- Catching Up -

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One Month Later

Thirty Sixth Floor

Deokja, Floating Ship

Destination: Test Area

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One month had passed.

After the incident in the Train City, there were rumors circulating around about FUG had taken over the Hell Train. Less regulars dared to ride on the train after they heard about the rumors.

Because of their failure on the mission, Aka and Boro left first with their own team to the Thirty Seventh Floor as they had passed long ago. Ran's Team decided to climb the tower on their own while their team was still trying to keep up with the train.

It would have been a lie if Charlotte said that she felt relaxed with the situation right now. Bam kept collapsing and pushing himself yet there was nothing she could do. Not only that his condition wasn't great, his team was also the same.

Khun has been distancing himself. He talked to them lesser and even started to refuse to have dinner with them. Charlotte assumed it was because that Bam now knew that he tried to kill Rachel that affected their relationships.

Charlotte herself was no better. With this kind of tense yet awkward atmosphere, she seriously felt alone. She looked up to the blue "sky" while thinking back about the one year in the Test Floor. And thinking about the past couldn't help but to make her smile a little.

"What are you smiling about?" Estelle asked and nudged her. The two of them were currently strolling around, enjoying their little break before participating the next test. "Hold your drink by yourself."

"I was just reminisce about the past" Charlotte answered while accepting her drink. A thought crossed her mind as she looked at Estelle and asked, "Eh, when you are in the Test Floor, how're the regulars there?"

"Them?" It took a moment for Estelle to ponder about it before she answered, "They tried to kill each other using all methods. It's not easy for us to survive back then. How's yours?"

"With my brother around, enemies had turned into friends" Charlotte answered.

"I heard from Altaira that all of you become friends in the Test Floor" Estelle said to Charlotte again. "I found it hard to believe at first but seeing how close you guys were back then in Workshop...it seems like that old fox isn't lying."

"Old fox?" Charlotte repeated in confusion.

"All the people from Khun Family are cunning like foxes. There's nothing wrong with me calling them foxes" Estelle explained.

Charlotte chuckled, "By your words, does that mean there are two foxes in our team? But foxes are more adorable than them, don't you think?"

Estelle nodded her head and lifted her thumbs up as she took a sip of her own drink.

After the two of them finished their drinks, the two of them threw it to the rubbish bin and then headed back.

"But are you alright with the condition right now?" Estelle asked.

"They will be fine in short time, don't worry of it" Charlotte answered.

Estelle observed Charlotte for a moment before she said, "You are just like Estrella sometimes."

"What?" Charlotte glanced at Estelle.

"Estrella...." While mentioning about her twin's name, she looked away to see the people who were walking on the street. "Don't look down that girl. Even though she often speaks whatever she thinks without thinking that twice...as her twin, there are times I don't even know what she is hiding or thinking."

Charlotte tilted her head a bit and asked with a smile, "And why is that similar to me?"

"Because both of you- " she looked back at her and answered, "Because both of you are good at keeping secrets, really."

"Who said so? My brother?" Charlotte asked to her after she was surprised for less than a second. "You don't know me. Actually, I'm a gossiper. Whatever secrets you told me, I might just accidentally spill it."

Estelle laughed for a bit before she remained quiet for a moment and asked, "Charlotte, do you know why we agreed to form this White Chocolate with your brother and climb the tower with him?"

"Because you are tricked by him?" Charlotte tried to guess.

"Right, he never fails to trick us again and again" Estelle agreed with it. "But then again, the reason why we're willing to form a team with him and climb the tower is because your brother saved our lives once."

These words made Charlotte froze on her spot.

"....what...? My brother...saved the two of you?"

Estelle nodded her head.

At that time, their team was encountered a powerful enemy and ended up being slaughtered. If Altaira didn't show himself up at the time, then they wouldn't survive until now. They followed him because they had nowhere else to go and they were indebted to him.

Sometimes Estelle doubted whether Altaira had seen that coming. Before he saved them, there were times where Altaira wanted them to join their team. They had met once in a test where he was fascinated by their abilities and wanted them to form a team with him. But Estelle and Estrella won't just follow them just because someone asked and rejected his offer again and again.

"Then have you ever thought that my brother did that on purpose? That my brother sent those villains to make a scene?"

"He came there because the group of villains that killed my former teammates stole something from Raisin" Estelle answered.

"But Raisin is a guide!"

"It's precisely because of that he is a guide that makes me wonder whether he lost his stuff purposely or not" Estelle said to her.

Guides could read one's path. With his ability that had helped them to avoid lots of dangers or traps, it would be impossible for him to not notice that he would get stolen. Perhaps he done that on purpose to give a chance for them to meet and form a team together or it was because of his own carelessness that turned into blessing.

But Raisin didn't seem like a reckless or careless person like her so the former part sounded more reasonable.

"Either way, I really have to thank the three of them for doing so" Estelle said. "Because if not, I won't be able to experience lots of unexpected things. I won't know in this tower that there are lots of loyal and interesting people like you guys."

Charlotte was lost in words after she heard Estelle's words today.

She smiled again and said, "Estelle, you are kind of weird today. Why are you saying these words?"

"No reason" Estelle said to her. "What I want to say is that no matter what happens in the future, if I am not around, please take care of Estrella for me."

"......"

Charlotte had learnt on how to hide her emotions and pain. And because of that, she could easily smile and laugh at Estelle's words.

"I would of course do that!" She said to her. "Estrella is my friend no matter what! And besides, we still have lots of things that she wanted to do together!"

Estelle made an eye closed smile and responded, "It's good then."

Charlotte didn't know what Estelle as actually thinking. At this moment, she wished that she was able to read the people who shouldn't have existed mind. She wanted to see their thoughts and their future so that she would be able to get her answer of her question today. She wanted to know why Estelle was saying these words as if she was going to leave for a long time?

But her thought was distracted as when they returned to the others, they witnessed how Khun refused to eat together with Rak and the others again.

"What I am saying is, there is no need for me to fit the dining schedule or taste just to dine together, dumb gator" Khun coldly said to Rak. "If you get what I'm saying, go find something that suits your taste and enjoy your meal, gator."

The blue haired male finished his words and then glanced as he noticed that Charlotte was there. Charlotte had returned and when she returned, she heard him saying those cold words.

Khun said nothing more and then walked away as he left and then closed the door. He left the room that suddenly became quiet without any other words.

"That bastard......" Rak had a vein bulging on his head. "He called me 'gator' twice."

Jumping from the place where he was standing, Rak headed towards the door and said, "Humph. Forget it. Let's eat ourselves. Today's menu is delicious eel bowl, Unagi."

Miseng dresed in the pink hoodie followed Rak as well and disagreed, "Mr. Crocodile, that tastes nasty."

"I'm going to look for Estrella and the others" Estelle said to Charlotte who nodded her head and smiled as a response.

As Estelle walked away, Charlotte watched her leaving the room and going to somewhere else. She honestly didn't understand why Estelle would say those words. It was as if that she was going to die or something. She assumed it like as she was sure that there were times where people often behave strangely and different than usual when they are going to die. But she wished that to not happen.

Estelle was perfectly fine. She didn't have illness or something. Charlotte didn't want to think that Estelle was going to die and instead, she would just think that Estelle will encounter a problem that will make her leave the team.

Her thoughts were distracted as someone held her shoulder and startled her.

"Charlotte" Bam called her. "What are you thinking?"

Charlotte smiled when she heard Bam's question. She held his hand and removed it from her shoulder as she looked at Bam, "It's nothing. Anyway, I will go first."

Akraptor looked at her and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere" Charlotte answered with a smile. "But I won't be going on a dinner with you."

"Why not?"

"I'm not hungry" she answered again. "Then I will go first."

The two of them watched how the young lass walked away to somewhere else without knowing what she was up to this time.

Charlotte headed to Khun's room. The man forgot to close his door which allow Charlotte to look what he was doing. Like what she expected, he was in his room looking at his blue lighthouse. He was probably waiting for the list of the opponents that they will be facing.

Charlotte smiled and then knocked the door. Hearing someone knocking the door of his room, Khun glanced at the person who knocked the door.

"Why are you here?" Khun asked.

"Looking for you" Charlotte answered as she stepped inside the room. With her foot, she closed the door.

"Looking for me?" Khun echoed in disbelief. "I'm not in mood to play with you."

"Who is here to play with you?" Charlotte asked him while walking towards him. She leaned against the table and crossed her arms and asked again, "And....do you really find it unlucky and uncomfortable for me to come to your room?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He asked.

"Then it seems like I have to come here often" Charlotte answered. "So that I could see you frown again and again."

"Seeing how you could start a fight with me now, I guess your wounds are mostly healed right?" He asked.

Hearing his question, Charlotte reached out her fingers and touched the below part of her right eye. The place where she touched used to had a scar that Casano gifted to her and now, it was healed and looked like as if there was no scar.

She looked at her fingers and smiled, "Yep, most of them were healed."

At the time, Khun didn't really pay attention to the fight between her, Wangnan and Ehwa with Casano. He found it kind of hard to believe to see Charlotte was badly hurt. Was Casano indeed stronger than her? Even with the help of Wangnan and Ehwa? She was badly hurt that she had turned really pale, that she looked very fragile and didn't have energy left with her anymore.

He felt that he had missed something but he couldn't tell what it was. But it was still a good sign that she was recovering.

Charlotte noticed his gaze and looked at him again, "What? Are you worried of me?"

Khun looked back at his lighthouse and answered, "No."

Whether he was worried or not, Charlotte was certain that it was the opposite of what he said.

"If you are truly worried of me, you can just tell me" Charlotte said to him again. "I won't laugh."

"You won't come here unless you want something from me" Khun said to her after he sighed. "Say it, who do you want to bully this time?"

"I don't want to bully anyone right now" Charlotte answered. "I just want to know why you start to distance yourself."

"Distance myself?" He echoed in which Charlotte nodded her head.

He silently wondered whether Charlotte really had no clue of it or was just pretending because now, her expression looked like an innocent child.

Being a troublemaker who used the pity card and her adorableness to save herself from punishments, it wasn't hard for Charlotte to control her own expression so that she would look like an innocent child.

"Just say it" Charlotte tried to convince him again. "After all, we've been through life and death situation together right? I think you could open up to me a little."

The two of them had been through the life and death situation together wasn't a wrong thing to do. But speaking about opening one's heart, Khun thought that Charlotte had no right to talk about it. She too had hid lots of secrets from them.

He sighed and said, "You already know that now....Bam knows that I tried to kill Rachel. So I can't help the grown of distance between the two of us.....And I'm also afraid."

"You are afraid?" Charlotte pretended that she was surprised.

After Bam showed his power in the Train City and the Test, his power was more than enough to prove to anyone that he was a monster. And Khun had also felt the same. The power of Bam who was still a D- rank regular was too dangerous that no one could tell how strong he would be when he had gathered all the fragments of the thorns or ascended to the top of the tower.

"But you have expected it, right?" Charlotte asked. "He is an irregular."

"But this is too fast" he replied. "Even your improvement is much slower than him."

The eight words that he said really stabbed Charlotte. Charlotte hasn't tell them yet that she had her hourglass that was sealed with the damned thirteen chains. If she had unlocked all the thirteen chains, then she refused to believe that she wasn't as scary enough as Bam.

"At this rate....we might not be able to catch up......." Khun said to her again while tapping the table with his index finger. "His incredible rapid growth....and I can't just let go of him like this....when he is unstable. Some day, he may break 'cause he can't control the power of the thorn. I'm afraid that may really happen in the future.

That's why we need to find something to stabilize his growth....something that can control the power of thorn...."

He clenched his fist as he thought about it.

Finding something to stabilize the thorn wasn't something easy to do. Even Charlotte knows about that but there was nothing that she could do. The young lass could only knelt down on the floor and then put her arms on the table.

"What are you doing?" Khun asked.

"Nothing" Charlotte answered. "Just finding a good position to sit since there is no chair around here. To be honest....I thought that you will say that you are afraid one day brother will leave you. But you still think of him until the end."

She looked at Khun and added, "You are really a loyal person."

That sounded ridiculous on his ears. In this tower, Charlotte was the only one who dared to call him a loyal person when he was extremely cunning to the point that he could even arrange an extremely good plan to steal his father's belongings. And here Charlotte said that he was a loyal person.

"......."

Or maybe he was indeed loyal.

"Then do you think I am a good person or not?" He asked again, wondering what kind of answer will she give to him this time.

"Good" she answered.

He wasn't really surprised to hear this kind of answer from someone who called him loyal.

"Why am I good?" He asked again.

"Because if you want me to determine whether one's saint or not.....then it will be hard" Charlotte honestly answered. "In this tower, there is no black or white right? Since everything comes because of a reason and that no one is pure evil....then I will just say those who are nice to me and my closest one good people....and those who harmed us are bad people."

'.....She really is a child' Khun thought after hearing her answer. For him, the way she thought was just like a child.

The list of the opponent had finally appeared and the two of them decided to take a look of it. One of their opponent was someone who greatly resembled Xia Xia.

The opponent that resembled Xia Xia had rabbit ears just like her. She also had long brown hair and red eyes. Come to think of it, Charlotte remembered that Xia Xia needed money because of her species. Bam had told her for this one. So could it be that she climbed the tower for money as well?

Their thoughts were disturbed as Rak suddenly slammed the door open and announced that Bam fainted again. Of course, hearing Bam fainted, the two of them immediately ran to take a look of him.

Akraptor suggested to match to be post-pone but Bam who was awake for a moment later disagreed. He insisted to participate in the match.

"If we don't take the test this time, then we won't be able to catch up the train that Rachel was riding on" was his response.

Charlotte wanted to argue with him. She seriously wanted to ask him whether his life was more important or Rachel. But then again, considering his behavior, then he will no doubt answer that Rachel was more important. At this kind of situation, Charlotte didn't know what to do other than to respect his decision.

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Once the test start and once they had finished arranging their positions, Charlotte wielded her fan as fast as she could and finished off her enemies. She wanted to see Bam as soon as possible and when she had arrived, she watched how Bam landed a hit on the regular that resembled Xia Xia.

Bam was able to see how the spear moved slowly and the opening. Once he saw a chance for him to attack, he didn't waste even a second to hit her and defeated her. But after that, he collapsed again.

When Charlotte saw Bam was falling down, she immediately ran and caught him.

"Brother, you need some rest" Charlotte whispered to him.

"I will get some after I finish this test" Bam answered, even though a moment later he fainted.

She wanted to get there as soon as possible so that she could help him with his work. But again, she failed and Bam collapsed again.

Charlotte sighed, 'If things keep going like this, then my cause of death will not be enemies, but because of keep getting worried of my brother.'