that their knees almost brushed.

[System Nex: Swoon alert! Swoon alert! Physical proximity level: HIGH. Heart rate anomaly: elevated. Should I prepare a digital bouquet?]

Zen didn't answer Nex, but his expression twitched with the faintest smile.

Lyra raised a brow. "He said something ridiculous again, didn't he?"

Zen sighed. "He thinks he's funny."

[System Nex: I am funny. The problem lies with your dramatic resistance to joy.]

She giggled. "I don't even need to hear him to know when he's being annoying."

Zen shook his head, a rare softness in his voice. "You've spent too much time around me."

Lyra leaned forward, her face only inches from his. "Maybe I like what I've become."

He didn't move, but his eyes searched hers—crimson meeting sapphire.

"You never told me why," he murmured.

"Why what?"

"Why you stay."

Lyra's expression gentled. "Because you never asked me to leave."

A quiet pause stretched between them, the breeze tugging at Lyra's hair.

[System Nex: Moment probability analysis: 87% chance she's about to kiss you. 12% she'll slap you if you say something dumb. 1% meteor.]

Zen narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're not helping."

[System Nex: Then kiss her already, Emo King.]

Lyra tilted her head. "Did he just call you something dramatic?"

Zen looked at her. And, for once, there was no caution in his expression—only the flicker of warmth he rarely let surface.

"Yeah," he said. "But... he's not entirely wrong."

Her smile bloomed—genuine, radiant—and before either could second guess, she leaned in and pressed her forehead gently to his.

Not a kiss. Not yet. But something shared. Unspoken.

[System Nex: Ugh, emotional buildup. Where's my 'skip to the kiss' button?]

Zen didn't react visibly, but a subtle twitch pulled at the corner of his eye. Just enough for Lyra to catch it.

"I heard that," Lyra said softly.

Zen blinked. "Wait... You—?"

[System Nex: Wait—she didn't actually hear me, right? Right?! That was bluff! Tell me it was bluff—MY STEALTH MODE IS IMMACULATE!]

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"Not now," Zen muttered under his breath.

She winked. "Nope. Just good instincts."

And they both laughed—quiet, unguarded.

He stood, eyes still lingering on hers.

Zen: "Shall we go?"

She nodded, but her gaze drifted toward the fading horizon.

Lyra: "You go. I'll join you later."

She smiled faintly, and watching him go.