KNOT.

Chapter 10 - Bullet.

The next morning, Phatsa woke with a feeling so strange he did not even know where to begin explaining it. First, there was warmth. Not the kind that came from a blanket or the room's temperature, but the kind that seemed to linger along his skin, in his chest, at the edge of every breath, like his whole body still remembered that last night it had been pressed against something far too steady, far too safe. Even now that he was awake, that feeling refused to fade.

 

The second thing was embarrassment. A lot of it. So much that the moment last night's memories began drifting back, piece by piece, from the soft kiss he had been the one to start, to the warm embrace he had eventually moved into of his own accord, Phatsa nearly wanted to drag the pillow over his face and suffocate himself on the spot. Damn it. What the hell had he done last night?

 

He had barely had time to drown in that humiliation before he realised someone was already looking at him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found Nakhun already awake. The other man was lying on his side not far away, his dark hair slightly mussed from sleep, his face as calm, composed, and annoyingly handsome as ever. But this morning, there was a softness in those dark eyes that was more obvious than usual, like a man already in a good mood before the day had even begun.

 

The moment he saw Phatsa's eyes open, the corner of Nakhun's mouth lifted in a small smile. It was not an obvious one, but it was more than enough to throw a newly awakened heart off rhythm.

 

"You're awake?"

 

His voice was low, gentle, and made Phatsa want to burrow back under the blanket more than ever. He dropped his gaze at once.

 

"Mm."

 

His answer was painfully short, so short that anyone could have guessed its owner was too embarrassed to know what to do with his face. But Nakhun did not tease him. He only looked at him for a moment, then moved a little closer.

Phatsa had barely turned back to look at him warily when warm lips brushed softly against his. It was a brief kiss. Very soft. And so simple it almost felt like a greeting. That very simplicity was what made Phatsa go utterly still. A morning kiss.

 

The thought rose in his head so clearly that heat rushed to his cheeks almost at once. Nakhun drew back only slightly, his dark eyes still on him at close range, as though waiting for something with quiet patience. Phatsa pressed his lips together. His ears were hot, his face was beginning to burn, and under that gaze, there was no escaping the truth that he had really just been kissed. And after meeting those black eyes belonging to the alpha whose bed he was sharing, in the end, he was the one who leaned in and kissed him back.

Just a little. Very quickly.

 

Like a touch followed by a hasty retreat. But still clearly enough for the other man to understand that he was not rejecting it. The corner of Nakhun's mouth moved again, more visibly this time, in the quiet satisfaction of someone inwardly pleased. Meanwhile, Phatsa immediately yanked the blanket up to his chin as though hoping it might hide his face too.

 

For God's sake. Phatsa, seriously. He was definitely going to get teased for falling this hard. Was it really necessary for the first morning after last night to be this unbearably embarrassing? Nakhun did not rub it in. He only said, in his usual even tone, "Go take a shower first."

 

Phatsa blinked, then peeked out from the blanket just a little.

 

"And then?"

 

"We'll go downstairs for breakfast."

 

He paused briefly before continuing, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

 

"After that, I'm taking you shooting."

 

Phatsa froze. All the lingering embarrassment from a moment ago was flung straight out the window in an instant. He whipped around to stare at Nakhun, his expression making it painfully obvious just how suspicious he was.

 

"What?"

 

"Shooting."

 

"Why do I have to shoot a gun?"

 

Nakhun looked at him calmly, as though the question itself were not strange. But to Phatsa, it was very strange.

 

"Wait." He pushed himself up into a full sitting position, the blanket slipping unnoticed down to his waist. "Is this really a normal morning activity in your house? Wake up, eat breakfast, then go shoot people?"

 

Nakhun answered with the same expression. "We don't do it every morning."

 

"So that means you do do it sometimes!"

 

Phatsa stared at him in disbelief while his mind instantly dragged everything in the most suspicious direction possible. Was it because they were basically mafia? Was his life from now on going to involve learning to dodge bullets, hide a gun under a suit jacket, and say things like take care of it with a flat face just like these people? The more he thought about it, the worse it got.

 

"Why are you taking me to shoot?" he asked again, narrowing his eyes. "Or is this some mandatory family course in your clan?"

 

Nakhun looked at him for a moment before answering in a level voice, "It won't hurt to learn."

 

"That sounds terrifying, you know that?"

 

"Why?"

 

"Because that sounds exactly like something people with too many enemies say."

 

This time, the corner of Nakhun's mouth twitched despite himself. Phatsa saw it perfectly clearly and immediately pointed at

him.

 

"Don't laugh."

 

"I'm not laughing."

 

"Liar."

 

"I'm serious," Nakhun said with a straight face. 

"Besides self-defence, it helps with concentration."

 

Phatsa paused "Concentration?"

 

Nakhun leaned lightly against the headboard, looking so calm he might as well have been talking about a morning walk rather than firearms.

 

"When you shoot, you have to be still enough. You have to control your breathing. You have to focus on what's in front of you. If your mind isn't steady, your hand won't be either." 

 

He looked at Phatsa directly. "It helps."

 

Phatsa listened in silence. Actually... it did sound kind of reasonable. A little. Only a little. But still terrifying. So he frowned again and asked cautiously,

 

"And if I miss?"

 

"Then you practice."

 

"And if I miss everything?"

 

"Then you practice more."

 

"And if the sound scares me?"

 

"You'll get used to it."

 

Phatsa pouted at once.

 

"You make everything sound way too easy."

 

"It isn't easy from the start."

 

"Huh."

 

"But it can be learned."

 

The answer was short, calm, and carried that same quiet certainty Nakhun always had. Phatsa found himself unable to argue for a beat, and so he just sat there staring at him, trying to work out whether this man was truly inviting him to practice mindfulness-or starting some family-made training program. And in the end, he had to admit to himself yet again that no matter how suspicious he might be, he was not actually afraid of Nakhun.

 

Mostly, he was just irritated with him. And a little embarrassed. And... a little excited too. Phatsa let out a small sigh, as someone beginning to realise he was not going to win this argument anyway. Then he lifted a hand to push his messy hair back and muttered,

 

"My post-grad life has gone wildly off script."

 

Nakhun looked at him before replying simply, "But it's interesting, isn't it?"

 

Phatsa spun to look at him at once. "For you."

 

This time Nakhun did not argue. He only looked back at him in silence, those dark eyes so still and deep that Phatsa was the one forced to look away first again. Damn it. Did he really have to look at him like that first thing in the morning?

 

Nakhun got out of bed first, unhurried as ever, then turned back and said again, "Go shower."

 

Phatsa sat frozen on the bed for another two seconds before calling after him, still not ready to give up.

 

"And what if I don't want to shoot?"

 

Nakhun only glanced back slightly.

 

"Once you get there, you might change your mind."

 

That answer sounded so maddeningly certain that Phatsa wanted to throw another pillow at him, but in the end, all he did was grab his towel and head to the bathroom like someone who already knew there was no escaping today. And as the bathroom door slowly closed behind him, he could not help but think from last night's soft kisses, to a morning kiss at dawn, to being dragged off to a shooting range after breakfast, his life with Nakhun really had gone in the exact opposite direction of anything that could be called normal.

 

After breakfast, Nakhun took Phatsa out exactly as promised. And, as if the morning was not already abnormal enough, Nakhin came along too, as naturally as if taking his older brother's partner, the person at his brother's side, to a shooting range were a perfectly ordinary family outing

 

Phatsa sat in the back seat, eyes moving between the two brothers in constant suspicion. Even if they said the shooting range was not far from the house, only a short drive away, that was not the point. The point was that someone who had only just graduated should not be starting his day with an activity like this in the first place.

It sounded like the sort of pastime people with too many enemies would have. Or, really, just something mafia people did.

 

Nakhun drove as usual, his expression calm enough to suggest he was taking Phatsa out for coffee rather than to handle firearms. Nakhin, seated in the front passenger seat, was in an absurdly good mood and kept turning to chat with Phatsa as though worried that if the car grew quiet for too long, the youngest in the group might start plotting how to jump out and run. That was not even counting the bodyguards following behind in another car.

 

"Nervous, Phatsa?"

 

Phatsa looked at Nakhun's younger brother without much expression.

 

"If I say no, would that be too obvious a lie?"

 

Nakhin laughed immediately. "It's fine. You'll get used to it."

 

"Why does everyone in your house love that sentence so much?"

 

"Because it's true."

 

"It doesn't make me feel better, even a little."

 

Nakhin shrugged as if that were not his problem, while Nakhun, who had been silent for a while, spoke without even turning around.

 

"It won't hurt to learn."

 

"There. That one again." Phatsa pouted at once. "That sounds exactly like someone training me for war."

 

"I'm not training you for war," Nakhun said evenly. "I'm just giving you a skill."

 

"Why does my life need gun skills?"

 

"The world isn't kind to everyone."

 

That made Phatsa go quiet for a moment. It was not comforting. It was not pretty. But because it came from Nakhun, it sounded like nothing but fact-like something the other man fully believed, and had perhaps lived in long enough to know too well.

 

Phatsa leaned back into his seat and sighed softly.

 

"And if I can't hit anything?"

 

"Then you practice."

 

"And if the sound scares me?"

 

"Then you practice more."

 

"And if my hands shake?"

 

"I'll hold them steady."

 

Phatsa went still for one beat. Nakhin burst out laughing without even trying to hide it, while Phatsa immediately turned to stare out the window so no one would notice the inexplicable heat rising to his face.

 

For God's sake. Couldn't the man talk like a normal person just once?

 

It was not long before the car pulled away from the estate and reached the shooting range. The place was close to the Thewathitirat mansion, but it was far too spacious and meticulously maintained to be called some casual little range.

 

The main building in front was sleek, cool, and solid, carrying the kind of gravity that made it obvious the moment you stepped out of the car that this was not a place for laughable mistakes. Phatsa had barely gotten both feet on the ground when a woman's voice rang out first.

 

"Oh my."

 

The tone was slightly high, slightly sweet, but edged with unmistakable provocation.

 

"So the rumour going around really is true."

 

All three of them turned at once. The woman walking toward them from the main building was barely 150 centimetres tall. Her skin was sun-warmed bronze, her face so sharply beautiful it could almost be called striking to the point of pain. But what stood out even more than her features was the aura that seemed to arrive before she did, an aura of command, of someone who knew exactly where she belonged and could make any space feel like hers the moment she stepped into it. She had the beauty of a born queen bee, the kind that did not need to announce itself because the room would already know.

 

Behind her trailed another woman, noticeably more delicate in build, with an air so gentle she almost seemed fragile. Her eyes flicked carefully around the people nearby with the natural caution of someone timid by disposition. Standing next to Amintra, the contrast between them only became sharper, like one was a spark and the other a pale shadow faithfully following close behind it. Nakhin lifted a brow immediately.

 

"Amintra."

 

The woman smiled a little wider when she heard her name.

 

"So you do still remember me. I thought you might've been too busy keeping up with your family's rumours to remember people your own age." 

 

Phatsa blinked and looked quickly between Nakhin and the woman in front of him. The two of them definitely knew each other. Not exactly close. But not exactly distant either. Something in-between. And annoyingly interesting.

 

Nakhun showed little reaction. He merely looked at Amintra calmly and gave her a nod polite enough to count as manners.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

"Shooting, obviously," Amintra answered at once with a sly smile. "I certainly didn't come to string flower garlands."

 

Then her gaze shifted and landed squarely on Phatsa. It was neither rude nor friendly. Her eyes swept him from head to toe in one glance, evaluating everything in an instant, before she spoke again in a sweet voice with words sharp enough to cut.

 

"I've heard the rumour all over the place that the eldest son of Thewathitirat bit some omega with no family name or background and made him his mate."

 

The air around them went still at once. Phatsa froze for only a fraction of a second before his brows drew together automatically. He did not know this woman. He had no idea how far the rumours in this world had spread already. But that sentence alone made it clear she had not come over to make polite conversation.

 

Nakhin glanced at his older brother at once, clearly knowing that if anyone were going to answer, it would not be him. And he was right. Nakhun stepped slightly in front of Phatsa. It was a very small movement, but obvious enough to show that he was taking the reply upon himself. His dark eyes settled on Amintra before he spoke, in a voice so calm and cool that the atmosphere went stiller than before.

 

"Phatsa has both a home and a place to stand."

 

Silence.

A short, taut silence.

 

Amintra lifted a brow slightly, looking somewhat surprised that Nakhun had answered so directly and refused to play along at all. But instead of retreating, she only smiled a little more, as though she found him even more entertaining now.

 

"You're protecting him awfully well."

 

"I'm stating the truth," Nakhun said slowly. "So outsiders who don't know it won't go around spreading nonsense."

 

The tone was not loud. It was not harsh enough to be rude. But the certainty in it made every word land as though it had been set into place and would not be moved.

 

Sharp-tongued too, weren't you, big alpha brother?

 

Phatsa stood quietly just behind him, looking at the broad line of Nakhun's back. Something shifted slowly through the centre of his chest. No matter how often this man annoyed him, when Nakhun chose to stand beside him like this, answer for him, deflect ugly looks or uglier words without being asked, it became very difficult not to feel something.

 

The delicate girl beside Amintra, Kingyok, edged a little closer to her and whispered something under her breath, her expression hesitant. Amintra let out a quiet laugh at that, then waved a hand as if surrendering, though not seriously.

 

"All right," she said. "I was only saying hello based on what I'd heard."

 

Phatsa arched a brow inwardly. If that counted as a greeting, ordinary people would've ended up slapping each other in front of the range already. But before he could say anything, Amintra looked at him again. This time, her gaze was not as sharp as before. At the very least, she seemed to realise now that he was not trembling or hiding behind anyone the way the rumours might have claimed.

 

"Your name is Phatsa, right?"

 

Phatsa met her gaze directly.

 

"Yes"

 

"I'm Amintra," she said, tilting her head slightly. "And this is Kingyok."

 

Kingyok startled a little, as though only just realising she had been mentioned, then quickly nodded to Phatsa with the quietest politeness she could manage.

 

Phatsa returned the greeting in kind and answered evenly, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

 

Amintra smiled again. This time it looked slightly more genuine, even if that natural glint of mischief remained in it. Nakhin looked from one to the other and let out a quiet sigh, like someone who already knew this was not going to be a peaceful morning at the range after all. Amintra, meanwhile, was not inclined to let the atmosphere settle for long. After the formal introductions were out of the way, she remained standing there with her arms folded, those sharp, beautiful eyes openly sweeping over Phatsa from head to toe again. The smile at the corner of her mouth never left. It was the smile of a beautiful woman who knew exactly how good she was at getting under people's skin-and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

"By the way," she said sweetly, "since you've come all the way to a shooting range, how about a little competition?"

 

That made everyone around them go still again almost immediately. Kingyok, still standing just behind her, was startled and looked at her at once, clearly wanting to ask, Are you serious? Nakhin lifted his brow much more visibly this time and let out a low breath like someone who had known all along this morning would never end quietly.

 

Nakhun spoke first, his voice cool and even as always.

 

"There's no need."

 

Amintra turned to look at him, her smile thinning slightly in the way people's smiles do when being denied only makes them more entertained.

 

"It's just target shooting," she said. "It's not as if I'm sending him into battle."

 

"It's his first time at a range."

 

"That's what makes it interesting." She answered at once.

 

"Competing with people who are already good is boring."

 

"Amintra," Nakhin called her name this time with a clearer warning in his tone. "Enough."

 

The small woman flicked him a glance and lifted a brow.

 

"Why? Afraid your brother's person might lose?"

 

Nakhin opened his mouth as if to retort, but before he could say anything, Phatsa spoke first.

"Sure."

 

This time, everyone turned to look at him at once. Nakhun frowned immediately. "Phatsa."

But Phatsa did not look at him yet. He kept his gaze on Amintra instead, his expression just a little too composed, making it all the clearer that he was not joking.

 

"It's fine," he said slowly, his tone perfectly polite, though the edge beneath it was impossible to miss. "If Miss Amintra wants to compete with someone who's just come to a shooting range for the first time to kill some boredom-"

 

He paused, and then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"-I can help make the time more entertaining."

 

Silence. Only for a fraction of a second. Then Nakhin let out a quiet, disbelieving "Whoa," sounding both startled and delighted at the same time. Kingyok's eyes widened even more, as though she wanted to pull someone aside and warn them, but had no idea which side needed warning more.

 

Amintra, on the other hand, smiled wider in clear delight. Her eyes lit up at once without the slightest attempt to hide it.

 

"You've got a sharp mouth."

 

"I manage."

 

"Do you realise that if you lose after saying that, you'll get mocked to death?"

 

Phatsa gave a small shrug. "Still better than standing here and being looked at like I'm too scared to accept a challenge."

 

Even Nakhin had to lift a hand to his forehead at that, like someone developing a real headache, while Nakhun remained silent for a while longer. Phatsa carefully watched the too composed face, the unmistakable resolve in his eyes-and understood immediately that if he tried to stop him now, this stubborn boy would only become even less likely to listen. And more than that, deep down he knew something else too.

 

Phatsa was not accepting the challenge just because he was impulsive. He was protecting his pride. And Nakhun should not be the one to strip that away from him. 

 

So in the end, Nakhun only let out a soft sigh before saying in the same calm voice, "If you're going to compete, then it has to be on fair terms."

 

Amintra looked at him. "Of course. I'm not that cruel."

 

"That's not true," Nakhin muttered immediately.

 

"I heard that."

 

"That was the point."

 

Kingyok quickly touched Amintra's arm, like a timid little alarm bell worried she might pivot into fighting everyone at the range, but the queen bee only laughed low in her throat and turned back to Phatsa. 

 

"We can make it simple," she said. "Static target. Basic range. Highest total score wins."

 

Phatsa nodded. "Fine."

 

"And if you lose?"

 

"Then I lose."

 

The answer came so fast that Amintra lifted a brow in surprise. So Phatsa continued in the same even tone,

 

"It's my first time here. If I lose, that's not strange."

 

Then his mouth curved slightly again. "But if you lose to someone who's at a shooting range for the first time... that might be a little unfortunate, don't you think?"

 

Nakhin burst out laughing at once. "Phatsa, that's way beyond 'managing'"

 

Amintra, meanwhile, laughed for real. The sound was bright, clear, and full of delight, and her sharp smile somehow became even more beautiful-and more dangerous-at the same time.

 

"Good," she said. "I like people who don't start crying before we've even begun."

 

Phatsa smiled faintly in return, as though unbothered. But deep down, his heart had started beating much faster too, not because he was afraid of Amintra, but because he had just fully realised that he was about to enter a shooting competition against someone who was clearly more experienced in every possible way. At the same time, he himself had only just set foot on a shooting range for the first time in his life.

 

His life had gone far beyond the word normal. Nakhun stepped a little closer and bent down to murmur so only he could hear.

 

"You sure?"

 

Phatsa did not look at him right away, only answered softly, "If I back down now, I lose face for free."

 

"Losing face is better than losing heart."

 

This time, Phatsa turned to look at him. Nakhun's gaze was neither harsh nor forbidding. It was only steady and solid, as it always was, as if telling him that if he changed his mind now, Nakhun would step in for him without letting him stand there alone for a second longer.

 

That was what warmed something inside Phatsa, just a little. But even then, he still wrinkled his nose at him faintly before muttering back,

 

"It's fine. At worst, I'll just get laughed at."

 

Nakhun looked at him for a moment before saying simply, "Then I'll teach you first."

 

Amintra heard that and immediately raised a hand. "Oh no, you don't. If Phi Nakhun gets to coach him properly first, I'll be at a disadvantage."

 

"Do you really intend to take advantage of him in every possible way?" Nakhin asked, sounding exhausted.

 

Amintra only shrugged, completely unbothered. "Of course. I'm small. Why shouldn't I use my advantages?"

 

"Being small doesn't mean you get to be evil."

 

"Who says?" she replied blandly. "I prove otherwise every day."

 

Kingyok pressed her lips together like she wanted to laugh but did not dare, while Phatsa watched the exchange and nearly smiled too. Amintra might have arrived like she was picking a fight, but he had to admit she had a strange sort of charm. Or maybe it was just that getting angry with her would be useless, because you would probably lose anyway.

 

In the end, everyone agreed to the simple terms Amintra proposed. While the staff prepared the equipment, Nakhin stepped up beside Phatsa and whispered in the tone of someone enjoying this tar too much.

 

"Phatsa."

 

"What?"

 

"At first, I thought you'd be scared of the shooting range."

 

"And?"

 

"But apparently.." Nakhin grinned. "You were more worried someone else might get bored."

 

Phatsa turned to look at him at once. "Could you please be quiet?"

 

Nakhin laughed with zero intention of doing that. Off to one side, Amintra stood with her arms folded, watching them with gleaming eyes. At the same time, Kingyok remained at her side as always, her expression making it clear she was currently carrying enough anxiety for everyone in the world.

 

And so, the morning that had started with a morning kiss from Nakhun ended its first act with Phatsa standing in the middle of a shooting range, preparing to compete against a one-hundred-and-fifty-centimetre-tall, bronze-skinned, dazzlingly beautiful queen bee who did not look like the sort of person who would go easy on anyone. His life really did contain nothing ordinary anymore. And through it all, Nakhun remained nearby at the same steady distance. He did not touch. He did not make any unnecessary display of himself. But his presence there alone was enough to make one thing clear: no matter what the rumours said, no matter how anyone looked at Phatsa, within Nakhun's space, he would never be left standing alone to face it.

 

The result of the competition turned out exactly the way anyone with eyes could guess before even walking over to examine the targets. Amintra stood there idly twirling her ear protectors, looking thoroughly at ease, as though none of this was a serious matter at all, while the staff brought their paper targets forward for inspection on the table in front of them. Her shots were clustered close to the centre almost entirely. The grouping was beautiful, controlled, and steady the work of someone thoroughly familiar with a place like this.

 

Phatsa looked at it for a moment, then nodded in frank acknowledgement.

 

"You really are good."

 

Amintra lifted a brow, clearly not expecting him to praise her so easily. Phatsa gave a small shrug and continued in an easy tone, "This round, on paper targets, I concede."

 

It did not sound like someone losing face at all. On the contrary, it sounded like someone who could separate winning and losing from his own dignity with surprising ease. Amintra found herself looking at him a little longer because of it. Then she laughed softly under her breath and shook her head, half-amused, half-disappointed.

 

"What a shame."

 

Phatsa lifted a brow. "What is?"

 

"I can't rile you up at all," Amintra said, making a faintly disappointed face like a beautiful woman perfectly aware she was putting on a show. "I thought I'd get to see you lose your temper a little. Instead, you're complimenting me."

 

Nakhin laughed at once. "I told you already. This kid doesn't play by other people's rules that easily."

 

"Clearly," Amintra murmured, then turned to Kingyok, who was still trailing just behind her. 

 

"Let's go. It's not fun anymore."

 

Kingyok, who looked relieved from the moment the results came out, nodded so quickly it was almost frantic. "Yes, Khun Amintra."

 

Phatsa nearly laughed at that too, though he managed to hold his expression together. He raised his hands in a wai to Amintra out of politeness, and she returned it in a casual, offhand way, though there was still a teasing smile at the corner of her mouth.

 

"We'll play another day again."

 

"If you don't get bored of me first."

 

"Hm." Amintra smiled faintly. "Unlikely."

 

With that, she turned and walked off at once. She was tiny, yes, but there was such confidence in the way she moved that it felt like the entire stretch of space belonged to her. Kingyok hurried along after her as she always did, her delicate frame almost swallowed by Amintra's shadow.

 

Once the two women left, the tension around the range seemed to ease a little. Phatsa let out a quiet breath and turned back to Nakhun and Nakhin.

 

"Should we go home, then?"

 

Nakhin lifted a brow. "What, you don't want to practice a little more?"

 

"Oh, come on." Phatsa let out a dry laugh. Today I got dragged to a shooting range and then challenged to a competition. I think my life has already spent more than its energy quota for one day."

 

Nakhin laughed in delight. Nakhun said nothing. He only looked at Phatsa in that unreadable way of his, as if quietly thinking something through.

 

Just then, Sila came over, carrying Phatsa's paper target, and held it out to Nakhun.

 

"Khun Phatsa's target, sir."

 

Nakhun took it in silence and looked down. Nakhin moved in to see it as well, and after a moment he gave a small nod in honest acknowledgement.

 

"Not bad," he said. "He hit several important points."

 

Phatsa's target was nothing like Amintra's. The shots were not clustered closely around the centre. If one judged it by ordinary paper-target competition standards, his loss was obvious. And yet… Nakhun kept looking at it longer than usual. Long enough for Nakhin to turn and look at his older brother instead.

 

"What?"

 

Nakhun did not answer right away. He only traced the placement of each bullet hole slowly with a finger before speaking in a flat voice. 

 

"It's not just that he's accurate."

 

Nakhin narrowed his eyes and looked more closely again. So Nakhun continued, his tone still calm, though there was something heavier in it now.

 

"When he fired, he wasn't really aiming."

 

Nakhin paused. "What?"

 

"He gripped the gun and fired almost immediately."

 

That made Nakhin go still too. He replayed the match in his head at once, and realised it was true. Phatsa had barely taken time to settle into a stance. He had not stood there aiming carefully the way someone trying to stack up target points would. He had raised the gun and fired very quickly, so quickly that, at the time, it had looked like nothing more than the clumsiness of a beginner. But looking at the holes in the paper now, it did not seem so simple anymore. Nakhun tapped one mark. ...

 

"First shot hit the arm."

 

Then he moved his finger to another.

 

"Then the head."

 

Another point.

 

"The throat."

 

And another.

 

"The heart."

 

Nakhin fell silent. This time, he did not see the paper target in the same way at all. If it were a static target competition, Amintra would have won beautifully. She had focused on the centre mass, trying to gather her shots as close to the bull's-eye as possible, exactly like someone who knew how to play that game. 

 

But Phatsa's pattern... was completely different. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't tidy. It didn't score especially well under this kind of rule. But it looked much more like real combat. Shoot the arm to disable. Then follow through with shots to kill. Fast. Short. Without hesitation. Nakhin slowly let out a breath before murmuring, "In a real situation... this would be a hell of a lot more useful for fighting or self-defence."

 

Nakhun gave the smallest nod. He kept looking at Phatsa's target, his gaze deepening little by little, as though he were seeing something more clearly with every second. An ordinary beginner could not shoot like this. At the very least, not this naturally. There might be some talent involved, yes. But there was still something in Phatsa's decision-making that had been too quick, too instinctive, as though his body already knew on its own where to shoot first, and where to shoot next, if the real goal was to stop someone.

 

Nakhin must have been thinking something similar, because he slowly lifted his head and said under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else, "Someone like Phatsa... really isn't ordinary, is he?"

 

That made Nakhun fall silent for a moment. Not ordinary. The words sounded simple, but they struck too directly. Because with every passing day, the stubborn boy kept revealing more. The fearlessness he had shown in front of Naret. The composure he had kept under Amintra's needling. Even the first time he had held a gun, somehow managing not to move like a true beginner at all. 

 

Not far away, Phatsa was standing with Ai, talking quietly. He looked more relaxed now that Amintra had gone. One hand kept rising to rub at his ear as though he was still not entirely used to the sound of gunfire, but his expression had not lost its footing in the slightest. If anything, one could see even the smallest hint of private satisfaction there; at the very least, he had not embarrassed himself as he had feared he might.

 

Nakhun watched him in silence for a while longer, then lowered his eyes to the paper target in his hand again. And one corner of his mouth shifted almost imperceptibly. It seemed the person he had drawn close to his side was not just a stubborn, troublesome boy with a talent for making his heart soften.

 

He might also be someone with far more hidden inside him than anyone had expected.

 

——————-

As of today, 30th June, this is the last chapter posted by the author before the series starts later tonight.