Hyde was staggering his way towards the sofa. Today was training with Waldstein and he just endured what was probably the most grueling exercise yet. It was dubbed 'The Arm Cruncher'. Given the name, he thought it would be another workout for his arms like the weights. I mean, what else would it be? Two heavy cement blocks crashing his arms back and forth? Why not?! Needless to say, his arms were feeling it. After an hour of that, the suffering was over. The boy sighed in relief as he collapsed to the sofa.

His arms pulsed. "Ow." His arms pulse again. "Ow." His arms pulse again. "Ow."

Seeing Hyde laying down, Linne approached him with a hesitant look. That's odd. The boy was not used to seeing her look unsure. He wondered if it was something important.

"What's up, Linne?" he said, ignoring his arms pulsing in pain.

"Hey Hyde… Are you free to talk? I know Wald put you through that training, so you don't have to say yes." She said, seeing the tired state he's in.

"Eh, I'll manage," He sat up. "Thanks to being an In-Birth, the pain was less than I was expecting. Hurts like a truck, but no biggie. So whatcha need?" He now gave the girl his full attention.

"Well… You know the Hollow Night is a week away now."

Hyde's expression turned serious. Does she need him to do something that Night? Surely he won't be left behind again after defeating Paradox, right? If it's anything that could help ease her burdens, he'll hear her out.

"Yeah. Need anything? You know I'll support you as part of the Night Blade."

"It's just.." Linne now had an embarrassed expression. "I want to make Seth something…" she said quietly.

Huh?

"Huh?" Hyde said his thoughts aloud. "Did I hear that right? You want to cook something for Seth?" He asked with a puzzled look.

Linne had a light blush on her face as she gave a small nod.

"With the Hollow Night coming, I wanted to make him something as a sign of appreciation," she said, touching her fingers together.

Hyde was left to ponder this idea. The two were not exactly on the friendliest of terms. How could anyone be if said person tried to kill them? But it was also true that Seth cared deeply for Linne. Behind the scenes, he has been helping her out throughout the smaller Hollow Nights this past month. That was something he could respect at least. The conversation he was finally able to get with him came to mind.

"Look Seth, before you walk away, can we at least settle this like civil people?" Hyde asked. He looked around to make sure no one was around.

"Fine…" the assassin walked up to him. "What is it you wish to discuss?"

"First off, you're not trying to kill me again, are you?" He asked. He had enough of feeling like he had to watch his back whenever he felt his presence.

"Normally I would. But I have to accept the way things are now," Seth answered with closed eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Alongside making a name for yourself with your victory against Paradox, you've built a better reputation for yourself in school." Seth bluntly said.

Hyde never really thought about that. It was true he started to apply himself in his studies and tried to make himself more approachable with the help of Orie, Tsurugi, and his homeroom teacher. Was he really being seen in a better light? But this begs the question.

"So what does that have to do with you killing me?" Hyde was confused with that.

"It means your death would be more trouble than it's worth. If you were a nobody, that would be one thing, but now your death would have a rippling effect. Both in the Night and here." he reasoned.

That made sense. Before he used to close himself off with everyone. If he died while he was still like that, it probably wouldn't have impacted everyone as much. His parents would be devastated, Linne too, but to the rest of the city? He wasn't sure. That doesn't matter now, he's come too far to think about those what-ifs. So he needed to make his stand.

"Look, we don't have to be friends. But can't we just support Linne in our own way? We can at least agree with that," Hyde offered.

The assassin sighed. "Very well. But get in my way, and I will make you regret it. I can do that without killing you."

"Fine, fine. Just wanted to clear that up. Leaving now." Hyde waved his hand as he left.

Honestly, that guy needs to learn to chill. Actually… Maybe this might not be a bad idea. This could be just the kind of icebreaker he needed to maybe sort of bridge something between them with Linne. If only to ease the tension just a little.

"Alright, I'll help you out. Do you know any food he likes?" Hyde asked.

Linne gave it some thought and shook her head. "He doesn't come across as someone who dislikes anything. Maybe you could help me make something simple and comforting?" she hazarded a guess.

Hyde began thinking on what sort of dish would fit that criteria. An idea sprang to mind. "I got it. And it's something even you can make. I did offer to teach you some recipes, remember?"

The princess gave a small laugh. "That you did. Carry on, please."

Evening came. The Kido residence just enjoyed a hearty dinner with Waldstein and Vatista retiring for the day. Hyde and Linne were in the kitchen after cleaning all the dishes. The two put on their aprons and prepared the ingredients. Hyde had a confident look on his face while Linne was looking a little hesitant.

"You'll do great. I'm sure he'll enjoy it," he gave the girl a head pat.

"I hope so… I'm ready," she gave her apron a little tug.

"That's the spirit!" Hyde looked at the kitchen setup and smirked.

'Everything is all set. Let's get to work!'

Today's Dish: Potatoes au Gratin

"Place butter, cream, and minced garlic in a jug, Mix until combined." Linne had 1 ½ cups of cream ready and poured it in. Hyde minced 2 garlic cloves and added it to the jug and then Linne added 30 grams of butter. The girl then stirred the jug until everything was mixed.

"Peel the potatoes and slice them into thin slices or use a slicer." Hyde would show Linne how to use a slicer and watched her peel the potatoes with relative ease.

"Not bad." Hyde gave a thumbs up.

Linne blushed and shook her head. "What's next?"

"Spread a third of the potatoes on a baking sheet. Pour one third of the cream. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and thyme around the sheet. Then add ¾ cups of shredded cheese." Linne spreaded the potato slices around the sheet while Hyde poured the cream on it. Linne sprinkled in the salt and pepper while Hyde would pull out the thyme and sprinkle it around the sheet. Linne then added the shredded cheese on top.

"Repeat this for the second and third layer on the baking sheet, but do not add cheese in the third layer yet." Hyde let Linne do everything again and then stopped her when she was about to add cheese at the third layer.

"So far, so good. Now's the long part." Hyde said.

"Hmph," Linne looked unamused.

"Cover the baking sheet and with a 180 degree*C oven, bake it for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or when the potatoes at the center are soft." The two watched as the food baked.

"So what will we do for an hour? I heard Vatista destroyed you in cards." She said with a smirk.

The boy slouched at that. "How about Uno? I could teach you if you like?"

"Eh, what the heck? How do you play?"

-1.1 hour later-

"I win again. That makes this my 20th win" Linne emptied out her cards with a proud look.

"Unbelievable…" Hyde's head was on the table with complete befuddlement. "How are you two so good at card games?!"

"Who can say?" She shrugged. "By the way, the hour's passed."

With a heavy sigh, Hyde slumped his way to the oven and pulled out the sheet with mitten hands.

"Once baked, add the remainder of cheese and then bake it for about 13 minutes for the cheese to become golden and bubbly. Then, leave it to rest for 5 minutes." He let Linne add the cheese on top and put on her mittens to place it in the oven. Once the time had passed, the girl's eyes widened at how delectable the food looked. Once the 5 minutes passed, the two looked on with smiling faces. The meal was complete.

"We made a pretty large amount. Wanna taste a small bit?" Hyde gave Linne a small forkful for her. The smell tempted the princess long enough and made her take the bite. The cheesy flavor matched with the soft texture of the potatoes gave her a whimsical smile.

"I can't believe it… I made this…" Linne was at a loss for words.

"You did. And I know Seth will like what you made." Hyde gave her a head pat.

Linne smiled. "I hope so…"

It was lunchtime at school. Hyde popped his head to Seth's homeroom, which gave the assassin no shortage of irritation. With an eye roll, Hyde walked up to him.

"You have some nerve showing your face to me. What do you want?" Seth said with a glare.

"Look, Linne made you something and I'm just here to deliver it to you. So here." Hyde handed Seth the lunch container.

Seth looked at the container, then at Hyde, and back at the container with a little bewilderment.

Hyde gave a genuine smile. "She worked hard to make this for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy it," he then shrugged. "Well, she can't say I didn't give it to you. Later." With a wave, Hyde left the room.

The assassin stared at the container and sighed. His stomach was growling and it was lunchtime. He opened it and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw.

"Gratin, huh?"

The container had a fork and he decided to take a bite. His normally stoic eyes slightly lit up. It had a very comforting taste. The soft cheesy flavor is balanced by the added thyme to give it a very pleasant feeling. He had to admit it, the princess did a good job.

"Not bad." Seth said with a faint smile.

That did not go unnoticed by passerby students in his class.

"Seth smiled?!" He'd hear them say

He paid them no mind and kept eating.

Later in the evening, Linne heard the door knock. When she opened the door, no one was there. She looked down and saw that it was the lunch container she packed the gratin in. Upon picking it up, she saw a note written on top of it.

"Thank you." it read.

Linne smiled at the simple message.

"You're welcome." She quietly said.

"Well what do ya know? He can show gratitude." Hyde had his hand on his hips as he gave a bright grin on his face.

Linne turned to him and gave a warm smile. "And thank you, Hyde. I know you two are not friends, so thank you for agreeing to help me out."

"No prob. You know I have your back." Hyde held out a fist to her.

They were a team after all. So she gave him a fist bump. Their collaborative efforts were a resounding success. Linne would make sure to ask Hyde for more recipes. Maybe she could surprise him with a dish someday or she could just use this to cook herself in case Hyde was busy. Whatever the case may be, she was proud of today's results.

The Hollow Night was approaching. There were still plenty of uncertainties to consider after Paradox's defeat. But for the time being, The Unknown Actor and the Princess of the Night Blade were glad to make their distant ally feel somewhat happy with their efforts. Linne could only hope she could get him to open up someday in the future.