Chapter 114: Second Nightmare
After a few minutes of silence, Elizabeth finally looked away from the horizon and turned to Samael.
"Our cohort is incomplete. How exactly do you plan to challenge the Second Nightmare?" she asked calmly.
Samael scratched the back of his head.
"I... wanted to talk about that too."
He hesitated for a moment.
"We need someone for the front line."
Elizabeth nodded.
That was obvious.
Even with their talents, they still lacked someone capable of bearing the burden of direct combat.
"And there's something else..."
Samael looked away for a moment.
"I wanted to ask for your permission to invite Liu to join the cohort."
"I can't just invite someone without the leader's approval," he thought.
Elizabeth tilted her head slightly.
"Is she trustworthy?"
Samael fell silent for a moment.
He remembered the week he had spent unconscious.
He remembered her taking care of him.
He remembered their simple conversations and the comfortable silence they shared.
The tips of his ears turned slightly red.
"She is."
"I trust her."
Elizabeth watched his reaction for a few seconds.
Then, without hesitation, she replied,
"In that case, I trust her too."
Samael's eyes widened.
His face grew even redder.
That display of trust nearly left him speechless.
"As for the other members... I think they can be the natives and those two."
He sighed.
"I don't trust them very much, but they're the best option I've found."
Elizabeth simply nodded.
Then her lavender eyes met his once again.
"And one last thing..."
"Why do you want to challenge the Second Nightmare?"
Samael froze.
"Should I make up some excuse?"
For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind.
But he immediately rejected it.
"No."
There was no reason to lie.
He took a deep breath.
"Because I'm tired."
Elizabeth blinked.
"Tired of being weak."
Samael's voice remained calm.
"Tired of being sent on suicide missions."
"Tired of seeing people treated as disposable."
He lowered his eyes.
"The only way for us to be safe is to become stronger."
His golden eyes met Elizabeth's lavender ones.
"I want to become strong enough to protect you."
"Liu."
"Professor Stern."
"And everyone I consider important."
"I don't want to lose anyone."
His words were simple.
But they carried a determination that left no room for doubt.
Elizabeth watched him in silence.
Then a small smile appeared on her lips.
"Then it's settled."
Samael blinked.
"What?"
"You accept?"
"That was way too fast..." he thought.
"After all, we're talking about her life."
Elizabeth stretched lazily.
"Sam."
She looked at him with an amused expression.
"From the moment I started asking those questions..."
"I had already made my decision."
"I just wanted to hear your answer."
Samael was left speechless.
Elizabeth smiled.
"After all..."
"It's not like I'd let you do something that reckless on your own."
"So, what do we do now, Leader?" Elizabeth asked, clearly teasing him by emphasizing the word Leader.
"We need to find the natives, train, and locate a Seed of the Second Nightmare," Samael explained, outlining his current plans.
As Samael and Elizabeth gazed over America, the world never stopped—not even for a single second.
Thousands of stories were born and ended every day.
Every person was the protagonist of their own life.
And at that very moment, a nineteen-year-old young man walked through the streets of NQSC.
His clothes were in tatters, and his white hair stood out among the crowd.
The strong smell of cigarette smoke surrounding him made several people wrinkle their noses as they walked past.
"A lost communicator?" the young man murmured as he bent down to pick up the device lying on the ground.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"How lucky."
Examining the communicator in his hand, Nagito tilted his head.
"I wonder if Nana would like this."
"Probably not."
As he continued walking, a homeless man approached him.
"Sir... could you spare some change?"
Nagito looked directly into the man's eyes.
Then he examined his filthy clothes and the unpleasant odor coming from him.
"Disgusting. He stinks."
Without answering, he simply kept walking.
Some time later, someone bumped into him.
"Ouch!"
Nagito heard a small cry of pain and turned around.
It was a woman older than him.
Beautiful.
Very beautiful.
"She's beautiful."
His green eyes lingered on her for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said politely, despite not being at fault.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize," the woman replied just as politely.
Nagito smiled.
"Since you're so beautiful... here, a gift."
He held out the communicator he had found.
The woman blinked in surprise.
"I'm married."
"What a shame," he replied without a care.
Then he simply resumed walking.
"Wait! What about your communicator?!"
"You can keep it."
Without even looking back, he continued on his way.
"Lyra and Haru are even prettier."
A few minutes later, he finally reached his destination.
A daycare center.
Stepping inside, he walked toward a particular classroom.
Knock.
A woman around forty years old opened the door.
She wasn't especially attractive.
"Good afternoon, teacher. I'm here to pick up Nana."
Nagito smiled.
And for the first time that day, his smile was genuine.
"Nana, your daddy is here!" the teacher called out.
The very next moment, a little girl with brown hair and matching brown eyes came running out of the room.
She didn't resemble Nagito in the slightest.
"Daddy!"
The little girl immediately wrapped her arms around his legs.
Nagito crouched down and lifted her into his arms.
His smile became radiant.
"So, how was school today? Were you a good girl?"
"It was fun! I drew pictures today, and I learned A, E, I, O, and U! See, Daddy? Wasn't I a good girl?"
Nana took immense pride in her glorious and unparalleled accomplishments at daycare.
"Wow, all that? Could it be that you're a genius, Nana?"
The little girl beamed.
"Thank you, teacher. For truly taking care of Nana."
Nagito bowed slightly, thanking her with sincere gratitude.
Afterward, he left the daycare with his daughter in his arms.
"Daddy..."
"Yes, my little angel?"
"Have you found me a mommy yet?"
Nagito pretended to think for a few seconds.
"Almost, Nana. Almost. Daddy even talked to a pretty lady, but she turned me down."
His exaggeratedly sad tone was so fake that even Nana could tell.
"Don't be sad, Daddy. Nana will stay with Daddy."
The little girl gently patted his head, trying to comfort him.
Nagito smiled.
A gentle smile.
A genuine smile.
Holding her close against his chest, he closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"Daddy promises he'll find the most amazing mommy in the whole world for you."
"Is that a pinky promise, Daddy?"
"It's a pinky promise, my little angel."
Nana's face lit up with a huge smile.
They hooked their little fingers together.
And at that moment, to Nagito, that promise was worth more than anything else in the world.
"I already know who could become your mommy, my little angel."
As he walked through the streets, Nagito lowered his gaze to the little girl in his arms.
"You're going to have the most beautiful and talented mommy in the world."
His thoughts drifted to the few women he considered worthy of that place.
One was a melancholic beauty with long dark-blue hair and eyes as deep as the sea.
The other had hair of a strange shade somewhere between pink and purple, and carried the most beautiful...
And the most fake...
Smile Nagito had ever seen in his entire life.
The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile.
"I wonder if either of you would like to become Nana's mommy?"
"Daddy?"
"Yes, my little angel?"
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Nagito gently stroked the little girl's brown hair.
"Daddy was just thinking about how Nana is going to have the most wonderful family in the world."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So Mommy's going to be pretty?"
"Very."
"Prettier than Daddy?"
Nagito fell silent for a second.
"Of course. After all, she's going to be Nana's mommy."
"Hehe!"
The little girl laughed happily.
And as he watched that innocent smile, Nagito felt his heart grow warm.
"No matter what I have to do..."
"I'll keep that promise."
"Even if the whole world stands against me."
Because, to Nagito, there was nothing more important than his daughter's happiness.