Chapter 29 || 4|05|26

Chapter 29: 29 || 4|05|26

Code emerged from the bathroom with damp hair, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers.

He crossed the room and settled into his chair.

A moment later, Ivy approached with a tray carrying two steaming cups of coffee. She had changed into a white-and-pink gown that fell just above her knees, its skirt swaying lightly as she walked.

She placed one of the cups on the table in front of Code, smiling, before taking the other and settling onto his bed.

Code picked up his coffee and took a sip. After lowering the cup, he continued staring ahead.

Ivy watched him expectantly.

"So... how was it?"

Code didn’t turn toward her.

"I’d give it a six."

"Heh. What do you mean by that?"

He took another sip instead of answering.

Ivy wrapped both hands around her cup and drank, her eyes lingering on him over the rim.

After a moment, Code checked his watch.

"You should go back to your room and get ready for work."

Ivy blinked.

"Huh? But I want to stay here with you."

"Then you’ll be staying here with yourself."

Code lifted his cup again.

"I’m leaving for my job."

Ivy’s smile faded into a slight frown.

"You still want to work even after your master gave you such a low rating? That’s not good, Code."

"I still need to work if I want to get paid next month."

"You don’t have to keep trying to please everyone." She leaned forward slightly. "You can rely on me."

"I already have people willing to help," Code replied evenly. "You don’t need to trouble yourself."

"People?" Ivy repeated, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Who?"

"Caden, Torin, and Ken."

Ivy let out a dramatic sigh.

"Those three? They’re no good. No good at all."

Before Code could respond, a notification sounded from both their phones.

He picked his phone off the table and checked the screen.

Their salaries had arrived.

Ivy immediately brightened.

"Our salaries came in! I got five thousand Bronze Coins!"

She looked at Code with a cheerful smile.

"How much did you get?"

"One thousand."

Her smile froze.

"Just one thousand? That’s barely enough to survive on! How are you supposed to manage the entire month with that?"

"There’s still our academy allowance to add. That brings it to six thousand coins for the month."

Ivy shook her head, unconvinced.

"That still doesn’t make me feel any better. I can’t just leave you to survive on such a small amount."

She rose from the bed, determination replacing her earlier playfulness.

"From now on, I’ll take care of you."

Code regarded her for a moment.

Then he glanced at his watch.

"Since you’re already standing, that means you’re ready for work."

Ivy immediately sat back down.

"No. I’m not."

Code turned away and took another sip of his coffee.

...

Code stood outside Lyra’s room, dressed neatly in his uniform.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

He opened the door and stepped inside.

Lyra was seated at her desk. Hearing him enter, she turned her chair around to face him, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"I thought you wouldn’t come today, Code."

"I don’t miss work," he replied simply.

He closed the door behind him and crossed the room, taking a seat beside her desk.

"I know." Lyra chuckled softly.

She turned her chair toward him.

"Did you receive your salary?"

"Yes."

Her expression brightened, but the smile soon faded as another question occurred to her.

"How... how much was it?"

"One thousand Bronze Coins."

Lyra’s eyes widened.

"That’s... so little. How are you going to survive the month?"

She lowered her gaze, guilt settling over her expression.

"I feel terrible for giving you such a low rating after everything you’ve done for me."

"There’s no need to feel bad," Code said quietly. "I was the one who asked you to give me that rating."

"I know." Lyra’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap. "I still couldn’t believe it when you first asked. I thought you were joking, but..."

Her voice trailed off as the memory returned.

...

A Week Earlier

Lyra sat at her desk, reading a book when Code emerged from the kitchen with a steaming mug.

He placed it on the table beside her.

Lyra looked up and offered him a small smile.

"...Thanks."

Code remained beside the desk for a moment.

"Lyra, can I ask you a favour?"

"A favour?" She turned toward him, curious. "What is it? If it’s within my reach, I’ll do it. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"The school will soon ask the masters to submit their slave ratings."

Lyra smiled.

"Yes, I know. But don’t worry. I was planning to give you five stars. You deserve them."

"I need you to give me one."

Her smile disappeared.

"What...?"

She rose so quickly that her chair rolled backward across the floor.

"One star? Code, that’s far too low! Why would you want that?"

"I know it’s low," he replied softly. "But that’s what I want."

Lyra’s brows drew together.

"But why? You’ve worked hard. You’ve done everything perfectly."

"Because giving me five stars would put you at a disadvantage."

She stared at him, trying to understand.

"What do you mean?"

"You’re a Servitor. In the eyes of the Obedience Code, your role is to be superior to me. But you’re also a student of Class C. Your class expects you to help maintain the hierarchy and keep the Grents below you."

Code paused briefly before continuing.

"If you rate me too highly, your classmates might see it as a betrayal of your own class."

Lyra’s expression softened.

"You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter what they call me..."

Her eyes began to glisten.

"...because I know you deserve it, Code."

"I can’t let you risk your position in your class, Lyra. That’s why I’m asking you again. Give me a one-star rating."

Lyra fell silent.

Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs as she looked at him.

’He’s willing to sacrifice his own survival just so my classmates won’t turn against me...’

She lowered her head, struggling with the thought.

"But your salary... it’ll be so low."

"It’s fine, Lyra. It’s a risk I’m willing to take."

She froze.

Something tightened in her chest, an unfamiliar mixture of gratitude, guilt, and admiration. Before she could think through what she was doing, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Code..."

For a moment, Code remained still.

Then he placed one hand around her waist and rested the other gently on her head.

Lyra suddenly realized what she was doing.

Her face flushed crimson as she pulled away.

"S-sorry! I didn’t mean to hug you out of nowhere. I don’t know what came over me."

She lowered her gaze and pressed her palms together, visibly embarrassed.

Code said nothing. He simply watched her with his usual calm expression.

’I knew you’d go overboard and give me five stars if I let you.’

His gaze remained on her.

’But I want my life to stay peaceful, Lyra. That’s why I’m doing this. Not for you, or anyone else.’

He leaned back slightly.

’Just for myself.’

...

Present Day

"Thanks," Code said quietly. "For the one-star rating."

Lyra’s cheeks warmed immediately.

"Y-you don’t have to thank me."

"What about your classmates? How did they react?"

She turned toward him again.

"At first, everyone was shocked. But after a while, they were happy with me. A few even praised me, which is something they’ve never done before."

"I see."

Code lowered his gaze to the desk.

An open notebook lay in front of Lyra. On the page was a carefully drawn young man dressed in a formal outfit.

His hair was black, falling in slightly tousled layers around his forehead. He wore a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms. Over it was a fitted black vest, its edges following the lines of his torso. His black trousers fell neatly to his shoes, completing the understated outfit.

A pair of dark gloves covered his hands, while thin-framed glasses rested on his nose.

The artist had paid particular attention to the details: the folds in the rolled sleeves, the sharp lines of the vest, the shape of the shoes, and the subtle way the glasses framed the young man’s face. Though it was only a drawing, the figure looked as though he could step off the page.

Lyra noticed where Code was looking.

She quickly placed her hand over the drawing.

Code lifted his eyes to her.

Her cheeks warmed again.

"It’s nothing. I was just drawing from my imagination, and... that’s what I came up with."

"It’s good."

Lyra stared at him.

"You think so?"

"Yes."

She hesitated, then slowly withdrew her hand.

"I actually took inspiration from your uniform. It took me a while to get the details right, but I think I managed it."

Code studied the drawing for a little longer.

The outfit was different from his usual uniform, but something about the figure’s appearance felt strangely familiar.

"Is something wrong?" Lyra asked.

Code looked at her.

"The man bears a striking resemblance to me."

Lyra’s expression faltered.

"Well..."

She slowly closed the notebook, leaving one hand resting on its cover.

"I didn’t know what face to give him, so I decided to make him look like you. Your uniform was what inspired the outfit in the first place."

Code sat on his chair, leaned back and folded his arms.

"Okay, then."

He closed his eyes, apparently satisfied with that explanation.

Lyra watched him for a moment before glancing toward the books he had brought with him—or, more accurately, the books he no longer had.

"You didn’t bring your books today?"

"I returned them. They weren’t actually mine."

"Oh..."

Her eyes drifted toward the closed notebook.

"You should drink your tea. It’s getting cold."

"Right. Almost forgot."

She sat on her chair, picked up th cup beside her and tokkja before settling it down again.

Then she reopened her notebook, picked up her pencil, and wrote the date in the upper-right corner of the page.

4 | 05 | 26