Something flickered across her face. Emotion she wasn't prepared to name or display. She adjusted her glasses again and left without responding.
Naomi lingered a moment longer. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, soft and warm and carrying more meaning than any words could convey. Her lips brushed against my skin for exactly three heartbeats before she pulled back.
"I fell too fast," she whispered. "You told me that was okay. That we'd figure it out together."
"I remember."
"Then don't die." Her brown eyes held mine with an intensity that had nothing to do with buffs or System mechanics or extraction values. "I don't care what it costs. I don't care what you have to do. Just... don't die."
She left before I could respond.
The room felt emptier without them. Quieter. The only sounds were the steady beep of monitoring equipment and the distant murmur of hospital activity beyond the closed door.
I closed my eyes.
