Chapter 60: A Tutor

They were already back at the sofa when Lumi awkwardly stood beside it, unsure whether she should sit down or return to the kitchen.

Evan had already taken his usual seat and casually patted the empty space beside him, silently asking her to sit.

Lumi was just about to move when the woman suddenly rushed forward and dropped herself onto the sofa, taking the exact spot Evan had just offered to Lumi.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Lumi froze where she stood.

Evan stared at the woman beside him for a few seconds before letting out a long, tired sigh.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Aren’t you supposed to come back next month?"

The woman leaned comfortably against the sofa, looking completely unbothered by the awkward silence she had just created.

"Oh... I planned to," she said with a bright smile. "But since I’m a good best friend and an S-Rank Guide, I decided to come back early just to help you."

Evan’s expression remained unimpressed. "I didn’t ask for help."

"You never do." She said it so naturally that Evan didn’t even bother arguing.

Instead, she turned her attention toward Lumi, who was still standing awkwardly nearby.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The woman straightened slightly, then flashed Lumi a cheerful smile. "I’m Reeta, Reeta Bellamy."

She looked Lumi up and down, clearly trying to figure out who she was.

"And who are you?" Her smile remained, but her next words made Lumi’s expression stiffen. "I didn’t know Evan had taken a maid these days."

Lumi’s eyes widened, "A... maid?"

She glanced down at herself, suddenly wondering whether something about her clothes really made her look like a servant.

Before she could explain, Evan’s expression darkened. "She isn’t a maid. Can you stop?"

Reeta blinked innocently. "Oh?"

"She lives here." Evan continued.

Reeta’s eyebrows rose. "She lives here?"

Her gaze immediately shifted between Evan and Lumi, becoming noticeably more interested.

Lumi felt her face heating up.

"Yes..." She wasn’t sure what else to say.

Reeta leaned forward slightly, studying her with open curiosity. "Then who exactly are you?"

Lumi hesitated.

Before she could answer, Evan spoke calmly from beside Reeta.

"She’s my Fated Guide."

The smile on Reeta’s face disappeared. For the first time since arriving, she looked genuinely stunned. "Your what?"

Evan glanced at her, "My Fated Guide."

Reeta slowly turned her head toward Lumi again. Her eyes widened.

Then she looked back at Evan. "You mean the Fated Guide?"

Evan gave her an unimpressed look. "How many Fated Guides do you think I have?"

Reeta opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She stared at Lumi for another few seconds before suddenly jumping to her feet, almost knocking into Evan in the process.

"But Evan, we promised each other that we would be each other’s Fates partner when we grew up."

"Since when?" Evan frowned deeply, looking completely annoyed.

"We’ve been best friends since we were kids!"

"Self-proclaimed."

Evan cut her off without hesitation, then immediately turned his attention toward Lumi, as if making sure she understood that there had never been any such agreement between him and Reeta.

Lumi blinked.

Reeta placed a hand over her chest, looking genuinely offended. "Self-proclaimed? After all these years?"

Evan sighed loudly and stood up.

"Stop with your dramatic acting. You scared her..." He walked toward Lumi and pointed toward Reeta. "She’s Reeta, my friend and a Guide who will be tutoring you."

Lumi looked at Reeta again, this time with a slightly different expression. "A tutor?"

Reeta’s offended expression instantly disappeared, replaced by a proud smile.

"That’s right. An S-Rank Guide, to be precise." She lightly brushed her hair back as though the title deserved a proper introduction.

"I’ve been trained in Guiding since I was young, and I’ve worked with several high-ranking Sentinels before."

Lumi’s eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Of course." Reeta’s confidence was almost overflowing. "You’re lucky Evan asked me to tutor you."

Evan glanced at her. "Stop it. I just barely asked, and you’re basically offering yourself..."

Reeta immediately placed a hand over her chest, looking offended again. "Offering myself? I’m helping my best friend!"

Lumi watched their whole banter with an amused smile, finding it strangely entertaining despite being caught in the middle of it.

"Oh, anyway..." Reeta suddenly turned her attention back to her, her expression brightening. "You are so... adorable."

She curled her fingers together as though she wanted to squish Lumi’s cheeks, then made a small, delighted sound.

"And I know it would be hard to Guide that man. I remember breaking my ribs and staying in the hospital for an entire month."

Lumi’s smile slowly disappeared.

Reeta stood up and closed the distance between them, looking her up and down with open curiosity, as if trying to figure out how someone this small had survived what even an S-Rank Guide had struggled through.

"I really wonder how you managed to survive such a brutal Rampage..."

Lumi instinctively glanced toward Evan.

He was watching Reeta with a faintly displeased expression.

Reeta noticed his gaze and immediately raised both hands. "What? I’m only curious."

Evan sighed. "You’re making her uncomfortable."

"I haven’t even touched her."

"You were about to."

Reeta lowered her hands, then looked back at Lumi.

"Sorry." She took a small step back, but the curiosity in her eyes remained. "I’ve guided Evan before."

Lumi blinked. "You have?"

"Sorry, I meant, tried..." Reeta quickly corrected herself before laughing. "That arrogant man wouldn’t allow anyone in. That’s why I’m so eager to meet this cutiepie who somehow managed to get through his defenses."

Evan’s expression darkened. "Can you stop?"

"No." Reeta pursed her lower lip.

"Behave, you’re going to be her tutor."

"Exactly. Which means I’m allowed to call my student cute."

Evan sighed, clearly realizing that arguing with Reeta was pointless.

Reeta, however, suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, anyway, I’m staying here."

Evan’s eyebrows furrowed. "Staying here?"

"My parents decided to sell my penthouse, and I don’t want to stay with them anymore..." She made a face as though the very thought offended her. "You know how parents can be."

"Then go to Leon." Evan sounded thoroughly annoyed now.

Reeta immediately shook her head.

"Go to him and stay with your parents? No, no, no..." She waved both hands before giving him a bright smile. "I’ll just take living here as my tutor fee. So it’s already a done deal!"

Before Evan could even respond, Reeta clapped her hands together and headed straight toward the door as though she had already made the decision for everyone.

"I’m going to meet my man. Bye!"

The door closed behind her.

Lumi stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway. Then she slowly turned toward Evan with question marks all over her face.

Evan sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"She is Leon’s Fated Guide."