Even though her stomach was empty, it felt dirty, as if she would burp even though she hadn’t eaten. It was an uncomfortable and awkward silence. It wasn’t this awkward and uncomfortable when she first saw him…

He must still be very angry, right? Yes, since he left in such a hurry.

At that moment, Riley summoned her courage. She clenched her fist.

“…Sorry!”

Due to the tension, a heavily edited apology popped out. With both the beginning and end omitted, the thrown apology left Gibben momentarily flustered before he asked in a composed manner.

“What are you sorry for?”

“Uh, well…”

“Did you come here after being embraced by another man?”

It wasn’t a mocking tone. Even though it seemed like a simple question, Riley’s face, tinged with numbness, turned pale in an instant.
Due to nervousness, a heavily edited apology was blurted out. Gibben, after a momentary flinch from the thrown apology, asked with a composed expression.

“What are you sorry for?”

“…… Uh, well…”

“Did you come here after being embraced by another man?”

It wasn’t a teasing tone. It seemed like a simple question, but Riley’s face, tinged with numbness, turned pale in an instant, just as expected.

Ban indeed brought her here, as she thought. Riley, huddled like a crumpled tissue, timidly responded, glancing at him.

“I’m sorry for that too…”

“……”

“But, uh, well… I think I suddenly lost consciousness. Maybe because I pushed myself too hard for the exams these past few days, and I wasn’t feeling well. I was at the park, trying to get some fresh air, and then Ban senior happened to come by… We were just talking about this and that, and it seems like I fainted. So… there was absolutely nothing going on between us! That…”

As she abruptly started explaining, the words got tangled. The more she spoke, the more it felt like the misunderstandings were growing. Riley sighed, pressing her chest with frustration.

“…There’s nothing between us.”

The last conclusion she reluctantly spat out was pathetic. However, a composed response came back to that pitiful excuse.

“I see.”

“……?”

“The doctor said it’s due to malnutrition. He told you not to skip meals and eat regularly three times a day.”

“…….”

“Why aren’t you taking care of your meals?”

“…Well, there’s no time to prepare them.”

“…….”

“Actually, I have no appetite…”

“…….”

“I’ve been thinking about you all this time.”

Gibben twitched at Riley’s words. Riley stood up and looked at him, trying to match eye levels as much as possible.

“Sorry for leaving like that that day.”

“…No need to apologize. It was a shocking situation. Anyone would have probably run away unable to bear the disgust. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.”

“It’s not that.”

“…….”

“I left you behind not because you were terrible, not because I was scared, not because I hated you.”

Riley exhaled deeply and then spoke with determination.

“It was shocking in that situation… You were so different from the you I knew. So, I was scared and sad, thinking that everything I knew about you might be a lie.”

“…….”

“Thinking that way was a bit scary. Not that you were scary… I was scared of myself. I realized that then.”

“…….”

“Maybe I’m not looking at you as a real friend… but beyond just liking you, I might have developed emotions.”

After confessing her tangled feelings, Riley lowered her gaze, closed her eyes tightly.

It felt refreshing to spill everything out, but at the same time, she became frightened, not daring to see what kind of expression he had.
“I don’t know why my thoughts ended up like that… but I realized that you’re not just someone I can easily dismiss from my life. It seems like my feelings have gone beyond simple liking. It was too confusing, and I couldn’t bring myself to face you. My mind was so chaotic that I needed time to organize my thoughts even as I spoke…”

Even while speaking, perhaps due to tension, Riley continued to fidget with her fingers and pursed her lips. Gibben meticulously observed every action of Riley during her words.

“Even in that dreadful situation.”

“…….”

“I wanted to know more about you, even in that shocking situation… I didn’t dislike the unfamiliar you with flipped-out hair… So, I was confused. I was emotionally intense, something I’ve never experienced before, and it was the situation I feared the most.”

“……Feared?”

“We’re fake, aren’t we?”

“…….”

“In this role play… I shouldn’t be the only one being sincere. Because then I’ll be the only one suffering, becoming miserable, and in the end, I’ll get tired of you.”

Unable to endure embarrassment and fear any longer, Riley eventually averted her gaze. She couldn’t finish her words.

Because the words she blurted out, tangled in her unorganized mind, became a mess, the more she thought about them, the more embarrassment and fear grew.

Did this complex emotion properly convey to him? What would he say?

…Did he think it was disgusting?

“Are you done?”

Breaking the silence, he subtly threw a question. Somehow, there was a hint of laughter in it, so Riley lifted her head slightly and looked at him.

Then he firmly grabbed Riley’s shoulders with both hands. Adding some weight, he pushed her backward. Riley’s back touched the soft sofa.

Blushing, Riley looked up at him. It was a few times more awkward than usual to see his handsome face after she had spilled all her emotions.

“I thought you would despise me.”

“…….”

“…Our affection has lessened. Everyone fears me. You probably think the same.”

“…It’s not like that.”

“Why? Why am I not scary to you? Even after seeing such a horrible sight, why did you think I was good?”

“…There must be a reason.”

“…….”

“…I don’t think you’d make someone like that without any reason.”

Responding to Riley’s words, Gibben reached out and gently stroked her chin before lightly tickling the area near her neck.

“Violence is bad no matter the reason. Don’t you think so?”

“…I’m not righteous or good.”

“…….”

“I just can’t be disappointed for such a reason… You’re the most special and precious person in my life.”

Gibben stared at Riley for a while and then chuckled.

Strangely, even though he was smiling, it felt like he might be crying. Despite no tears forming, his eyes seemed to be more moist than usual.
After laughing for a while, he spoke with a slightly choked-up voice.

“I think I said I’m afraid I’ll get tired of it.”

Reflecting on Riley’s words a while ago, he spoke with a slightly teary voice.

“Please let me get tired of it.”