Chapter 52: Between Us

Inside the Survival Space, Sofia’s heart tightened.

So there really was something going on between her mother and Ethan.

No. She couldn’t let them get any closer.

Ever since Ethan had risked his life to save her from Kane and his gang, his image had taken root in her heart. Then, when he had put himself between her and the bullets meant for her and her mother, that image had only grown stronger.

He was the strongest person she knew. The person who had protected them when no one else would.

She couldn’t let her mother become even closer to him.

And she certainly couldn’t let Ethan use another Core to win her mother’s affection.

That Core had to be hers.

She wanted to become stronger. Strong enough to stand beside Ethan and become someone he could rely on. If she was useful to him, maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about being pushed aside.

"I want it."

Sofia turned abruptly, her voice coming out far more urgently than she intended. There was even a faint tremor in it.

She snatched the Core from Ethan’s hand and clenched it tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Ethan, I want it. I’ll absorb it right now."

Before he could say anything else, she pushed the Core into her mouth and swallowed it.

A series of system notifications appeared before Ethan’s eyes. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

[Gifted a Leader-Level Core to a female with a Beauty Score of 98.]

[Base Return: 200x.]

[Detected intense emotional fluctuation in the target: panic + possessiveness + resentment.]

[Super-High Bonus Drop triggered.]

[Return: Daily Teleportation uses increased to 6. Maximum single-use distance increased to 300 meters. Survival Space expanded by 400 cubic meters, reaching 1,500 cubic meters.]

[Sofia Lynn’s Ability has been upgraded to A-Rank.]

[New Skill unlocked: Ice Spike.]

A faint smile appeared in Ethan’s eyes.

It had worked.

He raised a hand and gently patted Sofia’s head.

"Good. That’s what I wanted to hear."

His voice was calm and encouraging.

"In this apocalypse, strength is everything. The stronger you become, the more useful you can be to the people around you. If you keep improving, you’ll be able to stand on your own and become someone I can rely on."

Sofia’s expression softened slightly.

Ethan glanced toward the exit.

"Go back and get some rest."

He paused for a moment before adding casually, "And tell your mother to come back here. I have something I need to discuss with her."

He deliberately left the last sentence vague.

Sofia’s heart sank again.

She could feel the icy energy spreading through her body. It was powerful and cold, and when she raised her hand, a thin shard of ice slowly formed above her palm.

Her new ability should have made her happy.

Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about her mother’s relationship with Ethan.

Why does he still want to see Mom alone?

She lowered her hand.

"Mm."

Without saying anything else, she left the Survival Space.

When she returned to the room, she found her mother sitting beside the bed, staring silently out the window. Pale moonlight spilled across her face, making her look strangely lonely.

Sofia opened her mouth.

"Mom..."

The words Ethan wants to see you felt strangely difficult to say.

She swallowed once before finally forcing them out.

"Mom, Ethan wants you to go to the Survival Space. He said there’s something he wants to discuss with you."

Rose’s expression changed slightly.

Ethan wanted to see her alone again?

What does he want?

Her thoughts immediately returned to how flustered she had been earlier.

Maybe it was because of what had happened before.

Or perhaps...

A small, inexplicable sense of anticipation stirred inside her.

She stood up, smoothed the wrinkles from her clothes, and walked toward the bedroom.

Inside the Survival Space, Ethan waited as Rose appeared.

She stood a short distance away, clearly unsure of what to do. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes.

Ethan noticed her nervousness and smiled.

Then, as though performing a simple magic trick, he produced another dark-green Core from his hand.

Rose’s eyes widened.

Ethan stepped closer and placed it gently in her palm.

Then he leaned toward her and lowered his voice.

"Rose, let me tell you something."

His tone was quiet, almost conspiratorial.

"I actually got two Cores this time. But I didn’t tell anyone about the second one."

Rose stared at him.

Ethan continued, "I shouldn’t have teased you earlier. I know I made you feel uncomfortable."

His voice softened.

"So I kept this one for you."

Rose’s fingers tightened around the Core.

"Don’t tell Sofia. And don’t mention it to anyone else."

He gave her a faint smile.

"Let’s keep it between us."

The words immediately eased the disappointment that had been sitting in Rose’s chest.

So he hadn’t ignored her.

He had deliberately saved something for her.

The realization brought a strange warmth to her chest. She looked down at the Core in her hand, her earlier resentment quietly fading.

She nodded.

"Mm. I understand."

There was a subtle softness in her voice.

For a moment, her feelings toward Ethan became more complicated. Gratitude mixed with relief, warmth, and a sense that he had singled her out in a way that mattered.

Another set of system notifications appeared.

[Gifted a Leader-Level Core to a female with a Beauty Score of 93.]

[Base Return: 70x.]

[Detected intense emotional fluctuation in the target: surprise at being valued + warmth + secret satisfaction.]

[Super-High Bonus Drop triggered.]

[Return: Spatial Cut uses increased to 10.]

[Rose Lynn’s S-Rank Plant Growth Ability has been upgraded.]

[Plant growth speed increased by 50%.]

[Control range increased to 10 meters.]

[New ability unlocked: Plants can now perform basic binding attacks.]

Ethan’s eyes flickered with satisfaction.

His approach had worked even better than expected.

So the way I give a gift matters just as much as the gift itself.

He had deliberately played on the emotions of both women, and the result had significantly strengthened his abilities.

Now he had a better understanding of how important emotional fluctuations were to the system.

He would have to be even more careful when deciding how to handle future gifts.

When Rose returned to the room, a faint blush still lingered across her cheeks.

She didn’t even realize it was there.

Sofia was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the thin ice spike floating above her palm. The sharp crystal reflected the moonlight, its cold edge almost mirroring the tension in her expression.

The moment she noticed her mother entering, she immediately dismissed the ability and lowered her hand.

Rose, still thinking about the Core Ethan had given her and the private conversation between them, didn’t notice her daughter’s uneasiness.

She sat down beside her.

"So, how does your new Ability feel? Do you notice any difference after absorbing the Core?"

Sofia looked at the faint smile still lingering on her mother’s face.

She remembered how her mother had looked after returning from the Survival Space.

The bitterness in her chest returned.

"Nothing much," she muttered. "The ice seems a little stronger."

"That’s good."

Rose smiled and reached out to pat her daughter’s head like she always did.

But just before her hand touched Sofia’s hair, Sofia shifted slightly to the side.

Rose’s hand stopped in midair.

The smile on her face slowly disappeared.

She stared at her daughter in surprise.

For a brief moment, all she could see was the unfamiliar distance in Sofia’s expression.

Then Sofia suddenly turned back and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"That stupid Ethan," she said with a small laugh. "He thought he could use a Core to turn us against each other? He can forget it."

Rose blinked before smiling again.

"Exactly. He can forget it."

Sofia held her mother a little tighter.

Then, as casually as she could manage, she asked, "By the way, Mom... Ethan didn’t do anything to you, did he?"

Rose stiffened.

"N-No!"

The answer came too quickly.

Her face flushed as memories of Ethan’s teasing earlier returned to her mind.

Sofia noticed the slight tremor in her mother’s body.

She narrowed her eyes.

That bastard...

She didn’t say it aloud.