The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 266

Chapter 266: Chapter 266 : Not a date (2)

When Alex opened his eyes again, his vision swam in and out of focus. His head felt oddly heavy yet warm, and something soft was beneath it. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming until he caught a familiar scent — subtle lavender mixed with the faint metallic tang of mana.

’Wait... this smell... this softness... no way.’

Just as he was about to shift, the warmth disappeared, and his head smacked against the hard wooden bench with a dull thud.

"Ow—! Damn it!" Alex yelled, clutching the back of his head as he glared up. "What the hell, Evelyn!? You could’ve at least let me wake up properly before committing attempted murder!"

Evelyn, standing beside the bench with her arms crossed, simply looked down at him. Her expression was calm as always, but there was the faintest trace of amusement in her eyes. "You were drooling," she said matter-of-factly.

Alex froze mid-rant, his brain refusing to process that sentence. "I—what? No, I wasn’t!"

"You were."

He felt heat creep up his face. "You’re lying!"

Evelyn shrugged slightly. "Believe what you want."

Alex groaned, rubbing his temples before sitting up straight. "Do you have any idea what I went through just now? I took you on that roller coaster five times because—" He pointed dramatically toward the enormous metal structure in the distance, still spinning and glittering with mana lights.

"Because that ride isn’t some normal theme park attraction! It’s built using hybrid mana-tech engineering. The rails are infused with Aetherium circuits, and the carriages use gravitational distortion arrays to amplify g-force tenfold.

It was literally designed to scare even awakened individuals out of their minds! You know what that means, right? It’s so intense that even high-rank combat specialists feel their souls leaving their bodies mid-ride!"

Evelyn blinked slowly, her face blank. "...So you dragged me onto a high-grade mana torture machine for fun?"

Alex’s mouth opened, then closed again. "N-No! I mean—yes—but not like that! I thought it’d be... thrilling!"

Her lips curved upward ever so slightly, forming that smug grin that haunted Alex’s pride. It was subtle, but it screamed, ’I’m better than you.’

Alex’s eye twitched. ’Oh no. Nope. Not again. I’m not losing to this expressionless maniac!’

The system’s voice echoed in his head. [You already did, my pathetic host.]

’Shut up, useless! Not now!’

He slumped back against the bench and sighed heavily. "Forget it... these days, nothing’s going the way I want it to anyway."

For a brief moment, there was silence. The sound of laughter from nearby rides and the faint music of mana-fueled speakers filled the air. Evelyn simply watched him, her usual composed expression softening just a little.

Before Alex could even finish catching his breath, he turned to her and asked, "So... what was that important thing you wanted to—"

Before he could finish, Evelyn pointed toward the far end of the park. "Let’s go on that."

Alex followed her finger and froze. Standing tall against the evening sky was a massive Ferris wheel, its cabins glowing softly with multicolored light.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..." he muttered, dread filling his voice.

Evelyn didn’t reply, her gaze locked on the ride, a faint glimmer of nostalgia flickering in her eyes.

’Great,’ Alex thought, dragging a hand down his face. ’From the roller coaster of death to the wheel of emotional torment.’

He sighed in surrender. "Fine. But that’s the last one, got it? After that, I’m heading home before I collapse again."

Evelyn simply nodded, and the two walked toward the Ferris wheel. She paid for the tickets—again—and they stepped into one of the cabins. The doors closed with a soft click, and the wheel began its slow ascent.

The city lights sparkled below them like stars scattered across the ground. For a while, neither spoke, the silence strangely peaceful.

Finally, Alex broke it. "So... what was the important thing you wanted to talk about?"

Evelyn turned to face him, her tone calm but her eyes distant. "You remember six months ago, when I told you strange memories from the Age of Gods started appearing in my head—memories I don’t remember ever experiencing?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "What about it?"

Evelyn took a deep breath before continuing. "Since then, I’ve been having dreams. In them... there’s a girl who looks exactly like me, and a guy who looks like you. They’re always together — fighting side by side, walking through cities, sometimes even laughing together. And every time I wake up, it feels... too real."

Alex leaned back slightly, studying her face. "And?"

Her fingers curled slightly against her knees as she spoke softly. "Ever since those dreams started, I’ve been feeling strange whenever I see you."

Alex blinked, confusion etched on his face. "Strange? Like how?"

Evelyn hesitated, then looked him directly in the eyes. "Like... wanting to kiss you."

Alex’s brain froze. His breath hitched, and for a second, time stopped. "W-what...?"

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