She pointed toward the distance, where the deflated raft was barely visible. "Thatâs our raft. Itâs already leaking. I think the acid rain corroded it. This rain is really dangerous."
As she spoke, she watched Liam closely, and sure enough, his brows drew even tighter.
She thought she heard a faint sigh. Then he gave a small nod and turned back toward his seat.
Suzy followed behind him. By now, she had begun to piece something together. Testing the waters, she asked, "Are you trying to get back home?"
She hadnât expected a response.
"...Mm." He answered.
"Is there someone at home waiting for you?" she asked casually.
She could almost understand now why he had tried to touch the rain.
He must have been testing how much he could endure. If possible, he probably intended to brave the storm and make it back.
To be in such a hurry... the only explanation she could think of was that someone was waiting for him.
This time, he didnât reply.
They returned to their seats and fell into silence once more.
This should have been a good opportunity. Suzy wanted to take the initiative, to find a topic and build some kind of connection with him.
But he clearly had no intention of talking.
Several times she tried to start something, and each time, he let it fall flat.
It was obviousâhis mind was elsewhere. He didnât want to engage.
Embarrassed, she gave up.
No rush, she told herself.
If she pushed too hard, if her intentions became too obvious, it might only make him dislike her. That would lower his favor instead.
She needed the right moment.
Letting go of the idea of forcing a conversation, Suzy glanced around to make sure there was no danger. Then she reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and slipped it into her mouth.
A sweet strawberry flavor spread across her tongue. The candy was fragrantâshe could smell it the moment she opened the wrapper.
She sucked on it absently, then took out her phone to check for any updates.
A faint sound came from Liamâs direction.
Instinctively, she turned her headâand met his eyes.
Was he... looking at her?
Suzy blinked, curious, thinking it might be her imagination.
Then he spoke. "Are you eating candy?"
She nodded blankly. "Yeah."
She slipped her hand into her pocket, using it as cover as she pulled out three different kinds of candy from her space.
"Do you want some?" she asked, opening her palm.
His gaze dropped to her hand. Then he stood and walked toward her.
Suzyâs heart skipped. No way... was he really coming over just for a few pieces of candy?
"Do you have more?" he asked.
She nodded.
She had plenty.
Chocolate, lollipops, hard candies, soft candiesâevery flavor imaginable. She had stocked up on a huge supply before.
She didnât even eat much herself. She had only taken one just now out of boredom.
"I can trade you for something else," he said politely.
"Of course," she replied quickly.
He paused, then turned back to his seat, picked up his backpack, and returned to her.
Suzy still held out her hand, the candies resting in her palm. "Do you want these?"
He nodded.
She set them aside and unzipped her bag for show. "I also have chocolate and lollipops. Do you want those too?"
"Yes. All of them."
He opened his own bag and took out a few cans and packs of instant noodles. "Iâll trade these with you."
Suzy stared at him in surprise.
Canned food and instant noodles werenât cheap commodities. Liam was being surprisingly generous.
So Suzy reached into her bag and took out even more candy, piling up a generous handful beside her. "Is this enough?"
His eyes lit up ever so slightly. Looking at the pile of sweets, he nodded. "Thatâs enough. Thank you."
He handed her a can of meat and a pack of instant noodles. Suzy accepted them and tucked them into her bag.
"Do you like candy?" she asked curiously.
He didnât answer right away.
Just when she thought he wouldnât respond, he said, "Itâs not for me."
Perhaps it was only because she had given him the candy that he offered that extra explanation.
Suzy nodded thoughtfully. "I see... itâs for someone at home, right?"
He was in such a hurry to return, and he had specifically traded for candy. From that, she could guess there was probably someone younger waiting for him.
Liam glanced at her and said quietly, "Itâs for my younger brother."
"Is he home alone?" she asked.
He nodded.
That explained it. No wonder he had been so anxious to get backâhe was worried about leaving his brother by himself.
Liam carefully put away all the candy, then kept one strawberry milk candy aside and handed it to her.
"This is for you."
Suzy blinked in surprise.
Looking at her, his voice softened slightly. "For the earlier... a thank you gesture."
He had acted on impulse just now, reaching out toward the acid rain. If she hadnât stopped him, who knew what might have happened.
Before Suzy could even process what he meant, he had already turned and walked back to his seat.
Silence settled between them once more.
Still, Suzy was quite satisfied with how things had gone.
At least they had spoken. She had even learned about his younger brotherâthat was something.
The only regret was that his favorability hadnât increased.
On Suzyâs side, things were progressing smoothly, without trouble.
Meanwhile, Thomas was making his way upstairs in search of Leonard.
After leaving Suzy, he climbed three floors in a row without seeing Leonard or hearing a single sound.
Fourth floor. Fifth floor.
It wasnât until the fifth floor that he finally found Leonardâand Wendy.
Only, he had arrived at a rather unfortunate moment.
Inside a private office, the two of them were nearly in each otherâs arms. Wendyâs lips were just about to meet Leonardâsâ
If not for the beam of Thomasâ flashlight landing squarely on them, they would have kissed in the next second.
"...Whatâs going on here?" Thomas asked hesitantly, making no move to lower the flashlight.
Leonard snapped back to his senses and quickly pulled away from Wendy, his expression shifting between pale and flushed.
"Thomas? What are you doing up here?" His voice carried a trace of awkwardness.
Wendy, having been pushed aside, lowered her gaze in frustration.
They had been so closeâjust a second more, and it would have happened. Thomas had impeccable timing for ruining things.
She bit her lip, then swiftly adjusted her expression. When she looked up again, her face was painted with just the right amount of shyness and fluster.
"Please donât misunderstand," she said softly. "I slipped just now and almost fell. Uncle Leonard caught me."
Thomas glanced at her but said nothing, shifting his gaze to Leonard instead.
Leonard took a breath. "Itâs nothing. Just like she said."
As he spoke, he deliberately avoided Thomasâ eyes.
Thomas frowned slightly but didnât press further. "I wasnât comfortable staying downstairs, so I came up to check. Have you found a suitable place?"
Seizing the chance to change the subject, Leonard pointed toward the end of the corridor. "There are a few private offices down there. The environmentâs decentâwe can rest there."
The two of them continued talking, completely ignoring Wendy.