Anna gently lifted the teacup to her lips and took a small sip, her expression softening almost instantly. "It's perfect, as always," she said with a warm smile, placing the cup back onto the saucer with elegant precision.
Giulio, standing beside her with his usual composed demeanor, gave a slight bow. "I'm honored to hear that, Miss Anna."
Anna puffed her cheeks slightly in a playful pout. "You always say that, but you never sit with me. Why don't you join me for tea just this once?"
Giulio's lips curved into a polite, restrained smile. "I'm afraid I cannot. It wouldn't be appropriate."
Anna sighed lightly, clearly used to that answer, though her disappointment was evident.
Before she could respond again, the calm atmosphere shattered.
A sharp sound of wings cutting through the air echoed across the balcony.
Both Anna and Giulio looked up instantly, their expressions turning alert and tense.
A figure descended gracefully from the sky—a woman clad in white armor, metallic angel wings extending behind her, her face hidden behind an angelic mask. She landed smoothly on the balcony, her wings folding neatly behind her.
Right beside her, another figure dropped down—a man in black armor, a demonic mask covering his face, a golden gauntlet gleaming ominously on his hand, and a double-edged sword resting across his back.
Giulio reacted immediately. He stepped forward, placing himself between Anna and the intruders as he swiftly pulled out a concealed gun from his clothing, aiming it directly at them.
"Who are you?" he demanded sharply.
The masked man simply raised his hand in a casual, almost relaxed gesture.
"Relax," his distorted voice echoed through the mask. "We're not here to cause trouble. In fact, we came to help."
There was a pause, the tension thick in the air.
"We came to inform you that certain… individuals are planning to attack your mistress," he continued, gesturing slightly toward Anna. "And while we were at it, we thought we'd offer you a deal."
Anna and Giulio exchanged a brief glance, both clearly caught off guard by his words.
"Anyway," the man went on, "I'm Novabel. And this is Novangle."
Melissa, standing beside him, gave a small cheerful wave. "Hi."
Giulio didn't lower his weapon. His eyes remained sharp and suspicious. "Why should I trust you?"
At the same time, Anna's hand subtly moved toward her phone, inching closer to the emergency alert button.
Neither of them managed to act.
A faint blue aura suddenly enveloped their bodies.
Both froze in place.
Their eyes widened in shock as they realized they couldn't move a single muscle.
Arata casually walked forward as if nothing had happened and took a seat at the table. Melissa stepped in, effortlessly plucking the gun from Giulio's hand before snapping it in half like it was nothing.
She then sat down as well and activated a barrier around the balcony. A faint shimmer surrounded the area.
"No sound escapes," she said casually.
Arata leaned forward slightly, examining Giulio's face before suddenly pulling out a pen. Without any hesitation, he drew a thick, exaggerated fake moustache across Giulio's upper lip.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the blue aura disappeared.
Anna stumbled slightly as control returned to her body. Giulio immediately regained his stance, but before he could react further—Anna burst out laughing.
She covered her mouth, trying to hold it in, but the sight of Giulio's serious face paired with the ridiculous moustache was too much.
Giulio blinked in confusion before realizing what had happened. His expression shifted into mild embarrassment as he quickly took out a handkerchief and began wiping his face.
"…Was that really necessary?" he muttered.
Arata leaned back in his chair casually. "Just proving a point."
The atmosphere, surprisingly, had shifted. The tension had lessened, replaced with cautious curiosity.
Both Anna and Giulio understood something important. If these two had intended harm, they could have already done it—effortlessly.
Melissa leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table. "The Gollini family is after you for your Quirk," she said directly. "One of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Europe."
Anna's smile faded, her expression turning serious. Giulio's grip tightened slightly.
Arata continued, "And we have a solution. Not just for them… but for your quirk as well."
That caught their full attention.
Anna's eyes sharpened, but beneath that, there was something fragile—hope.
Giulio also leaned in slightly, his protective instincts clashing with his desire to see Anna finally free from her burden.
Arata raised his gauntlet slightly and made a subtle motion.
A few loose strands of Anna's hair lifted gently into the air and drifted toward his hand. He caught them and placed them into a small test tube before making them disappear through a brief spatial distortion. David recieved the testube and began digitalizing the quirk factor.
He turned his gaze back to them.
"First, the Gollini problem," he said. "My proposal is simple. You both come with us to Japan—for about a week."
Giulio frowned slightly. "Japan…?"
"You can stay wherever you want," Arata continued calmly. "But our organization—Nova Genesis—has the advantage there. It's our territory."
Giulio hesitated, clearly conflicted.
But before he could speak—"I agree." Anna's voice was firm.
Giulio turned to her immediately. "Miss Anna—" She looked at him and gave a small, reassuring smile.
That was enough.
Giulio fell silent.
At that moment, a notification flashed across Arata's mask.
Quirk factor acquired and digitized.
A faint smirk formed behind the mask.
Melissa clapped her hands lightly. "Now for the second part."
She leaned forward, her tone a bit more excited.
"All you need to do is use your quirk on Giulio. His enhanced quirk will directly seal your Quirk away forever."
Both Anna and Giulio froze.
Anna shook her head slightly. "That's… impossible. My quirk only works on people compatible with it. Anyone else would collapse from the strain."
Giulio, however, smiled gently. "We won't know unless we try," he said. Without hesitation, he reached out and took Anna's hand.
For a brief moment, time seemed to slow.
Then—Roses bloomed around them, appearing out of thin air as a soft glow surrounded their bodies.
Anna's eyes widened as she felt her quirk activate. Her blonde hair slowly began turning black at the tips.
Giulio's expression sharpened immediately. He activated his quirk. The energy around Anna flickered—Then vanished.
The pain she had braced herself for… never came. The roses crumbled into dust. Her hair returned to its original color.
Anna stood there, frozen. "…It's gone…" she whispered.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"My quirk… it's gone…"
She threw her arms around Giulio, hugging him tightly as tears streamed down her face. Giulio gently patted her back, a soft smile on his face.
Arata watched the scene quietly before glancing sideways at Melissa.
She had turned her face away, sniffling slightly. "…We seriously need to upgrade the masks," she muttered. "Auto tear-wiping function… this is too emotional… too romantic..."
Arata blinked.
Romantic?
He looked back at the two embracing figures, genuinely confused. This only happened because they told them to try it.
'…How exactly did a woman's brain work again?' He frowned slightly behind his mask, silently questioning one of life's greatest mysteries.