"Noct?" Nyx smiles at him and raises her gss of wine.

  "Then a toast to the newest member of Safira…"

  Cra also lifts her gss of wine, as does Jex, and all three of them speak at the same time:

  "To Noct!"

  They clink gsses, a sharp chime echoing in the air.

  Ding ???

  "Salud!"

  Noct likes his name—and his nickname—but more than anything, he enjoys being surrounded by three beautiful women who are already becoming precious friends.

  He raises his gss, smiles at the girls, and repeats the new word.

  "Salud."

  The girls cheer excitedly, unintentionally drawing even more attention from the other crew members in the dining hall.

  Matteo approaches their table with a curious expression and a tray of snacks.

  "What’s the celebration?"

  Jex answers immediately.

  "Cra and Noct’s victory over the Vhorr’Ka!"

  Nyx nods and quickly adds,

  "And the fact that we’re alive and kicking."

  Cra is the third to speak.

  "And that things just keep getting better…"

  She gnces at Noct and gives him a wink.

  "Oh?" Matteo smiles amicably at him.

  "Noct? Cool name you’ve got."

  "Isn’t it?" Jex adds with a friendly smile.

  But then she turns her attention to Cra. "Unless that’s one of those pet names couples give each other…"

  "Jex!" Cra excims, trying to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.

  Jex giggles like a mischievous child pulling a prank.

  "Kidding! Hehe~"

  "It’s actually short for Noctis," Jex adds, winking at Noct.

  "I see," Matteo nods at him.

  "No matter how exotic your name is, I’m still really grateful for all the help you gave us."

  Noct simply nods back at Matteo with a friendly smile.

  "Enough with the welcomes and thank-yous," Nyx chimes in, lifting her gss again.

  "Let’s drink now. Drink until I forget that damn stinking pnet."

  Jex and Cra both nod.

  "Good idea."

  "Fuck yeah!"

  "Mind if I join you?" Matteo asks, gncing at Cra and Noct.

  "Of course!" Cra answers quickly. "We’re all family here."

  She can’t help but gnce at Noct again—her gaze not just friendly, but affectionate and warm as it nds on him.

  "Haha!" Matteo sets the tray of snacks in the center of the table, then heads to the pantry to grab another gss and a bottle of wine.

  He returns to the group and takes a seat beside Noct. Since the seating is circur, Noct ends up close to Cra in one corner, while Nyx and Jex sit across from her.

  And so the group begins to enjoy the wine and snack while chatting casually—a little private celebration of their own.

  The other crew members in the dining hall keep their distance, most of them being junior crew—assistants and support staff.

  Even the core crew members who enter the room keep away from Noct’s group, still casting doubtful looks in his direction.

  After an hour and four bottles of Vyris wine, Cra is already drunk, Nyx is the least affected of the women but still tipsy, and Jex can’t even stand properly.

  Matteo is holding his alcohol better than the girls—but not like Noct.

  Thanks to his super regeneration, Noct doesn’t get dizzy even after five gsses of the strong wine.

  However, his body is affected in some subtle ways—his limbs feel slightly numb, and his senses are a bit slower.

  It’s not exactly a pleasant sensation, but he does feel more rexed, a little aroused, and genuinely happy.

  Not only is the wine delicious, but the company—beautiful women and a new friend—is wonderful.

  Even without the slightest idea of how long he had been inside that box—or anything about his life before that—he feels like he missed that a lot.

  Being surrounded by friends.

  But it’s not just about friendship.

  Because the more Cra drinks, the more affectionate gnces she throws Noct’s way.

  Her cheeks are rosier from the wine, and her gaze grows more heated with each passing moment.

  Jex and Matteo keep talking nonstop, telling the story of how they accepted the Umbrakai mission and traveled to Zhaaros.

  Cra chats a lot too, while Nyx and Noct remain the quietest at the table—Nyx, naturally more reserved, and Noct, still learning the basics of their nguage.

  The conversation is lively, until two people enter the dining hall.

  "Oh no, the shitty brothers are here!" Cra tries to whisper, but her tone is louder than she intended.

  "Shh!" Jex gestures for her to lower her voice, barely holding back a ugh.

  "Don’t say it out loud, you dummy! Hehe~"

  Cra covers her mouth to suppress a giggle.

  Nyx shakes her head but can’t help chuckling either, just like Matteo.

  Noct, on the other hand, doesn’t find the Santoro brothers’ arrival funny at all.

  He still wants to rip open the man who had attacked Cra—but he held back, because she had seemed concerned about that.

  He still doesn’t understand the full retionship between Diego and Javier, or their standing within Safira’s crew, but it’s clear Diego acts like a leader, and Javier takes advantage of that.

  Unlike the pirates who attacked Cra with weapons inside the pyramid, these two don’t pose an immediate threat.

  Yet, Noct is certain of one thing: he doesn’t want them anywhere near.

  What he doesn’t know yet is the best way to handle the pair without causing problems for Cra and the others.

  The ughter of the girls echoes through the hall, impossible to ignore. When the Santoro brothers spot the group, their reactions are vastly different.

  Javier sees Cra first, and his expression is a mix of desire and frustration. A shadowy gleam fshes through his hostile eyes.

  His scowl deepens the moment he sees Noct, who completely ignores him. That only makes Javier clench his jaw and head toward the stove to grab some food.

  Diego, on the other hand, puts on a friendly smile and waves toward the group.

  "Hey guys!"

  He walks over to the table with long, casual strides, his posture completely different from before.

  "Having a little fun?" he asks, noticing the empty wine bottles stacked near the edge of the table.

  Matteo starts to stand. "Captain—"

  But Diego pces a hand on the old man’s shoulder, gently urging him to sit again.

  "It’s alright, Matteo. You all deserve a break."

  Diego’s eyes drift from the girls to Noct. "We all do, don’t we?"

  Noct notices the curious gaze on him and returns it with his cold, glowing white eyes.

  Diego trades his friendly look for something more apologetic.

  "I’m sorry, my friend."

  His tone sounds almost too sincere, but Noct keeps a distant, unreadable expression.

  Diego lets out a deep sigh.

  "I know… we didn’t start off well."

  "Tsk!" Cra scoffs. "That’s one way to put it."

  Diego ignores the comment and gnces over his shoulder, briefly locking eyes with Javier across the room.

  Then his attention returns to Noct.

  "My brother and I owe you a real apology."

  Cra nearly fires off another comment, but Diego raises a hand toward her quickly.

  "Let me finish."

  Noct feels a strong urge to crush Diego’s hand and put this annoying man in his pce, but he sees Nyx’s concerned expression—she subtly shakes her head at him.

  Noct doesn’t want to act recklessly, so he waits and lets Diego continue.

  "I truly am sorry. We treated you terribly, and that was a failure on my part."

  The girls roll their eyes, and Noct continues staring at Diego with icy detachment.

  But Diego keeps trying to be friendly.

  “Javier admitted he abused stims when we faced the Crimson Nebu pirates on Zhaaros—”

  “That doesn’t excuse him for attacking Cra,” Nyx comments in a cold, hostile tone.

  Diego nods. “Of course.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, but my brother wasn’t in his best state and things got out of control…”

  Diego raises his hands, still keeping that apologetic posture toward Noct.

  “Again, I’m sorry, man. We were unfair to you, and you helped us a lot…”

  Noct sees Diego gncing at Javier, and he can’t help but throw a hostile look at the brute.

  Diego notices and quickly goes on.

  “Don’t worry about him. I already made it clear how that kind of behavior won’t be tolerated. He’s not going to attack any of our people like that again.”

  Noct doesn’t fully understand Diego’s words—and doesn’t care to. He may have gone easy on them before, but now he just wants a reason—a small excuse to kill them both.

  Diego sees something dark in Noct’s eyes. Something that makes him want to stay as far away from him as possible.

  Yet Diego still tries to keep a friendly expression for a little longer.

  “I just wanted to say that… and welcome to Safira, of course.”

  “…”

  Noct keeps his cold stare, making Diego more and more uncomfortable.

  “Well, I don’t expect you to forgive me now… ehh, I won’t interrupt your celebration anymore.”

  “See you ter, right?”

  Diego gnces at the girls one more time with a sorry look, then walks back to his brother’s side to grab some food.

  The mood at the table stays awkward until Diego is all the way across the dining hall. Then Jex throws a mischievous smile at Noct.

  “Noct, holy shit! You’re cold as an ice block.”

  He smiles at Jex.

  She smiles back.

  “Seriously, man. That asshole screwed me over today, but I would’ve said something just to get him to stop humiliating himself like some whiny dog, haha!”

  Cra shakes her head.

  “Don’t be fooled by Diego. He’s a snake, and all his friendly words are poisoned lies.”

  Nyx nods.

  “He just wants to earn points with the crew after that disaster with Javier. But at the end of the day, he only cares about himself.”

  “And his idiot brother,” Cra adds.

  Jex gnces toward Diego with a frustrated look and whispers,

  “And why is he in charge, anyway?”

  Cra shrugs.

  “I have no idea why Captain Elliott left Safira to that bastard.”

  Jex ughs.

  “Captain must’ve been really out of it.”

  Matteo sighs.

  “It’s not that simple.”

  Everyone looks at him, curious.

  “You should be the captain,” Jex says. “You’re the oldest member on Safira, experienced, and you’ve got a good retionship with everyone.”

  Cra nods, and Nyx keeps her usual neutral expression.

  But Matteo shakes his head.

  “Nah. No one wants an old man like me leading such an ambitious group.”

  He points at Nyx. “Nyx would be a smarter, more determined leader.”

  “Or someone charismatic and inspiring, like Cra.”

  Cra smiles proudly, but Jex gives Matteo a disappointed gre.

  “What about me, huh?”

  “You could be a good leader too, but in a few years. Right now, you’re still too young.”

  “Hmmm…” She pouts.

  Matteo ughs, but then gnces at the Santoro brothers again.

  “Either way, Elliott made his choice. And I think I understand his reasoning.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well, think about the kind of world we live in…”

  "Independent crews like ours are rare because most people want the protection of big organizations."

  "Without a powerful name backing us, it’s at least good to have a leader who inspires fear in our enemies."

  The group listens to Matteo’s words, and Jex makes a thoughtful expression.

  "Like a bully leader to stop other bullies from messing with us?"

  Matteo nods.

  "Exactly. And in that sense, Diego and his brother py their role well—as violent brutes."

  "Every toolbox needs a good hammer," Nyx comments, though her eyes drift toward Noct.

  Jex also gnces at him.

  "Diego and Javier may be strong and intimidating, but come on, our new friend Noct went hand-to-hand with a damn Vhorr’Ka."

  Cra nods and smiles at Noct.

  "True. Noct makes Diego and his shitty brother look like stray puppies next to a towering bear."

  Matteo nods as well, offering Noct a friendly look.

  "I agree."

  But then his eyes move to Noct’s arms—long, pale, and a bit thin right now.

  "But…"

  The girls notice it too, and Jex is the first to say it.

  "You look a bit too skinny, Noct."

  Cra and Nyx exchange confused gnces, but Matteo smiles in a reassuring way.

  "Can’t be helped. He was a prisoner for who knows how long with those savages."

  Jex nods.

  "For real. Now, if we feed him properly and he works out for a few months…"

  She winks at Noct.

  "You’ll look like a damn giant bodybuilder and make Javier look like a scrawny punk."

  Cra and Nyx can’t help but agree with Jex. Noct may be incredibly handsome now, but his rge frame—with broad chest and long limbs—feels perfect for a more muscur build.

  He already has some visible muscle, but he still looks a bit malnourished, clearly due to spending so long in the box, only surrounded by that red liquid.

  "…" Noct doesn’t understand what the girls are talking about.

  But he can see the same gleam in Cra’s eyes now shining in Jex’s—and even Nyx’s.

  All three girls look excited about something. Waiting for something from him. Begging for it.

  His lips curl into an eager smile before he even realizes.

  He wants to satisfy them—like doing so would satisfy his own desire.

  In a matter of seconds, Matteo feels completely left out at the table.

  All the girls’ attention is on Noct. And his attention? It’s fully on them.

  And the old man compins.

  "Come on, guys! Are you really gonna do this shit?"

  Lamen