Chapter 56: Chapter 56 – Operation: Lilliane Gets a Friend (Hopefully) (1)

Luca stood under the Academy gate’s arch, arms crossed, eyes scanning the entrance as the midday sun warmed the cobblestones. A minute later, soft footsteps approached.

Lilliane appeared—head slightly lowered, a light pink top tucked into a cream-colored skirt, her pink hair tied back in a loose ribbon. She looked… different. A little nervous. But cute, in a shy, bookish way.

Luca raised a brow. “Are you ready to make friends now?”

She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, glancing off to the side. “I… still don’t understand why I need anyone else besides Aiden.”

Luca sighed softly, then smiled. “Let’s go.”

She blinked. “W-Where are we going? You didn’t tell me anything.”

He started walking. “That’s the point. You’d overthink it if I did.”

—

Their first stop was the Academy’s public park—wide open lawns, benches shaded under tall trees, and a handful of students chatting or playing magical chess in small groups.

Luca spotted a girl sitting alone near the fountain, flipping through a spellbook. Her aura felt calm, and her uniform was neat. Perfect target.

He nudged Lilliane. “She looks nice. Why don’t you try asking her what she’s studying?”

Lilliane stiffened. “Wh-Why would I ask that?”

“Because it’s normal. You’re in the same Academy. Come on. It’s not a battlefield, it’s a conversation.”

With hesitant steps, Lilliane approached her… then stopped halfway, turned around, marched back, and whispered, “She looked busy.”

Luca resisted the urge to groan.

Alright. One miss isn’t the end. Breathe, Luca. This is fine.

—

Next, they walked toward the sparring fields, where a few students were resting under the shade.

Luca pointed at a boy holding a staff, laughing with two others. “That guy. He’s friendly—always chats during group classes. Just walk up and ask about his last duel.”

Lilliane blinked. “Isn’t that… rude?”

“What? No! It’s literally what he talks about all day!”

Still, she hesitated. When she finally walked up, her first words were a stammered, “H-Hello, I heard you, uh, like… fighting?”

The boy gave her a confused look, glanced at his friends, and slowly replied, “Uh… yeah?”

Lilliane’s next words came out in a flurry of rushed syllables before she turned red and walked away mid-sentence.

She didn’t say anything for a while after that.

Luca rubbed his temples.

Okay. That was painful. But she tried. That counts for something… I guess.

—

Next, they stopped near a training dummy where a girl was casually tossing a mana orb in the air.

“Alright,” Luca said, trying to stay patient. “She looks approachable. Just say you’ve seen her in class and liked her form with that fire spell. Give her a compliment. Then let the convo roll from there.”

“I-I can’t just compliment strangers,” Lilliane mumbled, clutching her hands behind her back.

“Yes, you can. It’s literally how people socialize.”

Lilliane finally approached the girl and attempted something close to a compliment.

What came out instead was: “You… your explosion in class… it was really… large.”

The girl stared. “…Thanks?”

Lilliane panicked, bowed, and bolted back to Luca.

He didn’t say anything at first.

I’m starting to think I need a backup plan. Like a second Lilliane. With better social skills.

—

Their final stop: a small café just outside the Academy grounds, known for its rooftop seating and steady buzz of students looking to relax.

The place was lively—soft music playing, cups clinking, and the warm aroma of coffee and pastries drifting through the air.

Luca guided Lilliane to a table by the window. “This is it. Chill atmosphere, no pressure. Just find someone nearby to chat with. Ask what they ordered or comment on the weather—literally anything that doesn’t sound like a war declaration.”

Lilliane looked down at her lap, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t think I can do this…”

Luca exhaled. Not angrily—just tired.

I thought this would be easier. A casual stroll, a few awkward hellos, and boom—social progress. But she’s freezing up every single time.

Still, he kept his tone light. “You’re not supposed to be perfect. Just a little less terrifyingly awkward.”

She blinked. “I’m terrifying?”

“…Forget I said that.”

He glanced around. “Okay. What about that girl by the counter? She laughed at the barista’s joke. Seems relaxed.”

Lilliane stood up slowly, took a deep breath, and made her way over.

This time, she managed a confident: “Hi. I was wondering what drink you ordered? It looked nice.”

The girl blinked, then smiled. “Oh! It’s the hazelnut-mint special. Weird combo, but it’s good!”

But as the conversation naturally waited for Lilliane to respond, she stood there frozen. Her mouth opened slightly… then closed. Her hands curled behind her back.

“…Uh… okay… that’s… good,” she muttered with growing panic, before she gave a stiff nod and retreated quickly back to Luca like a scared cat.

He looked at her.

The two sat at their small round table in silence. The sunlight filtered through the half-open café windows, casting gentle shadows across the polished wood surface. Cups sat untouched. Lilliane’s head was bowed low, her pink bangs hiding her expression, fingers nervously toying with the hem of her skirt.

Luca leaned back in his chair, arms folded. He watched her for a moment—quiet, withdrawn, and clearly defeated.

He let out a slow breath, trying to keep his voice calm. He couldn’t.

“I just don’t get it, Lilliane.”

She flinched slightly.

“You say you want to support Aiden. That you want to grow. But then every time someone even looks at you, you shut down.” He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. “This whole day—you haven’t even tried to actually talk. And I’m wasting my time here, babysitting you when I could be working on my technique, improving myself.”

Lilliane’s shoulders stiffened. Her fingers trembled slightly.

“You know I’m this close—this close to breaking through the next layer in my aura circulation. But no. I’m here, dragging you from place to place, giving you chance after chance, and for what? You can’t even say a full sentence to a stranger without fleeing like a scared rabbit.”

There was a heavy silence.

Lilliane looked down even further, her hair falling like a curtain. Her lips quivered, and her hands clenched into fists over her skirt. The tears were already forming—shimmering just on the edge of falling.

“I… I’m trying…” she choked, voice trembling. “I’m trying, okay? I really am. I talk to people in my head a hundred times before I even open my mouth. I rehearse everything. But when I actually stand there, nothing comes out right…”

Her voice cracked as she looked up, tears finally falling.

“I don’t know how to do it, Luca! I want to! I want to be someone Aiden isn’t embarrassed to be seen with… someone he’d be proud of, someone his friends wouldn’t avoid or pity. But I mess up every time, and I don’t know why—”

She shook her head, brushing the tears away quickly, angrily. “You think I wanted to ruin today? I didn’t ask for you to come with me—I didn’t ask to be so useless!”

She stood sharply, the chair scraping against the floor.

Without another word, she turned and hurried out of the café, the bell chiming faintly as the door swung shut behind her. Luca sat frozen, watching her retreating form as she vanished into the street.

Damn it…

Luca buried his face in his hands, the weight of his own words finally settling in.

Luca sat frozen, her final words echoing in his mind like a punch to the gut.

“I didn’t ask to be so useless!”

His hands clenched on the edge of the table, knuckles whitening.

I didn’t mean to—damn it, I didn’t mean to say it like that…

He stood abruptly, the chair behind him scraping loudly against the floor. Several heads turned, but he didn’t care. His feet were already moving, almost running as he pushed through the café door into the bright street outside.

Where is she? Where did she go? I came right after her—she shouldn’t be far.

His eyes scanned the sidewalk, darted to the park entrance down the road, the fountain near the plaza, even the alleyway across the café’s corner. Nothing. No sign of pink hair, no trace of that timid silhouette.

Damn it, Lilliane… why did I say it like that? She was trying. She really was.

He bit down on his lower lip, frustration mixing with shame.

She was awkward, sure, but she came out here just for this. Just to try. Because I asked her to.

His pace quickened as he checked behind a row of merchant stalls.

She’s not the problem. I am. I was supposed to help, not unload all my pent-up failures onto her. She’s not the reason my aura circulation is a mess. That’s on me.

He paused, spinning in place, scanning every direction—desperation starting to crawl under his skin.

His thoughts shattered as something strange passed through the air—a whisper, yet not carried by sound.

“If you want your friend back… come to the mountain outside Arcadia City.”

His breath hitched.

“Come alone. Our rats are always watching. Don’t try anything… or she disappears for good.”

Luca froze.

The world around him—the laughing students, the breeze, the distant chimes of magic bells—felt suddenly distant. Duller.

His fists trembled.

This isn’t happening. This… no. Not her.

He turned toward the edge of the city, where the silhouette of the Arcadian mountains cast their shadow like a silent challenge.

They took her because of me.

His jaw tightened.

“I’m coming,” he whispered, fury and guilt tightening in his chest like a vice.

As he ran swearing to himself, I won’t let anything happen to her, whoever this enemy is.

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