Chapter 370 New Year’s Eve in Hetsa
All of Harvey’s students ended up picking up certain habits from him without even realizing it. Those little quirks became their own kind of trademark – a kind of invisible badge showing who they’d been taught by.
Still… Liam doesn’t seem as adorable as Tilda. Tilda is simply more likable. And…
Now that there is a Liam in the mix, Tilda’s attention will get spread out a little more… Dane couldn’t help but let his thoughts drift further and further. For a moment, something flashed in his usually calm eyes – a hint of danger underneath. Liam had no idea that, even before they met, Dane was already weirdly competitive toward him.
“According to Mystro, Liam is an incredible doctor. He’s great at treating rare and complex conditions nobody else could handle. As soon as he’s out, we’ll have him treat you right away! I did message Mystro to tell him the good news, but he hasn’t replied yet. So annoying! Maybe he’s just busy?”
Oblivious to Dane’s mood, Tilda kept chatting away excitedly. She’d found another one of her seniors – one more person to rely on. The more seniors she found, the more love and support she got to enjoy. It’s like piecing together a puzzle. Every time I find another piece, my happiness multiplies.
Once they’d finished talking, Tilda decided to take Dane out for New Year’s Eve. “There’s a big New Year’s Eve concert at the Hetsa Tower tonight, Dane, are you interested? But there’ll be a huge crowd, so for your safety, I mapped out a route so we don’t have to squeeze through everyone.” She showed Dane the plan on her phone. Tilda had spent two whole days planning out the perfect route for tonight. She’d even hacked into the street cameras for live updates, mapping out every step.
“Whatever you say is fine,” he said. He had no objections. In fact, he was more than happy to let her take the lead.
After a quick change of clothes, they left the base together. Before long, they were in the heart of Hetsa.
“Dane, try this – it’s really good! Dane, look over there – churros, nachos, corn dogs! It all smells amazing! These soft pretzels are really tasty, too.”
Tilda dragged Dane through the bustling streets, sampling food after food. It was just nonstop eating. With the cold weather, every bite of hot street food felt extra comforting. She didn’t care about calories or acne breakouts – she just enjoyed herself.
Dane usually never ate stuff like this. Not because he was picky, but because he usually just ate whatever would fill him up quickly so he could get back to work. As long as it was quick, didn’t taste weird, and filled him up so he could get back to his research, he was good. At Lab Seven, every meal was prepared according to strict nutrition standards. This was his first time trying street food like this. At first, he was hesitant – the food looked a bit unhygienic to him. But seeing how happy Tilda was, he couldn’t say no when she offered him a corn dog. He took a hesitant bite, and all sorts of flavors exploded in his mouth.
Hmm… It is actually more delicious than I expected.
He took a few more bites. It’s like discovering a whole new world of flavors. He couldn’t stop eating.
Why does this corn dog taste so good? It must be because Tilda gave it to me. That must be it!
Tilda noticed how much fun Dane was having, and her eyes softened. She’d had to get Manfred’s permission to take Dane out for New Year’s Eve. Manfred had always said that Tilda was the only one who could really make Dane relax. Everyone else could only help on the sidelines – they could never reach Dane the way she could. It wasn’t that they wanted Dane to slack off. They just hoped he could be a little more human. Tilda was the only one who could break through those walls. Everyone deserved to enjoy New Year’s. Including Dane.
Suddenly, Tilda’s phone rang. She pulled the phone from her pocket and checked. It was Mystro. She answered right away.
“Hello? Mystro, where have you been? You never answered my messages!”
“Sorry, I’ve been busy. Are you in Hetsa?”
His sudden question made Tilda glance around. “Yeah, Dane and I are at the city center. We’re celebrating New Year’s Eve…”
“Alright, I have to go. Talk later.”
“Wait… What?”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Seriously, what’s he up to? And it sounded pretty noisy in the background, too….” Tilda was left wondering.
“Don’t worry about him. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.” Dane had his own selfish hopes. Mystro had talked about joining them for New Year’s in Cetherland. But if he didn’t show up… then Dane would have Tilda all to himself.