Mimosa remained seated on the edge of the bed even after the shadow domain vanished around them.
Her fingers were still loosely wrapped around Noelle's, but her eyes had drifted somewhere far away. She kept wondering what El was doing right now — whether he was hurt, alone in whatever place that mana vein had dragged him into.
And then there was Noelle's confession.
Hearing her cousin admit that she also loved El had stirred something complicated in Mimosa's chest. She searched for anger but none of it came. Instead, she only felt confused. Confused about her own feelings, about the strange warmth that had grown between her and Noelle last night.
Noelle noticed it immediately.
The way Mimosa's shoulders had dropped. The way her usual gentle smile was completely missing. She felt the same heavy worry herself, but seeing it written so clearly on her cousin's face made her chest tighten. Without thinking too hard, she squeezed Mimosa's hand and stood up.
"You're going to keep thinking about him if we stay here," she said. "Come on. Let's train. Just the two of us."
Mimosa looked up.
She understood exactly what Noelle was trying to do. The offer wasn't just about training — it was Noelle's clumsy way of saying 'I'm confuse too, but let's not drown in it.' And deep down, Mimosa still believed El would come back. He always did, in his own reckless way. So she gave a small nod and stood.
"…Okay, cousin."
They walked out to the open field behind the hideout without saying much more. The sun felt warm against their skin. A light breeze carried the smell of grass and earth yet neither of them felt completely at ease.
Once they faced each other, Mimosa suddenly spoke.
"I have one condition, Noelle."
Noelle tilted her head, curious, but didn't interrupt.
"Whoever wins gets one dare… and the loser has to do it. No arguing later."
Noelle's lips curled into a smirk. She had been practicing her magic with that brute Asta lately, forcing herself to improve every single day. Her control over magic felt more precise than before. For the first time in a long while, she genuinely believed she could put up a real fight.
"Deal," she said, already bouncing lightly on her feet. "Just don't start complaining when I win."
Mimosa's eyes softened with amusement. Internally, she felt a small spark of satisfaction — the plan she had been brewing since last night was already falling into place far faster than she expected.
"I look forward to it."
The mock battle started without any formal signal.
Noelle moved first.
She didn't charge in wildly the way she used to. Instead, she raised her hand and fired several fast, precise water balls, clearly meant to test Mimosa's reaction. For a brief second, Mimosa actually looked impressed. The improvement in Noelle's control was obvious — each ball held its shape perfectly, cutting through the air cleanly.
Then the ground answered.
Sharp green vines burst upward without warning, piercing straight through the water balls and tearing them apart mid-air. The same vines continued forward in a blur, aimed directly at Noelle.
Noelle's smirk only deepened at the sudden counter.
"Sea Dragon's Lair."
A swirling dome of high-speed water erupted around her. The continuous rotation formed a thick, moving barrier that the incoming vines slammed into and failed to fully penetrate.
Water sprayed outward in sharp arcs as the plants tried to force their way through, only to be pushed back and shredded by the violent current.
Seeing her water dome hold up so well against Mimosa's vines, Noelle felt a genuine rush of pride. For once, her magic wasn't falling apart. A confident smirk tugged at her lips as she prepared to throw a haughty remark at her cousin.
"Looks like all that training with Asta actually paid off. You will have to try a little hard—"
"Eh?"
The word slipped out of her mouth in pure shock.
A thick, concentrated beam of green mana suddenly tore through her water dome as if it were nothing more than a fragile soap bubble.
The barrier burst apart in a spray of water. The beam passed so close to Noelle's head that she felt the sharp heat skim past her cheek before it slammed into the ground behind her, carving a deep, smoking crater.
The force of it made her ears ring.
Noelle's legs simply gave out. She dropped to her knees, staring at the destroyed ground with wide eyes, her heart hammering against her ribs. Sweat ran down the side of her face as she tried to process what just happened.
'How…? When did she unlock such a powerful attack spell…?'
She had always known her cousin was a support type mage.
While Noelle was still trying to catch her breath, the giant sunflower Mimosa had been sitting on slowly lowered itself. Mimosa jumped down lightly and brushed some dust from her clothes, and walked over.
She stopped in front of Noelle and extended a hand, her expression gentle and a little apologetic.
"Sorry, cousin," she said softly. "I might have put a little too much power into that one." Her eyes softened further. "But… you really have improved a lot. That water dome was impressive. I mean it."
Noelle stared at Mimosa's outstretched hand for a second, then she reached up and took it. Their hands stayed together for a brief moment before Noelle let go, brushing dirt off her knees.
"…I'll defeat you next time," she said, still catching her breath, but there was real determination in it. "I mean it."
"Alright," Mimosa answered. "I'll be waiting for that day, cousin."
Inside, though, a quiet pity settled in her chest. She had barely used any real strength, and Noelle had still been completely overwhelmed. She chose not to say anything about it.
Then Mimosa spoke again.
"About our bet," she said. "I won… so I get one request."
Noelle let out a short breath and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Yeah, yeah. What do you want?"
Mimosa's eyes lowered slightly for a moment, as if she was choosing her words carefully. In her mind, the memory from last night returned clearly — the glowing grimoire, the intense kiss, the way heat had suddenly flooded her body while Vanessa played with them.
"I unlocked a spell yesterday," she said simply. "I want to test it but it can't be done in the open."
Noelle frowned. "What kind of spell? And where exactly are you taking me?"
"Please just follow me," Mimosa replied, already turning away.
Something in her tone made Noelle pause. After a short hesitation, she followed without further protest.
The walk back to the hideout was quiet. Neither of them spoke much. By the time they reached the familiar wooden door of the Black Bulls common bath, Noelle's steps had slowed.
Memories from last night rushed back all at once — the heat of the water, the feeling of Mimosa's lips, the way their bodies were pressed together, the sound of moans echoing in the steamy room. Her face grew red almost immediately, and she felt her heartbeat race.
Mimosa stopped in front of the door and glanced back at her, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, holding it for Noelle.