"Kiss?"

The girl’s words fell softly into his ear. Looking at the reflection of himself in her eyes, Alan was stunned.

He never imagined such a request would come from Nozomi Sakura

No matter how much preamble or flowery language she used to soften it, what it was, was what it was—its essence couldn’t be hidden.

Before him, Nozomi had never been in love, how could she be frivolous?

There was no time to think about which step had gone wrong that made her like him.

Alan regained his senses, furrowed his brows, and reached out to grasp Nozomi’s wrist, pulling her hand down from his sleeve.

Feeling the movement, Nozomi’s pupils constricted, and she instinctively held her breath. A bad premonition welled up from her heart.

She pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Alan stared at her face, recalling the words Akari Hojo had told him earlier.

Did Nozomi know?

Then he remembered the promise he made to Nino, and his heart twisted. After a moment of silence, he confessed:

"I promised Nino I would marry her."

In an instant, Nozomi felt as if something inside her heart had exploded.

A busy signal echoed in her ears, she heard nothing else.

She opened her mouth to say something but found her throat glued shut, unable to utter a sound.

Her heart felt hollow, sucking her soul deeper inside.

Like a puppet on strings, she blankly stared at the boy before her.

The words Akari Hojo had spoken in her dream seemed to have become reality:

"He never liked you, it was all just your imagination!"

The aching sensation surged into her eyes, and in moments, her vision blurred.

Resentment.

True resentment.

Why, after finally liking someone so much and actually being in love, did someone else have to steal him away?

Was she really that worthless?

She had tried so hard.

An overwhelming jealousy gripped her like a giant hand, pulling her soul back from the void.

Nozomi Sakura bit her lip hard, tears shining in her beautiful eyes. She grabbed Alan’s collar, and before he could react, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him fiercely.

Under the lights, a crystal tear slipped from the corner of the girl’s eye.

At that moment, she finally understood the feelings Nino must have had when she stabbed her in the kendo hall’s resting room.

It was as if the jealousy bucket had been overturned, soaking her entirely in a sour brine that made her skin sting and her bones ache.

Warmth spread across her lips, followed by a tingling sensation rushing from her toes to her brow.

Her toes, wrapped in white socks, curled involuntarily, her legs pressed tightly together. The aching softness spread from her tongue to every inch of skin.

Sweet, bitter, painful, complex emotions churned in her heart.

Then, pride deep within her flared up.

Jealousy had its rules. No matter what, she was now his official girlfriend, and both the Akari sisters and Nino Kitagawa had to give her space.

Suddenly, Nozomi felt short of breath, as if she was suffocating. Her delicate brows furrowed unconsciously, and she bit her teeth hard.

"Ugh."

Alan felt a sharp sting on his tongue and quickly raised his face.

Nozomi calmed down, pushed him hard, and he stumbled backward.

The girl glared at him with red-rimmed eyes, her chest rising and falling as she scowled, annoyed.

"How are you so good at this?!"

This was supposed to be her first kiss, but he had no idea how many times he’d kissed those other women.

She wanted to ask who really had his first kiss, but the question caught in her throat.

Knowing would only upset her more.

Alan hesitated, looking at her tearful face. He grabbed some tissues from the table and handed them over.

"Wipe it off."

At his words, Nozomi took two tissues and wiped her tears away, feeling a sting at the corners of her eyes but still glaring at him with a hint of anger.

Alan looked at the girl before him with complicated eyes and softly asked.

"When did you start liking me?"

Silence filled the air.

After a long pause, Nozomi’s gaze calmed and she smiled dreamily.

"What liking or not liking? Didn’t I just say I only wanted to experience what being in love feels like?"

She paused, then continued,

"Besides, even if I like you now, what can you do? You already promised Nino Kitagawa you’d marry her. It’s too late to change your mind now, isn’t it?"

At this, Nozomi sniffed and said,

"Don’t worry. Even if you date Nino, I won’t say anything. I meant what I said before, I wasn’t lying."

"But I am curious, when are you going to marry her? And now you’re dating me. Won’t she suddenly go crazy one day and stab me to death halfway through?"

Her eyes gave Alan a mournful look, as if her life depended on him.

Seeing this, Alan explained,

"She’s not that impulsive. I told her."

"Who knows."

Nozomi shook her head, saying,

"Remember last time she stabbed me without any warning? I’m still a little scared. Every day when I go home, I’m scared."

...Hearing this, Alan wanted to explain that Nino wasn’t like that, but he sensed Nozomi had another meaning and asked,

"So what do you think is appropriate now?"

"Appropriate? Just don’t provoke that crazy girl anymore, and—"

Nozomi suddenly snorted, then frowned, thinking a moment before saying,

"What do you think about the plan cousin suggested today?"

"Nino’s not crazy."

Alam corrected her, then thought for a moment and said.

"You mean living together?"

Before she could answer, he said,

"No way. By your logic, if Nino finds out you live with me, wouldn’t you be in more danger? Besides, your family would have to agree to something like that, right?"

Living together was impossible. Who knew what might happen?

Not to mention whether Nino would get jealous and lose control.

A man and a woman living together, no matter how much self-control he had, it was hard to say if Nozomi could keep her mind on her career.

What if one day things went wrong and someone got hurt? It wouldn’t be worth it.

Alan rubbed his temples in frustration.

"If you really don’t want to live here, you can move to my neighborhood. I think there are some empty apartments. It’d be more convenient."

Hearing this, Nozomi blinked, hesitated, then nodded,

"That would be more convenient."

But inside, she smiled softly.

What did it matter if he promised to marry her? They weren’t really married yet. What right did he have to try to talk her out of this?

After chatting a little more, Alan went downstairs and left.

He got into his car and stared out at the neon lights, lost in thought.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had gone wrong.

But after a while, he had no clue, just like falling for someone didn’t need a reason, the feeling came without explanation.

Alam sighed deeply and pressed the accelerator to the floor.

"I really am a jerk."

As the taillights disappeared around the corner, a girl holding a rice ball stepped out of the shadows.

She twirled the dagger in her hand and looked up at the apartment where Nozomi Sakura lived.