Escoâs eyes carefully scanned the table. Soon, his eyes fell on a small box of chocolates.
He thought it was Emilyâs since sheâs the gluttony incarnate, so his hand was going towards
STOP! Esco! Just look at Natalieâs expression!
âEsco, is there something wrong?â
âN-Nothing⌠Hahaha.â
I didnât see anything. I really never saw Emily stepping on Escoâs foot at all, okay?
Emily then sneakily pointed towards an object using her eyes, and that object at the end of
her gaze was a small hand mirror.
Knowing her sisterâs true nature, Esco coughed and grabbed the cute hand mirror brought
Poor guy⌠I could see his hands shaking!
Yeah, itâs like walking into hell.
He was so happy earlier because he thought he might get a girlfriend nowâŚ
âThatâs mine, Esco.â
âNow that weâre partners, shall we leave?â
The tactless Mr. Gatekeeper laughed loudly, saying that Emily was very active.
Although it was not really like thatâŚ
For our sake, Emily sacrificed herself and pulled his brother in.
We will never forget you, Emily.
âEmily and Esco already went out, so shall we continue ahead?â
He was very careful in picking an item as he took turns looking at me and the stuff on the
Honestly, I donât really care if I become his partner or notâŚ
But Natalie and Violet seem to have their eyes on other people besides Mr. Gatekeeper, so
I think it would be best if I became partners with him.
Finally, Mr. Gatekeeper picked an object from the table.
He only has a one-third chance of picking mine so will he get it?
In the end, he chose a green headband.
ââŚThis is yours, right?â
I had no choice but to nod at Mr. Gatekeeper, who was trembling in both nervousness and
Because that headband was really mine.
Particularly, it was the one Lycan gave to me as a gift when I went out with him before.
I really didnât think Iâd be partners with Mr. Gatekeeper but well here we are.
As he heard me say that, Mr. Gatekeeper bowed his head and smiled shyly.
âWell then, shall we go out now?â
After a match was finalized, it was natural for the couple to leave.
Nodding indifferently, I reached for the headband to get it back, but someone suddenly
robbed my headband in front of my eyes!
âI didnât give you this headband just for you to use it this way.â
And the headband was in the hands of the person who gave it to me.
âL-Lycan, why are you here?â
Lycan sneered as he looked through the men across from us.
I canât believe youâre outright sneering at them.
Thatâs too much as everâŚ
Oh? Why is he smiling more kindly and lovingly at me than when he looks at Lariensa?
âBecause youâre attending your first ever matchmaking party.â
âI canât help but worry about my younger sister hanging out with some thugs.â
Since when was Marilyn Launer your sister? And why are you stroking my head right
I canât believe I can get goosebumps when people are suddenly being nice and all. Is this
And why are you putting that green headband on my head?
What the heck⌠Why are you getting so terrifying?!
âLycan, I appreciate you worrying for me but I have to go now.â
âAnd where are you going?â
âNow that I have a partner, I have to go out and spend some time together with him.â
âTogether⌠just the two of youâŚâ
Donât act like this, Lycan.
I donât want your route!
âAnd who is that thug that you need to spend your time alone with?â
Why are you talking like that�
Oh, itâs coming! The feeling like I should protect Mr. Gatekeeper!
All Lycan did was stroke my head, but it was so suffocating as if Iâm caught by the collar.
I glanced at Mr. Gatekeeper, and I donât think he understood the situation yet.
Actually, I canât figure out the situation either, Mr. Gatekeeper.
âOh goodness. Iâve lost my cool for a moment. What I mean isâŚâ
âYou and Marilyn are siblings?â
Arrghh! Mr. Gatekeeper, just please stay quiet. Iâm trying to protect you here!
I think Mr. Gatekeeper is still very confusedâŚ
Thatâs understandable, though. Lycan is a celebrity at the academy, and so is his sister,
Although we are not really siblings by blood, Lycan is telling him that Iâm his sisterâŚ
âUhmm, Lycan and I came from the same hometown and we just live next door to each
other. Thatâs why Iâm also close to his sister, Lariensa.â
âAhhh, thatâs why he said youâre his âyounger sisterâ.â
âYes, thatâs right. Lycan is just my neighbor⌠who Iâm a little close to.â
I had no intention of getting too deep with my relationship with Mr. Gatekeeper, but that
doesnât mean itâs okay for me to be misunderstood with my relationship with Lycan!
âWas that really all there is to it?â
Alas⌠Lycan doesnât seem to like what I was saying.
I could feel it. This is the calm before the storm.
âIâm not just your neighbor.â
If you and I arenât just neighbors, what are we then?
âDidnât you promise to marry me when we were young?â
I wasnât the one who just spat water, it was Natalie who was next to me. It was fatal to her
because the one who said it was the guy that she likesâŚ
Emily sacrificed herself and got rid of her brother, but I ended up destroying the party.
âWhen did I say that? Why are you making things up?â
âJust because you donât remember doesnât mean you didnât promise me before.â
âIâm upset that you donât even remember what you said.â
When did I make such a promise?
Wait. Was it Marilyn who did it?
Okay, let me recall what happened at allâŚ
Ah! I remember! It was in the epilogue!
Marilyn was so young at that time that it was less likely for him to take that seriously at all!
ăâIâm going to marry Lycan!â
The young Marilyn shouted loudly during a gathering of Lariensa and Marilynâs family. At
that time, Lariensa was asleep on her fatherâs lap so she did not hear her best friendâs
Lycanâs parents laughed and adored Marilyn at her childish confession. Marilyn wouldnât
have said it if Lycan was there, but because he wasnât there, she confessed her feelings
to the adults who were there.
Marilyn could not have imagined that Lycan was upstairs, listening, and must have been
Donât tell me he still remembers that day? But he was upset about it!
âThatâs right⌠I did promise youâŚâ
I can see Mr. Gatekeeper make a shocked expression.
No, wait! Itâs not like that!
âI donât think thereâs anyone satisfactory here that Marilyn can date. I think weâre done
here so weâll take our leave.â
If you want to go, then go along. Why are you holding my hand?
As I held out, Lycan looked at me fiercely.
What?! What are you going to do, huh?!
Lycan called my name andâŚ
âHeâs in the same grade as me and heâs in Class D.â
âŚMentioned his name, and what grade and class he is in.
âYou must have really liked him, seeing that you wanted to stay here so bad.â
So youâre threatening me right now!?
âOkay, letâs go! What are you waiting for! Great timing, I was just about to leave!â
I quickly packed my things.
Mr. Gatekeeper, you liked me so much. Sigh, Iâm so sorryâŚ
I feel bad for things to just end here⌠I think this is just what weâre meant to be, Mr.
As I followed Lycan outside, I could feel a longing gaze staring behind me.
Looking back, Mr. Gatekeeperâs dim eyes, which are so burdensome that Iâm sweatingâŚ!
But before I couldnât stand his gaze, Lycan and I left the cafe. If you think Lycan just
slammed the door hard by accident⌠then youâre off by a large margin.
âWhat do you mean âdamn itâ? I should be the one saying that though?â
âWhen I was your age, I didnât even dream of attending a matchmaking party.â
âDonât talk like an old man.â
âDid you want to have a boyfriend that much?"
That was not really what was on my mind at all. I only did Natalie a favor.
But whether I want to have a boyfriend or notâŚ!
âThatâs none of your business.â
âHow can I not care? If you want to date someone, donât look for someone in that setting.â
âThen where will I find one?â
âIf you really want to date someone, thereâs me, right next to youâŚâ
âBut I donât like you.â
In response to my straightforward reply, Lycan was stupefied.
âYeah, thatâs right. I said I wanted us to get married.â
Well, it was not me, but the real owner of this body.
âBut I think itâs not me whoâs having trouble remembering, itâs you.â
âWhat do you mean by thatâŚ?â
âDonât you remember?â
Itâs always the person who hurt someone who doesnât remember what they have done.
The axe forgets but the tree remembers.
ăIt was not because Marilyn seriously liked Lycan that she wanted to marry him.
At that time, Marilyn said she wanted to marry the uncle across the street, who was 20
years older than her. She also wanted to marry the man who just walked by and even the
In extreme cases, it would be her dadâŚ
She just declared that she would marry everything she thought was cute, cool, or pretty.
It was true that Marilyn liked Lycan, but her marriage declaration at the time could not be
So how did Lycan trample the heart of such a cute, innocent child?
Marilyn almost fell down on the side of the road, and Lycan happened to catch her as he
The young Marilyn was mesmerized by Lycanâs beauty as usual.
But Lycan frowned and immediately removed himself from his grip on Marilyn.
âDonât get me wrong.â
âIâm only kind to you because my sister cares about you.â
âSo just be kind to her.âă
Lycanâs face sweated faintly as I brought up what actually happened before.
You canât say anything now, can you?
âIsnât that what you said to me that day, knowing that I told our parents I was going to
âAnd now youâre going to talk about the promise I made you as a kid, and ruin our party?â
âAnd donât get me wrong.â
âAt the time, I told my dad that I would marry him and that I also wanted to marry the dog
that was just passing by. Who Iâm going to marry would change once a day.â
âWhat a weak commitmentâŚ!â
Lycan, who showed signs of anger, soon calmed himself down, lowered his voice, and
âYouâre taking it too lightly. Marriage is a solemn vow.â
âHow can an adult believe a childâs solemn vows?â
âIt seems that Lara also played a role in your interruption and in what happened today so
letâs move on. And can you please return my headband now?â
Lycan had my headband in his hand. I donât know when he got it back but since he gave
it to me, itâs now mine.
Donât you know how valuable free stuff is? Itâs the best, okay?
But Lycan must have had a different opinion from me.
âWhy did you break it?!â
âYouâre just being mean, arenât you? I hate people who are mean!â
ââŚIâm not being mean.â
âIf thatâs not it, then what are you doing?â
âI just got rid of garbage.â
Why donât you just be honest? That you donât like the fact that the headband was used
as a link between Mr. Gatekeeper and me.
âIâll buy you a new headband that looks better on you. So just let go of the lingering
âYouâre already putting it in the trash without my permission.â
The thug is not Mr. Gatekeeper, itâs you!
A shiny blonde popped out of the store right next door.
âI-I just h-happen to be p-passing by! W-What a coincidence? HahahahaâŚâ
âW-Woah! W-What a surprise!â
LaraâŚÂ I know you canât lie, but if your voice is trembling so hard, I canât pretend that I
She was just like a robot whose body is stiff, with a hardened smile and trembling voice.
I smiled brightly at her. Then Laraâs expression became much more relaxed.
Hmph! You thought Iâd just let you go like this?
In front of me blazing mad, Lariensa trembled like a rabbit caught by a predator.
Afterwards, it goes without saying that Lara was subject to torture, which was tickling her.