MIKO

If Lilith fucks this up now, I'll kill her. This ass-kissing was hard despite Kayla seeming happy about everything I said to her. I don't hate her or anything, even though her eyes scare me.

I don't mean that while she's been ogling me. Instead, when she was in deep thought, it seemed like she was drifting off into another world.

But it was worth it if she now has some talent for using magic. If I had to, I would be so sweet and lovely for now, so she would stay with us.

I'm not dependent on having a healer in the guild, but Lilith has clarified that we can finally get real jobs if we have one. And if I'm honest, Kayla is a good fit for us on a personal level, too. Without having spent much time with her, she seems weird, the kind of weird you need to believe in magic the way we do.

When should I go back down? I don't know how long Lilith will be talking to her. If I go now and wait there, it seems like I am impatient. If I stay, I will come over as disinterested. I don't care what Kayla thinks, but Eliza and Lilith love teasing me about random stuff.

Screw it. I'll just go downstairs and talk to Eliza. But first I'll put on something comfier. And I'm hungry. All the socializing has drained my body, so maybe I'll go grab a bite to eat with Kayla after she signs the contract.

It should be any minute now because if Lilith is good at anything, it's convincing people to do things for her. It's probably her fault that I've become such a deceitful person.

When I arrive downstairs, I am greeted by the assembled group. I feel stupid for having waited so long. My gaze automatically wanders to Kayla. She looks relieved, but her cheeks are a little flushed. Do I want to know what Lilith has done to her? She surely did not resort to indecent methods to convince her to sign, right?

Just before I'm about to congratulate Kayla, I look at Lilith, who is nervously chewing her fingernails. Wait... did Kayla actually say no?

"Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure," Eliza whispers to me.

"I'd say goodbye for now," Kayla takes off her slippers, which look strangely familiar, and slowly strolls towards the exit.

"Wait!" Lilith literally screams.

We all flinch together and give her questioning looks.

"Please don't go. You can't imagine how happy I was to find a healer! The chances were almost non-existent."

Oh no, she is desperate. Kayla stares at the floor while Lilith looks close to tears. Her acting skills give me goosebumps.

"But... I just need to talk to my boss and tell him I'm quitting. Two employment contracts simultaneously sound unfair for one of you." Kayla stumbles nervously over her words but gets her message across quite clearly.

I don't know why Lilith is making such a scene. She probably thinks Kayla will just run off to another country.... yes, sometimes she is a bit dramatic.

"I'll be in touch," and with that, she sprints out of the room. I follow her and put on my jacket. It's embarrassing that I changed into a hoodie and sweatpants beforehand, but who cares.

"What are you doing?" Kayla asks, slightly irritated, "Don't worry, I'm not planning to run away."

"I wanted to invite you to lunch."

"Why?"

"Because I'm hungry."

"What do I have to do with it?"

"You don't get invited often, do you?"

"And you don't really want to have lunch with me, right?"

"Don't be so defensive. I kind of like you."

"Same," she mumbles quietly as if it were a half-hearted declaration of love. Liking someone really isn't that deep. Maybe I should have called it sympathy, but for now, I have to live with her acting like a little maiden.

Once again, we walk side by side through the streets, and I head for a particular bakery. It's already lunchtime, but my first meal has to be breakfast. Time doesn't matter in that fact.

"So, what do you think of the offer?"

"The salary is insane. But Lilith was also pretty honest about the dangers; the part about your own death in the contract is kind of weird."

"Don't worry about it."

"You're protecting me, right?"

"That's what I said."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," she laughs softly and looks at me.

Yeah, her eyes scare me, but that smile makes up for it.