Chapter 484:Date.

Chapter 484: 484:Date.

Silver shrugged and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Not yet," he said.

Her expression changed.

"Not yet?" She repeated.

He smiled.

"You’re improving quickly, I think thats something worth being proud over."

She looked at him for a moment, then lowered her gaze toward her drink.

"That’s something I’ve been thinking about."

He noticed the change in her tone.

"What is?"

She hesitated, then looked toward him.

"You know, you’re about to become Rank Three."

Silver nodded.

"Hopefully," he answered.

"Not hopefully. You will," she firmly said.

He smiled faintly.

She continued before he could say anything.

"And I’m happy for you. Really happy."

"I..." He started but she cut him off.

"But sometimes..." She hesitantly said.

Silver waited for her to continue.

Ravenna looked toward the lake outside.

"Sometimes I wonder how long it’ll take before I can’t keep up with you anymore," she quietly said.

His expression softened.

She laughed quietly, although there wasn’t much amusement in it.

"I know that sounds ridiculous. I’m Rank Two now, and I have a Soul Capacity of nineteen. I should be confident."

"You should."

"But you’re different, Silver."

He didn’t interrupt.

Ravenna continued.

"You have spatial abilities that most Contractors can only dream of. Your physical strength is ridiculous. Your energy control keeps improving, and every time I think I’ve finally caught up a little, you somehow find another way to become stronger." She looked toward him. "And now you’re preparing to become Rank Three."

He remained quiet for a moment, then reached across the table.

She looked down as his hand covered hers.

"Ravenna."

She raised her eyes.

"Yes?"

"I’m not racing against you."

She blinked.

Silver smiled.

"I know we train together. I know we compete sometimes. And I know you want to become stronger."

She nodded.

"But I’m not trying to leave you behind."

Ravenna looked at him without the need to interrupt him.

Silver continued.

"If anything, having you beside me makes me want to improve faster."

She frowned slightly.

"Why?"

"Because I know what it feels like to almost lose you."

Her expression changed.

Silver glanced toward their joined hands.

He remembered the Transit Research Station, the Tier Four tiger, Cruella pushing Ravenna toward danger, and later, Death Row Valley, where surviving had required sacrifices he still didn’t particularly enjoy remembering.

He exhaled.

"I don’t want to experience that again."

Her fingers tightened around his.

He looked toward her.

"But that doesn’t mean I think you’re weak. You’re one of the strongest students in our year, Ravenna. You reached Rank Two, integrated a Tier Four beast characteristic, and you’re already improving your control over abilities that were dangerous enough before."

She smiled faintly.

Silver continued.

"And even if I reach Rank Three first, that doesn’t change anything between us."

She watched him as though trying to understand him, then asked quietly, "Promise?"

He smiled.

"Promise."

She looked at him for several seconds before squeezing his hand.

"Thays good." A small smile returned to her face. "Because I intend to catch up."

Silver laughed.

"I’m counting on it."

"And when I do, I’m going to beat you in a spar."

"Ambitious, aren’t you?"

"Very."

He smiled.

"I look forward to it."

Ravenna leaned back and narrowed her eyes.

"You’re going to let me win, aren’t you?"

He looked offended.

"Why would I do something that stupid, absolutely not."

"Silver," she called.

"Ravenna," he repeated.

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed, then laughed.

The tension gradually disappeared.

And by the time their dinner arrived, the conversation had returned to its usual comfortable rhythm.

They spent nearly two hours in the dining lounge.

Ravenna insisted on tasting Silver’s food despite claiming she preferred her own, and Silver discovered that the dessert she’d ordered was apparently much more important to her than he’d originally understood. When he attempted to take a second spoonful, she moved the plate away with an expression so serious that he immediately raised both hands in surrender.

"You’re terrifying."

Ravenna smiled sweetly.

"Thank you."

"I meant that as a complaint," he quietly said.

"I know."

He laughed.

Later, they discussed the class-versus-class competition, just the funny moments.

Ravenna told him about Caleb accidentally stepping into one of her controlled fire zones and then loudly insisting that he hadn’t been frightened, despite jumping almost a meter backward.

Silver laughed so hard that he nearly spilled his drink.

In return, he told her about the Class Six student who’d asked how he’d reached a rooftop and his completely unhelpful answer about using the stairs.

Ravenna shook her head.

"You’re terrible."

"He asked."

"You teleported."

"Technically, I used Short-Step."

She stared.

Silver paused, then sighed.

"Right. No training talk."

She smiled triumphantly.

"Exactly."

By the time they finished dinner, the eastern gardens had become considerably quieter.

The academy’s evening lights reflected across the artificial lake, and a gentle breeze moved through the trees lining the pathways.

He paid for their meal.

She offered to contribute but he refused.

She looked at him.

"Silver."

He smiled.

"I invited you."

"That doesn’t mean you have to pay for everything."

"I know."

She studied him, then smiled.

"Fine, it’s your money anyway."

He offered his hand again.

"Walk?"

She slipped her fingers between his and nodded.

"Sure."

They wandered through the eastern gardens without any particular destination.

The pathways were illuminated by small lights embedded along their edges, while flowering shrubs and decorative trees created quiet spaces away from the busier recreational areas.

A few students were still walking nearby, but most had returned to their dormitories, leaving the gardens peaceful enough that the sound of water moving through the artificial lake could be heard from several meters away.

Ravenna leaned against Silver’s arm.

"Today was nice."

He looked toward her.

"Was?"

She smiled.

"Is."

"Don’t forget that."

She laughed.

They stopped near a wooden bench overlooking the water.

Silver sat and Ravenna settled beside him.

For several minutes, they watched the reflections moving across the lake, then she rested her head against his shoulder and he slipped an arm around her.

She sighed contentedly.

"I missed this."

He looked down.

"What?"

"Us."

He smiled faintly.

"We see each other every day."

"That’s not what I mean." Ravenna continued. "We train together. We attend classes. We fight. We prepare for assessments. Sometimes we eat together, but even then, we’re usually discussing something that happened during training."

She looked toward him.

"Tonight feels different."

He considered, then nodded.

"It does."

Ravenna smiled.

"I like it."

"So do I."

She moved closer.

Silver gently brushed a strand of white hair away from her face.

Ravenna looked up and their eyes met. For a moment, neither spoke, then he leaned down and kissed her.

She responded immediately, one hand rising to rest against his cheek as she shifted closer. The kiss was unhurried, familiar in its tenderness but carrying something deeper than the brief kisses they usually exchanged between classes or before separating for the evening.