During dinner, Deya, who had been lost in thought lately, announced the news:
"I want to finish school early and apply to an art university, and I don't need an escort."
Ray, like the rest of the family, had noticed that Deya had been thoughtful lately. He attributed it to her gathering the courage to say exactly this. He understood that his overprotectiveness was causing problems for the girl, but he couldn't help himself.
After what happened to Lily, every one of his girls was accompanied by bodyguards, and the school where Deya studied also had several undercover teachers — a safety measure in case a psycho showed up at school intent on causing a tragedy.
Ray understood that the time would come when the bird would leave the nest. Even though it seemed strange to him that his sister had started avoiding him, he didn't see it as a problem. Even if everything was going well, it didn't mean there were no risks.
If he could, Ray would distance himself from all his ladies, but they were very tightly bound to him, and he no longer had that option.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Okay, but there are a few conditions. First, you must pass two tests — shooting and combat training. As you wish, you'll go alone, but if something happens, you must call one of us. If you accept these terms, you can go."
Knowing her brother, Deya understood that these tests would be very difficult, but she agreed without hesitation, nodded, and said:
"Okay."
She knew that on some matters, it was better not to argue with her brother, and this was one of those cases.
"We need a couple of days to prepare. After you pass the tests, I'll talk to your school principal."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kira asked, in her beloved's arms.
"I don't know why she's avoiding me, but I'm sure it's for the best. She played the role of an innocent girl for years; maybe she's just tired of it and decided to move on. If that's the case, I'll only be glad."
Several days had passed since Deya announced her plans.
Now the girl was at her friend's grave — it was her friend who had instilled in her a passion for drawing.
"You know, I'm crazy," Deya said, clearly embarrassed. "Part of me is glad he let me go, but another part is somehow very upset. It's all these stupid dreams. I wonder what you'd say about that. Sometimes I think I should check into the 'Yellow House.'"
Deya spent the whole day at the cemetery. She told her friend about her dreams and drew. One of her drawings depicted a beautiful elf with silver hair and dark skin.
Deya knew that in most fantasy stories, such elves were called dark elves, but the girl in the drawing was smiling tenderly, hugging an old man in a wheelchair. The old man she hugged from behind was human, and his appearance made it clear that his life had known many storms.
On the old man's lap sat a girl about five years old, possibly his daughter. The little one on his lap looked very much like Deya but much more beautiful.
The family in this painting had recently become a constant guest in her dreams.
Deya got so engrossed in drawing and talking with her friend that she didn't notice it getting dark. Closing her sketchbook and putting it in her bag, she headed home.
The girl walked slowly — her love for nighttime walks was inherited from her brother, and besides, it gave her time to think.
A few months ago, she had started having strange dreams. One of the girls in these dreams always looked like her. She was sure the main character in these dreams was always her brother.
In some dreams, it was clear they were very close. When she first dreamed of a dream where that became obvious, Deya was very embarrassed, but to her surprise, she didn't find it disgusting. These strange dreams were the reason her view of her older brother had changed.
That was what pushed her to run away. She knew it was wrong, but it seemed the dreams were getting brighter, and she wasn't sure she could control herself.
She knew it was wrong, but after Rocky's betrayal, she clearly understood that her brother was the only man who would stay by her side no matter what. Perhaps that was why she didn't find the content of her dreams disgusting.
A voice from a guy walking toward her pulled her out of her thoughts:
"Hey, beautiful, how about having some fun with me and my friends?"
Looking at him, Deya had to admit the guy was very handsome and had surely broken many women's hearts.
But Deya was not the type to be swayed by handsome charms, so she calmly replied:
"Sorry, I'm not interested," and continued walking.
When she refused, the guy's face twisted. Not giving up, he quickly caught up to the girl and tried to grab her arm, but Deya dodged and said calmly:
"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm not interested."
"Alright, enough of these games," one of the guys said, pulling out a gun.
Deya noticed him reaching for his belt and deftly used his friend as cover.
"Little one, relax, I think the four of us will have a good time. With a face like yours, we're your only chance to lose your virginity. Let go of this handsome guy and come with us — I promise you'll enjoy it."
Deya understood that these guys weren't going to leave. The adrenaline rush made her quickly draw her gun and, using one of the guys as a human shield, she fired two quick shots.
The guy with the gun fell, but was still trying to raise his weapon — so Deya fired again.
After the danger passed, fear flooded the girl's mind, but she quickly composed herself and called her brother.
As soon as they finished the call, a group of bodyguards arrived. Her gun was taken, and she was sent home. On the way, she had time to think.
Arriving home and seeing her brother, she didn't hug him, but instead, unexpectedly even to herself, slapped him:
"This was your game! I won't believe the bodyguards just decided to do nothing."
It seemed Ray didn't even notice the slap. Yuno, who witnessed the scene, was about to intervene, but Kira held her back, shaking her head.
"You wanted to go alone; this was your test. I've already spoken with the school principal — you can take your exams early. You passed the test, so you can go alone. I needed to make sure you could shoot a person if necessary."
"You really are crazy," Deya said, walking to her room.
"I knew it would end like this," Kira said.
"It was necessary. Look after her; I'll be gone for a couple of days," Ray said.
"Okay, leave it to us and don't worry," Yuno said.
Sam, who had also witnessed the scene, remarked:
"I'm sure she'll regret this very soon."
The girls helped Ray pack, gave him a couple of passionate kisses, and saw him off. When his car disappeared from sight, Kira asked:
"What do we do with the little one?"
"I'll talk to her in a couple of days; let her stew in her thoughts for now," Yuno replied.
Over these three days, Deya had come to regret her actions. She was going to apologize but learned her brother had left. She thought about doing it over the phone but decided against it. To take her mind off things, the girl threw herself into exam preparation.