Rejecting someone isn’t easy. Especially someone who has stayed by your side for so long.

Felyn could feel Adeline’s feelings for him.

The focused look on her face as she straightened his collar…

The urgency in her voice as she searched for a doctor while he lay in bed…

The fireflies that lit up the sky, just because of an offhand comment he made—

None of it was fake.

The more one studied other people’s emotions, the more sensitive they became.

Felyn could feel the sincerity in Adeline’s love.

For a long time, Felyn had been telling his clients not to fall in love with him.

He himself would always think in reverse—how could he avoid falling for a client?

His method was to constantly remind himself that what the client loved was just the version of him he performed. A false image.

But… what if one day, a client saw through all those layers of lies?

What if she reached the most vulnerable part of his heart?

What if she fell in love with the flawed, real Felyn?

Would he fall in love with her?

Felyn didn’t know the answer.

No one had ever gotten that far.

Adeline opened the door for Felyn. Linda, who had been pressing herself against it, quickly stepped aside and pretended like nothing had happened.

“Linda, I already stamped the form myself. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, haha. You helped me find the stamp—I should be thanking you.”

Felyn gave Adeline a slight nod, then turned and walked toward the end of the hallway.

Even Linda could tell—the conversation they’d just had hadn’t gone smoothly.

“Adeline…”

“I’m fine, Linda.”

Adeline patted Linda’s shoulder, her tone light, her face still carrying a smile.

“I’ll head back now. You still have to work overtime.”

“Will you be alright heading home alone, Adeline?”

“I’ll be fine.”

No, she wouldn’t.

Not at all.

After parting ways with Linda, Adeline’s feet carried her to the Wishing Lake at Saint Andros Academy.

The water, blessed by the Water God Eryth, didn’t shimmer in the daylight. It looked rather plain.

Adeline stood at the spot where she once made a wish hand-in-hand with Felyn.

But now, the view before her felt foreign.

Was this really the same lake where she made a wish with Felyn?

Her memories of that night were too vivid. Coming back now, it all felt… underwhelming.

Mostly because— That person was no longer beside her.

The wind stirred ripples on the surface of the lake, and Adeline’s long hair swayed with the falling leaves.

She left the academy and returned to her villa in the Dunk District.

The lawn outside looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in ages. She could almost imagine Felyn popping out from somewhere with a pair of shears and a sunhat, calling out to her cheerfully as he knelt down to tidy the yard.

She used to think Felyn just had an odd fondness for trimming the lawn.

But now she wondered—Was that really his way of escaping from her, even just for a while?

She pushed open the door. Of course, Felyn wasn’t inside.

But his presence lingered everywhere.

She walked to the dining table.

From there, she used to see Felyn busying himself in the kitchen.

She sat down on the sofa.

This was the place where Felyn used to kneel beside her in mock penance.

Gripping the armrest, Adeline slowly made her way upstairs.

Her bedroom—

The place she spent the most time.

The place filled with the most memories of him.

Felyn always knocked before entering, bringing her fruit or warm milk.

She rarely closed the bedroom door, so she could hear the sounds of him cleaning downstairs.

So she could feel his presence.

Adeline now reached out and closed the door.

Felyn was gone. There was no point in leaving it open anymore.

In fact, she almost hated the first floor now.

Closing the door made that resentment a little easier to bear.

She sat down at her desk and rested her head on her arms, gazing out the window.

Every night, Felyn used to appear outside this window.

And after ten o’clock, his departing figure would vanish beyond that same frame.

Every corner of this house—

She could still picture him.

But now, there were only two months left between them.

In two months, Felyn would leave her completely.

And since she’d told him how she felt…

He probably wouldn’t treat her the same way as before.

He might stop being warm, stop being proactive.

“Felyn…”

She whispered his name, hoping he might appear outside her door just like before.

But there was no one.

The villa was filled with only her own lonely figure.

No matter how she tried to deny it, she had already gotten used to the days without Felyn.

Adeline looked at her reflection in the mirror and let out a dry laugh.

Not long ago, her thoughts about Felyn were:

“He loves me so much.”

But now, all she could think was:

“I love him so much.”

She’d barely slept the night before.

Eventually, she drifted off, resting atop the desk.

The noise in her head vanished for a short while.

By the time she awoke, night had already fallen.

The room was dim. The last rays of sunlight stretched across the floor. Outside, the streets were quiet—eerily silent.

Like the end of the world.

Adeline rose and pulled out the plush pig Felyn had given her from her suitcase.

She placed it next to the other one in her villa.

“Don’t you two go fighting now… I want to be with Felyn too.”

…

Several blocks away.

In the Mist District.

Felyn had returned to a familiar street, and night had already fallen.

He’d left home empty-handed, but now, both of his hands were full.

Viloti really did seem to like Hermi.

After picking up her graduation materials, she had dragged him to the Homt pet store and bought a whole pile of supplies. She even had Hermi undergo a full-body check-up.

Looking at the price tags, Felyn became increasingly convinced that Viloti had been right.

He used to think, whatever I eat, the cat can eat too.

But after seeing how much gourmet cat food cost, he now felt that if he got to eat what the cat ate, that would be the real luxury.

Those prices…

One meal for the cat cost as much as an entire day’s worth of food for him.

Thankfully, rich Miss Viloti covered the full bill.

She insisted that the cat only eat fresh food—and that she’d deliver it weekly herself.

Felyn knew nothing about raising cats.

So if Viloti said something, he’d just go along with it.

She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would lie.

Their familiar house came into view.

The warm yellow glow of the lights at the doorway seemed to spell out: Welcome home.

Before agreeing to take in the cat, Felyn had messaged Daiyi to ask her opinion.

Only after getting her approval did he bring Hermi back.

“I’m home.”

Felyn set down the pet carrier and rubbed his shoulder.

Hermi was a female Carotesu cat—a type of magical beast, technically speaking. Same classification as the monsters in dungeons.

Just… one without any aggression.

“Welcome back.”

Daiyi had braided her long black hair and slung it over one shoulder.

She crouched in front of Hermi, hands on her knees, gently stroking the cat’s nose.

“Hermi, tell me—how many girls did your owner meet today? Two? That’s not too many.”

Felyn shook his head. He was already used to Daiyi’s outrageous remarks.

Tying on an apron, he headed into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Half an hour later—

When he came out of the kitchen, he saw that Daiyi was still squatting by the door, still staring at Hermi.

“Meow~”

That was Hermi’s voice.

“Meow~”

And that… was Daiyi’s.

(End of Chapter)