《My Future Wife Is Androphobic》


 Chapter 1 - Encounter

    Chapter 1 - Encounter


    Kazehara High.


    In a mini forest at one corner of therge private school, a girl dressed in a P.E uniform was quietly stretching along a wall passed 3 meters high. After stretching, she put on a ck face mask, moved few steps back and then ran towards the wall like a swift ninja. The way she ran and jumped on the wall with ease was just amazingly eye catching. She was like a light figure in motion, looking like a professional wall climber, moving so gracefully.


    As soon as she grabbed the top of the wall, she effortlessly pulled herself up. However, she didn''t go over the wall. Instead, she slowly pulled herself up just enough so she could peek over the wall. Her long ck hair was a bit messy and it covered the remaining visible part of her face. Anyone who saw her at that moment would definitely have freaked out and no one would have med them for thinking that she was a ghost. Well, that was exactly what she was after, to scare anyone who might see her.


    Upon seeing that there was no one on the other side, the girl cautiously looked from left to right before she jumped down again.


    Zeri Kim was actually trying to escape. She just received a message from her little brother that she forgot the uniform she was supposed to wear for her new part time job. She finally found a job that was convenient enough for her, and yet, she actually forgot the most important thing.


    She was supposed to go directly to her part time job as soon as herst ss ended but she would definitely bete if she had to go back to their house. Zeri didn''t want to give her boss a bad first impression on her first day of work. That was why she really didn''t have a choice but to climb the school wall again to head out. Well,st month, Zeri had already climbed this wall quite a few times and she was actually really good at it. She was so good that she once thought about joining those bouldering contests that seemed way too easy in her eyes.


    Confirming that there was no one on the other side of the wall, Zeri then took her bag. She stretched her arms once again and took another few steps back. She was now ready to cross over the wall and take her escape route out of here.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile on the other side of the wall, a gorgeous young man, who looked like a prince, was quietly sitting inside a car hidden behind the dark tinted window, parked near the school''s wall. He was Kazehara High''s most famous student. Almost everyone in the school was infatuated with him. Every single girl, even the boys, worshipped him not just because of his gorgeous looks but also because of his genius mind. For some unknown reason, he was the only one who was allowed to leave the school when he wanted so here he was, skipping ss.


    At that moment, he happened to be staring nkly at therge towering tree behind the wall when he saw a ghost sneakily peeking from the other side. He immediately straightened up and his gorgeous eyes narrowed. He tilted his head so he could get a clearer view of this ghost as if he was trying to confirm that it wasn''t just a hallucination.


    The young man blinked but as soon as he saw the ghost looking from left to right, he realized it wasn''t a ghost at all but an agile human, made of flesh and blood, just disguised as one.


    He then realized that the peeking ghost in disguise was a girl and his narrowed eyes widened a bit. Well, he thought that the school wall was too high for a girl to climb over. Even boys would have a hard time climbing such a wall and yet¡­ was that person really a girl?!


    Quietly, the young man watched the ghost girl until she disappeared.


    In one nce, he knew what the girl was up to and the corner of the young man''s lips lifted. His bored eyes and his expressionless yet perfectly gorgeous face somehow changed a little.


    The young man immediately stepped out of the car and stood across the exact point where the girl had peeked. He took his cellphone out and tapped the video button as he slipped his other hand in his pocket. Afterwards, he raised his head and calmly waited for the ghost girl, who was probably getting ready to jump, making sure to record the interesting event that was about to unfold before his eyes.


    However, the next moment, something happened that was beyond his expectations. He was expecting that the girl would scurry up and stand on top of the wall first before jumping down. He even nned to capture her reaction once she saw him recording her escape. Yet none of the things he anticipated happened. Instead, out of nowhere, the ghost girl suddenly appeared and leaped over the wall without stopping, like a skilled sneaky ninja from ancient times. She was simply like a ck blur appearing out of nowhere.


    Bam!


    In a blink of an eye, the young man suddenly fell on his bottom. Things happened way too fast. It was as if she was one of those ninja women from the action movies. Her swift movements just now were just unbelievably unreal for a normal high school girl.


    What is she? Is she really a ghost ninja?!


    He immediately helped himself up and tried to raise his upper body when he realized that the girl was sitting on his stomach, straddling him.


    "You¡­" The young man couldn''t even continue his words. It was because all of a sudden, the girl immediately and violently moved away from him. Her reaction was exactly the same as the reaction of a girl who had just seen a c.o.c.kroach, a reaction that caused the young man''s veins to instantly pop with great annoyance and disbelief. He expected her to at least act shy and be apologetic for what happened, not to mention that she had just used the Great Him as her airbag, and yet, she actually reacted like that?


    "You¡­" Once again, the young man, who immediately stood up to confront the ghost ninja girl, was left speechless. This time, it was because as soon as he raised his face and looked at her, the girl was already dashing away from him, furiously fast, like a cheetah running for its life.


    He could only take a single step as he watched her disappear from his sight in no time.


    "¡­" The young man waspletely speechless. Nobody had ever treated him like this before. Every single girl that ever saw him simply fell into a great daze but that girl didn''t! She didn''t just use him as her air bag, she acted like she saw a c.o.c.kroach upon seeing him and she even ditched him just like that as if he was some lowly beggar!


    He couldn''t help but bite his lip hard. He stared at his cellphone lying on the ground and he ran his fingers through his hair with a really darkened face. His bored, unfathomable eyes a moment ago glistened with something inexplicable.


    "Hey Kira, what happened to you?" the words came from behind him. Another young man, wearing the same P.E uniform spoke and Kira turned towards him before he picked his cellphone up from the ground.


    His face was still dark as he answered.


    "Thanks to you beingte Rei, I just encountered a ghost¡­ no, a ninja¡­ no, a cheetah." Kira replied, causing Rei to knit his brows, looking extremely puzzled.


    "An encounter with¡­ a g-ghost? Ninja? Cheetah?" Rei could only ask but Kira didn''t speak anymore. He instead threw the cracked cellphone to him as he said, "watch the video and find who that person is." He coldly said and Rei could only crease his brows again.


    Did someone piss him off? Is there even someone gutsy enough to do that in this school?

 Chapter 2 - The bet

    Chapter 2 - The bet


    Zeri was still running nonstop until she was far enough from the scene. Her heart was beating ferociously. She was nervous to death. She was sure that she saw no one when she first took a peek so where did that persone from?


    The emotion that enveloped her upon realizing that the person was also male was too much and it made her shudder in fear to the point that she instinctively ran away in an instant. She was so scared that she didn''t even have the courage to look at his face.


    dly, that person didn''t try chasing her. She was also extremely d that she decided to wear a face mask. If she hadn''t, she would be in soooooo much trouble if he saw her face and reported her to the school.


    Ah! That was close!


    Zeri Kim was actually androphobic. Ever since that night years ago, she developed this troublesome phobia. She was scared of any human males except for children. Just the presence of a male around her gave her chills down her spine, causing her knees to shiver in fear. Over the years, she somehow managed to slowly adjust. She was fine being with a male inside a single room as long as there were many girls around and the male wasn''t close to her. They had to at least be one meter away.


    That was the reason why Zeri Kim disguised herself as a ghost. She was purposely making herself a freak to deter every male from going anywhere near her.


    ¡­


    The next day.


    In a ssy looking yet somewhat crowded school corridor, two young men dressed in a long-sleeved, cored white shirt paired with a ck tie and ck trousers, were walking nonchntly while the crowd of students were voluntarily clearing a way for them, as if they were royalty heading towards their thrones. Rei Han was innocent-looking, with a fairplexion and restless but keen eyes. His tall figure and messy ck hair was more than enough to make any girl swoon upon seeing him. Beside him was Akira Lee, a young man almost beyond words to define. His dark brown hair, his calm and mesmerizing eyes, and his almost unreal presence made every girl''s mouth subconsciously hang open, effortlessly driving them all crazy over him.


    "Oh my god! Kira!! You''re so handsome."


    "Yes, is he even human? Look at that face! He''s like¡­ he actually looks like a human version of an anime character."


    "Yes, yes, that''s definitely one of the best ways to describe him. Oh gosh! He looks like he''s from out of this world! What a godly sight to behold."


    "That''s right, that''s right! We''re so blessed that we can see such an ethereal creature every day!"


    "Well, don''t forget about Rei okay? Look at that innocent big baby! Kyahh!"


    It was the usual daily event every single time Kira walked out of the ssroom. Girls would swoon over him like he was a superstar, making the hallway almost look like a concert venue. He was the number one heartthrob who was effortlessly robbing every girl''s heart away to the point that most boys could only wish that he would only be seen on TV and not seen at their school.


    However, the two appeared as though what was happening around them was nothing but an irrelevant nuisance. They looked like they were immersed in their own worlds, as if they saw nothing and no one around them as they walked by until they finally arrived in a spacious and elegant room that was just exclusively for them.


    After they entered the room, Kira hastily loosened his tie as his perfect and calm face instantly turned dark. He looked at the middle aged man, dressed in ck standing across him, with a displeased gaze.


    "What brought you here," he said in a cold tone. The man in ck just quietly and calmly moved closer to him and held out a white envelope.


    "Young master, the master wanted me to give you this. These doc.u.ments contain information about your future wife." The man''s statement made Kira''s face turn even darker, a mocking smile appearing on his thin lips as he stared at the white envelope.


    Future wife, huh?


    He didn''t speak nor move his hand to ept it but after a while, he slipped one hand into his pocket to grab his phone and made a call.


    After a few seconds, the call connected.


    "And so you call, my dearest grandson. How long has it been since youst voluntarily called me?" An old man''s voice filled with extreme authority and power spoke on the other side of the phone. It was just his voice but it was enough to make anyone listening shiver in fear, except Kira, of course, who appeared to bepletely unaffected.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" Kira asked, his voice was as cold as frost. He was like a cold prince demanding an answer from a terrifying emperor.


    "What? Didn''t we already talk about this before?" The old man''s statement instantly made Kira''s gorgeous brows furrow. It was because he remembered the talk the old man was talking about. It was about five years ago when Kira''s grandfather suddenly told him to start looking for his future bride. He said that if Kira does not introduce his chosen bride to him on his eighteenth birthday, then the old man would be the one to choose a bride for him, without objection.


    At that moment, Kira could only shake his head in disbelief. His old grandfather was akin to an olden day emperor where every word he said, no matter how absurd it was would always bew itself, unchangeable and always resulted in unimaginable consequences if ignored. However, he still couldn''t believe this was happening! He was just freaking 13 years old at the time!


    "You''ve already turned 18, it''s time for you to give me a great grandchild," he added firmly turning Kira''s already dark face several shades darker.


    "I just turned 18 and you already want me to be a father?" Kira''s voice was filled with disbelief and he could only shake his head.


    "What are you getting fl.u.s.tered for? I already gave you five years to choose for yourself but what did you do? You wasted your time ying with girls, not getting serious even once." The voice filled with authority just now seemed to suddenly weaken as he sighed deeply, making Kira just quietly grip his phone so hard that his knuckles turned white.


    "Look, I''m already old¡­ I could die at any moment, I can''t leave you all alone so just do what I want and make me happily rest on my grave."


    The old man''s statement made Kira fall silent. After the call ended, Kira''s darkened face instantly turned indifferent, emitting an inexplicable atmosphere as if a storm was brewing within him.


    "Young master, please understand your grandfather. You''re the only family he has left in this world and he just wants to ensure that his bloodline won''t end with you. You know he''s already running out of time¡­ this is his only wish before he dies and the only one who can fulfill his wish is you, young master. So please¡­" The man in ck couldn''t finish his words. It was because Kira grabbed the envelope from his hand and tore it open right away.


    He scanned the papers, emotionless, then stared at the man across him.


    "Is this all?" he asked and when the man nodded, a suspicious look was reflected in his beautiful face. The doc.u.ments in his hands contained just a single picture of a ck-haired girl and one-page of basic information about her. Her background was even stranger because she wasn''t even from a middle ss family. She was a poor, orphaned girl working a part time job and was living with her two siblings.


    "I''m sorry, young master. Even I know nothing about how and why the master chose her. All I know is that the girl herself is unaware about this as well."


    "What?"


    "The master said that the girl doesn''t know anything about this and that it will be your job to court her, bring her home and marry her when the timees. Also, he said that it is your job to take care of her from now on, no excuses."


    Upon hearing the man''s words, Kira smirked like a viin. His face was filled with disbelief with a tinge of rebellion. He was thinking about what on earth this old man was trying to make him do? What the hell was he thinking?


    At that same moment, Rei took the papers that Kira dropped on the table and a smile suddenly carved on his innocent-looking face as soon as he saw its contents.


    "Zeri Kim, huh. She''s our new ssmate," he said in a mischievous voice making Kira''s head snap in his direction.


    "What? I don''t remember seeing her."


    "Haha, she''s been our ssmate for about a month now and you haven''t even noticed her? Why am I not surprised?" Rei chuckled as he looked at Kira''s face which was full of suspicion. Well, he couldn''t really me him. It was such a shock that the old man chose not a princess, nor an heir nor a first daughter for his beloved grandson. However, Rei could already feel the mystery behind this girl. It was because she already caught his attention the moment he first saw her. He could only describe her as invisible in terms of her presence, as if she was a quiet ghost and now that the master actually chose her, she was now even more intriguing than ever.


    "Let''s go back. I want to see this girl," Kira said as he moved towards the door.


    "So, you''re willing to marry her?"


    "It''s not like I have a choice."


    "Even if you don''t like her?"


    Rei''s question halted Kira for a moment, but he still looked unaffected as usual. Well, Kira was known as a yboy. He wasn''t one tomit to anyone and he treated all the girls the same way, as if they were all the same person. Nobody knew that all this time, the only reason Kira involved himself with girls was because of his grandfather. He knew that this day would eventuallye so he tried to find a bride for himself but no matter how many girls he met, he just couldn''t take anyone seriously.


    "This is only for the sake of grandfather."


    His heartless answer made Rei forced a smile on his face. He knew that to someone like Kira, marriage was nothing but a task for him to fulfill for the sake of the family''s bloodline and for the sake of his dying grandfather. Kira was well aware that his grandfather was already quite old so he couldn''t me him for being desperate to the point where he even threatened Kira, telling him that he would donate everything to charity if he would not listen to him.


    "But what if she rejects you?"


    "Do you think a girl exists in this world who has the guts to reject me?"


    Rei could only simper and shake his head upon hearing Kira''s reply. However, he knew that Kira''s statement wasn''t at all an exaggeration. He had been around Kira for most of his life and he had seen him work his charm on people many, many times. No girl could ever ignore him and girls still wanted a piece of him even when they knew what kind of guy he was.


    "How about we have a bet?" Rei said with a serious and mischievous face. "If you can''t make her say ''yes'' within a month, you lose and then you''ll have to grant me a request."


    "Nonsense."


    Kira''s abrupt answer made Rei stare intently at him, conveying his seriousness. On the other hand, Kira was suddenly feeling pissed off. He thought that his friend was just spouting another absurd joke to him but he was actually being serious?! Did this guy really think that I wouldn''t be able to make that girl say ''yes'' in that time?


    "One month, huh? What makes you think I can''t get her within such a long period of time?"


    "Just a hunch."


    "Aren''t you just looking down on me?"


    "You know I''m not."


    "Well, fine then. Get ready for the consequence."


    "Deal."


    Rei''s certain answer made Kira shake his head. He didn''t expect this person to have such faith in that girl that he could only smirk at him.

 Chapter 3 - Squirrel

    Chapter 3 - Squirrel


    The moment they reached their ssroom, without wasting a second, Kira took long strides towards Zeri Kim. He took the chair in front of her desk, turned it around, then he sat on it, facing her. He then stared intensely at her.


    The girl''s hair was really ck. But for some reason, she styled it so that most of her face was covered by her ck hair, causing Kira to be unable to even see her face clearly, making him frown. Aside from that unusual hairstyle, she was also eating and both of her cheeks seemed to be stuffed to the point that she almost looked like an eating squirrel. Seeing the girl''s stuffed cheeks strangely filled Kira''s brain with nothing but annoying squirrels popping everywhere one after another.


    He then quietly shook his head to annihte all the squirrels inside his brain and focused his gaze on the girl again. He stared at her eyes that were ck like a dark abyss. He kept staring until the girl finally stared back at him.


    The two gazed at each other.


    A few seconds passed by and the the girl started to eat again nonstop, chewing the stuffed food in her mouth while gazing back at him with big, obvious question marks in her eyes.


    Zeri, at that moment was actually puzzled to the core. It was because for some reason, the moment she stared at the boy in front of her, her extreme fear strangely wasn''t activated. Well, Zeri used to jolt instantly, freeze in ce or flee in a panic the instant any boy or man got this close to her, much less stare at her in the eyes. So why did she suddenly not react towards this guy?


    Zeri was so confused. This was the first time something like this happened to her. What was going on? Wait, don''t tell me I have been cured? Really? But how and why?


    Trying her hardest to think about the reason why she suddenly felt just fine being this close to and even looking at a boy, Zeri was having a hard time finding a logical reason for her behavior, so she simply continued gazing into his eyes.


    Kira on the other hand, couldn''t believe what was happening. It was because such a long moment had already passed but the girl was still gazing back at him as if the two of them were suddenly in a game where the first to avert his or her gaze became the loser.


    Another long moment passed by with both of them just staring at one another as if neither of them was willing to lose. Kira was speechless. Aside from her gaze, the girl was eating in a really uns.e.xy way right in front of his very face and yet, not even a speck of embarrassment was reflected in her face. What was worse was that she was looking at him in a way that seemed like she didn''t really care that it was Kira, the great, she was staring at. Kira could only bite his lips. Never in his life had he met such a girl who was purposely looking at him like he was nothing.


    Such an uns.e.xy and ghost-like Squirrel actually dared to ignore me?


    A smile filled with nothing but disbelief carved on his lips again. He felt as though the girl was just trying to piss him off; something that his great self couldn''t ept at all. Moreover, it seemed that this Zeri Kim had no intention to lose in their game of staring anytime soon.


    Kira could only wonder at this new experience. He was surprised about the fact that the girl managed to keep staring back at him for such a long time, something that no one else had ever dared to do until now.


    And what happened the next moment made him stunned for a moment in disbelief.


    "Want some?" the girl suddenly asked as she lifted her left hand holding a burger, towards him. Her voice was like a rhythmic yet annoying song that suddenly echoed over and over again in his head.


    Did she think I came over to stare at her and ask her for food?


    Kira''s mouth hung open slightly. He didn''t even know how to react. He waspletely thrown off by the uns.e.xy creature, just like that.


    "Pfft¡­ Hahaha."


    A soft chuckle broke the silence and the two turned their head right away to the man who suddenly erupted inughter.


    The stalemate finally broke but Kira''s expression suddenly darkened as he red at Rei, who was trying to suppress hisughter.


    However, the moment he turned his gaze back to the girl¡­


    "You don''t want any?" she asked again but because Kira didn''t talk at all, the girl quietly put the burger back on her desk and she continued eating, ignoring Kira.


    Kira couldn''t even speak, so he simply smirked then stared back at her again. After a moment, his gaze turned into something unreadable.


    No girl ever made him speechless like this before and no girl ever looked at him like he was nothing before. Not until this Squirrel appeared.


    The whole ss'' eyes were on them; they were wondering why Kira suddenly approached that infamous ghost girl no boy ever dared to approach until now.


    "Why the hell is prince Kira staring at her? And look at that, how could she even stare back at him for such a long time? She''s getting on my nerves!"


    "That''s right, how dare she look at him that closely! She''s not even attractive, right? Look at that hair style, I can''t even see her face clearly. She doesn''t have any essories, and she''s not even wearing make up. How could she have entered our school? She looks poor. She looks disgusting."


    "ss, please be quiet." The teacher''s voice made the ss fall silent and Kira finally stood up. He then red at the girl once more before he went and sat right behind her.


    ¡­


    As soon as he left, Zeri swallowed all the food she had stuffed in her mouth as her thoughts started to wander. She originally thought that she may have suddenly been miraculously cured but she was wrong. It was because the moment she looked at thatughing guy and their eyes identally met, her body reacted as usual and goose bumps covered her body, causing her to immediately avert her gaze away from him.


    Zeri realized then that she wasn''t cured at all, so why didn''t she react to that guy? Was it because he looked ultra handsome?


    Well, even to Zeri, Kira''s features were unbelievably perfect that he seemed to be too handsome to be true. This was the first time she looked at a guy''s face this close and she, who had been scared of boys all these years, was actually awed by his face. Could it be that he was actually an android?


    That''s nonsense, right? How could that be? Wait, is it because he is actually a girl disguising as a man?!!!

 Chapter 4 - Want some?

    Chapter 4 - Want some?


    "Pfft! Hahaha. Did you know how long you two red at each other?" Rei whispered at him as heughed softly but Kira wasn''t listening to him at all. He appeared as though he was suddenly meditating deeply when in fact, he was actually just thinking about that Squirrel. He was sure from that one nce that she was no ordinary girl. He felt that there was something intriguing about her which he himself couldn''t say exactly what it was. And one of the biggest questions was ''why her''? Who was she? Old man, what the hell are you thinking?


    Time passed and the bell was about to ring for the noon break.


    Kira''s gaze was locked on the girl in front of him. He already decided to make a move on her right away. Besides, no matter how mysterious she was, she was still a girl, a fragile creature that would easily fall for his charms.


    However, an unexpected scene unfolded before his eyes once again.


    As soon as the bell rang, Squirrel was the first to stand. Kira stood as well but before he could even move to approach her, she suddenly moved and like a swift wind, she disappeared from the ssroom, seemingly turning invisible that no one noticed her movements except for him, who was staring at her the whole time.


    "Haha, isn''t she quite intriguing? That move, no matter how many times I think about it¡­ was just too cool. Do you think she''s a ninja?" Rei said mischievously as he leaned his arm on Kira''s shoulder.


    Kira was silent so Rei continued talking.


    "And it seems like that girl onlyes back in thest few seconds before the bell rings. Every single time. I don''t know why but it seems like she doesn''t want to be noticed or maybe she''s avoiding something¡­ So? What''s the n?"


    "Find her."


    "Eh? Right away? Aren''t you being way too impatient?"


    "Waiting for right chance toe by is a waste of time,"


    "So you''ll just create every perfect chance instead? Fine, just wait a minute." Rei sighed as he took his phone right away and called someone. After a while, the two moved out of the ssroom and walked towards the stairs going up to the rooftop.


    As soon as they reached the rooftop, the two began to y basketball. There was a single ring standing in the middle of the spacious and wide rooftop surrounded by chain-link fence. There was also a storage room on the right hand side.


    Kira and Rei''s gaze were focused on top of the storage room. There was nodder around so they could only deduce that she must have climbed to the top. Both of them could already tell she was more than just a skilled wall climber to have managed to climb such a high and smooth wall.


    After a short while, Kira purposely threw the basketball on top of the storage room.


    "Oh man! That''s why I told you not to use too much strength." Rei said as Kira began to stretch.


    "I''ll go get it," he said, then he ran at the wall, scurried up and reached the top right away.


    Kira''s n was to approach her naturally which was his usual n of attack when wooing girls. However, what appeared before his eyes that moment made his eyes narrow again.


    The girl sitting under the shadow of a satellite dish turned her head towards him and their eyes met. However, the girl''s cheeks were stuffed again and upon seeing her stuffed cheeks, Kira''s brain was instantly filled with annoying little squirrels once more.


    Tch! This damn squirrel.


    Kira bit his lip then stood up and moved towards her. She was holding the ball with her right hand as if she was about to toss it back, while a lunch box was sitting on herp. She kept on chewing nonchntly until Kira finally reached her.


    He stood before her and she gave the ball to him right away. Kira could only ept it but as soon as he received it, the girl turned her gaze back to the food on herp. She ate quietly as if no one was there.


    He waspletely ignored.


    That same moment, an evil smile momentarily carved on his face, and then he nonchntly sat down beside her. The girl turned her face towards him right away. Her eyes blinked as if she was seeing things and she wondered why he didn''t go away like she thought he would.


    "Do you enjoy eating here?" he asked but the girl just stared at him while chewing her food slowly, as if she was processing the words he just said.


    Kira, on the other hand, stared at her intently but gently as he waited for her reply. His focus and his gaze were on her alone as he tried to convey his natural killer charm to her; the charm that never failed him before.


    However, the girl suddenly lifted her lunch box¡­


    "Want some?" she asked nkly.

 Chapter 5 - Uns.e.xy

    Chapter 5 - Uns.e.xy


    Kira was speechless.


    The weapon he thought was lethal actually didn''t work on her. No emotion even appeared on her nk face as if he didn''t just use his not so secret weapon; as if she didn''t hear him at all.


    This girl¡­ this squirrel.


    "Yes, if you don''t mind." he said as he rested his gorgeous face on his knuckles.


    The girl, on the other hand, blinked as she slowly turned her gaze back to her food. She looked quite disappointed and sad like she really didn''t intend to share the food with him for real. She didn''t think that he would agree this time around.


    "But¡­ I don''t have an extra spoon. Next time--"


    "I don''t mind using yours." He interjected and then he took her lunch box right away, and using her spoon, he ate her lunch.


    The girl''s mouth slightly hung open as she was obviously surprised by what just happened and that little change in her expression made Kira smile as he chewed her food while staring at her.


    "Mmn, this is good." He said as he savored the food in his mouth. It was just rice and vegetables. The food was definitely cheap, and it was Kira''s first taste of amoner''s food. However, he was surprised at how good it tasted. He didn''t think such food would taste so good.


    "D-do you make a habit of doing this? I mean, using other people''s cutlery¡­ That''s dangerous. What if I¡­"


    The girl''s tone was filled with disbelief. However, Kira just showed her his most dazzling smile that could pierce right through any girl''s heart.


    "This is the first time I have done something like this," he said, but the girl just acted as if what he said wasn''t interesting at all. He was expecting her to talk back so that he could hook her into a conversation but nothing came out of her mouth.


    Kira then put another spoonful into his mouth again and he savored it as he stared at her, still waiting for her to talk. However, what she said the next moment almost made him choke to death.


    "Are you that hungry?" she asked nkly.


    Kira''s brain seemed to have halted for a moment. He didn''t know how to react. He was expecting her to ask about why he didn''t mind using her spoon when he had never done it before, but what the hell was this?


    The girl looked at him with an inexplicable expression. She looked at him in a way that seemed worried that he might devour all her food and leave nothing for her.


    Kira could only cough slightly as he turned his face away from her. He couldn''t believe this girl at all. He didn''t know whether tough or cry. He had never gone to so much effort before for anyone and if it was any other girl, they would already feel some sort of romantic excitement. But this girl in front of him didn''t seem to care about that at all, instead, she was worried about her food? What the hell''s going on? Have I been sent into an alternate universe or something?


    "Hey, Kira! What''re you doing up there?"


    Rei''s voice made Kira cleared his throat as he gave the lunch box back to the girl with an unaffected expression.


    "This tastes delicious," he said with a smile and then he turned around and walked towards the edge of the roof. His gaze then fell onto the man with a mischievous smile below him.


    Rei on the other hand was puzzled because Kira''s face suddenly turned sour. He just called out to Kira to make their cunning ns feel like a natural urrence but somehow, it seemed like what he got in return was a look of annoyance from his friend. Eh, why was he mad?


    Kira threw the ball at him with such a strong force, making Rei''s mischievous smile disappear.


    God, why is he mad? Why? What happened up there?


    After a short while, Kira turned towards the girl. He moved closer to her with his usual smile.


    "We''re going to eat at the caf¨¦, wannae with us?" he said, trying to redeem himself. He was sure that an invitation like thising out of his mouth would instantly make the girl''s eyes sparkle with pride and excitement, like it did to the many girls he used this trick on. This made him confident that she would ept since no girl had ever rejected his invitation before. However, the Squirrel girl just looked at him with the same nk eyes and simply said;


    "No, thanks. I like eating alone."


    She then nonchntly turned her head back into her lunch box and started eating while Kira just stood there, speechless, with his mouth hanging slightly open. Kira couldn''t believe he was being treated this way again. He had never imagined that he would ever be ignored to this extent by anyone as long as he lived. But it had finally happened; his first rejection.


    This little uns.e.xy squirrel...


    However, he was supposed to feel pissed and annoyed but a mysterious smile carved on his handsome face instead, as he kept staring at her. A surge of something akin to an intense excitement right before a great game began was suddenly reflected in his gorgeous eyes, almost making the warm breeze suddenly feel chilly.


    "Okay then, next time, let''s eat together." he said with a warm smile and he was about to leave when he saw a certain ck cap that looked exactly like the one the ghost girl was wearing, lying on top of her bag and Kira''s eyes widened.


    This squirrel is the ninja ghost girl from yesterday?

 Chapter 6 - Speechless

    Chapter 6 - Speechless


    Kira narrowed his eyes as he looked at the familiar ck cap. He looked at her as if he was scrutinizing every bit of her, trying to confirm if he really was that ghost ninja girl. He looked at her long ck hair which looked exactly the same as the ghost girl''s. Thinking about her small frame and her ability to climb, Kira was sure that it was her. After all, this was the only girl who had the guts to ignore him like this.


    However, Kira was not the type to rush and attack without confirming the evidence. He wanted to confront her at that very moment but he stopped himself.


    "Okay, see you in ss." He then said with a friendly tone while the girl, who was still busy stuffing food in her mouth, simply nced at him as she responded with a slight nod. Her reaction once again made Kira smirk before he turned back.


    Just you wait squirrel, I will make you fall head over heels for me in no time...


    When Kira jumped down, his expression was serious. It was as if he was cooking up something in his mind while Rei, who was observing him, just grinned.


    "I wonder what happened up there," he murmured as soon as they left the rooftop and Kira suddenly halted and looked at him.


    "That video, did you check it? I believe that squirrel girl is the same as that monkey who jumped on me yesterday," he said and Rei almost choked.


    "Cough¡­ couch¡­ did you just call your future fianc¨¦e ''squirrel''? Do you mean the cheetah you were talking about was also her?!" While Rei was looking at him with wide eyes, Kira just red at him.


    "So you still didn''t check it, huh. You-"


    "Wait, easy! I actually thought that you were just telling some prank yesterday so I didn''t check it out. Haha."


    "Rei, you¡­"


    "Rx. Don''t worry. I have it with me. I can check it in five minutes."


    As soon as the two reached the private room where they usually stayed during their lunch breaks, Rei started checking out the video and as expected, Kira was right. All the details about this ninja girl were exactly the same as Zeri Kim.


    When Kira finally confirmed that it was her, an evil smirk shed across his lips. He was so giddy that he couldn''t wait to go and confront her but unfortunately, an emergency urred and he had to go home after lunch.


    ¡­


    The next day¡­


    Zeri was running with all her might towards the stairs as if her life depended on it. The bell had rung a while ago so she was running while praying that she would still make it in time. When she finally reached the corridor, she was about to breathe in relief but to her dismay, she saw her teacher''s back already entering their ssroom.


    Ahh! No! I still didn''t manage to make it on time. What should I do now?!


    Zeri felt like she was doomed but she still slowly moved towards her ssroom, preparing herself for the worst when luckily, the teacher suddenly stepped out of the ssroom to receive a call.


    Seeing this, Zeri celebrated because she escaped the troublesome punishment she was about to receive for beingte. She then quickly, yet cautiously, entered their ssroom as soon as the teacher turned her back and she walked straight towards her desk like a ninja. Of course, due to her fast paced morning marathon, Zeri was exhausted. She was heaving as she tried to catch her breath and sweat was flowing all over her face down to her neck. Even though she was born with an athletic build with an amazing stamina, running almost five kilometers in such a pace would still, of course, exhaust her.


    She was panting heavily as she wiped her sweat when she noticed someone getting closer to her. She sensed it was a man so she instinctively reacted. She remained unmoving as she continued to look down, as if she was being overly cautious about the approaching danger. But for some reason, that someone simply stood before her desk without doing or saying anything, causing Zeri to crease her brows with curiosity.


    Meanwhile, Kira, who approached her, was nning to unleash another lethal weapon that never once failed to attract a girl before. However, the Squirrel didn''t even raise her head to look at him. She clearly noticed his presence so why the hell is she not raising her face up?


    Once again annoyed with herck of reaction, Kira bit his lip as he bent down before he mmed his hands on her desk, causing the girl to raise her face reflexively and look at him.


    Kira was getting impatient. He wanted to know why his grandfather chose this girl in the first ce. That was why he thought that he must take this girl home as soon as possible so he could go and confront the old man and make him spill the beans. His grandfather actually told him that he would not tell him his reason, unless he seeded in taking her home with him without forcing her. This absurd order from the old man was making him impatient and at the same time, really curious.


    Tch! Why does this girl keep covering her face with that annoying hair of hers? Was she purposely trying to look creepy? I can''t even see her face clearly, for heaven''s sake¡­ and what the hell''s with that nk look of hers?


    A while ago, Kira had a lot of things he wanted to say but as soon as Zeri Kim looked at him, he couldn''t help but fall speechless. He still couldn''t believe the way she looked at him. He still couldn''t believe the way this girl was getting on his nerve.


    This uns.e.xy creature¡­

 Chapter 7 - What are you up to?

    Chapter 7 - What are you up to?


    Zeri was looking at Kira with a curious gaze. She was looking at him as though she was trying to scan a certainputer device. She just couldn''t help but wonder again on why she wasn''t afraid of him. She didn''t even feel nervous as she looked at him.


    Zeri usually felt like her life was in danger every time a male approached her. That was why in every situation, as soon as she saw a male start to approach her, her first reaction was to dash away and run for her life. This used to be her way of coping until she discovered the good idea of disguising herself into someone really creepy. After that, she really didn''t need to run away anymore because the boys would voluntarily avoid her, causing her to celebrate secretly.


    However, this person in front of her seemed different. She didn''t understand why she was not afraid of him and she also didn''t understand why this beautiful creature kept looking at her since yesterday. Was my creepy disguise not enough to put him off? Was there something he needed from me?


    Just as Zeri was trying to figure out a reason that made some sense, the strange, beautiful guy suddenly opened his mouth.


    "Hey Squirrel, don''t you think we have something to talk about?" he broke the silence as he tried his best to sh a smile on his face.


    Hm?! Squirrel? Did this guy just call me Squirrel? More importantly, what''s with that smile? Why bother to fake a smile? Wait¡­ we have something to talk about? What does he mean by that?


    "D-do you need something from me?" Zeri finally asked. She widened her eyes as she stared at him, as if she was trying to scare him away.


    However, Kira simply smiled again.


    "Did you already forget our sweet first encounter?" he replied as he continued smiling sweetly at her and Zeri''s heart suddenly elerated. She still didn''t get what he meant but somehow, she could feel that there might be some trouble brewing. Sweet first encounter? When was that?! What was this person talking about?


    Zeri was about to ask when suddenly, Kira leaned in closer to her as he raised his phone and showed her a clip of her jumping on the wall. Zeri gasped and her eyes widened in disbelief as soon as she realized that the girl in the ck mask was her.


    Her big, round eyes looked at him and Kira widely smiled again as he casually put his phone back into his pocket.


    "Ok ss. Everybody, please take your seat." The teacher''s voice suddenly rang as Zeri was still in shock while Kira simply moved again closer to her.


    "Don''t run away after ss, okay?" He whispered near her ear before he nonchntly went to sit on his chair just behind her.


    After that, Zeri could no longer pay attention to their teacher. Her brain was busy formting a n. Well, she realized that she may be doomed this time. She couldn''t afford to be caught up in any kind of trouble. She was just a schr in this school for rich kids so it would be over for her once the school found out what she did. After all, Kazehara High was a school that was famous for their strict implementation of their rules. Thinking about this, Zeri could only pray that this guy was someone who was easy to reason with.


    ¡­


    Finally, the bell rang. Kira was about to stand when Squirrel suddenly approach him. Her, voluntarily approaching him made Kira smirk as he leaned back on his chair. He looked like he was absolutely pleased. Don''t tell me you''ve already fallen for my charms, huh, Squirrel?


    Kira was smiling mischievously as he spoke.


    "Don''t just stand there. Speak." Kira said as he looked intently at her. However, Zeri didn''t respond. She just stood there steadily, like a frozen statue, while she stared at him with a seemingly nk expression.


    In the end, they remained silent for a few minutes. They looked like they were again locked in a staring contest and Kira was getting very impatient. Damn it! What''s wrong with this girl?!


    "Hey, didn''t I tell you to speak?" Kira finally burst as his patience ran out. This girl was really driving him nuts. dly, before Kira snapped, Zeri finally decided to open her mouth.


    "Can we talk outside?" she said and she quickly turned to leave.


    Damn! Did you really have to stare at me for that long just to tell me those damn four words?! Do you even know how many minutes you wasted?!


    Biting his lips, Kira stood and followed the annoying Squirrel. However, to his surprise, Zeri was walking so fast ahead of him that he could barely catch up.


    Tch! This cheetah! What the hell''s with this girl?!


    Kira was again puzzled. Whenever he agreed to a girl''s invitation, the girl would always look so happy she would even squeal like crazy. They even clung on him and almost never wanted to let go. And yet, this girl was distancing herself so much as if he was someone with a deadly disease?


    Somehow, Kira who never experienced this kind of treatment before, was starting to seriously get pissed off. However, for some reason, a certain excitement was also brewing within him. He didn''t know why but he couldn''t get angry despite feeling so much annoyance at her actions.


    "Where the hell are you going?" Kira could only ask himself as he kept on following her. They already left the building and yet she still didn''t stop walking.


    As they walked along the pathway, the girl finally halted. But just as Kira thought that it was finally the end of their journey, the girl nced at him before she walked towards the school''s mini forest.


    Kira narrowed his eyes as he followed her. She still maintained the same distance from him until she reached a wall. She then stopped and turned towards him, staring at him again with those same nk eyes of hers.


    Kira was about to ask when he noticed the huge tree beside her. His mouth slightly hung open because this was the tree that this ninja ghost girl climbed yesterday.


    "You¡­ what are you up to?"

 Chapter 8 - Eye for an eye

    Chapter 8 - Eye for an eye


    Kira''s hands were in his pockets as he gazed at the girl before him. He was full of curiosity about why on earth this girl brought him to this ce. What was worse was that she was not saying anything again; she was just staring back at him with her signature nk look.


    Gahh! Why is this girl giving me headaches just by looking at her?!


    The quiet breeze in this mini forest caressed their skin as they both just stared at each other. If anyone saw them at that moment, they would think that they were young lovers meeting in secret, gazing deeply into each other''s eyes, as if they were so in love that they needed no words to tell each other how they felt.


    Unfortunately, the situation was actually nothing like that. Zeri was busy thinking about how to persuade him not to show that video to anyone. She was anxiously thinking about the best thing she could do or say to convince him.


    Kira, on the other hand, was starting to pop some veins. He had been waiting for this squirrel to speak but minutes already went by and there was still no sign of her giving up on this damn staring contest. Damn! Squirrel, did you bring me here just to stare at me like this?! Are you really trying to piss me off?! What the hell is wrong with you?!


    Face palming himself in his mind, Kira let go of a deep, quiet sigh. He didn''t know why but he suddenly felt so defeated. This girl wouldn''t even avert her gaze. It would be a different story if she was staring at him with hearts in her eyes but for goodness'' sake, she looked like she was staring at a nk sheet!


    Unable to stand this situation anymore, Kira finally spoke. "Don''t you think it''s time for you to speak? You have something to say, right?"


    Kira still smiled even though deep within him, he really wanted to punish this uns.e.xy, strange squirrel.


    dly, it seemed like Kira''s words worked and the girl finally opened her mouth.


    "Uhm¡­ that¡­ uhm¡­ that video, please erase it. There was an emergency yesterday so my only choice was to escape. Please, don''t report it to the teachers. Please." She pleaded. Her expression finally changed. She looked sincere and apologetic. She was biting her lip as she stared at him and looking at her at the moment, Kira''s annoyance somehow slowly dissipated.


    Kira then moved. His eyes locked on hers as he approached her. He looked pleased, as if the moment he was waiting for finally arrived. Kira was almost walking in slow motion. He approached her like the prince he was and the way he was gazing at her at that moment would surely have made any girl subconsciously step back. Well, that was what Kira was after. He was performing one of his so called lethal moves, so he could corner her and do the infamous kabe-don once she reached the wall behind her.


    However, to his surprise, the squirrel didn''t even flinch. She didn''t move at all. She even met his gaze as if she was waiting for him to reach her. Kira''s rhythm was a bit thrown off but he didn''t stop, thinking that she might move back once he was close enough to her. But surprisingly, when Kira was just two steps away from her, the girl still stood her ground, like a tree standing strong before an approaching storm.


    The absence of a reaction forcefully made Kira''s veins pop as he stopped. Their distance was just a few inches away but nothing even changed in the girl''s expression. Since Kira was young, every single time he approached a girl, they would start squealing or blushing like crazy, some even fainted even if he was still a meter away, so why the hell was this girl so unaffected?!


    Even though Kira''s kabe-don attempt failed, the young man immediately switched gears. He then lowered his face closer to hers with his hands were still in his pockets. He stared at her closely before he spoke.


    "So, you are only here to ask me to delete this video to save your skin? What about the fact that you used me as your airbag? Don''t you care about that?" he asked and the girl''s eyes slowly widened. She looked really shocked.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I am very sorry. Please forgive me. I didn''t know that you were there." She said and her panicked expression caused a slight smile to form on Kira''s face.


    "Did you think that saying ''sorry'' would be enough?" Kira asked again. At first, he thought about forgiving her without questions to impress her. But for some reason, Kira''s hunch told him that this kind of strategy might be useless on this uns.e.xy creature.


    And it seemed like he was right. As soon as she heard him, her expression changed again. Her apologetic look turned serious as she gazed at him. Kira was expecting her to plead some more and then his n was to eventually make her be the one chasing after him.


    But to his surprise, the squirrel moved and then walked towards the wall. She stood there with a very serious look as she looked at him.


    "Since my ''sorry'' is not enough, I believe an eye for an eye will speak louder, right?" she said and Kira''s perfectly handsome face intensely frowned.


    "You¡­ are you saying I should climb up there and make you as my airbag as well?" he asked in a disbelieving tone and when Zeri nodded without any trace of a joke in her tone and face, Kira was so stunned that augh was forced out of him. T-this damn squirrel! How could she¡­ Gahhh¡­ I can''t believe this¡­! How the hell did she end up with this kind of solution?! Was this girl actually just testing my patience or just taking me for a fool?!!

 Chapter 9 - One condition

    Chapter 9 - One condition


    Kira''s forcedughter caused Zeri to simply blink at him. She was very serious about her offer. This man before her was obviously rich and she didn''t have a penny to bribe him with. Her apology obviously wasn''t enough for him so this was the best solution she could think of.


    But it seemed like he was not pleased at all with that idea! He wasughing but it was obviously forced. Looking at him, Zeri was wondering why this breathing sculpture was faking his expressions like this. At the same time, she was in a great dilemma since he seemed to really dislike her suggestion.


    "You¡­ are you kidding me?" he finally stoppedughing and his gaze turned sharp. He looked like he was extremely annoyed.


    "I¡­ I''m not. I''m serious. You said my apology was not enough but I don''t have anything else to offer. I don''t even have money to bribe you. That''s why I thought this was the best solution. If you do to me what I did to you, then we''ll be even, no?" As she exined, Kira finally snapped and he suddenly raised his hands. His hands then fell on the girl''s cheeks and he pinched her hard.


    "You! Are you out of your mind?!!! What kind of brain do you actually have, huh?!" Kira eximed. He waspletely thrown off. He never thought that this talk would end up like this. How could a girl ask a man like him to do something like that so seriously? Is this girl even normal?!


    Looking surprised with Kira''s sudden outburst, Zeri''s eyes circled as she looked at him. She was still asking herself why she was not afraid of this particr person who looked like a perfectly crafted android. Even now that he seemed to be so annoyed at her that he was even pinching her hard, she still didn''t even feel a tiny tinge of fear from him. Why?


    "I''m so sorry. I just couldn''t think of any other solution but this. Also, please let go of my face. That could be considered as you bullying me." Zeri said and Kira finally realized that he was actually pinching the squirrel''s cheeks pretty hard. He was so annoyed that he acted without thinking so the moment she spoke, Kira was stunned for a moment before he slowly let go of her cheeks. Damn, this uns.e.xy creature¡­ calm down Kira, if this goes on like this, this squirrel might turn you into someone who is idiotically impulsive!


    After secretly breathing deeply to calm himself, Kira moved again. Zeri was already standing near the wall so Kira found this opportunity to trap her in a kabe-don.


    Thus, without wasting any more time, Kira mmed his palms on the wall, trapping Zeri between his long arms. He moved his face closer to hers. This move was no doubt one of the legendary over used tricks to make a girl''s heart flutter like crazy, especially when it was done by the hottest man on campus; someone like him.


    However, again, Zeri''s reaction was far too weak from what he expected, no, it was not even considered weak. The reaction was actually beyond negative as the girl only blinked three times and her gaze turned into a questioning look. She even tilted her head slightly and the only thing that was missing was a huge visible question mark on her head. Looking at her expression, Kira''s hard work to make this scene at least turn into something romantic, dramatically failed. For some reason, he couldn''t switch on the invisible button of romance when it came to her. It was as if he was trying so hard to light a candle but a certain annoying squirrel was teasing him by blowing off the fire again and again.


    Ahhh¡­ this girl is driving me crazy!! Grandpa!!!! What did this girl came from?!!! Answer me!!


    Kira didn''t hide his real expression anymore. Somehow, he suddenly felt jaded. It was as if this squirrel sucked all his energy away.


    "I am not stupid enough to agree with your stupid suggestion." He said in a serious look and Zeri bit her lip.


    "T-then, wh-what do you want me to do for you to forgive me? Please forgive me, I won''t do this again, I promise. If the school found out about this they will kick me out. I''ll do anything you want, so please forgive me." Zeri''s hands were sped together in front of her as she begged. Kira already investigated her background. He knew she wasn''t rich and she was in this luxurious school because of her schrship. He knew that once the school found out about this, she would be treated without any consideration. This was why he understood the reason why this squirrel was begging him like this.


    "You will do anything I want?" Kira''s eyes narrowed. He was actually smiling mischievously on the inside when he heard her say these words. Well, who would have thought that that coincidental ident would be so helpful? Kira didn''t n to use this to ckmail her but this method would save them both time and energy. He needed to find out why his grandfather chose her. He was also doing this so this girl would find out about her being betrothed to him, as soon as possible. Grandpa, it seems like my task of bringing this creature home will be over quite soon and much earlier than nned. You better prepare an exnation now especially for her since you forbade me to tell her anything¡­


    Kira leaned in closer to her ear as he whispered s.e.xily, making sure that his breath caressed her skin. "Are you really sure?"


    "Yes, as long as you promise that you''ll destroy the video and forgive me, I will do anything. I can run errands for you. You don''t have to worry about my pace because I''m the fastest runner in this city. I might even be the best climber in this region. I am also quite strong and hardworking. I-"


    Zeri''s fast paced statements were stopped because Kira suddenly flicked her forehead. God, this girl is hopeless! I didn''t know that a girl like this existed in this world¡­ Are you applying for a sporting career right now?!


    After letting go of another deep sigh, Kira''s gaze turned serious once again. "Listen, I will destroy this video and forgive you in one condition¡­ be my girlfriend."

 Chapter 10 - Okay

    Chapter 10 - Okay


    "Be my girlfriend." As those words left Kira''s mouth, a smooth and deep silence reigned between them. Kira was very eager to see her reaction. His gaze was locked onto her. It was as if he didn''t want to even blink for fear that he might miss the moment his words sunk in. He was clearly excited because he thought those words would definitely get a reaction from her and he did not want to miss anything!


    Time stood still and the girl''s expression remained unchanged. After a moment or two, the girl''s lips finally moved and uttered a word.


    Zeri : "Okay."


    Kira: ". . ."


    Utterly speechless, Kira could do nothing but stare at her. He was dumbfounded, disappointed and confused all at the same time. Here he was, most eagerly awaiting her reaction in what was clearly a defining moment in her life, but there was nothing but that word. There was no surprise or excitement in her expression. It almost looked like he just offered her food and she simply replied ''okay''. Her reaction was like a knife that cut thest string of his self-restrain. He couldn''t believe what was happening.


    Kira''s palms on the wall clenched into tight fists and the next moment, he hooked a finger under her chin and lifter her face towards his.


    "You¡­ you agreed just like that?" he asked with an extremely displeased expression. He''d been thinking that this girl was different but she said ''okay'' without even batting an eye? Was this girl just pretending from the beginning? Kira didn''t know why but he was pissed. Damn! Why am I so annoyed?


    Kira wanted to conclude that this girl was just pretending to be unaffected but every time he looked into her eyes, he just couldn''t see anything fake. Was it because this squirrel was a pro? Gahh¡­ I don''t know anymore!


    Kira had never been so frustrated over any girl who appeared in his life before. He didn''t know why this girl was making him feel like this. He just felt as though dealing with her was just so frustratingly tiresome that he didn''t want to speak anymore.


    "I already swore to do whatever you wanted." She finally replied and Kira let go of her face as he leaned in on her again.


    "Good, then, from this moment on, you are now my girlfriend." He said s.e.xily but Zeri simply nodded before she spoke.


    "I am forgiven now, right?" she confirmed and Kira straightened as he put his hands in his pockets.


    "As promised, yes."


    "Then, how about the video?"


    As Zeri asked those, Kira brought the phone out from his pocket. He deleted the video and showed her as he did so. When the process was done, he slid the phone back in his pocket.


    "Satisfied?"


    "Yes, thank you."


    "You don''t have any doubts? What if I have another copy with me?" Kira tried teasing her. Somehow, he wanted to see what kind of girl this person really was. He wanted to know if she was just pretending or if this was really her real self. He wanted to know if she really was unaffected or just acting like she was not.


    "I believe you are a man of your words."


    As those words left her mouth, Kira was again rendered speechless. This girl¡­


    After silently rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, Kira didn''t back off. He smiled mischievously as he gazed at her.


    "Don''t you think you''re being too trusting of other people?"


    "I don''t have a choice but to believe you. If you end up lying, I can''t do anything about it. But know that I believe in karma. You will be cursed if you break your promise."


    Once again, Kira couldn''t even say a word back. For some reason, the way this squirrel''s mind worked was just so unusually strange for a high school girl like her. Why was this girl always speaking so seriously? Didn''t she know that she almost felt and looked like a witch right now? Was she trying to scare me or something?


    The whole scene was really going into a ce Kira didn''t even imagine. He thought that this was his opportunity to make a move on her. He thought he could easily make this girl fall head over heels for him. But everything did not go to n and went in such a different direction from what he expected. He did seed in making her agree to be his girlfriend but he didn''t feel like that was an aplishment at all. It was not because she was basically ckmailed but because of her reaction orck of it.


    All the girls Kira dated before usually almost screamed their lungs out the moment Kira asked them to be his girlfriend or when he epted their confession. Some even passed out due to the overwhelming happiness and excitement but all he got from this uns.e.xy squirrel was a single, emotionless ''okay'' and some pretty serious words that almost felt like a scolding?! What the hell was happening? Was this girl not really being enticed by his godly charms? Did she really see someone as hot as him as nothing?!! That just can''t be, right?!


    "Uhm¡­ so all I have to do now is be your girlfriend, right?" The squirrel spoke when Kira remained silent and her words somehow made Kira snap.


    "You. Are. My. Girlfriend. Now." He said, emphasizing each word. "You better put that in your mind."


    "Okay, I will. Since this matter is settled now, I should go first." She replied as she nonchntly moved past him, causing Kira to smirk. He turned around so he could catch her hand so they could hold each other''s hand as they walked back, but as soon as he turned, the girl was already a few steps away from him.


    Kira''s veins popped and before he could even take the first step to catch up to her, the girl suddenly dashed away like the cheetah that she was, disappearing from his sight in no time, leaving him all alone like an abandoned young demigod in this little forest.


    Squirrel!!!! How could you leave just like that?!!!!!!

 Chapter 11 - That Android

    Chapter 11 - That Android


    "That Android, what is he really up to?"


    Zeri was frowning hard as she ran away, murmuring to herself. She headed towards the rooftop as she thought about why that Android wanted her to be his girlfriend. She couldn''t understand why no matter how much she thought about it. She could feel that he obviously wasn''t serious at all. She could tell that he was forcing a smile.


    Since she was young, Zeri had always been the quiet type. She used to just sit there and watch people. She had always been the invincible character. She grew up in an environment that never gave her the chance to speak for herself. Because of that, she learned how to observe people. She learned to read their expressions, the look in their eyes, the tone of their voice, and their bodynguage; she noticed everything. She could see through someone''s lies. She could tell if someone was faking something and her intuition had always been spot on.


    This was the reason why Zeri avoided the pretentious girls who tried to approach her. If possible, she didn''t want to stare into anyone''s eyes. She never wanted to judge anyone just by her own viewpoint but she couldn''t help it. However, maybe being like this wasn''t that bad at all. She was able to avoid unnecessary dramas by not foolishly falling for other people''s tricks.


    So to her, that Android was no different. He obviously didn''t like her or was interested in her, so why would he ask her to be his girlfriend? Moreover, he was such a stunning creature so why would he even want someone like her, especially when he always looked annoyed every time he looked at her?


    Somehow, Zeri thought, that Android was aplicated being. She felt his insincerity but for some reason, he seemed different. She''d been thinking about it and she could tell that it wasn''t just because he was the only guy who didn''t trigger her fear. This was also the reason why she''d been staring at him since the first time their eyes met.


    Zeri couldn''t look any man in the eyes due to her fear, until this Android came, so she was trying to figure out what it was that made her not fear him. Zeri even tried to look into a man''s eyes on her way home yesterday, thinking that she was already cured but she was wrong. She still had that extreme fear and it seemed like that Android was the only exception. Thus, she agreed with his offer, no matter how nonsensical it was. Aside from having no choice, Zeri thought that by doing this, she might find out the reason why she was not afraid of him and when that happened, she might also discover a way to cure herself.


    "Your decision is right Zeri, you did well. Besides, even though his fuse seems to be short, that Android doesn''t seem to be that bad since you''re not afraid of him so just bear with it and go for it for now!" Zeri could only encourage herself before climbing up at her personal hideout.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the number one heartthrob who just came out of the mini forest wore a terrifyingly dark expression. He looked so displeased but his cold and dark expression made every girl around him swoon as usual, despite the chilling temperature he exuded.


    "Oh god, look at that expression! I didn''t know that our prince looks even cooler when he is displeased!"


    "That''s right, this is the first time I''ve seen this expression! He''s so damn hot!"


    "No matter what mood he''s in, prince Kira still looks ethereal. Ahh¡­ my heart!"


    "But who dared to displease our prince like this?!"


    "Good question. We better find out what happened. We won''t forgive anyone who dares making our prince look like this!"


    As the students murmured to themselves, Kira couldn''t hear a single wording from them. He was busy thinking about that Squirrel. He couldn''t believe that she ditched him just after he told her that she was now his girlfriend.


    That damn Squirrel, did she not understand what ''girlfriend'' meant? How could she leave the great me like I was some trash she didn''t need anymore?!!


    By the time Kira entered his private room, Rei, who was waiting for him inside, could only grin the moment he noticed his dark expression.


    "Wow! I''m guessing Miss Kim did something interesting for you to be like this." Rei mischievously said while Kira simply sat as he loosened his tie.


    When Kira remained silent, Rei continued speaking. "Did she perhaps reject you?"


    "She said ''okay'' without batting an eye, can you believe that?" Kira smirked as he shook his head.


    "Ohh, that''s unexpected. But why do you look displeased? Wasn''t this what you were after?"


    "That girl. That squirrel¡­ ahhh¡­ I''ll make sure to make her fall head over heels with me. I won''t let that cheetah escape again next time!"


    As those words left Kira''s mouth, Rei could only tilt his head in wonder and awe. This result was more than what he expected. This was the first time Kira said something like this with intense seriousness.


    I never thought Zeri Kim''s impact on him was this huge. Haha, it looks like the uing episodes are going to be fun¡­

 Chapter 12 - Chase

    Chapter 12 - Chase


    As soon as the bell rang, Zeri immediately stood up so she could leave. She needed to leave immediately because she had to get to her part time job.


    However, before she could even take a step, someone held her bag from behind, stopping her advance. Zeri quickly turned to see who it was and as expected, it was him again.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked and Zeri stared at him as she immediately replied.


    "I''m going home." She tried pulling back her bag but the guy didn''t let go. He even raised her bag higher that her arms were slightly lifted.


    "What are you doing? Let go, I need to go now." She protested when Kira''s lips simply curved upwards as he leaned in on her from behind. He moved his lips closer to her ear as he spoke.


    "Did you already forget that you''re my girlfriend now? You have to fulfill your duty as my girlfriend." He whispered in a s.e.xy tone.


    "We''re going to go somewhere fun." He added thinking that Zeri would be excited. But then, to his surprise, the girl didn''t react the way he wanted again.


    "But I have a part time job and I can''t bete. I really have to go now." Contrary to what Kira expected, Zeri didn''t show any excitement but she even persisted to leave. Her reaction made Kira narrow his eyes and the next moment, he pulled Zeri''s bag as he walked out of the ssroom, forcing Zeri to follow him.


    "Hey, let go." She continued protesting as she walked backwards, as she quickly caught up with the person pulling her. Zeri started to get mad. She already told him to let her go, even exined to him her reason but he was still forcing her like this? Did he even hear what she said at all?


    Zeri couldn''t afford to bete since she was just new to this job. This new job was important to her and she knew that she might not be able to find a job like this again if she messed it up.


    Without any other choice, Zeri could only think about ditching him again. Since he was not listening to her, it''d be useless for her to use words to let her go.


    Thus, she decided to use her strength. However, before she could even begin, a voice jolted her.


    "Kira, where are you going?" someone spoke and as soon as Zeri raised her eyes and saw Rei just before her, her nerves froze and her body seemed to have turned into heavy stone. He moved closer and Zeri could only go even stiffen. She wanted to run but the guy holding her just wouldn''t let her go.


    Zeri couldn''t even speak. Her fear started to take over when she heard another guy walk over to them.


    "Hey Kira! What''s going on? Who is she?!" Kira turned towards the guy who was approaching them with a wide smile. He was Kenji, his childhood friend who was in the other ss.


    "Shut up Ken, you''re too loud." Kira said but the guy walked past him and he went straight to the quiet girl. Ken circled Zeri as if he was surveying her.


    "Hello Miss, what''s your name?" he asked as his eyes twinkled. When the girl didn''t reply and simply looked down on the floor, Ken raised his face to Kira and asked him instead.


    "Kira, is it her? Huh? Is this her?" As Ken was still asking him, another one walked over to them.


    "Ken, you''re too loud. Quiet down." He said as he stopped near Zeri. He nced at her before his gaze fell on Kira.


    "Shun, why are you here too? You''re supposed to wait for us in the gym." Kira seemed displeased as soon as he saw Shun. This person was the captain of Kazehara High''s basketball team and he was even stricter than their coach. Being seen by him right now only meant that it would be hard for him to escape club practice today.


    "The captain should be the first to arrive at the gym so just go." Kira added and Shun simply smiled.


    "Let''s all go together." He replied and Kira could only bite his lip. He was about to protest when he noticed Squirrel''s unusual behavior. Since Ken approached them, she never spoke and she never raised her face again.


    Looking at her, Kira felt that there was something really off about her. He bent closer to her and even though he couldn''t see her face, he could see her clenched fists slightly trembling. She suddenly looked like she was extremely scared about something, causing Kira''s forehead to crease. What happened? What''s wrong with her?!


    Kira was starting to feel somewhat worried. He didn''t have any idea why this squirrel was suddenly acting like this; as though she had just been surrounded by ghosts and was now in shock.


    Subconsciously, Kira loosened up his grip on her bag. He slowly let go of it as he spoke.


    "Hey, what happened? What''s wro-" Kira couldn''t even finish his words. It was because as soon as he let go of her bag, without any warning, she dashed away so fast that Kira and the others even felt the wind created by her turbo speed.


    Kira was left speechless as he watched the girl disappear. Ken and Shun looked like they just saw something unbelievable while Rei was the only one smiling, as if he was amused by the show.


    Kira''s hand that was holding her was bag just hung in the air. D-did she just act like that so I would let her go? Squirrel¡­ you¡­!!!


    "Ken, chase her." Kira suddenly ordered with a very serious tone so despite Ken''s confusion, he still immediately said ''okay'' and he ran after her.


    That moment, Shun leaned in on Rei as he whispered. "When did Kira the great start chasing girls?"


    "Haha, I think it started yesterday." Rei replied and Shun''s eyes widened. Well, who would believe that this Kira, who was always being chased by countless number of girls, was now the one chasing a girl like this? Not to mention that he was even chasing her, literally?


    Pfft! This is fun!

 Chapter 13 - Here we go again

    Chapter 13 - Here we go again


    Time passed and Ken came back. He suddenly popped up like a stray cat at the window behind them. He was sweating as he smiled and just by looking at him, Kira could already tell that he failed to catch the squirrel.


    Even Ken failed? Seriously?!


    "Haha, I''m sorry Kira. I underestimated her. She was too fast. I mean, she''s the fastest high school girl I''ve ever seen in my life! She''s really amazing!" Ken was speaking with stars in his eyes. He looked obviously awed by the girl''s skill and he seemed so thrilled.


    "Tch! That cheetah!" Kira''s expression was really bad. His usual calm and carefree mood was nowhere to be seen. He couldn''t believe that she ditched him again, twice in a row now, no, this was the third time she ran away from him like this.


    "Wow, what an interesting girl." Shun spoke as he went and held Kira''s shoulder. "Kira, I never thought that you''d be having a hard time over a girl. Just say if you need help. I''d be d to help you-"


    "Don''t even think about it. That girl is mine." All of a sudden, those words left Kira''s mouth as he red at Shun. Kira then removed Shun''s hand and walked away with a dark expression, leaving Shun and the others stupefied.


    "W-w-what?! Kira¡­ is Kira really serious about her?!!" Ken stammered in disbelief as he looked at Rei. They all knew that no matter how many girls Kira had dated, he was never really into anyone. So this was really a surprise to them.


    "So he really is smitten hard, huh. How interesting. I''m even more curious about that girl, now." Shun said and the quiet Rei finally spoke.


    "Captain, I advise you not be more curious than this because there''s a saying; ''curiosity kills the cat''. Hehe." As those words left Rei''s mouth, he was already walking away with a mischievous grin on his face while Ken immediately ran after him.


    Hearing him, Shun could only raise a brow. "Yeah, yeah. You don''t even need to warn me like that. There''s no way I could even go against that guy."


    ¡­


    The next day¡­


    Kira was again in a bad mood. It was because he came early to school for the first time just to find out the Squirrel hadn''t even arrived yet. What was worse was that she was actuallyte again.


    The bell had already rung when she arrived and upon seeing her, Kira couldn''t calm himself down. He remembered how she ditched him yesterday and his vein popped. She didn''t even nce at him as she hastily entered.


    Just as she sat, Kira suddenly kicked her chair from behind. He was sitting with his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on it, as his long leg crept out from under his desk and hit the bottom of her seat as she sat down. His timing was perfect.


    What he did jolted her and she slowly turned to him. Kira smiled at her the moment their eyes met but as expected, there was no change in her expression. She simply stared at him for a while, before she suddenly stood.


    "Ma''am, someone is bullying me." She suddenly reported and everyone looked at her. The teacher''s brows knotted as she spoke.


    "Who?" she asked and when Zeri pointed a finger at Kira, everyoneughed as they started murmuring.


    At that moment, the teacher silenced the ss but suddenly asked Zeri to follow her outside.


    After a long while, Zeri came back and she stood before Kira. She was staring at him again as if she had something she wanted to say.


    Kira, on the other hand simply sat there, waiting for her, looking like the definition of patience itself. However, time went by and the girl remained there just looking at him. They were in a staring contest again and Kira''s patient facade broke down. Tch! Here we go again. Why do you keep doing this? Can''t you just go ahead and speak!


    "What. Do you have something to say?" he asked with a smile but to his surprise, the girl suddenly turned her back to him. Squirrel, are you really trying to piss me off!!!


    Kira bit his lip hard as he stared at the girl''s back in disbelief. He wanted to grab her hand and make her turn to him again.


    But the girl didn''t walk away and even turned her back to him again.


    And then, she quietly stared at him once more. What the hell''s wrong with this girl?!!


    Feeling really pissed off with the squirrel''s actions, Kira finally burst. "Just talk already, damn it." he said and finally the girl''s lips started to move.


    She opened her mouth but before any word coulde out of it, she suddenly turned around again and sat back on her chair without looking back, leaving Kira so damn pissed that his mouth turned agape for a while in disbelief.


    W-what the hell was that?! Squirel!!!

 Chapter 14 - Bolder

    Chapter 14 - Bolder


    Zeri was actually warned by the teacher that if she wanted a peaceful life in this school, she would never even think about offending that person. The teachers knew that she was no rich kid and that she was only able to attend this school because of her schrship, so her teacher told her to avoid trouble since it would be really easy for that person to kick her out if he wanted to.


    The teacher even urged her to apologize which made Zeri clench her fists. She never thought that even her teacher seemed to be afraid of him. Even if that Android was the owner of this school, apologizing to him when this was his fault was absurd!


    Zeri was angry but she knew that the teacher was right. A poor girl like her was nothingpared to everyone else in this school of ultra-rich kids. She knew that from the beginning so this school was never her choice. She was here because this school was the only school in their area and she couldn''t afford tomute to attend a public school. This was why all this time she was trying her hardest to avoid attention and graduate peacefully.


    But now, ever since that Android approached her that day, she felt like her peaceful days were now destined to end. Thinking about it, Zeri decided to just listen to the teacher and apologize. She couldn''t afford any more trouble and she knew she didn''t have the power to defend herself in this ce where the rich dictated the rules.


    Ahh, it''s useless to act tough Zeri. It''s okay, you''ll graduate soon so hang in there¡­


    ¡­


    By the time the bell rang, Kira and Zeri both stood up at the same time. Kira seemed to be on guard to not let her escape this time that he quickly wrapped his arm around Zeri''s neck from behind.


    Zeri jolted but when she realized it was him, she immediately rxed.


    However, what Kira did next, surprised her. He pulled her as he walked out of the ssroom and Zeri was forced to walk backwards.


    A greatmotion burst out as soon as the girls saw what Kira was doing. The girls eyes were filled with obvious jealousy and disbelief but Kira didn''t seem to care at all and just continued walking away, unbothered, until they both reached a bench under a tree, behind the building.


    As the two stood under the tree, Kira wrapped his other arm around her. He was basically hugging her from behind as he bent and moved his lips near her ear.


    "Try to escape again and I''ll make sure you''ll regret it." he whispered, as he made sure that his breath touched her, before letting go.


    Kira smirked as he looked at her face, expecting an interesting reaction but the moment their eyes met, Kira was again so irritated. How could she be so calm and unaffected despite all I''ve done?! Does this girl really not feel anything at all? Does she really see me as nothing?! Are my moves really ineffective to her? That''s impossible, right?!


    At that moment, Kira''s gaze suddenly turned sharp and dangerous. This was the first time a girl ever ignored him to this extent. This was the first time he had made any effort just to get a reaction from anyone and yet, it appeared to be fruitless?


    Extremely pissed with the current flow of events, Kira suddenly moved closer to her, so close that their bodies were about to collide.


    The girl, as expected, didn''t even back off, causing Kira''s vein to pop in annoyance.


    The next moment, he suddenly slipped his hand around her waist. He pulled her towards him, possessively gripping her tiny waist as he gazed at her eyes deeply. This move would absolutely make any girl giddy and fl.u.s.tered. Experience-wise nobody had ever resisted him whenever he did this to a girl.


    However, once again, Kira was dumbfounded. It was because the girl simply stared back at him. Big round eyes just blinked at him, looking as innocent as amb. There were no stars in her eyes, no admiration, not even curiosity.


    However, this failure only made Kira be even bolder. He then moved his face to kiss her but before he could even move an inch, her hands suddenly fell on his neck, as if she was nning to strangle him for real if he won''t stop.

 Chapter 15 - For crying out loud!

    Chapter 15 - For crying out loud!


    Her hands were around his neck. Her gaze at him was serious. She looked at him with her usual nk look but to Kira, it seemed like it was a silent threat.


    This turn of event made Kira smirk in disbelief. This surefire move he thought would surely break her thick defense ended up like this?! This uns.e.xy squirrel¡­ was she made of stone or something?!


    "You want to strangle me, huh." Kira simpered. He just couldn''t even describe what he was feeling anymore.


    The next thing he did was ignore Zeri''s hands on his neck and slowly moved his face even closer. Zeri still didn''t move back, but when Kira''s face was almost going to crash into hers, her hands quickly moved in a sh.


    In that one moment, once again, Kira suddenly found himself in another unbelievable situation.


    Zeri''s hands were now on his cheeks, pinching him so hard as if she was nning to split his handsome face into two.


    "A-ouch!!" Kira yelled as he held Zeri''s wrists. "You¡­ let go! Ouch! Hey! Squirrel!"


    Just after those words left Kira''s mouth, Zeri was startled, looking like she had just snapped out from a hypnotic daze. Her eyes widened when she realized what she was doing.


    She then immediately let go of his face while Kira stepped back as he held his cheeks. Th-this squirrel! Where the hell did this little squirrel''s strengthe from?! Was she actually a gori in disguise?!


    Kira''s cheeks were as red as a tomato as he looked at Zeri with eyes filled with disbelief. He even stepped back involuntarily as if he was now wary of her next move.


    "S-sorry." Zeri spoke softly as she bit her lip in regret. She could see his cheeks had turned so red so she realized that she must have used too much strength. She started feeling worried the moment the voice of her teacher echoed in her head.


    Ahh, what have I done? What if this android gets angry at me for real?!


    Extremely worried, Zeri could only apologize again. "I''m sorry. I couldn''t stop myself and pinched you a bit hard." She said when he suddenly raised his hand and pinched her cheek as well.


    "H-huh? Did you just say ''a bit''?" Kira smirked loudly as he raised his other hand and pinched her other cheek. "You call that ''a bit''?" he repeated as his veins popped.


    Kira never once experienced getting pinched by anyone in his life. This was the first time anyone dared to do this to him. What was worse was not the fact that he was pinched by a girl with gori-like strength that he still felt like his face was being split in two, but because this squirrel actually said it was just ''a bit''? That''s 1001% strength for a girl her size, for crying out loud!


    "W-was it too hard? I''m sorry, I couldn''t control my strength," she said and Kira could only force augh. He leaned in on her, bumping his forehead on hers as his hands were still on her face.


    "You¡­ did you really think you can get away with this just by saying ''sorry''? Huh?" he replied and again, the girl simply blinked at him. At this moment, Kira didn''t even know if he should feel annoyed, angry, or what anymore.


    "B-but this is your fault. If you didn''t keep getting so close like this, that wouldn''t have happened." She reasoned, causing Kira to just smirked again.


    "Huh? Did you forget that you are now my girlfriend? Huh? Squirrel?"


    "I¡­" as Zeri started, a certain sound interrupted her.


    "Grolll." A certain monster inside Zeri''s stomach growled, loud enough as though it was going berserk.


    Kira: ". . ."


    Zeri innocently held her stomach while Kira was so stunned he couldn''t even speak.


    "Growwllll." When her stomach growled again, Zeri looked at Kira and she spoke.


    "Uhm¡­ can I go eat first? I''m really really hungry now."


    "Growllllllll."


    Kira: ". . ."

 Chapter 16 - Never mind

    Chapter 16 - Never mind


    Kira had run out of ideas on what to say. The sound of the growling monster in her stomach was still ringing in his head and he didn''t know how to even react.


    What was worse was that, before he could even ask her toe with him to the cafeteria, the hungry little cheetah already left.


    Just like that, the heartthrob Kira was left standing all alone under the shade of the tree as the quiet breeze blew towards him.


    He cursed as he crouched down as though he had just finish a long exhrating battle against an undefeated foe. He was biting his lip hard as he ruffled his fingers through his hair, looking like he was so drained. It was as if his battery drastically fell down to 5%.


    Kira then sat on the bench under the tree as he looked up at the dancing leaves. He was shaking his head as he forced augh. His head was full of her. He was so irritated and yet he felt so intrigued. Before he realized it, that girl turned into a math equation, seemingly impossible for anyone to solve. She was so unbelievably hard to figure out. This was the first time Kira met someone like her.


    Time passed and Kira finally decided to leave when to his surprise, the squirrel returned. He could only blink as he looked at her. What? This squirrel came back? Why?


    Somehow, Kira was so used to her always running away from him that it was hard for him to believe that she actually voluntarily came back. This squirrel, what was she nning to do?


    While Kira was busy thinking about why she came back, the girl casually sat on the bench beside him. Her action confused Kira so much that he couldn''t stop himself from confronting her.


    However, not even a word came out of Kira''s mouth when the girl quietly brought out a lunch box from her bag. It looked like she brought it from home since the cafeteria in this school would never put food in such a childish lunch box. What was she doing? Was she going to eat her lunch here? It''s not even lunch break yet!


    "Hey, are you that hung-" Kira swallowed the rest of his words, the moment Zeri opened the box. I-it''s a sandwich?!


    Speechless, Kira almost face palmed but dly, he maintained hisposure and acted cool.


    "Here." Surprisingly, the squirrel offered him some of her food again, for the third time around. Ugh, this glutton! How was she so thin like that!


    Kira took the sandwich without any hesitation. However, he didn''t eat it right away. Instead, he surveyed the sandwich as if he was looking for something hidden in it.


    When he was done with his surveince, Kira turned to Zeri with a questioning look.


    "Why does this sandwich look like this?" he asked and Zeri simply looked at him nkly, throwing him a look which indicated that she didn''t understand his question at all. "I mean, you see, normal sandwiches should be filled with¡­ never mind."


    Kira felt like he would just have another headache if he continued talking. He didn''t know why he was even asking. Sigh¡­ don''t get me wrong squirrel, it''s just that this is the first time I saw a sandwich this in! Would this even taste like one? Isn''t this just 2 pieces of bread stuck together?


    After questioning himself, Kira still took a bite and when he was savoring it, he was surprised with the taste. He looked at Zeri with wide eyes, as though he was so surprised.


    "Who made this? A chef, right?" he suddenly asked and Zeri simply tilted her head before she slowly raised her hand and pointed her forefinger towards herself.


    Kira: ". . ."

 Chapter 17 - Want this?

    Chapter 17 - Want this?


    "Not bad."


    Kira uttered. He was surprised with the taste of the in and cheap looking sandwich he was eating. He didn''t know that this uns.e.xy squirrel''s sandwich-making skills were really beyondmendable.


    As he savored the snack, he turned to her to start a conversation but he was again rendered speechless. He could see her chewing but he could no longer see the sandwich in her hand. What?! Did she just devour it within a blink of an eye?!


    Kira could only look at her in disbelief. He only took a single bite of his sandwich and this girl already devoured all of hers? What the hell! What kind of creature was she?!


    The astounded Kira only snapped when Zeri suddenly stood up. Thankfully, he managed to immediately catch her before she could walk away.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked with a displeased expression, while Zeri turned to him and stared at him nkly as she answered.


    "I''m still hungry."


    ". . ."


    An imaginary ck crow flew above them. Kira just couldn''t believe what he just heard that his hand, which was holding the sandwich slowly fell on hisp, as if he was suddenly exhausted.


    When Zeri pulled her hand back, Kira quickly stood before her, blocking her way. He put his hand on her shoulder and then slowly pushed her down to take a seat again. Kira didn''t remove his hand off her as he bent over the sitting Zeri. Their faces were just inches apart but as usual, Zeri didn''t seem to care at all. Her expression remained painfully the same.


    Looking at her face, Kira felt his energy disappearing into thin air. He had run out of any ideas. It was not because he was out of tricks to perform, but because he somehow felt like none of his tricks would ever work on her.


    Damn, was my charm not working anymore? Me?! Impossible!


    Kira was getting irritated. He was starting to doubt if he was still the number one heartthrob who kept stealing hearts wherever he went. He even thought that maybe, he was now losing his charm?


    At that moment, Kira didn''t move back. He remained in this position as he copied what this squirrel did to him when he first approached her. He raised his hand that was holding the sandwich while his other hand was on her shoulder, pinning her down. He then took a bite and savored the sandwich right before her face as he stared at her. Even Kira had no idea what the hell was he doing right now.


    Kira continued eating in that state. His gaze was on her and her gaze was on his lips. Kira knew he should celebrate because he finally got her attention, but he also knew that she was actually not looking at his lips because they were s.e.xy. Her focus was obviously on the food he was eating.


    "Pfft!" all of a sudden, Kira burst out a quickugh. He just couldn''t help but imagine a hungry squirrel swallowing her saliva as she begged for food through her eyes.


    The next moment, he raised his sandwich before her face as he smiled. "Want this?" he asked. Afterwards, he put one end of what was left of his sandwich in his mouth and let it go as he moved his face closer to her, close enough that the other end of the sandwich brushed against her lips. He then looked at her with great anticipation as he waited for her to s.u.mb to him this time because now it seemed like he had found a not-so-secret weapon.

 Chapter 18 - Sacrifice

    Chapter 18 - Sacrifice


    Kira didn''t know why but he suddenly felt thrilled. Maybe because this was the first time this squirrel seemingly had such a faint hint of hesitation in her eyes. For goodness'' sake, this squirrel never showed even a tiny bit of reaction towards me and yet she''s reacting like this with this damn cheap sandwich?! Was she trying to tell me that this sandwich was better than the wlessly handsome me?!!!


    Frustration and thrill were fighting within Kira. He was thrilled about the fact that this girl was finally reacting but frustrated to hell that a sandwich just beat him. Damn it!! Calm down, don''t sweat it! There''s no way that a sandwich could beat you. She was surely reacting like this because she''s hungry and that the handsome me was the one offering this damn sandwich. The most important thing was that she''s finally showing something. This is a good start¡­


    Kira forced himself to stay calm as he waited for her to s.u.mb to his ''handsome x sandwich'' seduction move.


    However, just as he raised his expectation that he was going to definitely win over her this time, the girl suddenly averted her gaze.


    "Never mind, I don''t want it." she said with a straight tone, causing Kira to close his eyes as his veins began to pop again from too much frustration.


    "Tch! Stop pretending, I know you want this. C''mon, don''t be shy. You can''t let that growling creature inside your stomach growl again, you know." Kira still persisted and Zeri looked at him again. When Kira tried to brushed the other tip of the sandwich to tease her again, Zeri raised her hand and all of a sudden¡­


    She shoved the sandwich in his mouth, causing Kira''s eyes to widen almost looking like they were going to fly out of their sockets. The surprise was too much for him that he almost stumbled back on his own feet.


    "I said I don''t want it. Even if I take it, it won''t be enough to satisfy me and fill my stomach. I already gave that to you so you should respect it and eat it," she said with a straight, almost monotone, voice while Kira could do nothing but slowly chew the sandwich in his mouth in a daze. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked at her in great disbelief.


    "I sacrificed my sandwich so you would forgive me from pinching you too hard a while ago. So we now we''re even, okay? I''m going to find some more food. Bye." Before Kira could react, the girl already dashed away and he could almost see the smoke she created from her turbo speed.


    Looking at the direction where she had disappeared to, Kira seemed to have gone limp as he sat on the bench. He was still chewing the food in his mouth as he slowly shook his head. He looked like he was in lethal shock. Never in his life had someone ever dared to shove food into his mouth. Not until this uns.e.xy little damn squirrel appeared in his life.


    By the time he finally swallowed the food in his mouth, Kira stood up with his hands on his hip. He was so damn frustrated he didn''t even know what to do. He simply walked back and forth with an extremely pissed look. What the hell just happened?! That squirrel shoved food in my mouth?!! And she even called that sandwich a sacrifice?!!! Ha. Ha. Ha. Squirrell!! What the hell!!!!!

 Chapter 19 - Test

    Chapter 19 - Test


    Chibi Kira was left sitting on the bench. He looked like a devastated character trying so hard to cheer himself up. He told himself to stop getting pissed off and frustrated or he might go crazy. He even scolded himself to stop falling into a daze every time she struck him with all her unbelievable antics and just focus on how to make her look at him.


    He was thinking deeply when he saw a girl walking towards him.


    He immediately recognized the beautiful youngdy approaching him but he just looked at her with a straight gaze. She was Yumi Kang, the infamous strict and graceful student council president. She was smart and one of the richest kids in this school. Kira was not paying attention to her before because he thought she was someone who was still not into dating. He even heard that she rejected all the confessions she received until now. As Kira thought about it, he thought that she might be the type of girl who might be a bit the same as squirrel.


    Linking her to squirrel, Kira suddenly thought about something and a faint smile curved on his gorgeous face.


    "What brought the gorgeous Miss President out here?" he asked as soon as Yumi stood before him. The girl looked graceful like the heiress that she was as she replied.


    "Don''t get the wrong idea. I am not here to confess. I came to personally invite you." She said as she reached out a golden colored invitation. "It''s an invitation for my grandfather''s party. I''m sure you already know this but your grandpa and my grandpa are good friends so I was asked to invite you."


    Yumi spoke in a well-mannered yet seemingly prideful tone. She was indeed different from most of the girls who would stammer the moment they stood before him. She seemed to have no other intention but just this business. However, her action only made Kira think that she was the perfect one.


    "I see¡­" Kira then uttered as he slowly stood. He casually put his hands in his pockets, giving him a cool posture akin to a super idol''s life size gorgeous stand. He gazed deep into her eyes as he slowly smiled before he bent his face closer to her.


    Yumi seemed fl.u.s.tered but she kept her cool, surprising Kira. Was she really the same species as the squirrel? Somehow, Kira didn''t know why but the thought that there existed another girl like squirrel felt a bit off for him.


    "What a surprise, I didn''t expect that you woulde out of your way just to invite me." Kira continued when the wind blew. Coincidentally, a leaf fell on Yumi''s hair and Kira moved even closer to her and removed it. He did it in a way that any girl would feel a deadly romantic vibe that could make anyone''s heart flutter.


    Yumi''s reaction was again weak but all of a sudden, she stumbled and was about to fall. Kira quickly caught her.


    At that moment, he did the exact thing he did with squirrel. He wrapped his hand around her waist before drawing her possessively towards him. His face was so close to hers as his gaze was again locked onto hers.


    Kira then looked at her lips as he waited for her to pull away or push him. But she didn''t move. Thus, Kira executed thest move and he began moving his face closer to hers, slowly. When he was close enough, he closed his eyes, to obviously tell her that he was nning to kiss her.


    The next moment, Kira suddenly halted and opened his eyes when their lips were just an inch apart. As soon as he saw this supposed to be different Yumi, closing her eyes, obviously looking like she was waiting for his kiss, Kira suddenly smiled joyfully and mischievously.


    "I''m sorry. I was just teasing you because I thought you didn''t like boys." He said as he suddenly let go of her and stepped a few steps back away from her, jolting Yumi awake.


    The girl blushed as she eximed, "W-what?!"


    "It looks like Miss President is a real girl after all. But you must learn not let yourself fall into some silly traps so easily next time. Well then, I gotta go." Kira casually said and started walking away, leaving Yumi utterly speechless. "Also, I can''t attend your grandfather''s party because I have a date with my girlfriend."


    As those words left Kira''s mouth, he was smiling widely. He did that to test if he was still the same charming prince who effortlessly made everyone fall for him and he got a pleasing result. So my charm was not gone. It just seems like that squirrel is the only one who isn''t affected by it.


    Kira may not have realized it yet but he was actually pleased not just because he confirmed that he was still as charming as ever but because he found out that Yumi was nothing like his squirrel and that there was no one else like her.

 Chapter 20 - Isnt it obvious?

    Chapter 20 - Isn''t it obvious?


    Yumi Kang''s expression turned dark as she watched Kira leave. She clenched her fists so tight that her nails almost dug a wound on her palm. She couldn''t believe that she failed. She did everything to make her grandfather agree and invite old man Lee to his party, despite the fact that the two old men''s rtionship had long cooled down because of a certain incident years ago. She did this so she could have this most awaited opportunity. Well, for a long time now, Yumi had been gathering information about Kira and she even found out that Kira wasn''t really into anyone whom he dated before.


    She also discovered that the best way to have his attention was to ignore him, to not chase him, and to be different from all the girls who were tantly showing their infatuation and interest in him. This was the reason why, all these years, Yumi acted uninterested towards him. However, despite it all, Kira never made a move on her, so she started creating a way for them to be together and make it appear coincidental. Yet, what was this? He didn''t just embarrass her, he had exposed the truth that she was actually just acting uninterested with him. Not just that, he even said he had a date with his girlfriend?!


    Yumi was so angry that her graceful expression was nowhere to be seen. It almost as if she had be apletely different person.


    ¡­


    Noon break.


    Kira, along with Rei and Ken, was inside his private room to eat lunch. Luxurious food were served on a table but no one among the three touched the food.


    Rei was busy browsing something on his tablet while Ken''s eyes were bulging as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. His gaze was locked onto Kira who seemed to be in a daze. Kira was holding his fork and spoon as his eyes focused on his empty te. He was not moving at all, almost as if he became a monk meditating with eyes open.


    Ken was so curious. When he finally reached his limit, he sidled towards Rei and whispered to him.


    "Rei, what happened to him? Did someone dump the great him?!" he asked but Rei ignored him. The young man didn''t even nce at him, causing Ken''s nose to puff angry air. Don''t ignore me, damn it!!


    Not giving up, Ken continued bugging the quiet Rei. "C''mon Rei, tell me¡­ what happened? Did someone really dump him? Huh? Huh?"


    Rei slowly put down his tablet and finally looked at Ken. "I don''t know what happened so don''t ask me," he said with a serious tone and Ken could only sink back on his chair. Ugh!! This serious little iceberg! How can he always be so cold?!!


    His gaze then fell on Kira again when a light bulb appeared above his head. Wait¡­ could it be that this was because of that turbo girl?!


    Looking amazed at the idea he just thought about, Ken once again sidled towards Rei and spoke. "Rei, Rei, could it be that he''s acting like this because of that girl? That girl from yesterday?!" he eximed and the young man who already started eating looked at him as chewed his food.


    Rei simply stared at him until he swallowed the food in his mouth before he spoke. "Isn''t it obvious?" he said and returned his attention to his food again.


    As soon as Ken heard Rei''s reply, he gasped. "Whoah! Really? That girl''s name is Zeri, rig-"


    Ken quickly covered his mouth because he forgot to control his voice. He expected a cold gaze toe from the great him for ruining his meditation but unexpectedly, something different happened.


    The moment Ken mentioned the name "Zeri", the fork in Kira''s hand suddenly fell, jolting himself. His expression was just so priceless that Ken pressed his lips as tight as he could not tough.


    Kira who finally snapped out of his ''meditation'' looked at Ken and Rei and he cleared his throat before he casually picked up the fallen fork.


    "Why did you mention her name?" Kira asked and Ken suddenly thought of something.


    "She''s here." Ken answered as he looked at the door and this time, the spoon in Kira''s hand was the one that fell.


    "Pfft!! Hahaha. I was just kidding! How could you be so fl.u.s.tered? You didn''t even turn yet and-" Ken quickly mp his mouth when Kira''s expression turned dark as he red at him.


    "Haha, I need to go to the bathroom first." Ken could only excuse himself and ran away from the disaster he identally caused.

 Chapter 21 - Menthol

    Chapter 21 - Menthol


    "It seems like you are having so much fun with her." Rei was looking at Kira with a mischievous smile carved on his face. He never thought that Kira would be affected like this just by hearing her name. Could it be that he was already falling for her?! That''s fast¡­


    "Fun? She''s not fun at all. She just keeps on frustrating me. That squirrel is¡­ she''s weird. She''s strange. All she ever does is either stare at me or eat! She''s frustratingly irritating, I''m telling you. I don''t have any idea on what the hell she thinks about. And she''s so damn strong. Can you believe that?! She already runs like a cheetah and climbs like a monkey. I just found out she''s actually as strong as a gori, too. It''s like she came from the of the apes, if they also had cheetah monkeys. She''s absolutely strange!"


    As Kira suddenly burst as though Rei just poked a balloon using a pin, Rei simply rested his chin on his knuckles and had an amused look on his face as he listened to his friend ramble on.


    "Hmm¡­ indeed, she''s different and very interesting." Rei stated with a smile when all of a sudden, Kira''s expression changed.


    "You¡­ are you saying you''re interested in her?" he suddenly asked with a cold gaze and invisible sweat drops could only fall from Rei''s forehead. H-huh? Don''t tell me this guy''s already jealous? Wow, this is really surprising.


    "Would you be jealous if I said I am?"


    As soon as those words left Rei''s mouth, Kira''s expression turned ck. Rei was again surprised. He couldn''t believe that Kira would react like this over some little words.


    "Pfft! Hey, I''m just kidding. Why are you so serious? Your squirrel is yours alone. Don''t worry, no one will snatch her away from you. You don''t have to be jealous. Haha." Rei was grinning as spoke. It seemed like the fun had really started and the boring and monotonous days had finally ended. "I can''t believe you''re already jealous and-"


    "Me? Jealous? Nonsense!" Kira cut through Rei and said those three words before he finally moved and put some food on his te, while Rei simply continued grinning as he watched him. Was he still unaware? Or just in denial? Either way, this is amusing¡­ Zeri Kim, you''re really interesting¡­ I can''t believe you turned this calm, cool and collected guy into a raging jealous monster within a very short period of time.


    ¡­


    The school had an event that afternoon so the gate was closed and no one was allowed to go home. The students were all gathered in one part of the school but Zeri managed to sneak away midway during the event.


    She went straight towards the stairs, thinking about going up the rooftop and take a nap or at least have some rest.


    However, as she was about to reach her destination, something unexpected happened. Someone was walking down the stairs so she lifted her face. To her surprise, the chubby girl that was walking while looking at her cellphone suddenly jolted and lost her bnce the moment she saw her.


    Zeri''s eyes widened when she saw that the girl was already falling towards her and¡­


    A loud ''tudd'' echoed as Zeri opened her eyes. They both fell on the floor. Zerinded on top of the girl with her hand under the girl''s head. She managed to at least prevent the girl from hitting her head on the floor but her knuckles suffered and had a few little cuts and bruises because of the impact.


    "Are you alright?" Zeri asked as she quickly got up and the chubby girl smiled.


    "Y-yes, I''m fine! Thank you so much. I was fl.u.s.tered a moment ago." She replied and after Zeri helped her up, she nodded a little and she turned her back to leave when the girl gasped.


    "Ahh! You''re hand, it''s bleeding!!" she eximed and Zeri simply nced at her hand before turning to her.


    "This is just a small wound, don''t worry about it." She said and she started walking down the stairs as though nothing happened.


    Zeri didn''t continue her n to go to the rooftop and walked straight towards their ssroom instead.


    The ssroom was empty so she rxed and immediately sat on her chair. After a short while, Zeri fell asleep. Her face was lying on her arm which was on her desk, as she finally took the peaceful nap she was seeking.


    However, after some moments, someone quietly entered the ssroom. He walked towards the girl sleeping on the desk and stared at her before heaving a sigh.


    "Tch! This squirrel! I''ve been waiting at the rooftop but you''re actually right here, sleeping so soundly? As expected of you." Kira pulled a chair in front of her desk and sat across her.


    He rested his face on one hand as he stared at the girl''s hair. After a long while of silence, he stretched out his hand and carefully touched some strands of her hair.


    He quietly yed with hair long ck hair and the next moment, he sniffed it. The moment Kira smelled the scent of her hair, his brows creased.


    "T-this squirrel! Why does her hair smell like menthol? Are you using men''s shampoo?!" Kira eximed as he again suddenly felt frustrated. He didn''t even notice that he pulled her hair a little and his voice was loud enough to wake her up.


    When he saw her move, Kira was about to speak when¡­


    Zeri''s palm suddenly flew on his face, face palming him.

 Chapter 22 - Slowly

    Chapter 22 - Slowly


    Kira''s veins popped one after another as he held Zeri''s wrist tightly. He couldn''t believe that he experienced something so unbelievable in her hands again. He felt like a spirit was ying a prank with him using this amazingly annoying little squirrel.


    "You¡­" Kira was irritated and a bit angered as he pulled her hand off his face. His grip on her even tightened and he felt like he really wanted to punish her for good this time. But before he could even begin to burst, as always, he was rendered speechless. It was because the girl''s hand became limp as if she fell asleep again.


    Kira squeezed her hand but when the girl didn''t react or make a move, Kira didn''t even know if he shouldugh or cry so all he did was grumble noisily as he ran his fingers through his hair. "This girl¡­ this squirrel¡­ are you really asleep? Huh? Or are you pretending to be asleep after you p my handsome face?!" Kira bit his lip because despite his words, no movement came from her, as if she really was in a deep slumber.


    His sharp gaze toward her changed the moment he realized that she really was asleep again. His hand was still holding her wrist. This was the first time he was face-palmed like this in his entire life. Yet, this squirrel had the audacity to do it to him while she was asleep and with such gori-like strength?! How could this girl do this to the great him?! And how the hell did she go back to sleep straight after?? Was she such a sleeping log as well?!


    Heaving a really deep sigh to calm himself, Kira looked up the ceiling and closed his eyes. He felt once again defeated.


    However, the moment he opened his eyes and looked at her, the squirrel had already raised her head and¡­


    Her long ck hair covered her entire face! She looked like Sadako appearing out of nowhere!


    Kira''s eyes bulged out of their sockets and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest from the fright! He stumbled backwards to instinctively put some distance between him and this scary-looking creature! It took some moments for his brain to kick in and tell him it wasn''t a real ghost sitting in front of him. He put his hand over his heart, which was racing just a moment ago, as if to push it back inside his chest again and he slowly calmed down as his mind took over.


    Kira''s widened eyes blinked a few times before his shoulders dropped and he pinched the skin between his brows. "Squirrel¡­ do something with your hair or I''ll shave it off!" he threatened with a low and seemingly troubled voice but the girl, who was still in a daze, didn''t even move.


    This made Kira snap and with an annoyed look, he reached out his hands and touched her hair. But the moment he shoved her hair behind her ears, Kira halted in ce.


    His eyes were on her face and he looked like he was surprised with what he saw. Truth be told, this was the first time he had a clear view of her face. Her long hair always covered most of her face as though she was purposely doing it to hide away. But this time, Kira had seen it and for the first time, he fell in a daze by looking at a girl''s face.


    The atmosphere as he gazed at her slowly turned a bit somewhat romantic. Pink bubbles were starting to form around them as the quiet breeze blew gently through the window. Kira''s gaze never left her even for a split second and the moment his eyes fell on her lips¡­


    Kira subconsciously moved his face closer to hers, slowly.

 Chapter 23 - Sleeping log

    Chapter 23 - Sleeping log


    The soft breeze blew inside the quiet ssroom. The atmosphere almost looked like bubbles were floating around as Kira and Zeri stared at each other.


    Kira''s hands which just touched her hair a moment ago slowlynded on the desk. His eyes never left her as his lips were getting closer to hers. The scene was like a movie in slow motion, kind of romantic and heart fluttering.


    But the moment his lips were finally about to touch hers, something unexpected happened and the romantic show was cut short before the most awaited moment could even happen.


    Kira''s lips were just two inches away when the girl''s head suddenly fell, hitting Kira''s nose and causing him to immediately snap out of his mesmerized self. His eyes widened the moment he realized what he was doing and he felt his face strangely turning hot. He was quite surprised at his own actions but he didn''t have the time to ponder about it because the moment he looked at her, his vein could only pop again.


    The girl whom he was about to kiss a moment ago, the girl whom he thought was awake and was now finally staring back at him in a daze, appeared to be just half awake and she obviously didn''t even know that she was about to be kissed. And she actually stopped his advancement without even knowing, by head butting his gorgeous nose?! This squirrel, how could she still doze off like this when a gorgeous man like me was about to¡­ ugh! This was supposed to be the moment for you to be fl.u.s.tered and fully awaken to your senses! This was supposed to be the time for you to get carried away with the moment and yet, you¡­


    Just as Kira wasining within him, the girl dozed off again and her body moved sideward. Her eyes were already closed so Kira thought that she was about to fall so he quickly stretched his hand out and put it on the side of her head to stop her from falling.


    "Squirrel! How could you still dare to continue sleeping when I am already here?! Won''t you mind it if I''ll steal a kiss from you? Huh? Sleeping log?!" he said, thinking he could wake her up with his noise. But when the girl didn''t react and even seemed to have found a reallyfortable position as sheid her head on his hand, Kira bit his lip, speechless. He really wanted to just kiss her but what was the point if she was asleep? Sigh¡­


    He was supposed to feel annoyed but as he watched her sleeping face, he didn''t even realize that the corners of his lips were already curving up. He raised his other hand and touched the strands of hair on her face, quietly putting them to the side so he could have full ess to her face again.


    He looked at every part of her face as if he was trying to memorize everything, and just like that, Kira''s mood drastically brightened. He even brought out his phone and took a snapshot of her sleeping face, as he smiled to himself as if he was so amused.


    Time passed and Kira''s hand seemed to have finally reached its limit.


    "Squirrel, don''t you think it''s time for you to wake up? The event downstairs is about to end and everyone is on their way up here now. Be thankful I''m gentleman enough to sacrifice my hand and turn it into your personal pillow. Just so you know I never did this to anyone before. Oh well, you''re now my girlfriend so it can''t be helped but¡­ wake up already! My hand can''t take it anymore!"


    When the girl still didn''t wake up, Kira sighed and his eyes narrowed. He then pinched her cheeks lightly and the girl finally opened her eyes.


    Kira quickly removed his hand and was about to scold her when¡­ instead of waking up, the girl''s head fell on her own hands on the desk and continued sleeping in her original position, leaving Kira with his mouth agape as she shook his head.


    He then ran his fingers through his hair while smiling in disbelief. T-this girl¡­ this girl is really driving me insane! How the hell could a human being be like this?!!

 Chapter 24 - Stubborn

    Chapter 24 - Stubborn


    Kira had given up trying to wake her up and he just sat there, resting his face on one hand while quietly looking at the sleeping squirrel. He stayed like that, touching her hair, for a long while until his eyes fell on her hand.


    The moment he saw small cuts and bruises on her knuckles, Kira''s face immediately darkened. He touched her hand, took a closer look and his expression only worsened when he confirmed they really were wounds. T-this girl¡­ what happened to her hand? How could she be sleeping so soundly like a log when her hand was like this?! Wait, was she also hurt somewhere else? Was this why she was sleeping like this? Was she sick?!


    Speechless and at the same time extremely troubled, Kira stretched his hand and ced his palm on her forehead. When he confirmed that her temperature wasn''t high, he heaved a sigh of relief, but it wasn''t enough to make his worry go away.


    "Squirrel, wake up! How could you sleep without treating your wounds first? Wake up, I''ll bring you to the infirmary." He said but the girl remained silent. Unable to contain himself anymore, he stood up and walked towards her. He held her shoulders and the moment he attempted to make her stand so he could scoop her up, the girl suddenly moved and pushed him away, hard.


    She was so strong that Kira was pushed few steps back and hit his back at the edge of another desk. T-this damn gori! Can''t she at least learn to control her strength?!


    "You¡­" Kira''s veins were popping again as he looked at her. He was about to scold her good but when he saw the surprised look in her eyes, he held himself back.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry, I thought you were someone else." She said and Kira immediately realized that he might have shocked her so his anger quickly subsided.


    He sighed and was about to tell her to go in the infirmary when the girl asked. "But¡­ why are you touching my shoulders?"


    Kira''s brows knotted a bit as he stared at her upon hearing her question. When the girl simply looked at him with straight face, he raised his brow and returned the question back to her.


    "What do you think? Why do you think I''m touching the sleeping log''s shoulder, huh?" he asked and Zeri blinked before replying.


    "You''re trying to wake me up?"


    Somehow, her answer made Kira smile. She even looked so sure. What''s with this girl? Was she really just someone so innocent or just a blockhead?


    "What made you think I was just trying to wake you up?"


    "Because my little brother also does that when he''s trying to wake me up."


    Upon hearing her straight answer without even a hint of hesitation in her eyes, Kira didn''t know why but he felt like he definitely didn''t like the fact that she justpared him to his little brother. But he didn''t speak anymore and returned his attention to her hand.


    "Your hand, what happened to it?" he asked as he casually held her wrist and made her look at the little wounds on her hand. "How could you sleep when you''re wounded? You''re supposed to go straight to the infirmary before anything else!"


    As Kira suddenly started scolding her, Zeri couldn''t even say a word and just stared at him. But when Kira started pulling her, telling her that he was taking her to the infirmary, Zeri protested.


    "Wait¡­ I already went a while ago and no one was there. I think the nurse is at the event as well." She exined and Kira halted.


    "What?! Tch! Well then, I''ll bring you to the hospital." He said and he started pulling her again.


    "Wait! Hold on. What are you talking about?"


    "Don''t worry. I''m allowed to leave the school anytime. You''ll be fine as long as you''re with me. C''mon, you have to treat that immediately!"


    "Wait¡­ that''s not it. Why would I go to the hospital? These are just little wounds."


    "So what if they''re small cuts? Wounds are wounds so it has to be treated properly! Stop protesting and just follow me."


    "But I''m really alright. I can treat these on my own. I definitely don''t need to go to the hospital."


    "Tch! Why are you so stubborn?!"


    "You''re the one who''s stubborn. I said I don''t want to go!"


    Kira narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to flick her forehead when someone suddenly cleared her throat.


    When the two turned to look in the direction of the sound, a cute chubby girl was standing by the door, holding a first aid kit.


    "Uhm¡­ I, I brought this." She said and Kira let Zeri''s hand go and walked towards the girl.


    "Did she ask you to bring this?" he asked and the girl shook her head.


    "No, I was the cause of her wounds so I went and borrowed this from the teacher when I saw that that the infirmary was closed. I thought that she might need this."


    "You were the cause?" Kira''s gaze at her turned cold, causing the girl to flinch.


    "I-I ¡­ I fell down the stairs and she saved me. That''s how she hurt her hand. I''m so sorry, forgive me."


    When she heard her answer, his gaze somehow softened. "Ohh¡­ so you fell and she caught you?"


    "Yes."


    With a raised brow, Kira turned to Zeri with a smirk. "So you finally experienced how it feels to be treated as an air bag now, huh?"


    "No, I was the one who fell on top of her."


    Kira: ". . ."

 Chapter 25 - Youre so slow

    Chapter 25 - You''re so slow


    Speechless with Zeri''s answer, Kira could only shake his head before he went and took the kit from the girl by the door.


    When the girl just stood there, looking at him in a daze, Kira spoke. "Do you need anything else?" he asked and the chubby girl blushed.


    "N-no. I-I''m leaving. Bye bye." She stammered before slowly walking away.


    Kira then immediately walked towards Zeri. He sat on the same chair he was sitting on a while ago before he looked up at the girl who was just standing there staring nkly at him.


    "Sit." He said and surprisingly, she obediently did as he said.


    "Give me your hand." He added as he stretched his hand. The girl again obeyed quietly and reached out her wounded hand.


    Somehow, Kira was pleased with her calmness and obedience. Could it be that she''s finally falling for me?


    A sweet smile carved on Kira''s face as he thought that this squirrel was finally showing him some good development.


    After preparing the things he was going to use on her hand, Kira started treating her wound, slowly and carefully. He was holding her hand with one hand while the other was treating the wounds.


    At that moment, it looked like things were finally going well. Anyone who would see them in that situation would think they were a lovey dovey couple and that Kira was a doting boyfriend to her.


    "Tell me if it''s painful." Kira then said before he continued what he was doing. Well, he was actually waiting for her to at least flinch or say ''ouch'' every time he applied the treatment on her wound but¡­ why was she not reacting at all? He was blowing her wounds right now, making this scene even more romantic! But¡­ was she not feeling anything? Impossible, right?


    Curious, Kira looked at her. When he saw her simply staring at her hand like she was watching some boring movie, Kira couldn''t help but want to flick her forehead. Tch! This girl¡­ will you at least act normally? Sigh¡­


    "Don''t be shy to tell me if it hurts." He said as he continued treating her when the girl finally spoke.


    "You''re so slow. Let me do the rest." She uttered and Kira''s vein finally popped. This girl really is unbelievably annoying! How could she¡­ Ugh!


    Kira was againining within him but he didn''t show it. He instead smiled at her and looked into her eyes. Afterwards, he raised her hand suddenly blew on her wounds, causing Zeri to blink at him multiple times.


    Seeing her reaction, Kira''s lips curved up again and he continued what he was doing while asionally blowing on her wounds.


    When he was finally done, he slowly raised his face and looked at her without letting her hand go. The way he stared at her suddenly changed. His eyes looked deeply in her eyes, causing the girl to curiously stare back at him.


    The two ended up staring at each other. Kira thought that this was a perfect chance. He wanted to make a move on her right here, right now while she was still this well behaved. He thought that this was the chance he had been waiting for and there was no way he could just let it slip away. After all, it looked like she was finally starting to act like a real girl and was now letting him do his moves on her.


    Thus, the next moment, Kira slowly moved his face closer to hers. However, surprisingly, Zeri moved away as he moved closer. This was the first time she reacted like this. She used to just stay still like an immovable rock when he did this so her so moving her face away made Kira think that this was an absolute sign that she was finally getting affected by his move.


    This made Kira rejoice inside him and he didn''t stop his advances. He decided that he would definitely kiss her so he stood up, put his palms on the desk and then without any warning, he swiftly moved to kiss her but¡­


    The moment his face closed in on hers...


    "Aaah-choo!!!"

 Chapter 26 - Hide and seek

    Chapter 26 - Hide and seek


    "Aahh¡­ choo!!"


    Zeri''s sneeze echoed inside the quiet ssroom while the young man whose face was close to hers stayed there frozen. His eyes were wide in utter disbelief as he looked at her. It seemed like he couldn''t believe that someone just shamefully sneezed on his very face. Squirrel¡­ are you really trying to drive me nuts? Huh?!


    With veins popping on his forehead, Kira was so pissed he suddenly held Zeri''s face in one hand to draw her closer to him. However, before he could begin to punish her with a kiss like what he nned, he saw her close her eyes as a sign that she was about to sneeze, causing him to immediately let go.


    "Ahhh¡­ choo!! Ahh¡­ choo!" Another sneeze echoed and Kira''s shoulders finally dropped as if he just lost another important battle that he''d never once lost before. Damn¡­ how many times has it been now?! Huh?! This girl is really¡­ damn it!!


    Just as Kira was still face palming himself like an old man carrying the problems of the world on his shoulders, the other students finally arrived, forcing him to go back to his chair, annoyed to the core.


    "I presume, Kira the great has suffered a great loss again, eh." As Rei''s mischievous voice rang from behind him, Kira immediately red hard at him like he was mad with the world, amusing Rei as he sat beside him.


    "Sigh¡­ so sad I didn''t see what happened." He added but Kira''s attention was already back to the girl in front of him, staring at her back, as if he was cooking up something. Pfft! I wonder if this guy was even aware that all his attention was on her alone now¡­ how amusing!


    After the ss, Kira stood quickly to approach Zeri. He was nning to send her home today but¡­ it looked like his attempt was again an utter failure. He didn''t even take a step yet when the girl in front of him already disappeared. The damn ninja had escaped again and all Kira could do was just run his fingers through his hair in great annoyance as Rei''s armnded around his shoulder.


    "I suggest that you should hasten your speed to 100% if you want to catch her." Rei said and Kira''s elbow lightly hit his stomach, causing the young man to immediately let go.


    "This is thest time I''ll let her escape like this." He dered as he walked away and Rei simply smiled mischievously as he followed him. Oh¡­ is that so?


    ¡­


    The next day, Kira''s mood was worse than the day before. His so called girlfriend had arrivedte and was called by the teacher during break time so he didn''t get the chance to even speak with her. What was worse was that she didn''te back after that. Kira had looked for her during lunch break but the squirrel seemed to have disappeared without a trace.


    Kira''s friends thought that she went home but because her bag was still on her chair, Kira believed that she was still inside the school.


    "That damn squirrel, is she ying hide and seek with me now?! Where the hell did she hide herself?!" Kira was obviously so irritated. His mood was worse than when Zeri was beside him, annoying him.


    "Easy Kira. I can''t believe you are acting like this just because you haven''t seen her for a few hours. What are you, a lonely wife getting worried about her missing husband? Take it ea-" Rei mped his mouth as soon as he sensed Kira''s deadly res. It looked like he must restrain himself from teasing him right now or he might really snap.


    Time passed and the bell finally rung. Kira took Zeri''s bag, surprising their ssmates, especially the girls.


    "What are you nning to do with that?" Rei asked and Kira looked at him.


    "What do you think?"


    "Deliver it to her home?"


    Just as the Kira was about to reply, an announcement rang. "This is the school nurse. I would like to call for a close friend of Miss Zeri Kim toe in the infirmary."


    As soon as Kira heard it, his eyes circled as he looked at Rei. The next second, Kira quickly walked out of the ssroom.

 Chapter 27 - Ouch!!

    Chapter 27 - Ouch!!


    Kira and Rei dashed towards the infirmary. Rei was constantly ncing at Kira, amused to see that this arrogant guy was obviously looking worried. It looks like you''re actually starting to care for her now, Kira¡­


    By the time they finally arrived at their destination, the school nurse who had just stepped out of the door was surprised to see the infamous young man that even teachers couldn''t afford to offend.


    "Kira, Rei, do you need something?" the nurse gently asked.


    "We heard your announcement. Where is Zeri Kim? Is she alright?" Rei was the one who quickly asked and the nurse was surprised. She didn''t think that these two were here for that girl.


    "Ohh, so you are here for her. She''s inside. She has a cold and was feverish this afternoon so I let her sleep here after giving her medicine since she didn''t want to go home. But she''s fine, her temperature went back to normal and she just needs more rest now."


    After the nurse''s exnation, Kira and Rei heaved a sigh of relief. Kira then entered the room while Rei was left with the nurse, asking for more information about Zeri''s condition. After all, even if it was just Kira who the master ordered to take care of her, Rei, who was with them, also needed to do the same.


    ¡­


    Inside the room, Kira was standing by the bedside, watching the sleeping girl on the bed. So you''ve been here the entire time while I was going nuts wondering where the hell you went¡­ sigh¡­


    Kira''s shoulders dropped and he carefully sat on the edge of the bed, not averting his gaze from her. She was sleeping so peacefully, like the cute little squirrel that she was. She looked so harmless, like a fragile ss doll. Anyone who saw her in this state would have never imagined that she was actually so strong, so damn fast and an annoying glutton. Indeed, she was exactly the meaning of the saying, ''don''t judge a book by its cover''.


    After just looking at her for a while, Kira found himself brushing the scattered strands of hair off her face. He halted for a moment but in the end, he continued what he was doing. The next second, hended his palm on her forehead and when he confirmed that her temperature was indeed normal, he felt relieved.


    When his eyes fell on the wall clock, Kira then decided to wake her up.


    "Squirrel, wake up. It''s time to go home. I''ll send you off so get up now." Kira said but there was no response from the girl. When he remembered that this girl was also a sleeping log, his forefinger fell on her cheek and he started poking it. He started with just a light touch and then like a child getting amused with new toy he found, a smile carved on Kira''s face as he continued poking Zeri''s soft cheek a bit harder.


    "Sleeping log, you''re not really waking up? Do you want to y as the sleeping beauty? Do you want me to kiss you?" he continued and the girl suddenly moved but all she did was try and swat away the annoying finger poking her cheek before going back to sleep again, making Kira speechless. Tch! This stupid squirrel! Why did she have to be a sleeping log as well? Doesn''t she know that she was so defenseless like this?!


    "Wake up now or I will really kiss you." He started threatening her. When there was no response, Kira mmed his palm near her ear. His face was now above hers as he spoke onest time.


    "I''m counting from 1 to 3 squirrel, if you don''t wake up, I will ki-" Kira''s words were cut short all of a sudden. It was because without any warning, the girl under him suddenly sat upright, as if she had just jolted awake from her nightmare.


    The worse thing was that, the moment she did, her forehead bumped on Kira''s lips, hard.


    "Ouch!!!" Kira quickly covered his lips with his hand while Zeri sat in a daze as she touched her forehead.


    "You!! Why do you have to wake up like that?! Can''t you at least wake up normally? Are you really a girl?!" Kira immediatelyined loudly and the girl seemed to have finally noticed him.


    She blinked at him for a while before her mouth opened. "Your lip is bleeding."

 Chapter 28 - Do you want me to show you?

    Chapter 28 - Do you want me to show you?


    Kira touched his lip with his thumb as soon as he heard Zeri and when he saw his blood on it, his shoulders could only drop in surrender. It looked like his lower lip was cut due to the impact. Damn, this girl really is¡­ what will she do to me next? She''s not just torturing me mentally, now she''s bullying me physically too!


    Feeling defeated, Kira sat on the edge of her bed before he weakly pinched her cheek.


    "You¡­ are you going to break one of my bones next? Huh?" he asked and Zeri just blinked at him before the words "I''m sorry" left her mouth.


    Hearing her soft sorry, Kira smiled at her and he held her wrist and moved her fingers near his lips. "If you''re sorry, treat it."


    Zeri then immediately moved and took the kit from the cab. She was quiet but it looked like she really was sorry for what happened.


    She sat beside Kira and the moment she began putting the ointment onto the small cut on his lip, the young man suddenly flinched and an "ouch" echoed in the room.


    "Will you at least do it gently?" heined and when Zeri''s brows knotted, Kira continued speaking. "It stings, okay? You should blow on it. C''mon, blow on it gently."


    Kira was smiling mischievously in his head as he said those words and when Zeri seemed to have noint about it, Kira felt even better. It looked like the sacrifice of his poor lip wasn''t in vain.


    Zeri then slowly applied the ointment again. Afterwards, she began to blow on it, gently.


    At that moment, Kira, who was busy mischievously smiling on the inside a moment ago, seemed to have suddenly frozen the moment Zeri blew on his lips. Kira felt like a certain soft and warm breeze was caressing his lips and... it sent shivers down his spine. It looked like the romantic scene he was trying so hard to create was finally here but¡­ what happened to him? Why was he freezing over just a single blow from her? He had kissed so many girls and yet he felt like he was struck by Medusa''s power just because this squirrel blew on his lips?! What did this girl do to him?!


    As Kira was struggling to regain his senses, Zeri had already finished her task.


    "Done." She said and she began to put away the things she used inside the box when Kira finally snapped out of it.


    "Wait¡­" Kira attempted to stop her. It was because he didn''t want this scene to end just yet, not when this girl was finally acting like one.


    However, it looked like he was a bit toote. As soon as Zeri''s eyes saw the clock on the wall, her eyes widened and she gasped.


    "Ahh!! I¡­ I¡­ I need to go now!" she suddenly eximed and quickly stood up. She picked her bag Kira brought and was about to dash outside when Kira grabbed her wrist.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    "To my part time job." She replied, causing Kira to pop a vein as he stood up and pulled her towards him.


    "You¡­ did you forget that you have just recovered? The nurse told you to rest, so don''t go to work today." Kira said but Zeri obviously looked unwilling to listen. It seemed like it was impossible to convince her.


    "I''m already feeling fine. I feel fully recovered so don''t worry and please let me go now."


    "Why are you so stubborn?"


    "I''m not stubborn, I''m telling the truth. I already rested for half a day so I''m fine now. Do you want me to show you?"


    "And how the hell would you show that?!"


    "I can carry you and show you how strong and fine I am. I can even beat you up to show you that I have recovered."


    Kira: ". . ."

 Chapter 29 - Pretty boy

    Chapter 29 - Pretty boy


    Speechless with what the girl just told him, Kira held her chin and made her look up to him.


    "You¡­ why are you so c.o.c.ky? You really think you could beat me?" he asked in a serious tone but Zeri remained unfazed and answered him right away.


    "I''m not sure. I only said that thinking that you wouldn''t fight back."


    "Sigh¡­ damn! What are you even¡­ never mind! Okay fine, but let me drop you to your work."


    "But¡­"


    "No buts! You''re going to bete if you still have to look for a ride."


    And thus, just like that, Zeri ended up inside Kira''s shy car on their way to her part time job. Zeri was very reluctant but because she knew she was going to bete, she gave in and entered Kira''s car.


    However, for some reason, Zeri became quiet the moment she saw Rei and Ken in the two front seats. She never once looked at them again, instead, she slowly moved closer to Kira as if she was suddenly scared of something.


    Noticing this, deep lines formed on Kira''s forehead.


    "Hey, what''s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Kira asked but the girl just shook her head.


    "N-no, I''m fine." She replied but Kira was not convinced at all. He was about to ask again but the car had already reached her workce as it was just a few minutes from school.


    "T-thanks for the ride. I''m going now." Zeri then said and without waiting for Kira''s answer, she hastily climbed out of the car, almost as if someone was chasing her.


    After Kira saw her enter the caf¨¦, he turned towards the two in front.


    "You two, did you do something to her behind my back?" he asked in a serious tone and Ken immediately protested.


    "Huh?! Why are you asking such a question? How could I do something to her when I can''t even go near her? This was just the second time I''ve seen her, you know?!" Kenined and Rei just casually shrugged.


    "Not me. I never talked to her either despite being in the same ss." Rei said and Kira sighed as he rested his head on the backrest.


    Kira understood where they wereing from. It was because even he was having a hard time speaking with her or even approach her since she was always disappearing like a ninja. But¡­ why did he feel like she was scared of something? Was it just his imagination?


    "Anyway, are we not going inside? That looks like a decent caf¨¦. Why don''t we go and take a look at your girlfriend''s part time job?" Ken then changed the topic and Rei also nodded.


    After staring at the caf¨¦ for a while, Kira finally agreed.


    "Okay, let''s go."


    As soon as the three entered the caf¨¦, every girl inside turned to look at them and as usual, they started squealing at the sight of them.


    dly, there were only a few girls inside since it looked like most of the costumers were boys.


    This was obviously because this caf¨¦ seemed to be a cosy caf¨¦ and the girl waitresses were dressed as different anime characters.


    When Kira saw this, his brows knotted in extreme displeasure. Well, it wasn''t like thedies were dressed inappropriately, but thinking about Zeri, his personal squirrel, wearing those maid outfits and other cute dresses to entertain these male costumers made his face darken to the extreme.


    "I wonder what your girlfriend is wearing." Ken was excited while Kira''s expression remained dark. Rei, on the other hand, was busy looking around, trying to spot her.


    But time passed by and no Zeri Kim appeared.


    "Wait, where is she? We''ve been here for an hour now. Could it be that she isn''t a waitress?"


    "Probably. Maybe she''s one of the chefs inside?"


    "No way! She''s still just a high schooler like us. How could she be a chef no-" Rei couldn''t continue speaking and his mouth just hung open the moment he looked at the person the girls kept squealing out for quite a while now.


    When Kira and Ken looked at the direction where he was looking, they saw a young man cosying a famous character, Kenshin. The young man was dressed in red and had an X scar on his face and he was pretty darn attractive.


    "Wow! What a pretty boy. If that guy grew even taller, I bet he couldpete with you and your powers of attraction, Kira. You better prepare to be overthrown once that boy grow up." Ken said mischievously.


    When he saw that Kira and Rei''s eyes were still on the pretty boy, Ken creased his forehead. OMG! Why are they still staring at him? Could these two have just been turned gay by that boy?


    bbergasted, Ken was about to speak when Rei beat him.


    "Kira¡­ i-isn''t that boy Z-zeri Kim?"

 Chapter 30 - Troubled

    Chapter 30 - Troubled


    Kira was stupefied. He stared at the pretty boy in the samurai costume and his eyes narrowed. No word came out of his mouth and his eyes remained glued on the boy. He observed the boy''s every move and he looked at him with razor-sharp eyes.


    After a long while of simply staring at him, Kira finally confirmed that the boy was really her. Her height, her face, herplexion and the way that ''boy'' moved was exactly like her. But thest thing that made Kira''s doubtspletely disappear was when he saw that mole on her nape. Tch! This squirrel¡­


    At that moment, the puzzled Ken was looking at Kira and then at Rei and back again. He looked really surprised when he heard Rei say that that pretty boy was Zeri Kim.


    "W-w-what did you say? He''s¡­ that boy is Zeri Kim? The same Zeri Kim that''s Kira''s girl?!" Ken finally burst.


    "I believe it''s her." Rei replied and Ken''s eyes became even wider. He then looked at Kira to confirm it and when he saw how Kira was looking at him, Ken''s shoulders dropped.


    "Y-y-y-you mean, Zeri Kim is¡­ Kira''s girlfriend was a trap[1] all along?!!"


    The world seemed to have halted as those words left Ken''s mouth. Some of the girls who heard his sudden outburst even choked, while Kira and Rei looked at him with an eyes filled with nothing but disbelief. They werepletely speechless.


    After a moment, Kira stood up and then out of nowhere, Kira chopped Ken''s head using his the side of his palm before he quietly left.


    "Ouch!!" Ken looked like a troubled puppy as he looked at Rei. "Did I say something wrong?"


    Rei could only sigh and ruffle the poor guy''s hair.


    "Haha, this is why I am always telling you to think first before speaking. Sigh¡­ how could you even call Kira''s adorable girlfriend a trap?" he said and he too stood up, paid for their food and left the caf¨¦ while Ken started biting his nails as he followed behind him.


    Inside the car, Rei, who had just sat on the driver''s seat, turned to Kira. It was already dark since they had spent hours inside.


    "Are we leaving?" Rei asked and after a short silence, Kira gazed at the caf¨¦ as he replied.


    "No, let''s wait for her."


    "Got it."


    Everyone then fell quiet. Kira rested his face on his knuckles while his gaze remained glued at the entrance of the caf¨¦. He was thinking, trying to figure out why was his squirrel was cosying as a boy. Was she always cross dressing like that? Why? Was it the caf¨¦''s demand or was it her choice?


    Time passed and Kira thought about every possible reason he could and one potential reason he thought of was making him lose his calm. He suddenly looked troubled, as if he just thought of something so ridiculously lethal. He didn''t even notice that hours had gone by until Ken yawned and finally broke the silence.


    "Kira, it''s nearly 10pm, why is she noting out yet? She''s a student like us but she works until this hour?" he asked and Kira finally snapped. He had also been thinking that a while ago.


    "I think the cafe closes at ten. Let''s wait a bit longer." Rei was the one who spoke and just as he said, after some minutes, they started closing the caf¨¦. When the staff finally stepped out, all the three boys inside the car all searched for Zeri among the crowd.


    "Err¡­ where is she? I can''t find her." Ken said and when he looked at the direction of Kira and Rei''s eyes, he blinked his eyes because they were looking at a boy again. The boy was wearing a normal boy outfit and his hair was dyed brown.


    "She''s also wearing a boy outfit even outside the caf¨¦? Now this is a surprise. What are we gonna do?" Rei said and Kira, whose face darkened again the moment he spotted her in a boy outfit, finally spoke.


    "Follow her."

 Chapter 31 - Run!

    Chapter 31 - Run!


    Zeri was wearing a hooded jacket. She was walking in a fast pace as if someone was chasing her. This was what she did every night. She was fired from her previous part time jobs because of her fear of males. So she was very thankful when she found this job. She also learned an effective way to avoid getting any attention from males.


    Of course, she knew that it was still dangerous for her to walk alone at night like this but she had no choice. dly, she had her unrivalled speed as some sort of protection. As long as she wasn''t overtaken by fear first, Zeri could always get away by running as fast as she could and no one would be able to catch her. This was why she was always on alert, always expecting some sort of trouble toe so she learned to be prepared at all times. This seemed like quite an effective strategy since trouble hadn''te looking for her yet since the day she started doing this.


    However, Zeri could somehow feel that something was unusual tonight. She felt like she was being watched so she kept on looking back and was puzzled since she couldn''t see anyone and strangely, she didn''t sense any danger despite it feeling like someone was following her.


    Looking confused, she suddenly halted and turned around when she was under a street light. But she saw no one. Instead, she saw a blue eyed stray cat behind her.


    "Meow." As the cat made a sound, Zeri''s stiff shoulders dropped and she sighed. She then slipped her hand inside her bag. Luckily, she found a piece of snack she forgot to eat because of sleeping at school for half a day. She then tore the bread into pieces before she squatted down and fed the brown cat with a smile on her face.


    Meanwhile, inside a certain car a few meters away from her¡­


    "I think she now thinks that the one following her was a cat. Haha, she''s cute." When those words left Ken''s mouth, Kira suddenly red at him, surprising the young man. "What. I''m just saying the truth. She''s kinda cute. Just look at her. She-"


    "Shut up." Kira seemed to suddenly be in a bad mood that the clueless Ken just circled his eyes as he looked at Rei with words ''what did I do now?'' shing across his eyes. But Rei simply smiled and uttered the word ''idiot'' silently.


    At that moment, the car went quiet again until Kira saw some men, who all looked drunk, approach Zeri.


    Even though the men were still a bit far from her, as soon as Kira saw that they seemed to be drunk, he suddenly asked Rei to unlock the door and then, without a word, he quickly jumped out of the car.


    As he hastily walked towards her, the girl, who was busy feeding a cat seemed to finally notice the men approaching and she flinched. She quickly rose and was about to begin running away when she suddenly collided with someone.


    The impact was strong and her stance was not in a favorable position so she fell on the ground.


    Kira, who was taken by surprised, was pushed a few steps back but as soon as he saw her fall to the ground, he quickly moved to help her up.


    "Are you okay?" he asked as he reached out his hand, while the girl''s eyes widened when she saw him.


    "A-android?" she uttered and the very word she said caused a vein on Kira''s forehead to pop as he held her hand.


    "Who are you calling an android? Huh?" he replied as he pulled her up.


    "What are you doing here?" As Zeri was speaking, she heard the voice of mening closer and she suddenly gripped Kira''s hand.


    However, just when Kira thought that he could finally act as her hero and tell her not to be afraid because he was now here to protect her, the girl suddenly let go of his hand and dashed away, leaving him.


    His eyes turned wide as his hand was left hanging on air. Speechless, Kira''s veins were about to pop again but to his surprise, the girl suddenly returned.


    The corner of Kira''s lips curved up, thinking that she came back to take shelter under the hero''s arm but¡­


    The first thing she did was¡­ grab his wrist and pull him. "Come with me or you''ll be beaten up here! Run! Faster!!"

 Chapter 32 - Acting

    Chapter 32 - Acting


    Kira didn''t even know why he ended up running with this cheetah that was dragging him like they were currently being chased by some mad dogs. She was running so fast that Kira could hardly keep up with her pace but her grip on him was damn tight. Kira even tried overtaking her so he would at least be the one to be ahead of her, pulling her, but what the hell could he do when the girl before him was a certified cheetah? What could he even do when this girl is like this?!


    "Hey! Aren''t you running too fast?! You''ll exhaust yourself like this!" Kira could onlyin. He didn''t even know why he was letting a certain girl drag him like this. "Hey! Squirrel! Listen to me?!"


    Zeri didn''t even slow down so Kira turned and when he saw that no one was after them, his vein popped and he suddenly halted, causing the surprised Zeri to crash on him. Because of the sudden movement, and his unfavorable stance, Kira lost his bnce as he caught her and¡­


    Tudd!!


    The two ended up falling on the ground.


    Zeri fell on top of Kira, pinning him down like a boss, while the poor young man was lying on the cold hard pathway.


    When Kira realized what had happened and saw this sorry situation, he almost wanted to curse. What frustrated him the most wasn''t the fall or him ending up on the ground but was actually the fact that the squirrel didn''t even let herself fall on him. It even looked like she did her best not to fall on top of him by putting her palms on the ground to support her weight. What was she? Was she acting like a prince afraid to squash the princess?! Ugh! I don''t know what to do with this girl anymore!


    While Kira was so frustrated that he seemed like he didn''t even want to rise anymore, Zeri immediately rose. Her gaze fell towards the direction where they came from and when she saw no one was chasing them, she sighed in relief.


    She then looked down and when she saw that a certain android was still lying there, breathing heavily as he just stared at her, Zeri suddenly looked worried.


    She quickly squatted down and held his hand.


    "A-are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere? C-c-could it be that you have asthma and you''re not allowed to run fast?!"


    The girl seemed to be suddenly in a bit of panic.


    Seeing her reaction, Kira''s vein could only pop again. Did this girl see me as someone who was so damn weak?!


    Annoyed, Kira was about to rise but then something mischievous popped in his mind.


    He then suddenly sped his shirt near his heart and acted like he was in pain. "Squirrel, I can''t breathe." He said and Zeri''s eyes widened.


    "W-w-what should I do?!" she started to panic.


    "T-there are no cars here! What should I do? Tell me!"


    When Kira saw that she was panicking more than he thought, he decided to soothe the situation.


    "Help me sit." He said and Zeri immediately did as he asked. She even supported his back. She was holding his shoulder as she worriedly looked at him. Kira was surprised. He didn''t think that this squirrel, who was always looking at him like he was nothing, was now so worried. And somehow, he was touched.


    "Do you still need something? Tell me. Should I call for help?" she asked again when Kira suddenly smiled.


    "Hehe. Did I scare you?" he said and when Zeri just blinked at him, he raised his hand pinched her cheek. "I was just acting. I think I could be a good actor, right?"


    As Kira was grinning at him, Zeri finally realized what was going on and she puffed her cheeks. The next moment she held both of his shoulders and then pushed him back on the ground, causing Kira to widen his eyes in surprise.


    She red at him and then she pinched his nose hard and without a word, she stood and was about to leave but Kira seemed to have finally learned and he quickly caught her wrist to stop her from leaving.


    "Wait. I was just trying to calm you down, okay? You looked like you were panicking even though those men didn''t even chase us." Kira immediately started coaxing her as he stood up, not letting go of her when suddenly; they heard a seductive voice which obviously sounded like a man''s voice and yet damn girlying from behind them.


    "Look at what we found. There are extremely cute, delicious pies here. Wow, oh my god, so handsome. Will you two spend this night with us?" he or she said and the moment Kira and Zeri turned and saw four, no, six men in women''s clothes, both of them took a step back, sping each other hands tightly.

 Chapter 33 - My beloved boyfriend

    Chapter 33 - My beloved boyfriend


    Inside a certain car secretly following Kira and Zeri, two young men have been grinning from ear to ear for a while now as they watched an amazingly hrious scene unfolding before them. Ken even brought his phone out and started recoding the two as he continued giggling.


    However, when Ken saw the who wereing after them next, his mischievous smile slowly faded.


    "Hey, Rei, isn''t this bad?" Ken was already sticking his face on the car''s window as he watched a group of gay guys, approaching Kira and Zeri. "Shouldn''t we go rescue them now?!"


    Ken was obviously worried and Reipletely understood why. They both knew that Kira had an unpleasant experience back when they were in middle school where a group of high school boys who appeared to like guys, surrounded him. They seemed to have tried to grope him that time so from then on, Kira almost developed a phobia against gays. He even felt goose bumps all over him just by seeing them.


    Thankfully, Kira seemed to have gotten over it now. But still, Ken was right. It would be bad if Kira ended up fighting when Zeri was with him.


    "Hey¡­ are we not going to help?!"


    "Wait¡­ I think this should be Kira''s moment to show Zeri his capability as a man, no?"


    "But¡­"


    "Don''t worry, we can always charge in and help them if something bad happens."


    With Rei''s reassurance, Ken finally calmed down and focused his gaze again towards them.


    Meanwhile, Kira and Zeri had been stepping backwards as the gays were slowly closing in on them. Kira was busy thinking about the best move. He knew he couldn''t possibly fight with these people, especially when the squirrel was with him. So the only thing he could think to do was¡­ run again.


    The little squirrel with him was unusually still. She was gripping his hand even tighter as the gays moved closer that Kira couldn''t help but nce at her. W-was this squirrel scared?!


    This time, Kira had found her reaction surprising. He expected her to simply drag him again and run again like the cheetah that she was but she seemed to be fidgeting now?! Could it be that she was more scared of these gays than those drunken men?!


    Kira couldn''t help but wonder. However, he could somehow understand why these people before them were actually sometimes scarier than real men so he really couldn''t me her. But still, this was something unexpected. It looked like both of them were a bit wary of these people than real hooligans.


    "Hey, super handsome, sweetie pies, don''t be scared. We won''t eat you guys? We just wanna hang out with you since it looks like you both were lonely. We will make sure to make you both happy if youe with us. How about it? Hmm?"


    As one of them spoke, Kira''s grip on Zeri also tightened. He was now ready to pull her and run. However, the moment he was about to drag her, a bike suddenly screeched into halt near the sidewalk, blocking their way out. Damn!


    "Oops¡­ oh my god, wow¡­ you guys found godly youngsters huh!" the two which appeared to be these gays''panion whistled the moment theyid their eyes on Kira and Zeri.


    "That''s right. We''re so damn lucky tonight to meet these super rare eye candies. They are so cute. Could it be that you two are runaway young idols?!"


    "Anyway,e with us. C''mon, you won''t regreting with us. We promise. We''re going somewhere very fun."


    Realizing that running away was no longer an option, Kira found himself in a dilemma, not just because their situation got worse but because Zeri, the strong gori, suddenly clung on him tightly as if she was now really scared. She even looked like if they came a little closer, she would tremble in fear. Kira tried to remove her hand so he could at least be prepared to fight if these people started doing something funny, but the squirrel didn''t budge at all. T-this girl¡­ what''s going on? Was she so scared of gays this much? Did some gays bully her in the past for her to be like this? Damn, what should I do?


    Fighting won''t even be a choice anymore if you be like this, squirrel! Where did your mighty superhuman strength go? Don''t tell me those abilities of yours were just to be used against me!


    Kira was anxious and frustrated. He was so focused with his squirrel and the gays surrounding them that hepletely forgot about the existence of two allies that could help them. But forgetting about them seemed to be good because out of this unfavorable situation, he had somehow managed to find a solution.


    He looked at the people before him and calmly spoke.


    "Sorry to tell you guys but¡­ we are actually¡­ a gay couple." He said and everyone went silent. He then held Zeri''s should and pulled him to his embrace. "This guy here is my beloved boyfriend."


    Everyone: ". . ."


    "You don''t believe me? Okay, let me prove it to you." Kira said and the next moment, he turned towards the boy in disguise who was still under the spell of fear and¡­


    He leaned in to kiss her.

 Chapter 34 - How did you know?

    Chapter 34 - How did you know?


    Kira immediately noticed the extreme fear on Zeri''s expression as he leaned in on her. The boy in disguise whom he was nning to kiss was unexpectedly looking much worse than he imagined.


    She wasn''t looking at him. Her eyes were focused on the ground instead.


    Kira lifted his hand, held her chin and made her look at him. He didn''t like the feeling of seeing this girl in this state, no, he strangely hated it so much.


    A re of anger zed within him as soon as he saw her lips trembling. He didn''t expect this. He had felt that she was scared a while ago but he never would have thought that her fear was to this extent. Why was this girl looking this scared?


    Their faces were just few inches apart but Kira didn''t move further to kiss her, he couldn''t. He didn''t know why but the longer he was seeing her in that state, he was bing more and more angered that all he wanted to do was beat everyone who caused her to be like this. But he was afraid that he''d only scare her even more if a fight would happen before her.


    "Look at me," Kira said. He was obviously trying his best to speak very gently, as if he was afraid that he would scare her but still, the girl acted as though she didn''t hear him at all. This was the first time Kira had seen Zeri like this. He didn''t know that this creature that he thought was the most amazing and unbeatable little species he had ever met actually had this kind of vulnerability. He didn''t know why she was this scared even though nothing had happened to them yet but what made him feel worse was that, she was this scared despite him being by her side.


    With a darkened face, Kira lifted his other hand and held her face between his palms, forcing her to look at him.


    "What''s wrong with you?" he asked, trying to make her snap out of the spell that seemed to have invaded her system.


    When the girl still didn''t react, Kira''s voice became louder. "Zeri Kim! I said, look at me!" his voice was hard and a bit threatening but there was obvious worry and care in it.


    dly, his loud voice calling out her name for the first time made her somehow react and finally, she looked at him.


    Zeri seemed surprised as their eyes met. Her big eyes slowly widened and were filled with obvious fear but she looked as though she had just saw a light piercing through the cabin of darkness she was trapped into, and her first reaction was to desperately reach out her hand towards him.


    Kira was caught off guard when Zeri suddenly embraced him. She abruptly wrapped her hands on his waist and hugged him as tight as she could, as if she was trying to make sure that no one could ever pull him away from her.


    What she did stunned Kira. He was not even aware that he had let go of her until he realized that Zeri''s face was already buried on his chest. He didn''t even realize that the gays already fled because a police patrol car had just passed by in the area. He didn''t even notice that they simply stayed in that position for quite a long while, not until he heard a childish ringtone ringing.


    Kira was the first to snap. He couldn''t believe that he had actually fell in a daze andpletely forgot about everything else for a moment just because this little squirrel had embraced him. He thought that what was happening to him was absolutely strange¡­


    "Ze¡­ s-squirrel¡­ are you alright? Everyone is gone¡­ and your phone is ringing." Kira said, breaking the silence between them.


    The girl in his arms began to move. She slowly loosened her grip on him but she still looked a little wary.


    Zeri deliberately peeked behind Kira and the moment she saw that everyone was really gone, her stiff shoulders dropped, as if a heavy load on her shoulders just disappeared.


    Without a word, she finally let go of Kira. She took a step back as she hesitantly looked at him.


    When the girl just silently stood there, Kira sighed and he softly flicked her forehead. "I didn''t know you''re such a scaredy cat. Here I thought you would apply all your superhuman abilities at times like this." Kira mischievously said but the girl simply looked away and pouted a little.


    The expression she made caused Kira''s eyes to turn wide. He was stunned because he didn''t expect that his little squirrel was so damn cute when she pouts.


    While Kira was in a daze for a moment, Zeri''s phone rang again.


    "Twinkle, twinkle, little star¡­" the phone''s ringtone jolted Zeri and she immediately slipped her hand on her pocket and received the call.


    "Hello? Jiro?"


    "Big sis, where are you? I am very worried. You''re supposed to be here by now. Are you alright?" The boy on the other side of the phone sounded so worried. "Where are you? I''lle over and fetch you."


    "No, I''m fine. Don''t go out of the house, okay? I''m already on my way back."


    "R-really?"


    "I''m fine, don''t worry. I''m about to reach home."


    "O-okay then. Please be careful."


    "Mm."


    As soon as the call ended, Zeri looked at Kira again. She looked like she had something to say and Kira somehow could tell that she''s about to say goodbye to him and run away as she always does.


    Thus, Kira immediately moved, making sure that she wouldn''t escape by casually holding her hand.


    "Was that your little brother?" he asked and Zeri who was looking at their hands with an inexplicable emotion in her eyes lifted her face and looked up to him.


    She nodded at him before she slightly tilted her head. "H-how did you know?"

 Chapter 35 - Blind

    Chapter 35 - Blind


    "H-how did you know?" she asked and Kira almost choked. Well, he can''t possibly tell her that he knew her background for now or she''ll think he''s a stalker.


    "Just a guess." dly, he managed to answer her as naturally as he could. "Let''s go, before everyone in your housee out looking for you." he added as he began dragging Zeri with him.


    Zeri''s brows knotted as she caught up with him and walk beside him. She was ncing at their hands with a faint glint of curiosity in her eyes.


    Of course, Kira noticed her reactions and he began to feel somewhat displeased again. It was because he could see that this didn''t seem to excite her at all. He couldn''t help but remember the almost exaggerated reactions of all the girls he dated before whenever he held their hands like this and somehow,paring their reactions to Zeri''s was just driving him nuts.


    "What are you thinking? Don''t tell me you don''t like me holding your hand," he couldn''t help but spit out the thoughts in his head. His voice sounded displeased and he seemed to have forgotten to sugar coat his tone this time.


    However,


    "I like it," Zeri replied and Kira almost screeched into a halt. His eyes turned wide as his head snapped towards her.


    Shock and disbelief were like fireworks exploding in Kira''s eyes as he looked at her.


    W-what did I just hear?!


    "Y-you like it?" he asked, trying to confirm if what he heard wasn''t some hallucination. Kira seemed to have gotten so used with Zeri''sck of reaction in anything that he does that he now found her every reaction unbelievably unbelievable.


    So when Zeri nodded, he felt something damn unexpected and strange; his heart started to elerate rapidly.


    Kira was having a hard time believing himself and his very own reactions. He couldn''t believe that just some few words from the squirrel was actually enough to stir chaos in his heart. This was somethingpletely unthinkable for him, but¡­


    "Your hand is warm, just like my little brother''s." she added and the pink cherry blossoms that just started romantically falling on them abruptly disappeared.


    H-huh? Did she just say that I''m like her little brother?! T-this little¡­


    Kira''s vein popped but before he could even start protesting, before a word could leave his mouth¡­


    "Ahh! Shooting star!" Zeri yelled and Kira was forced to immediately look at the sky.


    "Did you see it!" she excitedly asked and when Kira shook his head, she pouted again, causing Kira''s eyes to be glued on her once more.


    "That''s too bad," she murmured, sounding regretful and Kira looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck.


    This girl¡­ so seeing a shooting star excites her much more than holding hands with me huh¡­ damn¡­ what is the meaning of this?!


    Kira quietly sighed and his grip on her palm tightened. He nced at her and he sighed again, trying to recharged himself from these seemingly endless streak of defeats.


    "Anyway, why are you dressed like this?" he tried changing the topic.


    Zeri fell quiet for a while before she replied. "Because its¡­fortable. If I''m dressed like this, men wouldn''t approach me."


    Her answer made Kira halt. His brows creased and the worried look in his eyes returned. "Don''t tell me you''re always walking alone in this street every night at this hour." He said and when the girl simply nodded like his question was just some random everyday queries, Kira slightly clenched his fist.


    "This street is safe and this was the first time that trouble had happen. If not for you, I would''ve been at home by now." She said and Kira could only smirk he ruffled her hair with annoyance.


    "Stop being so c.o.c.ky you little squirrel."


    "I''m telling the truth. I would have had run away before they could even approach me."


    Somehow, what she was saying made sense. With her unbelievable speed, she could have easily outrun anyone who would try chasing her.


    Thinking about it, Kira could only sigh again.


    "But your speed isn''t enough to keep you safe. You know that what you''re doing is still dangerous." He uttered when unexpectedly, Zeri suddenly blocked his way, stopping him.


    She was staring at him with wonder in her eyes and she looked really amazed, something that confused Kira.


    "What." He asked.


    "Why do you speak like my brother''s as well? You really sounded like him." She said and Kira was about to get mad when¡­


    Zeri suddenly chuckled.


    Watching her, Kira, had turn into stone. This was the first time he saw herugh and she was so¡­ damn¡­ so, damn¡­


    Kira''s heartbeat started elerating like crazy and he couldn''t take his eyes off her. Her chuckle was like sunshine in winter - so magically pleasing and warm.


    Even though it was jut for a moment, it sure caused an extreme chaos within him, and it was the kind of chaos he never experience before.


    While Kira was still rooted on the ground, Zeri started moving forward. But Kira didn''t move to follow her, causing the girl to turn and look at him again with question in her eyes.


    "Stopparing me with your little brother." Kira suddenly said. He stepped closer to her and he gently cupped her face with his one hand.


    But the girl simply blinked curiously. "You don''t like it?"


    "Obviously."


    "But why? My brother is very cute you know? You should be grateful."


    "So, you''re saying I''m very cute as well, huh."


    A smile curved on Kira''s face as he asked but Zeri narrowed her eyes, obviously trying to think about what he said as she began scrutinizing his face.


    "Hmm¡­" she seemed hesitating and her obvious hesitation made Kira''s vein pop again. "No you''re not." She finally said, causing Kira to close his eyes as he bite his lips.


    This little¡­ is she blind?! How could she... Wait¡­ could it be that¡­

 Chapter 36 - Safe

    Chapter 36 - Safe


    "Oh, it''s because I''m too handsome to be called cute?" He brazenly asked, still not letting go of her face. But the girl hesitated again and didn''t answer him right away.


    "Hmm¡­ you look like¡­ you look like an¡­ android." She answered and Kira was so shock that before he knew it, he let go of her face and hand.


    "H-huh? What the hell¡­ what did you say?" his voice was filled with disbelief as he began chasing the girl who already started leaving him.


    Fortunately, the squirrel didn''t run away like a cheetah this time so Kira managed to catch up. He grabbed Zeri from behind and wrapped his arms around her neck.


    "You¡­ I didn''t know you are good in teasing."


    "It''s not a tease, I mean it."


    ". . ."


    "You really look like¡­"


    Kira abruptly made the girl look at him and pinched both of cheeks.


    "Sigh¡­ you know what? You really are just so¡­ just so¡­ never mind." Strangely, Kira couldn''t even get pissed anymore, or more like he didn''t find her rejection something damn annoying anymore. He found it frustrating but finding someone who was not being blinded by his look, and being with a girl who wasn''t infatuated with him just by looking at his face was something unexpectedly very interesting.


    "I think there''s something wrong with your eyes." He added as he smirked before he softly flicked her forehead.


    Kira didn''t even realize that he had already dropped his facades and was now speaking to her without sugar coating anything and acting sweet and all until¡­


    "We''re here." Zeri finally said, looking towards the bungalow before them. As Kira heard her, he turned to look at the house when they heard someone''s voice.


    "Big sis?" the voice said and Zeri suddenly pulled Kira down.


    They were both squatting on the ground, hidden behind the bushes as her palm flew like a wind towards Kira''s face and covered his mouth.


    Her action made Kira''s eyes almost jumped out of its sockets. He wanted to get a little bit pissed with her but he was being overly conscious with the fact that Zeri''s warm palm was on his lips and that she was so damn close to him.


    "Shh¡­ my little brother is here." She said, whispering at him as she raised her forefinger on her lips.


    Kira''s brows knotted when he heard her and he too raised his one hand, held her wrist and slowly pulled it down, away from his mouth.


    "So what? Why are we hiding?" he asked, looking absolutely displeased.


    "Uhm¡­ I don''t want him to worry." She replied. Zeri sounded sincere but her reply only made Kira''s forehead creased harder.


    "Worry? Why would he worry?"


    "Because I''m with a boy."


    "Huh? What the hell is wrong with being with a boy?"


    Kira was trying his best not to snap while the girl simply blinked at him, innocently. "Because males are dangerous."


    Kira: ". . ."


    A short silence went by after those words left Zeri''s mouth and Kira was starting to feel like having a headache again. Dangerous? Are you serious?! You''re the one who''s dangerous here! Did you forget how dangerously strong, fast and agile you are?! Did you seriously forget all the things you did to the great me?!


    After pinching the skin between his brows, Kira sighed and then, he lightly pinched Zeri''s cheek.


    "You seriously think I''m dangerous?" he asked without letting go of her skin and Zeri fell quiet. She stared in his eyes, serious. She looked like she was searching for something in his face and Kira could see unknown questions in her eyes.


    "You''re¡­ not dangerous." She finally answered, causing Kira to lift a brow at her. "To me, all men are dangerous, except my little brother and¡­ you."


    For some reason, Kira didn''t know whether he should be happy or not. He was puzzled on what did she even mean by thinking that all men are dangerous. And what did she mean by putting him in the same category as her little brother again?! Was it really because she''s not seeing him as a man?!


    Thinking about all of his failed attacks, Kira realized that what just popped out of his head was possible, no, he thought that it was the only exnation why she was not being affected by his moves at all. And these thoughts made Kira''s face turned a few shades darker.


    Zeri Kim¡­ you¡­


    Kira felt worse. It seemed like this realization was just too hard for the great him to ept. This girl was the first person he ever pursued. Even though this was practically forced in the beginning, he knew that he took the steps himself and no one asked him to exert real efforts just to get her attention. He had never chased anyone before. He had never tried this hard before and yet, this girl was¡­


    "Squirrel¡­" Kira was trying his hardest to stay collected. "I don''t understand what the hell you''re saying at all." He said in a soft yet ice cold voice. He didn''t even understand why something like this was making him so damn mad. He didn''t know why he was acting like a kid sulking over something he used to not to care at all.


    However, in the middle of his sulking episode, he heard something unexpected.


    "The truth is, I don''t understand as well. I don''t know why but¡­ even though you''re not that kind to me, I just feel safe with you."


    Confusion took over Kira''s mind. Huh? She actually said I''m not that kind to her? This girl¡­ but¡­ she said she feel safe with me?


    Kira looked intently in her eyes and he could see nothing but sincerity. She was serious as always as if she was very sure with the words she just said.


    "Safe?" Kira could only utter as he tried his best not to celebrate just yet .


    "Mn. I think it''s the same as feeling like, you won''t harm me no matter what happen."

 Chapter 37 - This saturday

    Chapter 37 - This saturday


    For a moment, Kira fell into a trance. His eyes were glued at Zeri''s as they silently stare at each other.


    But before Kira could snap out of it and speak, Zeri''s phone rang again and the girl abruptly stood.


    Kira moved to stand as well but all of the sudden, the girl put her hand on top of Kira''s head, pushing him down to stop him from standing.


    "Jiro, I''m right here." Zeri waved her hand holding her phone towards a boy standing by the door.


    When the 13-year-old boy saw her, he immediately sighed in relief. He was about to walk towards her but Zeri stopped him. "Go back inside, I''ming." She said and the boy creased his brows. But in the end, he still obeyed despite the slight hesitation in his eyes.


    "O-okay, I''ll go heat up your dinner." He replied and hesitantly entered the house.


    By the time Zeri turned her gaze back to Kira, the young man who was left squatting on the ground, looking at her like an extremely displeased and dejected puppy, made Zeri quickly retracts her hand off his head.


    "I''m going in." She then said and Kira''s veins could only pop.


    Why the hell did this seem like I''m a mistress or something? Why the hell is she hiding me? She even disgracefully pressed the great me down like this?!


    All his life, Kira had always been treated like a prince that he was. He had never been treated this way before so these new experiences were almost like a culture shock to him. But the most surprising thing was that he was actually letting this squirrel treat him however she wants. No matter how much heined inside, he was not doing anything to stop her, and he didn''t know why.


    Sighing in defeat, Kira stood. He was pressing his lips tight before he casually put his hands in his pocket as he looked at the small bungalow the boy named Jiro had just entered.


    "So that boy is your brother. Introduce him to me next time, no, introduce ME to him next time." Kira stated, even over-emphasizing the word ''ME'' in his sentence. But Zeri just blinked silently, causing Kira to leaned in on her with a slightly narrowed gaze.


    "What, you don''t want to introduce your boyfriend to your family?" he asked, moving even closer that his breath was blowing on her face, but¡­


    "Why?" she asked, innocently, tilting her head slightly as she stares at him.


    Her question made Kira almost flick her forehead. Ah, seriously¡­


    Kira sighed, raised his one hand, and gently lifted her chin with his finger before he replied to her in a s.e.xy voice. "That''s customary." He smirked.


    "So you introduced all your countless girlfriends to your family?"


    Kira choked. He didn''t see this oneing and what? Cough, cough! Did she just say ''countless girlfriends''?


    "C-countless girlfriends? Where did you even hear that?" he at least managed to stay cool and speak at her, unaffected.


    "Everyone is talking about it in school."


    "Oh, so you are interested in the gossips about me huh¡­"


    "No, even if I don''t want to, I can''t help but hear it, because I can hear it everywhere I go to school."


    ". . ." Kira didn''t know what to say. He scrutinized her face but as expected, he couldn''t even see a tiny speck of jealousy in her expressions. As expected, this was another lethal blow on him. Sigh¡­


    "Listen," he started as he let go of her chin. "I never introduced anybody to my family, you understand?" Kira was again surprised in finding himself exining like this when he used to not even bother even if people would misunderstand him. He was the type who wouldn''t care about exining or even justifying himself to anyone so why was he doing this now?


    "Then why are you asking me to do it?" Zeri asked, simply blinking at him.


    "Because I''m¡­" for some reason, Kira bit his lips and he couldn''t continue whatever it was that he wanted to say. And then he quickly sighed in surrender. "Ugh, never mind." He groaned, frustrated, but after a short while, Kira raised his hand and run his fingers through his hair as he spoke, this time, his voice switched into something quite confident. "Forget about it for now. Next time, I''ll make you understand why got it?"


    Zeri''s forehead furrowed for a while but she eventually nodded at him. "O-okay."


    "Now go or your brother mighte out again."


    "Mm. I''m going then." Zeri finally started moving away but after taking just a few steps, she halted and looked back at him. "What about you? Would you be fine?" she asked, her brows were knotted slightly as she looked at him, obviously worried, causing Kira to smile.


    "What, you''re worried about me?" he asked mischievously when unexpectedly, Zeri immediately nodded.


    "Mm, I''m worried because I think you''re not fast enough to outrun someone so¡­"


    "Tch, just go inside."


    "But..."


    "One more but and I''ll force myself inside your house."


    "¡­ o-okay then, be careful."


    Zeri continued walking away, but before the girl could reach the house''s door, Kira called out.


    "Wait." He uttered and Zeri quickly turned to look at him. She saw him striding towards her so she curiously asked.


    "What is it? Are you afraid of being left alone?" she said. There was no sign of joke or any mischievousness in her expression. She was dead serious as she said it and it was what made everything even frustrating.


    "H-huh?" Kira''s veins could only pop again as he stood right before her. His momentum was again disrupted just like that.


    "I think I should wait here with you until your car wille and pick you up."


    "You¡­" Kira suddenly stretched out his hand and pressed it against the door behind Zeri. "Stop being ridiculous." His gaze turned ice-cold for a moment but the next second, he quickly melted away like a snowke in her hand. He ruffled her hair as he exhaled deeply. Sigh¡­ can''t you even let the atmosphere be romantic for at least five seconds? Are you really a girl, huh, Squirrel?!


    "I have something to tell you so listen carefully." He said, looking at her intently in her eyes.


    He leaned in on her and when his mouth was now an inch away from her ear, he whispered, "Let''s go on a date this Saturday."

 Chapter 38 - Different

    Chapter 38 - Different


    Kira didn''t wait nor let Zeri reply. Instead, he suddenly pinched her cheek right after whispering in her ear before he held her shoulders and made her face the door. He quickly reached out for the door knob and pushed the door opened.


    "Now get inside." He said while pushing her. As soon as she was inside, Kira abruptly pulled the door close behind her before Zeri could even turn and look at him.


    Zeri blinked as she stared at the closed door. She heard Jiro''s voiceing from the kitchen calling her but Zeri didn''t respond. She instead hastily opened the door again and peeked outside, looking for Android.


    When she saw him already boarding a ck car that just stopped before him, she sighed. After the car left, she locked the door and walked straight to the kitchen.


    She saw his younger brother preparing her food and she could only smile. Jiro was just 13 years old but he was already such a responsible young man. He was a big help to Zeri and he was very good in doing household chores, even better than her. Their grandmother trained him well despite being a boy and despite his age, maybe because she knew back then that she too would leave them alone in this world.


    Zeri, Jiro and their youngest sibling, Rena, were the only ones living in their house. Their parents died in a car ident eight years ago and Rena was not even one-year-old yet when that tragedy happen. The three of them were separated since then.


    Jiro and Rena stayed with their grandmother while Zeri was sent to the country side. She was 9 years-old that time. She lived with her old aunt in a small ind and she lived there for eight years. She was seventeen when she returned to this ce.


    Their grandmother was a very nice woman. But unfortunately, their grandmother fell ill shortly after Zeri returned until she eventually left them as well. The three siblings were left alone to live together. The money theirte parents left was only enough for Jiro and Rena''s schooling and needs, so Zeri needed to work to support herself. They went through a lot but they were living fine and were a happy family, maybe because Rena and Jiro were still cheerful despite it all. Their neighbors were also very loving and they were helping them out a lot so to them, their life was absolutely not that bad, because the most important thing for them was that the three of them are together.


    ncing at the wall clock, Zeri pursed her lips seeing that it was already prettyte.


    "I''m sorry. I am prettyte tonight. Don''t wait for me like this next time, okay?" She said as she sat but the boy shook his head.


    "It''s alright sis, I have lots of homework so I''m staying upte anyway. And I can''t sleep if you''re not home yet. Sigh¡­ I want to work too." Jiro rested his face on the table. He looked worried and Zeri knew that the boy was feeling bad again. He had been telling her that he too wanted to work so he could help her.


    "Listen, you''re already working very hard okay? You''re the one taking good care of Rena and everything in the house..."


    "Sorry sis, I''m just¡­ I''m just worried about you." The boy buried his face on his arms on the table and Zeri''s lips curved up.


    She stretched out her hand and ruffled the boy''s ck hair, looking at him like a proud mother. "Don''t worry about me, did you forget what kind of person this sister of yours is?" she yfully asked and the boy chuckled.


    "Haha, how could I forget? There''s no one like you in this universe sis."


    Time passed and the sibling''s conversation continued until Zeri was done eating. Jiro immediately stood to clean the table when his sister spoke.


    "Jiro, I have something to tell you." she said, serious, causing Jiro to pause and look at her. He then sat again and waited for what she was about to say.


    "I have a boyfriend." She confessed.


    A short silence passed by between them before Jiro choked and stood noisily, even mming his palm on the table as he leaned in on her.


    "Cough, cough. W-what? Sis, you have a b-boyfriend?!!" Jiro was extremely shocked. He knew about his sister''s condition and he saw how scared she was around men with his own two eyes, so howe that his dear big sister suddenly had a boyfriend? Could it be that she was already cured?


    "Sis, you''re cured?!" he eximed again but Zeri shook her head.


    "I don''t think so. I''m still scared of men."


    "Then howe..."


    "I don''t know. He is¡­ he is strange. I think he''s the same as you¡­ I''m not scared of him."


    "Wait¡­ how old is he?"


    "I think he''s the same age as me."


    "¡­"


    "I don''t know why but since the first time I saw him¡­ I''m never scared of him."


    Jiro was silenced. If the man she was talking about was the same age as her, then it was indeed strange.


    "Right now, I am still trying to find out why."


    "Wait¡­ sis¡­ this person is also your boyfriend?"


    "Mm."


    ". . ." Jiro was speechless. He just couldn''t believe that this sister of his suddenly had a boyfriend. It was definitely something that was a bit shpcking for him. Well, Jiro knew everything about his sister more than anyone else. He knew about her peculiarities and attitudes. Even he could say that his sister was weird sometimes but very cute. He even knew about her tricks in school to avoid males and Zeri always share her encounters and even experiences to him.


    "Uhm¡­ sis, this person, I mean your boyfriend¡­ how did you two met? More like when did you even¡­"


    "Hmm¡­ I think he asked me to be his girlfriend two days after our first encounter."


    "T-two days?! And¡­ you agreed?"


    When Zeri nodded, Jiro''s mouth could only part in disbelief.


    Jiro wasn''t reacting like this just because of Zeri''s condition. That day he first met her sister again after many years of separation, Jiro found everything about Zeri very strange. He couldn''t remember what kind of person she was before they got separated but the Zeri that returned to them was very different. Different in a sense that she seemed to havee from another world or something. She was very kind, she didn''t even know how to swear and she doesn''t talk if not asked. Technologies and skyscr.a.p.ers even freaked her out, as if she never saw them before. She was damn strong, unbelievably fast and extremely intelligent and yet she was strangely very ignorant about a lot of things and was innocent like a child. Jiro always wanted to ask, to know more about what happened to her or what kind of life she had but when their grandmother was still alive, the old woman warned Jiro not to ask her about her past and just wait for her to open up so until now, Jiro still didn''t know a thing about his sister''s life before she returned home.


    Of course, Jiro knew that Zeri was at least much better nowpared to herself from a year ago but he was still worried. He knew that his sister was absolutely more than just a girlfriend material. She was beautiful, intelligent and very strong but more than anyone else, he knew that this sister of her was new to these kind of things. Thest time he asked her, she didn''t even once have a crush or anyone she liked and yet, she now suddenly had a boyfriend?!


    "Uhm¡­ sis, your boyfriend, can I meet him?"


    "You want to meet him?"


    "Of course."


    "Okay, I''ll introduce him to you next time."


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside a spacious and luxurious gray toned bedroom, Kira was unable to sleep. His mind was full of his squirrel and no matter how much he turned and twisted on his bed, it was just impossible to annihte the popping little squirrels appearing in his head.


    "Ugh!" he groaned as he looked at the clock. When he saw that it was already past midnight, Kira sighed and he rose. He stepped out of his room and walked towards Rei''s room downstairs.


    He knocked impatiently and the half-n.a.k.e.d Rei opened the door. His ck hair was messy, looking like he just woke up.


    "What is it?"


    "Rei,e over, I want you to hear about my n."


    "Huh? n?"


    "About the date this Saturday."


    "¡­ hey, do you know what time is it?"


    "It''s past midnight."


    "Then why are you¡­"


    "I''ll wait for you in the study."


    ". . ." Rei was speechless as he watched Kira''s back as he left. Sigh...

 Chapter 39 - Zeris boyfriend

    Chapter 39 - Zeri''s boyfriend


    Zeri had just left their house early morning when her phone vibrated. It was Saturday and she was heading to the caf¨¦ for her work.


    Looking at the screen of her phone, Zeri creased her brows because the caller''s number was unfamiliar. She hesitated but eventually, she received the call.


    She didn''t speak, she was waiting for the caller to speak, thinking that she would just hung up if it was a spam.


    However, the instant she heard the voice of the person on the other side of the phone, she was surprised. ''Where did he get my number?''


    "Squirrel, I''m on my way to pick you pick up." The young man said and Zeri''s eyes slowly widened as she finally remembered the words Android said that night.


    "Hey, are you listening?" he spoke again and Zeri could only utter an "Mm."


    "I''ll be there in ten minutes."


    Before Zeri could even reply, the call already ended, leaving Zeri biting her lips as she stood there. She had forgotten about the date Android had told her. He was absent in school for days so she hadn''t spoken nor seen him since that night he sent her home so she thought that he was not really serious about it. She was also quite confused.


    But her biggest problem now was her job. She had to go to work and she didn''t file any leave so she can''t possibly go on a date with him now. She was still new to this job so she definitely didn''t want to risk it.


    After thinking deeply, Zeri decided to call Kira to negotiate with him as she continued walking on the roadside. But the Android was not answering, until suddenly, an ostentatious red convertible screeched into halt meters away from her.


    Zeri ignored it but a whileter, she heard someone''s voice, forcing her to stop walking and raise her head towards the source of the voice.


    She saw Kira inside the shy car, frowning at her.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked, hastily climbing out of his car. When he reached her, Kira''s eyes travelled from her head down to her toe and he could only press his lips in a hard line.


    Zeri was wearing a in ck hoody, paired with a tattered blue jeans and a ck sneaker while Kira was¡­ well, he looked like a lost runway model.


    "You¡­" Kira didn''t know where to begin. Just by seeing her clothes, he could only think that she was trying to escape. His gaze on her turned a lot colder as he raised his hand and pinched her cheeks. "Are you trying to escape? Huh?" he was obviously pissed.


    "No, I¡­ I''m sorry. I thought you were not serious about it since I didn''t hear anything from you for days so I didn''t file a leave today." Zeri quickly exined and dly, upon hearing her, the dark and heavy atmosphere surrounding Kira immediately started dissipating.


    "Huh? Leave?" he asked, confused. "Don''t tell me you have a work today."


    "I have. I''m working full day on Saturdays."


    ". . ."


    Kira''s lips parted slightly. He looked like he was having a hard time believing what she just said. ''W-what? She''s working part time every night on weekdays and have work on Saturdays too?! Did she even have any time to rest?''


    The look in Kira''s eyes abruptly changed from pissed to worried. He didn''t understand why she, a high school student like him had to work this hard. He knew that she''s orphan but this was still shocking for him.


    "You¡­ do you even have time to rest?" he asked, creasing his brows as he let go of her cheeks.


    "Sundays." She replied and Kira secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He really didn''t know what to even say if she said that she was working on Sundays too.


    Kira stood there, scratching the back of his head. His absence in school wasn''t intentional because they had a trip abroad but he purposely didn''t contact her about the date until now. Even though he expected that this Squirrel would never react like those girls he dated before, he was expecting her to atleast already dressed up, waiting for him by the door. And yet, she actually thought he''s not serious about it?! This squirrel¡­


    "I''m¡­" Zeri had just started to speak again when Kira suddenly gripped a fistful of her jacket in one hand. And then, without a word, he towed her towards his car, pulling her by her jacket.


    "Hey, wait¡­"


    "Get in," was all he responded, ignoring her. When Zeri didn''t move, Kira opened the passenger''s door and then, before Zeri could speak or do anything, without any warning, he suddenly carried her and put her on the passenger''s seat.


    He didn''t give her time to protest as he quickly fastened her seat belt. And then, he got in the driver''s side and drove.


    "What are you doing?" Zeri asked with aplicated expression on her face. But Kira didn''t answer. "Uhm, can''t you postpone the date tomorrow? I..." Zeri paused. She could see that they were heading towards the caf¨¦''s direction so she turned to Kira and look at him with another confused look.


    In no time, they reached the caf¨¦ and Kira parked in front.


    Still silent, he was the first to climb out of the car. The moment Zeri just stepped out of the car, they heard gasps from behind.


    "OMG! Ze, is that you?!" ady in her early 30s was the one who spoke. She was the kind owner of the caf¨¦. It seemed like she too had just arrived since it''s still early and the caf¨¦ was not opened yet.


    Her eyes were leaping from Zeri to the red convertible and to the gorgeous, prince-like young man and back again. She obviously looked awed.


    "My my, our dear Ze, where did you abduct this prince?" thedy yfully said, causing Zeri to innocently blink at her when all of the sudden, Kira approached thedy.


    "I''m Kira, I''m Zeri''s boyfriend." He introduced himself and thedy could only gasp again. Kira knew that this woman was the owner of this caf¨¦ since he had checked the caf¨¦''s owner and employees that night he found out that Zeri was working there.


    And the reason why he came here was actually to speak with this woman.


    "Oh my gosh, you''re her boyfriend?! Oh my," she gasped again as her gaze darted from the boyish girl to the prince-like young man before her. "Ahem¡­. Anyway, I''m her employer, just call me Miss Mai." The woman replied and after shaking hand with her, Kira moved beside Zeri and put his arm around her shoulder.


    "Uhm, Miss Mai, I came here to ask you for a favor." Kira started, his voice switched into something sugary, a sound nobody could ever ignore, except of course to this one and only Squirrel right beside him.


    "Favor? What is it? Just say it." Thedy was smiling brightly as she said it and Kira sensed that this person was somehow easy to talk with. Therefore, he asked to speak with her, and ehen she nodded, they moved fee steps away, leaving Zeri standing there looking at them.


    When the two were done talking, Mai was grinning wide as she approached Zeri. She held her hand and cheerfully spoke. "Dear, don''t worry about anything and just go enjoy the day with your boyfriend." She said and Zeri was surprised.


    The woman pressed her palms and looked at her with meaningful gazes as she continued, not giving Zeri the chance to respond. "We will talk about this this Monday so go now. See ya on Monday." She added and then she walked away and entered the caf¨¦ with a big smile.


    The puzzled Zeri turned and look at Kira but the young man was already sitting on the driver''s seat.


    "Get in, or do you want me to carry you again?" he said, smirking at her and Zeri could only do as he said despite the confusion shing across her eyes.

 Chapter 40 - Sneakers

    Chapter 40 - Sneakers


    Inside a certain salon¡­


    Kira was leisurely sitting on the sofa while waiting for Zeri when he heard footsteps moving closer to him. The young man in a handsome outfit raised his head and the moment he saw the person standing before him, he froze.


    The girl wearing some boyish outfit moments ago hade out looking almost unrecognizable. She was wearing a simple knee leveled sky blue dress, paired with a beige colored Mary Jane tform. Her long hair was styled with a side braid ponytail and she was just such¡­ a ravishing beauty.


    "Miss Kim''s features are¡­ I may say near perfect and she have such a very good skin so we just applied a very light make up on her. And about her dress and shoes, she was the one who chose so if Sir Kira isn''t satisfied with her choice¡­"


    "No, this is good enough." Kira didn''t let the stylist finish her statement and his eyes never left Zeri''s face.


    Kira knew that Zeri''s visual was far from average. She still looked cute no matter how painfully unfashionable she was but now that she actually dressed up like a real girl like this, Kira couldn''t help but find himself falling in a daze just by looking at her. This was something he didn''t seeing and he was suddenly lost for words to say.


    After clearing his throat, Kira moved closer to her. He raised his hand, offering her to take it when all of the sudden, Zeri put her palm on his shoulder and pulled him close to her, instead of epting her hand.


    Kira was stunned by her sudden action but when he realized that the girl just wanted to whisper something, he was a bit disappointed.


    "Uhm¡­ do I really need to be dressed like this?" she asked, her brows knotted as she look at him.


    "What, you don''t like your outfit? Aren''t you the one who chose it?"


    "But¡­ these are the mostfortable of all the clothes she showed me and these shoes are¡­ can I use my sneaker? They don''t have sneakers here."


    Seeing her brows furrowed as if she was dissatisfied with her own look, Kira could only press his lips tight. He somehow expected that things of course wouldn''t flow as easy as he wanted but¡­ sigh¡­ Squirrel, when will you stop being the squirrel that you are?


    "So you wanted sneakers?" Kira''s eyes were narrowed as she asked and as expected, the girl nodded like a rattle.


    "Mm. Sneakers are the mostfortable!" she even eximed enthusiastically, causing Kira unable to stop himself from smiling.


    "Yeah, you''re right. Sneakers are the mostfortable." He agreed, now smirking at her. "Let''s go."


    Kira casually held her hand and then led her out of the salon.


    "Wait, how about the sneaker?" Zeri asked as they both entered Kira''s car but Kira didn''t answer until eventually, after almost ten minutes the car stopped in a certain spacious open area.


    Zeri looked at Kira, curios.


    When Kira stepped out of the car, he silently walked towards Zeri and opened the passenger''s door before stretching out his hand towards her.


    Zeri was obedient and she took Kira''s hand without saying anything. As they stood there, Zeri looked around as the curiosity in her eyes intensified.


    After some moment, she finally took a step and stood before Kira. She looked like she finally reached her limit and was now ready to speak and ask.


    However, before she could say a word, she was distracted by a loud sounding from above them. She turned and saw a helicopter descending.


    When the helicopter was finally on the ground, Zeri looked at Kira with slightly widened eyes. She looked like she was astounded.


    "You''re right, were going to ride in that helicopter." Kira leaned in on her, looking amused about something. When he saw her eyes widened upon hearing him, he yfully pinched her cheek. "What, don''t tell me you''re scared." He added, his smile now turned mischievous. Deep inside him, he was actually hoping that this girl would be scared so he could at least start showing her his manly prowess. But¡­ as expected¡­ his hope was just too far from happening.


    "Really?! Wow!!" her eyes sparkled in excitement. She was obviously thrilled, like a child who was excited about riding an extreme roller coaster for the first time. She looked like she couldn''t wait anymore and was even the one who dragged Kira towards the helicopter.


    Kira could only sigh but as they approach the helicopter, he suddenly halted, causing Zeri to curiously turned at him.


    "Wait a moment." Kira said and he took off his coat and quickly wrapped it around Zeri''s waist. The girl just watched him in silence while Kira was silently scolding himself for actually forgetting about making her wear the right outfit. It looked like he was too engrossed to seeing her dressed up like a real girl that he forgot about everything else.


    After that, the two continued approaching the helicopter. Kira could feel her excitement but as soon as Rei climbed out of the helicopter to escort them, Zeri''s grip in his hand suddenly tightened.


    Kira''s brows creased but he thought that she might be a little nervous after all. When she clung in his arm, the corner of his lips lifted.


    Finally, they were now seated on the best spot. Zeri was sitting by the window while Kira was right beside her.


    "Nervous?" he asked, grinning at her and the girl shook her head. But of course, Kira didn''t believe her for she was still not letting go of his hand. Little did he know that the was not nervous about the ride; she was nervous because there were other men inside the helicopter with them.


    "Rx, I''m here." Kira assured and Zeri couldn''t deny but Kira''s presence really calmed her down. Surprisingly, she wasn''t that tensed. It was as if just holding his hand like this was enough to put her at ease.


    "But... where are we going?" Zeri finally asked.


    Kira raised his brow, his gaze at her still yful. "Where do you think?"


    Zeri blinked, and then she tilted her head slightly.


    "To the sneakers'' store?"


    Kira: ". . ."

 Chapter 41 - Bear

    Chapter 41 - Bear


    Kira pinched the skin between his brows upon hearing what the girl just replied. He was again utterly speechless. He couldn''t help but feel frustrated but as always, all he could do was force himself to calm down. He won''t let anything ruin this date. No matter what, he will definitely make this girl fall for him at the end of this day.


    Quietly, Kira moved towards her. He bent closer until their faces were just inches apart.


    But as expected, the girl remained undisturbed and just stared at him with her signature straight face. Herck of reaction didn''t even make Kira feel the usual annoyance anymore. It seemed like he finally got used to it.


    Kira strapped her into the harness. He was so close that his hair was almost touching Zeri''s face. He nced s.e.xily at her. His eyes were so unusually intense; it was enough to tantalize any girl. But of course, this certain squirrel always seemed to be the only exemption.


    Still keeping his cool, Kira quietly tucked her hair behind her ears. What he did make the girl''s eyes turned slightly wide but in Kira''s standard, her reaction was still considered extremely weak. It was because the emotion that appeared in her nk eyes was nothing but confusion. He could even see a huge question mark in her eyes. Regardless, the corner of his lips still curved up.


    After putting the headphones on her, Kira finally leaned away from her and buckled himself into his seat.


    The helicopter then rose slowly and smoothly into the air and in no time, they were now flying thousands of feet above the ground.


    Kira nned to talk to her about the magnificentndmarks and everything that they were seeing below to stir a romantic conversation while they both enjoy this romantic trip. He was even prepared to coax her in case she''ll get nervous. But just as he was about to speak, the girl beat him and spoke first.


    "Wow!!" she eximed in great excitement. Her sparkling eyes were now fixated at the breathtaking scenery she was seeing; her cheek was even touching the window as if she still couldn''t get enough of it.


    Her fearless reaction surprised Kira. He thought she would at least feel some anxiety but she was immediately acting hyper? Could it be that this wasn''t the first time she rode a helicopter?


    "Sq¡­ Zeri, is this your first time riding a helicopter?" he asked and the girl''s reply waste.


    "Yes," she answered without even looking at him.


    As the helicopter flew higher, the girl beside him was getting more and more awed by the beauty she was seeing. Her attention was now focused on the clouds and her eyes sparkled even brighter.


    Kira leaned in on her, aiming to get some attention when suddenly, Zeri grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to the window.


    "Look!! Look! That cloud looks like a bear!" she eximed. Her face was bright and her expression changed. Her usual nk face was now filled with wonder and excitement and she was really cute Kira couldn''t take his eyes away from her face.


    "Did you see it?!" she asked and when she saw that Kira was not looking at the direction she was pointing at, she suddenly cupped his face between her palms and forced him to look outside the window.


    Kira''s veins almost began to pop but the warmth of her palm distracted him.


    "It''s a bear, right?! Right?!"


    Kira finally gave in and nced at the bear cloud she was talking about. It was indeed shaped like a bear.


    "Yeah, it is." He agreed unenthusiastically. He didn''t understand why that damn cloud bear made her so damn excited when he couldn''t. Tch! Damn! Calm down, Kira!


    "It''s so cute! Right?!" she asked again and Kira sighed.


    "You''re one thousand times cuter." He muttered and finally, the girl''s attention shifted to him and turned to look at him.


    She stared at him quietly for three seconds before she slightly tilted her head.


    Watching her, Kira was suddenly filled with anticipation. This was normally the time for her to at least blush but¡­


    "I don''t think so. That bear looks so fluffy, it''s definitely much much cuter than anyone or anything." She said, her face was so serious as if she was stating a certain scientific fact. And then she returned her gaze towards the clouds again, looking at them as if she was admiring a certain magnificent art while he on the other hand couldn''t help but stare at this cute and heartbreakingly annoying masterpiece right beside him.


    ''Ah, this girl¡­ what shall I do with you?''


    The huge City A was getting closer. Zeri was again hyped up.


    "Looks great?" Kira tried to pull her attention again but the girl answered him without even ncing at him for the second time around.


    "Mm. It''s beautiful!" she answered, enthusiastically. Seeing her in such a rare expression, Kira sighed. But he was not displeased. He was a bit disappointed but seeing her enjoying herself like this wasn''t bad at all. He realized that he likes watching her when she''s excited.


    Kira thought that there''s still plenty of time so he decided to let her enjoy this ride for now because, after this, it''s his turn to monopolize her attention. Thinking about their next destination, Kira was smiling by himself. He looked excited and confident as if he was certain that this next step would definitely be a sess.


    While Kira was busy thinking about his next move, he was suddenly pulled by the energetic squirrel once again.


    "That ce¡­ we''re going there, right?!" the stars in her eyes dramatically increased. When Kira looked at the ce she was pointing at, his expression became nk.


    The ce she was talking about was¡­ Disney Land.


    "No. We can''t. We''re not heading there." His voice was serious and firm.


    "Why?" she asked and her face became extremely disappointed. Her reaction almost choked Kira. He didn''t expect this girl to react so strongly, just because he said no.


    "Why can''t we go there?" she asked again. Her expression was almost pained and Kira was utterly speechless. ''What the hell''s wrong with this girl?! Why is she¡­ why the hell is she showing all these expressions just because¡­ just because¡­ ugh! Calm down Kira, think about the schedule and stick with it or else¡­ everything will be wasted.''


    Clearing his throat, Kira tried to keep hisposure.


    "Because we are going somewhere far better." He finally replied. He even winked at her meaningfully but what she got from her was a disappointed pout and Kira felt like a bolt of pink lightning struck him hard.

 Chapter 42 - 30 minutes

    Chapter 42 - 30 minutes


    As the trip continued, the girl beside Kira was suddenly quiet. She was still looking at the magnificent view of the huge City A and her face sticking to the window but Kira could tell that she was sulking. She didn''t even turn to look at him again.


    Kira could only bite his bottom lip as he runs his fingers through his hair. He couldn''t believe this. This squirrel was just so damn unpredictable. How could she sulk like this for something so silly? What was so great about that park? What was she? An elementary school kid?


    Frustrated, Kira closed his eyes and breathed deep. When he opened his eyes again, he leaned in on her.


    "I''m telling you Zeri, the ce we''re heading to is ten times more magnificent than that park." Kira''s lips were so close to the girl''s ear. He purposely leaned that close so the girl would feel his breath touching her skin. And yet, it didn''t make her budge. She didn''t even react.


    Kira: ". . ."


    The frustration he was feeling intensified. He never thought that dealing with a sulking squirrel was damn so tough. He was not ready for this and he didn''t know what to do anymore. He never coaxed anyone in his life to this extent and coaxing a grown-up girl was something he never did before, not until this squirrel came.


    Silence reigned between them. And as the seconds ticked by, the lines on Kira''s forehead kept getting deeper. He nced at her and the girl''s gaze remained glued through the window.


    And then, Kira sighed, looking defeated.


    "Fine! We will drop by." Finally, he surrendered. His brows were pulled together as he looked at her, waiting for her reaction.


    Immediately, the girl turned towards him. Her eyes were wide in surprise.


    "Really?" she asked, looking doubtful.


    "You heard me."


    Three seconds of silence went by. Zeri blinked at him, and then, she smiled. Her face brightened in pure happiness and her smile caught Kira off guard. It was because her smile this time was just so damn blinding, Kira almost forgot to breathe.


    "Yey! Thank you. I''m so happy." The smile on her face didn''t fade as she suddenly reached out and held his hand.


    Zeri was so hyped up and the expression she was showing that moment was akin to a lightning bolt, stunning him.


    But then, Kira suddenly averted his gaze away from her face and covered his lips with the back of his hand. He cleared his throat. "Just for a short while, okay?" he said in a soft voice before looking at her again.


    Zeri nodded like a rattle while she was still smiling in ecstasy.


    Just like that, the girl''s energy immediately returned, no, the level of her energy dramatically intensified. As the trip goes on, her enthusiasm and excitement never dwindle again until the helicopter sets down on a helipad on top of a certain building.


    Holding her wrist, Kira dragged Zeri over to the elevator. And in no time, they were already in the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    "Get in," Kira said as he opened the passenger door.


    As soon as Zeri entered, he shut the door and hastily walked around the front of the car.


    Once inside the car, he started the engine and nced at the girl beside him. She already buckled herself on the seatbelt. Even though she was no longer smiling, the almost excessive excitement in her eyes was still there.


    And then, they were out of the building.


    Kira was thinking about his n as he drove. Since he made it clear to her that they will just ''drop by'', Kira thought that this will not greatly affect the n. ''It''s fine¡­ we''ll just stay there for a few minutes. It won''t disrupt the n.''


    After a few minutes, they were finally getting closer to the park. Upon sighting the castle, the stars in Zeri''s eyes started to dance in excitement. She was so damn excited her eyes were silently screaming the word ''faster''.


    By the time the car finally stopped, Zeri didn''t even wait for Kira to speak before jumping out excitedly. Kira could only shake his head and hastily followed her.


    Zeri''s face was filled with awe as she looked around. And looking at her, Kira just doesn''t get why. ''What''s so great about this ce?'' he kept asking himself.


    When he saw that the girl suddenly ran, Kira''s eyes widened and he followed her. dly, the girl''s pace wasn''t fast. There were people blocking her way so Kira managed to catch her. Damn! That scared him. If this squirrel unleashed her turbo speed, there was no way he could catch her!


    "Sq- Zeri Kim!" he called out as he pulled her close to him. "Where do you think you''re going? Didn''t we agree that we''ll just d.r.op.by?"


    "Can we stay for thirty minutes?" she asked, her voice pleading as she pulled his sleeve and looked up at him with those big beautiful eyes.


    Kira was immediately helpless.


    "Fine! Just THIRTY MINUTES! That''s the deal, understand?" Kira tried his best to sound as firm as he could. He wanted her to understand that this was thest time he''ll agree with her request.


    Zeri smiled eagerly and was about to run again but Kira didn''t let go of her wrist. He was afraid that this squirrel will disappear once he let go. ''Not a chance my squirrel¡­''


    Just as Kira started to drag her towards the main street, the girl stood her ground, causing Kira to look at her with narrowed eyes.


    "No, not there." She said and she started pulling Kira towards the other way.


    "Hey. Wait¡­ squirrel. Listen!"


    "Here, let''s go here! Please."


    Kira facepalmed. ''Adventurend? Squirrel, are you serious?!''


    "No. We''re going to the main street." Kira''s voice was decisive. He knew that once he gave in and agree with her plea, it won''t be good. Because he just felt that thirty minutes won''t be enough at all for this girl.


    Trying to avoid her pleading eyes, Kira turned to drag her away but before he could take a step, the squirrel unleashed her gori strength and pulled him towards the entrance.


    "Let''s go!" she said, extremely eager.


    "Hey! Zeri Kim! Listen to me! I said¡­"


    Zeri moved behind him and started to push him forward. The girl was really doing her best, using every ounce of strength to push him.


    People started looking at them. There was amus.e.m.e.nt in their eyes as they grinned at the somehow adorable scene they were witnessing.


    Noticing everyone''s gaze, Kira felt his ears turned red and he face palmed again helplessly.


    When the girl felt that he was not resisting anymore, she smiled and she grabbed his hand before dragging him towards the entrance.


    ''Damn! What''s going on with me? Why am I letting this girl drag me like this? Why am I this helpless against her?''

 Chapter 43 - Unbelievable

    Chapter 43 - Unbelievable


    Kira was sitting silently as he watched his squirrel being so relentlessly hyped up. They were in a private boat for the jungle river cruise and the adventure made Zeri so thrilled she even kept on squealing, like a child who just visited a certain zoo for the first time. She even looked like she wanted to just jump out of the boat and go embrace the orangutans and crocodiles that she was seeing.


    Watching her, Kira couldn''t help but smile as he pinched the skin between his brows while shaking his head. He wasughing at himself. It seemed like he underestimated this girl''s power and now he was utterly defeated. She really was so damn unbelievable. She was just beyond any definition.


    Growing up as a young master of a wealthy family, people around Kira wouldn''t dare disobey him or force him to do anything he didn''t want to do. He was so used to being the absolute prince that he was, not letting anyone control him. His grandfather was the only one who could restrain him but even if his grandfather drags him like this, with Kira''s stubbornness and ego, he would never give in helplessly like what was happening to him right now.


    ''Squirrel¡­ what are you doing to me? You''re really one dangerous species, aren''t you?''


    The young man daydreaming by himself as he sat there, heaved a really long and deep sigh. He looked like a problematic old man, forced to babysit a little hyper girl roaming around the jungle.


    And then, out of the blue¡­


    "SPLASH!!!!"


    Kira was jolted back to reality when cold water was suddenly sshed over him.


    Immediately standing up, Kira swore angrily. "F*ck, what the h ¨C"


    However, the moment his eyes fell on the girl across him, he couldn''t continue swearing. The girl was chuckling as she looked at him. She looked so amused and her,ughing like that was just¡­ it was breathtakingly adorable.


    The anger in Kira''s eyes abruptly disappeared. Seeing herughing seemed to be more shocking than the water that just drenched him. Kira was overwhelmed.


    And the surprise didn''t stop there.


    His eyes slowly widened as soon as his gaze fell on her body. Her drenched dress conformed to trace her body shape and the sight of her made Kira choked.


    "Cough, cough." Kira averted his gaze away from her as he coughed under his sleeves. ''Sh*t, this is really strange. Why am I being this affected? It''s not like she''s n.a.k.e.d! She''s just drenched Kira for heaven''s sake!!''


    Kira was being shocked by his very own reactions. It''s not like this was his first time seeing something like this or anything. In fact, he had already seen so much, and yet here he was, freaking out just because this squirrel was drenched? Outrageous!


    When Kira raised his face again, he almost stumbled and fell. Zeri was already right there, in front of him, just some feet apart.


    "Are you alright?" she asked, her brows pulled together and Kira cleared his throat. He didn''t answer her. Instead, he quietly untied the coat he wrapped around her waist. And then he dr.a.p.ed it on her.


    "I''m fine. Wear this," he said and Zeri blinked. She looked at him curiously but she eventually listened to him.


    Kira was still trying to stay cool when suddenly¡­


    "Ahh! Look!! Gori!!!" she yelled, and then, she disappeared before him like a ninja and all he could do was heaved another helpless sigh.


    ¡­


    Zeri finally jumped out of the boat.


    She was ted as she walked towards another pathway. But then she halted and turned. When she saw that the Android was still in the boat, standing there motionless and looking like a life-sized standee, she creased her forehead and walked towards him.


    "Let''s go back. This is enough." He finally spoke. Zeri grabbed his hand and then, she pulled him aiming to get him out of the boat.


    "Zeri Kim! We''ve been here for almost an hour. We have to go back now." He insisted, not budging at all.


    "Let''s go to the treehouse first, please. This is thest one. After this, we''ll leave. I promise." She pleaded, rendering Kira speechless.


    ''Damn¡­ here it goes again.''


    "Please¡­ it won''t take long." She was not giving up and she kept tugging his hand.


    Looking at her, Kira already knew that it seemed impossible for him to reject her. He can''t possibly bring her to that ce if she''s sulking and unhappy. Moreover, for some reason, seeing this girl in this state quite amused him. He wanted to see more of her expression and that was why he stood his ground and just watched her quietly.


    As he remained unmovable, he finally saw Zeri pouted. Kira was about to smirk and give in but all of a sudden, the girl let go of his hand and walked away.


    Kira was speechless. ''DAMN! Hey, are you really leaving just like that?!''


    He was about to quickly jump out to chase her when suddenly, he saw her walking back toward him again.


    Kira knotted his brows in confusion.


    As soon as the girl reached him, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Kira, wrapping her arms around his waist.


    What she did stun Kira to the bones, but what she did next was worse. Kira''s eyes almost bulged out of its sockets because Zeri attempted to lift him, obviously so she could move him out of the boat.


    "MY GOODNESS ZERI KIM!!! LET GO!" he roared, shocked. "DAMN! YOU WIN, OKAY? I''LL COME WITH YOU SO LET GO NOW!"


    Finally, the girl loosened her grip on him.


    "Ugh! What the hell Zeri. How could you¡­" Kira looked so defeated as he crouched down and tugged his hair. ''God, is this squirrel really a girl? How the actual hell could she do something like this?! Where the hell did her strengthe from?!''


    Kira was blushing hard, extremely embarrassed.


    Afraid that the girl will do something unbelievable again, Kira quickly jumped out of the boat. And as soon as he stepped on the ground, Zeri didn''t give a moment to sigh and grabbed his wrist before dragging him towards the treehouse.

 Chapter 44 - Insecure

    Chapter 44 - Insecure


    On their way to the treehouse, the squirrel was being distracted by anything and everything. She always gasped in awe every time her hawk-like eyes spotted any living creature, of course, with the exemption of human beings.


    "Whoah! So cute!!" He heard her screeched. When he looked at her, she was crouching down just next to a rock.


    Curious, Kira stood behind her and bent down to take a look at the thing she just called cutely. He saw an ash-colored frog on top of the rock.


    "Don''t tell me that thing is the ''cute'' you are talking about¡­"


    "Mm. It''s so cute, right?"


    ". . ."''Cute? Squirrel, are you serious? A girl like you should be freaking out by now!''


    Kira shook his head in disbelief but he soon sighed in defeat. Why am I still surprise? Sigh¡­


    Just as Kira was about to lean back, his eyes turned wide because suddenly¡­


    The frog jumped on him. Itnded on his neck, causing Kira to shudder as he stumbled back in shock.


    Kira was disgusted as he rubbed the spot where the frognded with his sleeve.


    "Ugh! What was that?" he groaned but what he heard from his squirrel was, "Whoah! The little frog likes you."


    ". . ."


    Speechless, Kira quietly sat on a rock right behind him.


    He looked like a pretty young prince who just went through a really taxing battle. His damped and messy hair made him looked like a character in a movie. Well, both of them. Everyone who sees them just turned their heads and stare. Some even took pictures of them thinking that they might be some idols famous in other countries.


    After staring at her awed expression, Kira sighed and then, threw back his head to stare at the sky when¡­


    Suddenly, the rock he was sitting on wobbled. Kira was startled and lost his bnce. ''Damn!''


    Knowing that he would fall, Kira immediately stuck out his hand behind him to at least support himself from the fall. However, he didn''t fall. Someone pulled him like a sh. The moment he regained his senses, he realized that his head was on someone''s bosom.


    And that someone was no other than his one and only squirrel. Again, he was dumbstruck. He could feel her hands wrapped around his head as she steadied him. She was gripping him close as if she was so determined to protect him.


    "Are you alright?" she asked as she slowly let go of his head. "You can''t sit in that, it''s dangerous."


    Kira looked up and saw Zeri''s worried face. But he didn''t reply, his Adam''s apple just bobbed up and down as he gazed up at her.


    And then, suddenly, he stood up and abruptly turned his back away from her, hiding his face.


    "I''m fine." he finally answered. He felt his face burning. He was fl.u.s.tered by the unexpected and obviously idental hug. However, his embarrassment for being saved by her was making his senses disarrayed. ''Darn it! Why is this happening? Why is everything ending up the other way around?! I should be the one to¡­ the one to¡­ ahh!''


    "We''re almost there. Are you really alright? You look exhausted. Could it be that you have some health conditions?"


    Zeri moved to look at his face as she speaks but Kira kept turning his back from her. His actions made Zeri frown.


    "I''m fine. I''m not tired nor sick." He replied. He still refused to let her see his face.


    "Are you sure? If you can''t walk anymore, just tell me. I think I can carry you until we get there."


    Upon hearing another outrageous line from her, Kira snapped towards her.


    "You¡­" he didn''t even know what to say. He was praying that this girl was just joking but he could just tell that she was serious and it''s driving him insane! ''Damn it, Zeri Kim!''


    "What''s wrong? Your face is¡­" she reached out her hand and was about to touch his face but Kira caught her wrist.


    "Zeri Kim, how many times do I need to tell you that I''m fine, huh?"


    "But your face¡­"


    "What''s about my face?!"


    "It''s red."


    ". . ."


    Kira gritted his teeth as he quickly turned his back again. "It''s just your imagination. Let''s go!" he said as he dragged her away.


    Finally, they finally reached the treehouse. Zeri immediately ran on the footbridge. She was excited and she didn''t even flinch when the footbridge wobbled.


    Kira''s n to spark a romantic scene if this girl would at least show even a little fear by offering her a piggyback ride to cross it but¡­ as expected, she didn''t even need even a little help from him. This thought made him feel worse.


    Before he met this girl, Kira alwaysins about how clumsy and troublesome girls are. Of course, he won''t ever say it out loud but the girls he dated before sometimes annoyed him especially when they kept on stumbling and falling on their own to the point that he thought that they were purposely doing it to get his attention. As a man, he would always pick them up and the girls loved it. But now¡­ he found himself waiting for those things to happen. He was waiting for Zeri to feel tired or at least identally stumble but none of the things he was expecting happened. The girl definitely didn''t need any help or even support at all. Kira never thought that this would make him feel like this. He had never felt this helpless and never been this insecure in his entire life.


    "Hey!!" Kira was brought back to present upon hearing her voice. The girl was already on the other side of the footbridge and she was waving at him with a wide smile.


    When Kira just stood there watching her, the girl suddenly ran again, towards him.


    "Hey, don''t run!" Kira yelled but the girl didn''t listen.


    "Are you alright? Wait¡­ could it be that you''re afraid of height?" she asked innocently.


    "I''m not, okay? Let''s go." Kira unenthusiastically replied and he stepped on the footbridge.


    "Okay, let''s go!" Zeri hastily walked away again.


    As Kira watched her back, he suddenly halted in the middle of the footbridge. His eyes widened and then suddenly, he gritted his teeth. ''You''re such an idiot Kira! How could you not notice this?!!!''


    Kira''s face suddenly darkened as he stood there and he looked angry, angry towards himself.


    Zeri who was waiting for him on the other side looked back and got confused.


    "Are you alright?" she asked again. Kira didn''t reply and just hastily approached her.


    Zeri stood in ce as soon as she saw his expression. She looked confused.


    "Where''re your shoes?" he immediately asked. His voice was cold. Zeri never saw him like this before and he never spoke to her like this before.


    "I left it in the boat." Upon hearing her answer, Kira''s jaws tightened.


    "So you climbed up here barefoot?" his voice became even angrier. But for some reason, Zeri felt that his anger wasn''t pointed at her.


    "Ah¡­ it''s not a big deal with me. My feet are alright. The pathway is¡­"


    Without waiting for her to finish her sentence, Kira snatched her wrist and bent forward in front of her. "Hop on." He said, his voice sounded like an order.


    Zeri could only blink.


    "Hop on or we''re not going to the treehouse." He threatened causing Zeri to frown in confusion. She looked even more confused and torn. But then, she obediently climbed onto Kira''s back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 Chapter 45 - Damn

    Chapter 45 - Damn


    Kira''s expression didn''t change as he quietly carried Zeri towards the treehouse. He was still angry. However, by the time they reached the treehouse and the girl in his back started being riled up again, somehow, Kira''s expression became better.


    The girl asked him to put her down but Kira didn''t budge this time. Why would he ever let go of her now?! No way!


    dly, Zeri didn''t do anything outrageous and it seemed like she had given up trying to persuade Kira to put her down, or maybe, she had just got distracted by what she was seeing inside the treehouse until she forgot about her pleas.


    "Whoah!! So beautiful!!" she eximed. Her left hand wrapped around his neck while her right was tugging his hair.


    "Hey! Are you nning to uproot my hair?" he asked but the girl didn''t seem to hear him, causing Kira to just sigh and quietly take her wherever she wanted to go.


    The ball of energy in his back stayed so hyped up the entire time, tirelessly yelling every now and again. And Kira couldn''t help but wonder why she was this happy. He was wondering why every little thing in this ce was making her so damn excited. But he just couldn''t see why.


    Time passed and the two were finally on their way back.


    "Hey, put me down now." She started pleading again.


    "No."


    "But, I''m heavy."


    "Yeah, you''re heavy. The heaviest girl I ever carried."


    "You always carry your girlfriends like this?"


    Kira pressed his lips tight. He didn''t expect her to ask that.


    "No, I''m not usually doing this kind of thing," Kira replied and for some reason, Zeri didn''t speak again. They were quiet for a long while until he suddenly felt something rested on his head.


    Kira''s brows knotted as he halted.


    "What now? You finally got tired?" he asked but the girl didn''t reply.


    Worried, Kira was about to put her down but her arms around his neck slightly tightened.


    "Hey, are you alright?" he asked again, his face now grave.


    dly, the girl finally spoke. "I''m sorry," she said and Kira froze in ce.


    "For what?" he replied, struggling to use a lighter tone.


    "Because I forced you to bring me here even though you don''t want to¡­ even though you''re not enjoying at all." Her voice was repentant, and Kira felt a really unpleasant feeling in his chest. What he felt that moment was so damn unbearable and he didn''t know why.


    Kira''s jaws tightened as he closed his eyes. He was d that she couldn''t see his face right then.


    After another minute, he sighed and started walking again until they finally reached the boat.


    Once the boat started sailing, Kira finally put her down. He turned around and looked at her.


    They stared at each other for another long while.


    Seconds ticked by and for the first time, Zeri was the first to break the stalemate. She averted her gaze and she started blinking as her gaze wandered, fidgeting.


    Her reactions almost made Kira''s eyes bulged out he momentarily forgot everything, even the unbelievably ufortable feeling inside his chest. This was the first time this girl ever acted like this, so how the hell could he stay unaffected?!


    Zeri was biting her lips as she nced at him and Kira didn''t know why but the brewing storm in his heart just a moment agopletely disappeared and was now reced by fireworks and cherry blossoms. Damn! He couldn''t believe that such a simple matter was making him feel like he just won a battle. Damn! He was happy.


    "A-are you angry? I''m sorry. W-what do you want me to do to make up with you?" she finally spoke again. She looked worried. She was blinking nervously. And Kira could hardly stop himself from smiling.


    God knows just how hard he was restraining himself not to grin at that very moment.


    dly, he managed not to give anything away. He dropped his face to the level of her eyes and stared at her intently.


    "You want to do something for me?" he asked, his voice was quieter than usual.


    Zeri didn''t hesitate and gave him a nod, causing Kira to press his lips into a thin line so he could hide his amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I promise."


    Seeing the determination in her eyes, Kira could no longer restrain himself so he suddenly turned his back from her.


    "I don''t think you will agree with my request." He said and walked towards the chair and sat there. He rested his face in his palm so he could cover his lips with his fingers.


    "I will, I promise." She stood before him, still determined.


    "Are you always making promises like this?" he asked, his eyes became narrowed.


    "No, I only make promises with the people I truly trust," she answered and Kira averted his gaze away from her. Damn! This made him so happy!


    "Okay then, I''ll tell you my requestter."


    "O-okay. So, you''re not angry with me anymore?"


    "Who''s angry?"


    "You were angry a while ago."


    "Just your imagination."


    "¡­ I don''t think so. You really are ¨C"


    "Quiet. Let met rest. You don''t know how heavy you are." He lied and Zeri blinked.


    "Do you want me to massage your shoulder?"


    Cough, cough! What?!


    Kira was surprised. And before he could respond, the girl was already behind him. Her handsnded on Kira''s shoulders and he almost flinched when she started pressing her warm fingers.


    Trying to stay cool, Kira straightened. He was about to speak with her when suddenly¡­


    "OUCH!!" he yelled and Zeri immediately stopped.


    "S-s-sorry, is it too hard?" she sounded apologetic. "Give me another chance. I''ll do it very lightly this time." She started pressing her fingers again, this time it was indeed very much lighter and careful.


    "Is this okay?" she asked and when Kira nodded, she began concentrating. She thought that since she couldn''t make him happy, he could at least make him feel a little bit better by doing this. Little did she know that the young man she thought who was still unhappy was actually grinning wide for a while now.

 Chapter 46 - What are you doing?

    Chapter 46 - What are you doing?


    Rei was patiently waiting for Kira and Zeri as he satzily on a bench. When he finally spotted the couple walking towards him, he stood up. He noticed their appearance and he raised his brows. Drenched pair of puppies, huh¡­ nice view¡­


    As they approached him, Rei eyes fell onto Zeri''s outfit when out of the blue, Kira suddenly blocked his view, surprising him.


    Rei smirked at Kira''s unexpected action but the young man just turned his back from him and moved closer to his girlfriend.


    He watched Kira buttoned Zeri''s jacket up to her neck while the girl simply stood there, quietly letting Kira do what he was doing.


    Rei couldn''t help but smirk at the sight of them. ''Sigh¡­ this guy¡­ you''re already hopelessly smitten with her now, haha.''


    The two then headed to a nearby hotel to get changed. Kira was surprisingly silent. He wasn''tining anymore or rushing her.


    By the time they stepped out of the hotel, Zeri was now wearing thefortable sneakers she kept talking about since this morning. Her energy level was back to 100% again. She really was like a tiny ball of energy, rolling and rolling without exhausted.


    Kira and Rei were silently following her from behind as she joyfully looked around. And then, she moved fast ahead of them.


    "Zeri Kim, don''t run!" Kira called out but the girl ignored him.


    "Haha, your girlfriend is not listening to you at all. This is such a rare sight if you ask me, Kira." Rei grinned at him.


    "Shut up Rei."


    "Seeing you now made me realize that karma is real you know. Think of all the girls who desperately chased you ¨C"


    "I didn''t ask them to chase me."


    "Zeri Kim didn''t ask you to chase her as well."


    ". . ." Kira red at his friend and Rei finally dropped his teasing. He just shrugged and nonchntly changed the topic.


    "I heard there''s a parade soon." He said, looking towards the crowded area ahead of them. "You better catch up on her or you''ll lose her in the crowd." He smiled mischievously.


    Kira helplessly sighed and run after her. dly, she didn''t go that far yet because of the crowd so Kira was able to catch up with her.


    "Where are you going?" he said, grabbing her wrist.


    "Let''s watch the parade!" there were stars in her eyes again and before Kira could start to protest, Zeri held his wrist and she began to drag him.


    "Wait, what are you doing? Can''t you see that it''s way too crowded?!" Kirained but the girl didn''t seem to hear her because of the loud noisesing from the approaching marching band.


    And before he knew it, he was already being dragged by her as she swiftly forced her way through the crowd. Kira, the prince who never once did anything like this was utterly overwhelmed.


    When they were finally in the front, Kira was drenched with sweat. He had never experienced anything like this in his life. He was the only heir of a wealthy household. He could even rent this entire ce for a day if he wanted to or even buy it but what the hell was going on? Him? The great Kira, was here watching a marching band in this crowded ce all sweaty and exhausted? He couldn''t believe it.


    Kira''s hands were on his knees as he panted. He nced at his squirrel and there she was, awed and thrilled as her gaze was focused onto the approaching elephant and the marching band behind it. He could only look nkly, utterly confused.


    The next moment, Zeri began clinging onto his arm. She was jumping in excitement as she kept asking him to look.


    Panting, Kira wiped his sweat with his sleeves and did as she requested. He couldn''t refuse her, especially when she was this happy.


    When the marching band was finally right before them, Kira flinched because of the loud noise. He was never a fan of loud noises. He felt like his eardrums would burst so he covered his ears. Damn it! What the hell''s with this ce?!


    Kira was so overwhelmed. It seemed like this too was a culture shock for him. The heat, the loud noise, the crowd, and everything was making him dizzy. He felt as though there was no enough oxygen for him to breathe.


    "Squirrel¡­ I''m thirsty¡­" he rested his head on her shoulder, gripping her hand hard.


    When Zeri felt him weakly leaned on her, her oh-so-wide smile slowly faded. She blinked as she looked at him, and when she finally noticed that he was drenched with sweat, she began to be rmed.


    "Are you okay?" she asked, eyes wide.


    "I''m thirsty." He answered as he tried to steady himself.


    Zeri bit her lips upon seeing his face. He looked exhausted and pale. She looked around and immediately helped him out of the crowd.


    She was supporting him as she brought him towards a bench under a big umbre. As soon as she made him sit, she dashed away and then brought back a bottle of water and a wet towel with her. She was surprisingly calm and quick.


    "Drink this." She gave him the water. After gulping nearly all of it, Kira threw his head back, closing his eyes. The water somehow made him feel a lot better.


    He was trying to calm his breathing when suddenly, he felt a hand unbuttoning his shirt. He was quick to catch her wrists.


    "Zeri Kim, what are you doing?" he asked, frowning at her.


    "You have to loosen up your shirt." She was serious as always. As if what she was doing right now was a matter of life and death.


    Her intensity made Kira''s jaw dropped and before he knew it, the buttons of his shirt were already undone down to his chest. After that, she pressed a wet and cool piece of clothes on his forehead.


    "How about you lie down? Here, lie on myp." She said and Kira was so stunned he failed to react on time.


    She was already pulling his head down when he managed to speak. "Wait¡­ no need, I''m fine like thi ¨C"


    For some reason, Kira suddenly stopped protesting. He obedientlyid down, and once his head was on herp, he felt his ears turned hot.

 Chapter 47 - Lame

    Chapter 47 - Lame


    Zeri gently pressed the wet towel on Kira''s forehead. Her face still looked repentant as he looked at him.


    "I''m sorry," she uttered and Kira half-smiled with his eyes closed.


    "Why are you apologizing again?" he replied, sounding displeased.


    "Because I dragged you to that crowded ce."


    When Kira opened his eyes, he saw that she looked guilty. He frowned as he lifted his hand, and pinched her nose. "I purposely let you drag me because I am curious about that marching band as well. So stop looking like an apologetic mushroom now." He sighed and just like that, Zeri''s face lit up. Kira was also surprised at how easily she switched gears.


    She even smiled at him and threw back her hair and looked at the sky.


    "I didn''t know that dates are this fun¡­" she said. "Thank you for bringing me here, even though you didn''t enjoy it as much as I do."


    Kira slightly blushed upon hearing her. "It''s not like I didn''t enjoy at all¡­ it''s just that¡­" he closed his eyes and sighed, "never mind¡­" he trailed off and Zeri looked down at him, blinking.


    "Are you okay?" she suddenly looked worried.


    "I''m very FINE."


    "But your face is red again! Should I carry you to the hospital?" Zeri asked, she was starting to panic.


    Kira''s lips twitched upon hearing the words ''carry you'' but it didn''t frustrate him anymore. He just calmly held her wrist and ced her palm on top of the wet towel on his forehead.


    "I''m fine. My face is red because it''s hot. Get it? Just let me stay like this for a while." He said, and then he closed his eyes again. Zeri worriedly surveyed his face. He didn''t seem to be in pain or ufortable so she finally rxed.


    "I think you''re exhausted. How about you take a nap?" suggested Zeri and she saw his lips curved up. He really looked like a beautiful painting, still looking perfect despite his state.


    "Do you want me to touch your hair?" she added causing Kira to open his eyes again. He was about to speak but Zeri already started caressing his hair. "My little siblings fall asleep fast when I do this to their hair."


    Kira felt his face turned even hotter. Her hand on his hair felt so damn nice. He didn''t know that a simple thing like this would cause chaos inside him. He was feeling some strange emotion within him. He would''ve never thought that he would end up in this state. Lying on herp, with her caressing his hair and he goddamn like it. He wanted this moment tost as long as possible, despite knowing that they were in a public ce. Kira never enjoyed flirting in public, he didn''t like it when his girlfriend asked for a kiss or anything intimate in public ces. But this time, strangely, he didn''t even care. He didn''t know why but he felt so refreshed or maybe extremely lighthearted. He couldn''t exin the feeling but it just felt so damn right. He had never been with anyone who made him feel so many emotions.


    This girl who had frustrated him throughout the day drove him crazy with all her antiques and even ruined everything that he nned was now making him felt soothed and utterly satisfied just by offering herp to be his pillow and even caressing his hair. Zeri Kim¡­ don''t do this¡­ I¡­


    Before he knew it, Kira drifted to sleep.


    Zeri was surprised that he actually fell asleep that fast, even faster than her siblings. It appeared that this adventure exhausted him to the limit. This made her convinced herself that this guy''s body was maybe really weak even though he kept denying it. She began to think that it might be the reason why he looked frustrated the entire time since they entered this ce and he kept refusing her request to go here.


    Thinking about it still made her feel guilty. Unbeknownst to her, Kira actually just got this exhausted because apart from his hate for crowded ces, the young man actually didn''t sleep at allst night, thinking and plotting about this date and how to make the squirrel fall head over heels for him.


    Time ticked by and Kira finally opened his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut twice before he finally adjusted with the light. The first thing he was an angel''s face ¨C Zeri''s face. Her eyes were closed. He felt her hand on his forehead and his eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him.


    He was about to rise when Rei''s face appeared. "Shhh¡­" Rei signaled Kira to not move as he typed something on his phone and showed it to him.


    "You fell asleep for more than an hour. How could you sleep on her that long you, idiot?" Rei sighed as he retracted the phone and then typed on it again. "She fell asleep just a minute ago so don''t wake her up. Let her doze off for a while."


    Kira waspletely stunned after reading the words he typed. He didn''t even seem to notice that Rei just called him an idiot for the first time. His eyes then looked up and the moment he saw that the sky was already red, indicating that it was already sunset, his jaw dropped. He couldn''t believe it.


    He slowly lifted his hand and covered his eyes. He didn''t know what to say. He actually fell asleep for more than an hour?! Ha, ha, ha¡­ Kira, you''re unbelievable¡­


    Kira couldn''t help butugh at himself. He couldn''t fathom why he always ends up beingme every time he''s with this girl. Why can''t normal things happen when he''s with her? He absolutely didn''t like this. He liked sleeping on herp like this, he liked it when she caressed his hair but¡­ he wanted to be the one doing all these to her. And this was the first he desired anything like this in his life¡­

 Chapter 48 - Because of you

    Chapter 48 - Because of you


    Just a few minutes went by and Zeri woke up. She slowly threw her head back and yawned, before raising both her hands and stretched. She was waking up like a cat.


    The moment Kira saw that she''s awake, he simply rose. He sat beside her, his left elbow on his knee and his face rested on his palm, covering the lower part of his face. He was quiet, looking away from her.


    "Oh, you''re awake. Are you alright now?" Zeri asked, tilting her head to look at his face.


    "I''m fine," was all he said, still not looking at her. His voice was a little weak.


    "That''s great. Are we going to the ce that you ¨C"


    Without letting her finish her sentence, Kira suddenly held her wrist and dragged her with him. "We''re going there now." He said and Zeri blinked. She could feel that there seemed to be something that change in him or maybe something was bothering him? Was he still half asleep? Was he still tired?


    The two went back to the hotel again. They went and changed their clothes before they finally left the park.


    Kira brought her to a fancy restaurant. He had actually reserved a restaurant at the tallest skyscr.a.p.er in this city just for their romantic dinner. The restaurant was huge, luxurious, and damn romantic. He prepared a lot for this, thinking that he could impress her with all these luxuries. Kira was confident about thisst night until this morning.


    But at this moment, he didn''t even feel excited about bringing her there anymore. Kira had finally realized that Zeri was nothing like any of the girls he dated before. As he brought her there, he knew that this won''t make her as happy as she did in adventurend.


    And he was right, the almost excessive extravagance really didn''t impress her. The atmosphere wasn''t romantic, it was serious.


    "This is a huge, beautiful ce¡­ but why are we the only one in here?" she asked innocently as she looked around. Kira also followed her line of sight and somehow, he also felt that the silence of the ce wasn''t that pleasant. He half-smiled when he realized that he actually thought that the ce wasn''t pleasant. How could he have thought that a ce like this wasn''t pleasant? This was the ideal romantic ce that every couple was dreaming and that was why he chose this ce. He also found it undoubtedly romantic and mood-setting himself just hours ago and yet, here he was agreeing with her that this ce wasn''t pleasant. Did she influence his thoughts as well?


    Shaking his head to clear his head, Kira looked at her and gave her a straight answer.


    "Because I reserved it for us alone," he answered and Zeri''s eyes widen. She was shocked. He actually reserved a huge and luxurious ce like this? Just how much money was he willing to throw away?


    "Why?!"


    "So that we can¡­" he looked at her as she waited in curiosity. "So that we can eat in peace."


    ". . ."


    Zeri blinked in confusion while Kira cursed himself inwardly. Damn!


    This restaurant was the infamous romantic spot in this city. Many confessions and proposals had happened here because apart from its breathtaking view, it was undoubtedly a perfect ce for a couple to spend a romantic and intimate moment. Kira was sure that girls would love such a setting. But not this girl. Not this squirrel.


    He originally nned to take her here to set up a romantic atmosphere and then kiss her hard and make herpletely fall on him. But his n, this date had been turned upside down single-handedly by her. And after spending the day with her, Kira lost his confidence in this method, he knew this won''t work on her. She was different and he didn''t know how to deal with her. But the biggest factor why he was backing away with tonight''s n was actually because of himself. Before he knew it, he suddenly didn''t want to do anything more than this. The things he had nned to do with her tonight, in this ce, suddenly doesn''t feel right. Suddenly, he didn''t want to do any of those ns anymore.


    "Okay, let''s eat. Eat as much as you want." Was all he said and the girl''s attention was immediately shifted on the food. Her eyes twinkled as she stared at the food, he could practically see the drool falling from the corner of her lips.


    Her reaction made Kira smiled.


    And then, they both started eating. Zeri was expected, munching the food like the uns.e.xy squirrel that she was. The way she ate made Kira who wasn''t really fond of food feel like eating more than usual, and he did. Their dinner was nothing like a date. They almost looked like a starved couple, not paying attention to anything but the food in front of them.


    However, when Kira lifted his face, invisible sweat drops fell from his forehead. He could see that this girl really loved eating more than anything else. And before he knew it, he was putting food on her te.


    He didn''t stop until he realized that she was not stopping at all.


    "Hey, take it easy," he uttered, resting his face on his palm as he watched her eat relentlessly.


    "But you keep on putting food in my te, how could I stop?"


    ". . ." this glutton¡­


    "Why are you not eating?"


    "I''m full."


    "Huh?! How could a man like you eat so little? You can''t survive if you''re like that, okay?"


    "Not everyone has a monster stomach like yours. It''s such a mystery to me that you''re actually still that slender despite eating so much. You should be a cute little fatty by now."


    "But¡­ you truly eat way too little. I think that''s why your energy is always low. You should eat more so you won''t get easily exhausted or even pass out ¨C"


    "I''m eating enough food daily, Zeri. My energy is rtively low today because of you not because of the food, understand?"

 Chapter 49 - Drunk?

    Chapter 49 - Drunk?


    Zeri blinked at him. She tilted her head slightly as she tried to decipher what he just said.


    "B-because of me?" she echoed, and Kira nonchntly nodded.


    "Yes, because of you."


    "How could that be?" she tilted her head again, looking at him with both confusion and curiosity. "Whenever my brother ys with me for a day, his energy remains the same. I think, maybe, your body is just a little weak ¨C"


    Not letting her continue talking, Kira picked up a bite of steak. "Say ahh," he said, and the squirrel was quick to open her mouth and devour it.


    Her immediate reaction made Kira chuckle. Somehow, this squirrel was ten times cuter when she was eating¡­


    "Here, try this too, say ahh¡­ this too, say ahh¡­"


    And thus, Kira seemed to have discovered a new, interesting hobby ¨C feeding his cute little squirrel. Damn, this is fun¡­


    However, when the girl still wasn''t stopping and kept on eating whatever he put in her mouth, Kira started to feel worried.


    "Hey, why are you not stopping?" Kira asked.


    "Because you keep giving me¡­"


    ". . ." Kira shook his head and looked down. And what he saw made his jaw drop. The food on their table was nearly devoured to itsst bits. He was speechless. How could a girl her size eat that much?! Kira pinched the skin between his brows and he finally put down his cutlery. "That''s enough, damn, have you no limit at all? What are you gonna do if¡­ if¡­ ugh!"


    Kira was suddenly panicking. He even stood up and hastily took her te away from her.


    "Are you sure you''re okay?" he asked, worriedly. Zeri was just casually munching the remaining food in her mouth. Once she''d swallowed everything, she leaned back in her chair and smiled at him in satisfaction.


    "The food is soooo great. I''m stuffed." She was happy, so happy that her face was almost shining.


    /br/Damn¡­ this glutton¡­ so some adventure in the forest and a mountain of food are all you need to be this happy huh¡­ I should''ve known, damn it! Shaking his head, Kira was about to go back to his seat when Zeri suddenly grabbed the bottle of red wine on the table.


    But Kira, quick as lightning, retrieved the bottle from her.


    "No, this is not for you." he firmly said, taking the bottle away from her. Zeri blinked at him, surprised.


    "Huh? But, didn''t you order it for us to drink?" she asked innocently, and Kira sighed.


    "So you drink wine?"


    "No, I''ve never tasted it. But they say wine is good for the heart."


    ". . ." Kira could only sigh again. He narrowed his eyes, looking as though he was deciding. After a moment, he gave in and opened the bottle. "Fine, just a sip, okay?" He poured a small amount into her ss.


    He watched her intently as she slowly sipped on her ss. Her expression was strange. She didn''t seem to like it, but she also didn''t seem to dislike it. What kind of expression is that? Huh, Squirrel?


    "How is it?" Kira asked, and Zeri took another sip.


    "It tastes¡­ great?" She replied, seemingly unsure of herself, and Kira chuckled.


    "Anything edible seems to taste great to you huh," he mused when the phone inside his pocket vibrated.


    Kira put down the bottle and brought out his phone. It was a message from Rei. Kira had texted him a while ago that the n had changed and that they were going home early, so Rei was asking what time they would leave the hotel.


    After sending his reply, Kira slipped his phone back into his pocket. However, the moment he looked at Zeri, his eyes widened again. It was because the girl was gulping the wine like it was water.


    His eyes flew on the bottle, and when he saw that she''d already drunk almost one-fourth of it, he quickly grabbed the ss in her hand.


    "You¡­ what are you doing?" his voice was a little loud and exasperated, but the girl just blinked at him innocently, as if she''d done nothing wrong.


    "It tastes good," was all she said, and Kira bit his lips. This girl¡­


    Kira let out another sigh. He saw that her eyes were still on the bottle of wine, so he grabbed her hand. He had to drag her out of this ce. "Are you ready? We''re leaving," he said, and thankfully, the girl nodded, even though her eyes were still glued on the wine.


    Zeri then hesitantly stood up, then she suddenly wobbled.


    Luckily, Kira caught her quickly.


    "Sigh¡­ this is why I told you that that wine is not for you," he scolded her, frustrated. "Are you drunk now?" he pushed her away at arm''s length to look at her face. Her cheeks were a little red.


    "Drunk?" she shook her head.


    "You are drunk¡­" he decided as he sighed. "Damn, what should I do with you? Can you still walk?"


    She nodded, and she pulled away from him. She tried to walk, and she was right, she could still walk in a straight line. Kira sighed in relief, d that this squirrel could at least hold her liquor.


    But then the drunk squirrel did another unexpected thing. She suddenly dashed towards the closed door. Kira''s eyes almost jumped out of their sockets, because the girl seemed to be nning on crashing herself into the closed double door.


    Fortunately, he was able to outrun her this time, but obviously, only because of the wine, she drank. He caught her and pulled her towards him just before she crashed against the door.


    "What the hell, Zeri Kim!!" he thundered as he tightened his grip on her waist. "Stop struggling, damn it!"


    Kira made sure to not let her escape from his grip. He couldn''t believe this. So this was why he suddenly felt chills that moment he saw her gulping the wine. This girl was troublesome enough when she was sober, what would he expect from her now that she was drunk? Damn! Why did he decide to let her taste it?! He should''ve listened to the warnings in his head a while ago!

 Chapter 50 - Whats wrong?

    Chapter 50 - What''s wrong?


    "Zeri, how about you hop on my back? I''ll carry you," Kira''s voice became gentler this time as he coaxed her.


    The girl quietly stared at him for a moment. "But I can walk¡­ oh, can you bring me there?" she pointed her finger towards the floor to ceiling window overlooking the breathtaking blue harbor. "I want to swim."


    ". . ."


    Kira closed his eyes. Seriously¡­ you want to swim? And in that harbor at night? Sigh¡­


    "Okay, I''ll bring you there. But on one condition, hop on my back and behave." He sternly negotiated, and the girl didn''t hesitate to nod.


    Kira was surprised that she agreed on this quickly, so he immediately bent forward in front of her.


    Zeri didn''t waste a moment and climbed up onto the young man''s back and hugged his neck with both hands.


    Kira carried her out of the building. Upon spotting the car Rei was driving in the entrance, Kira headed towards it. However, as he opened the car door, the girl on his back started to protest.


    "No, I don''t want to ride a car. There, there, I want to go there." She kept on pointing in the harbor''s direction, like a stubborn little kid.


    Kira sighed. He can''t possibly bring her. What would he do if she really jumps into the water? "You want to go there and yet you don''t want to enter the car?"


    She nodded.


    "Are you seeing me as a horse now?! Do you know how heavy you are?"


    Kira shook his head. But in the end, he walked towards the sidewalk and signaled Rei to follow. She wasn''t really heavy at all, even though she ate a lot, so Kira just listened to her request. This was actually better, who knows what kind of trouble she''d cause if he didn''t give in to her?


    Under the dark sky, Kira quietly carried her in his back. The lights on the road were beautiful, and the moon was big that night.


    Kira would never have thought that one day, he''d end up carrying a girl on his back while walking on the sidewalk, cars passing them by. He had never even thought about this. What surprised him the most was that this wasn''t actually that bad at all. He would''ve never thought that one day, he would think walking on the sidewalk like this felt a lot better than driving in a luxurious car. He didn''t know that simple thing like this wasn''t actually that bad.


    "Look, the moon is big," she said. Her voice was now a bit weaker. He looked up, and she was right.


    "You still look at the sky even when you''re drunk, huh?" He smiled, and for some reason, the moon and the sky seemed a lot prettier tonight.


    They stood still and looked up for a long while. And then, he felt her little head nodding on his back. He didn''t move and waited for her body to go limp. He knew she was dozing off.


    He carefully approached the car that was following them.


    When they were finally inside the car, Rei was smiling mischievously at him. But Kira just ignored his friend. He was resting his chin on his palm as his gaze was focused outside the window, while Zeri''s head was on hisp.


    They stayed like that until they were back to the hotel because their helicopter was standing by at the hotel''s helipad.


    Zeri didn''t wake up during the whole flight.


    Kira was about to carry her out of the helicopter, but the girl opened her eyes. She was finally awake. Wasn''t she supposed to be a sleeping log?


    "We''re here," Kira said, and the girl blinks before she nodded. She seemed to be a little sober now but still obviously dazed.


    Kira followed closely behind her as they entered the elevator since the helicopternded at his grandfather''spany this time.


    The girl didn''t seem to have any problem at all. However, when the elevator opened and a few businessmen entered, Zeri suddenly moved behind Kira, acting like a terrified puppy as she tried to hide.


    Kira''s brows creased.


    He turned towards her and asked, "What''s wrong? Don''t tell me you''re nauseated!"


    But then, the girl didn''t respond at all. She just stood frozen, silently hiding in fear as her eyes stared nkly at the floor.


    "Hey, what''s wrong?" he asked again as he cupped her face to make her look at him. And to his surprise, the girl looked terrified. He thought that she was drunk, but what was this? This had happened once before. He remembered that time when they both encountered a group of gays, that night and she also acted like this.


    "Zeri, look at me, what''s going on with you?" Kira was starting to feel uneasy. He didn''t like seeing her like this. Seeing her so terrified like this without any reason made it impossible for him to calm down even if he knew that he should.


    "Zeri, I''m asking y ¨C" before Kira could evenplete his sentence, Zeri suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.


    Kira was dumbstruck. He froze right there letting her squeeze him. He didn''t move, and he didn''t even notice that the men inside the elevator were all gone.


    He only snapped back to reality when the elevator finally reached the first floor.


    "Zeri, we''re here," Kira said, but the girl didn''t budge. He couldn''t even bend down to pick her up, because she wasn''t budging at all, almost like a stone glued onto him. Without a choice, he held her waist and lifted her up and moved her out of the elevator.


    Once they were out, Kira tried to push her away so he could see her face, but the girl was immovable. She stubbornly refused to let go, without even loosening up her grip on him. Her arms around him became even tighter when he tried to push her away. He could feel her clutching his shirt hard as if she was nning to rip it.

 Chapter 51 - What the hell

    Chapter 51 - What the hell


    Kira was damn confused. This girl was truly hard to figure out. One second she''s happy, the next moment she''s acting terrified. What was going on?


    "Zeri," he bent until his lips were near her ear. "Tell me, are you scared?"


    The girl still didn''t reply. Kira let out a sigh andnded his hand on her hair. He caressed it just as she had done to him when he was sleeping on herp.


    The people were looking at them, but Kira didn''t care. He continued caressing her hair, trying to soothe whatever it was that was making her like this. Was she like this because she was drunk?


    Time passed, and Kira decided to try and speak with her again. "Zeri¡­ can you hear me? Don''t you want to go home?"


    When Zeri still didn''t respond, Kira bit his lips. He then forcefully removed her hands from his waist and lifted her up.


    He carried her towards the car and when Kira put her down on her seat, Zeri suddenly climbed onto him. She straddled him, wrapping her hands around his neck as if she was too damn scared to let go. Kira was speechless. He was unable to keep up with all this sudden and strange behavior of hers. He didn''t know what was going on with her. It wouldn''t be a problem if she was trying to flirt or something, but she obviously seemed extremely scared, so much so that she wanted to just cling to him like a ko.


    The car that came to fetch them was his grandfather''s, so there were two bodyguards in the car with them. Aside from them, the man in front was their butler. Why were they even here? He had simply asked for the chauffeur toe to fetch them! He didn''t ask for a butler and bodyguards! Kira looked at Rei and the guy simply shrugged. Was his old man plotting something again? And Zeri was actually acting like this while these people were here¡­


    "Young Master, your grandfather asked us to bring you both to the mansion." The butler''s voice rang inside the car and Kira immediately felt Zeri''s grip on him tightened. She also started to tremble a little, causing Kira''s heart to quiver in worry.


    "No! I''m sending her back to her house," Kira firmly argued, trying his best to pacify the trembling puppy in his arms. "Zeri, I don''t know why you''re acting like this, but you don''t have anything to fear. I''m not bringing you anywhere, I promise," he whispered as he caressed her back, and he felt her rxed a little.


    He found it unbelievable that Zeri was actually this scared just because of something like this. Wait, could it be that this is what she''s really like when she''s drunk? That was the only sensible exnation Kira could think of.


    "But young master, your grandfather firmly insisted that we will bring you back to the mansion tonight," the butler insisted, and Kira felt her freeze again.


    "I said no! Her family is waiting for her!"


    "The old master said that if you refuse, you can''t go back home."


    "H-huh?!"


    "The old master already found out that you''re dating her, so he wanted you to bring her home for him to meet her."


    "I''ll bring her there another day. Just not now! She''s not feeling well. She wants to go home."


    Kira was gritting his teeth. He could feel that Zeri was trembling every time the butler spoke, so he wanted the butler to shut up. He thought that Zeri was scared because of what the butler was saying. Unbeknownst to him, Zeri was actually not listening at all. Her body was simply reacting because of the butler''s deep voice ¨C a voice that sounded so horrifying to her.


    "But young master, your grandfather sternly told us that you can''t go back in the mansion if you won''t bring her with yo ¨C"


    "I don''t care! You hear me?! Just bring us to her house, now!"


    Kira was angry. He didn''t know what his old man was thinking, sending his men for something so outrageous like this! He even actually threatened him, saying that he can''t go back without her?! Damn, was his grandfather losing his mind or something?! He''s bing more and more outrageous by the day!! Kira couldn''t even understand him anymore!


    "I understand," the butler finally gave in and nodded at the driver. The car finally turned around, and Kira''s anger subsided.


    The car soon came to a halt in front of Zeri''s house. Kira tried to coax her to let go of his neck, but the girl didn''t budge. Without a choice, he held her legs and lifted her up, cradling her like a baby as he climbed out of the car.


    "Young master," the butler called out once Kira began to step away. "As per the master''s instruction, we will not let you return to the house tonight until you bring her with you. He also said that you can''t use your credit cards. In short, your money will be cut off."


    Kira''s mouth hung open as he looked at the butler. He knew that this butler would never, ever tell him a joke.


    And before Kira could even say anything, the car left, leaving him dumbfounded. Damn! What the hell was going on?!! Calm down Kira¡­


    "Sis?"


    Kira snapped back to reality upon hearing that familiar voice. He turned and saw Zeri''s brother standing there. His eyes were wide as he watched Kira cradling his sister.


    "W-who are you?" the boy asked, and Kira finally moved towards him.


    "I''m your sister''s boyfriend," he replied, and the boy blinked.


    "Why are you cradling my sister?" The boy was like a young detective as he asked, surveying Kira''s every expression.


    "Because she''s¡­ let''s get inside first."


    The boy hesitated for a moment, but when he saw that his sister was fast asleep and clinging to him like she didn''t want to let go, he finally opened the door and let him enter the house.


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