Extra To Protagonist-Chapter 46: Outing (3)

"Wait." Seraphina's cold voice cut through the casual atmosphere. She sat stiffly beside Elara, arms folded over her chest. "You're going to sing?"

Nathan scoffed, flipping his dark bangs with unnecessary flair. "Of course. I've been practicing."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Merlin muttered under his breath.

Elara giggled beside him, clearly amused. "Oh, come on, let him have his moment."

Merlin shot her a deadpan look. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"

Nathan ignored them, confidently pressing the selection button. The room dimmed slightly as the karaoke machine began its countdown.

3… 2… 1…

And then it began.

Merlin physically flinched as Nathan's voice exploded through the speakers, just slightly—no, completely off-key.

He wasn't sure what he expected, but it wasn't this. The sheer force of Nathan's voice made the table vibrate slightly.

Seraphina, who had looked unimpressed before, now had a single hand raised to her temple, as if fighting off an impending migraine.

Elara was barely holding in her laughter, shoulders shaking violently.

Merlin let out a slow exhale, pressing his fingers against his forehead. "I should've known."

Nathan, however, was oblivious to the destruction he was causing. He was completely immersed, gripping the mic with the passion of a performer at a sold-out stadium. His voice wavered dramatically on high notes, but his confidence never faltered.

Merlin exchanged a glance with Elara, who looked like she was about to burst into tears from holding back laughter.

Nathan finished his song with an overdramatic flourish, gripping the mic like a performer at the peak of his career. The moment the music faded, he turned to the group expectantly, awaiting praise.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Merlin, seated with his arms crossed, stared at Nathan with an unreadable expression. Elara looked like she was barely holding in her laughter, while Seraphina simply rubbed her temples as if fighting off a headache.

Nathan coughed. "So?"

Elara smiled a little too sweetly. "You… certainly sang."

Merlin sighed, pushing himself up from the couch. "Alright. We're done here."

Elara groaned. "Already?"

"Yes."

Seraphina, who had clearly been waiting for someone to make that decision, stood up immediately. "Finally."

Nathan frowned. "You guys are acting like that was painful."

Merlin gave him a look. "Because it was."

Elara giggled. "Oh, don't be mean. It was entertaining."

"That's a kind way to put it," Seraphina muttered under her breath.

Nathan sighed but didn't argue, gathering his things as they all headed for the exit. As they stepped out of the karaoke building, the cool evening air greeted them, washing away the warmth of the enclosed space.

"Where to now?" Elara asked, stretching her arms.

Merlin checked the time. It was getting late. "We should head back."

Nathan clicked his tongue. "Boring."

Seraphina crossed her arms. "We have classes tomorrow. Going back is the logical choice."

Elara pouted. "You guys are no fun."

Merlin ignored them, his gaze drifting across the street. The city lights flickered softly in the distance, and the streets were still lively with people going about their night.

That's when he saw him again.

'What the fuck..'

The man in the white coat..he was adjusting his glasses.

Standing across the street, partially obscured by the passing crowd, his gaze was locked onto Merlin.

Merlin felt something cold settle in his stomach.

Then, as quickly as he had appeared, the man turned and disappeared into the moving crowd.

Merlin straightened slightly, scanning the area, but the man was gone.

"Merlin?"

He turned back to see Elara watching him curiously. "Something wrong?"

Merlin hesitated for half a second before shaking his head. "…No. Let's go."

Even as they walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

The walk back to the dorms was quiet, save for the occasional comment from Elara about how the night ended too soon and Nathan complaining about how no one appreciated his musical talent.

Merlin barely listened. His mind was elsewhere, replaying the image of the man in the white coat.

Something about him felt… off. The way he had stared. The way he had disappeared so seamlessly into the crowd.

It wasn't normal.

Merlin's instincts weren't screaming at him, but there was a lingering unease in the back of his mind. He made a mental note to stay alert in the coming days.

Eventually, they reached the academy ntrance.

Nathan let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms behind his head. "Well, this was fun."

Seraphina gave him a blank look. "You call that fun?"

"You have no taste."

Seraphina rolled her eyes.

Elara, meanwhile, was focused on her phone, tapping away with a concentrated expression. Then, as if remembering something, she gasped. "Wait, do we even have each other's numbers?"

Nathan blinked. "Huh?"

"Like, for texting." Elara looked up. "We don't, do we?"

Seraphina frowned slightly. "I suppose we never exchanged them."

Elara beamed. "Then let's do it now!"

Nathan shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Seraphina sighed but didn't argue.

Merlin, however, didn't immediately react. He never really needed to exchange numbers with them. If anything, it was better to keep a certain distance—

"Elara, I'll send you mine first," Nathan said, pulling out his phone.

"Seraphina, yours too!"

"Merlin, come on."

Merlin exhaled through his nose. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Elara said without hesitation.

"Not really," Seraphina muttered.

"But we're friends," Elara insisted, looking directly at Merlin. "Right?"

Merlin hesitated.

'Friends…huh?'

It wasn't like he saw them that way. They were the main cast—the ones he needed to keep alive. He wasn't here to make attachments. He wasn't here to—

"Merlin."

Elara was still staring at him expectantly, her phone open in her hand as she cut her thoughts off.

"…Fine."

Elara grinned as if she had won a battle.

Merlin reluctantly pulled out his phone, adding their contacts one by one.

{Nathan Varen – Shy egoist}

{Seraphina Alden – Rule-obsessed ice queen}

{Elara Vaelith – Elf who doesn't take no for an answer}

Nathan leaned over his shoulder and immediately made a face. "Dude."

"What?"

"You could at least put something normal."

"No."

Elara giggled. "What did you name me?"

Merlin pocketed his phone. "Nothing important."

"I wanna see!"

"No."

Elara pouted, but before she could protest further, Seraphina closed her own phone with a sigh. "We're done here. I'm leaving."

Nathan yawned again. "Yeah, yeah. See you guys tomorrow."

Elara waved. "Night!"

Merlin turned without another word, heading toward the streets.

He ignored the feeling in his chest.

It was just phone numbers.

Nothing more.

—

Merlin stepped toward the curb, raising a hand to stop a taxi.

Just as one slowed down, a voice sounded beside him.

"I'll come with you."

Merlin turned his head, eyes narrowing. "What?"

Nathan stood there, hands shoved into his pockets, his dark blue eyes calm as if what he said was completely normal.

"I'll come with you," he repeated.

Merlin stared. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Nathan blinked. "Why not?"

Merlin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Nathan. You've never been to my place before. You don't even know where I live."

Nathan shrugged. "Then this is a perfect chance to find out."

'Does he have mental damage from the simulation or some shit..?'

Merlin looked him up and down. "…You don't even have a real reason, do you?"

Nathan tilted his head, pretending to think. "I do."

Merlin crossed his arms. "And?"

Nathan gave the most unconvincing excuse possible. "I left something at your place."

'What.'

Merlin stared. "You've never been to my place."

Nathan met his gaze without hesitation. "Exactly."

Silence.

'Could it be he has some kind of quest to do with me?'

Merlin sighed as his eyes scanned Nathan. "That doesn't even make sense."

Nathan smirked. "Didn't say it had to."

The taxi pulled up beside them, and before Merlin could argue further, Nathan opened the door and slid inside.

Merlin clenched his jaw. "Are you serious—?"

Nathan patted the seat next to him. "You coming or what?"

Merlin exhaled slowly.

'This is unbelievable.'

With a sharp click, he opened the door and got in.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

Merlin shot Nathan one last glare before giving his address.

The taxi pulled away from the curb, merging into the traffic.

Nathan leaned back, looking completely at ease. "You have snacks at your place, right?"

Merlin didn't answer.

Nathan grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

Merlin closed his eyes, regretting every decision that led him to this moment.

—

The taxi ride had been mercifully quiet—mostly because Merlin had refused to entertain Nathan's comments about what kind of snacks he might have.

'Please god save me.'

When they finally arrived at the apartment complex, Merlin was the first to step out, slamming the door shut before Nathan could say anything else.

Nathan followed after him, hands still in his pockets, looking completely unbothered. "Nice place."

"You haven't even seen it yet," Merlin muttered, walking toward the entrance.

"Still a nice place," Nathan shot back.

Merlin chose to ignore that. He pushed the door open and stepped inside the building, taking the elevator up to his floor. As soon as they reached his apartment door, he hesitated.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You forgot your keys?"

Merlin sighed and unlocked the door. "No, I just—"

Before he could finish, the door swung open from the inside.

Victoria stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

'I'm doomed.'

Merlin blinked.

"You're home late."

Victoria's eyes flicked to Nathan. Then back to Merlin.

"You brought someone home?" Her tone was somewhere between surprised and suspicious.

Nathan, ever the smooth talker, smiled. "Nathaniel Varen. Nice to meet you."

Victoria gave him a once-over nod before turning to Merlin. "You don't bring people home."

Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "It wasn't my choice."

Nathan nudged him. "Come on, you're making it sound like I forced you."

Merlin gave him a deadpan stare. "You did."

Nathan grinned. "Exactly."

Victoria sighed, stepping aside. "Well, don't just stand there. Get inside."

Merlin walked in first, slipping off his shoes. Nathan followed, looking around curiously.

"Cozy," he commented.

Victoria closed the door and turned to Merlin. "So? What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," Merlin said. "He just decided he was coming over."

Victoria raised an eyebrow at Nathan. "And you just let him?"

Nathan smirked. "He had no choice."

Victoria stared at him, then turned to Merlin. "…He's your friend?"

Merlin hesitated. "I don't know if I'd call him that."

Nathan gasped dramatically. "That hurts, Merlin."

Victoria ignored their back-and-forth, shaking her head. "Alright. You boys want something to eat?"

Nathan lit up. "See? This is hospitality."

Merlin shot him a look. "No, we're fine."

Victoria shrugged then patted Merlin's shoulder. "Suit yourself..and we'll continue our talk another time."

'Right…I fled..'

She smiled devilishly as she walked off, Nathan nudged Merlin again. "Your sister's nice..but what was that about..?"

Merlin sighed. "She's too nice, and it's not your concern."

Nathan grinned. "Alright, I'll take what I can get."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Merlin sat on the couch, rubbing his temples. He already regretted letting this happen.