NOVPUB“Great. Since you said I can treat this place like home, that means I can come and go freely, right?”
“Mhm.”
“If I can come over anytime, then there’s no need to insist on staying tonight, right? So, I guess I’ll head back for now.”
Heh. After going around in circles, I finally found a perfectly reasonable excuse to leave without feeling guilty.
“Ugh...”
Snowy, who was never good with words, clearly couldn’t out-talk me. Without a valid reason to stop me, she eventually gave up on trying to make me stay the night.
They say a wise man uses his words, not his fists. And I, of course, was going to make full use of my advantage.
“Come to think of it, I left in such a hurry that I didn’t properly tell anyone at home. They’re probably worried sick by now.”
A hundred and one missed calls from Cora... Now that I think about it, going back home probably won’t be peaceful at all.
Ahhh... What a pain. Now I almost want to stay the night here instead...
“Mhm. Your sister... is worried.”
“My sister?”
How did Snowy know it was my sister who was worried?
“Oh, wait. Did my sister call you?”
Was it Serena or Cora? Did one of them actually call Snowy?
“I called her.”
“Oh...”
So, Snowy called my sister afterward? Damn it. Why was I so impulsive? I ran out without thinking, and if I hadn’t rushed off, I would have been able to answer Snowy’s call...
Well, whatever. This is fine too.
Even though tonight was full of shocks (especially visually), overall, I wasn’t harmed at all.
Actually, forget about being harmed — even the injuries I did have were already almost healed.
Plus, I got to grow closer to Snowy. And... well, I got to cop a feel too...
All in all, I definitely gained more than I lost.
“So, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll get going, Snowy.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“No need. Just tell me the way. I can find my way back on my own.”
But Snowy shook her head.
“Black Street... is complicated. You’ll get lost.”
I thought about it for a moment. Yeah, she had a point. There was no reason to refuse her offer, so I accepted it.
“Alright then. Just walk me to the exit.”
“Mhm.”
Changing back into my shoes, we stepped outside. The sky was already growing dim, and there were barely any people left on the street.
Snowy grabbed my hand again, leading me toward the exit.
If she weren’t guiding me, I had the feeling I wouldn’t be able to find the way out on my own...
It felt... somewhat similar to that day in the cemetery when the zombies were roaming around.
When I walked out of the cemetery, it felt like I was passing through some kind of invisible membrane. It was the same feeling I got when entering or leaving Black Street.
Maybe this street wasn’t a normal place. That was just my gut feeling.
“Oh, right. Snowy, just take me to the same exit we used earlier when we went shopping. Or any nearby exit will do.”
Snowy didn’t ask any questions and simply nodded in agreement.
Snowy never refuses any of my requests. Despite her small stature, she’s surprisingly reliable.
If the person tailing us earlier lost track of us in the alley leading to Black Street, they might still be lingering around there.
Of course, they could have already left, but it wouldn’t hurt to try my luck.
Snowy led me to the same alley where we’d exited Black Street earlier.
“From here, go straight.”
“Okay. Thanks for seeing me off, Snowy. You can go back now.”
I waved and was about to take a step forward when Snowy suddenly gripped my hand tightly. Before I knew it, I lost my balance and fell backward.
But instead of hitting the ground, I was caught by Snowy. She held me at a forty-five-degree angle, almost like Michael Jackson’s iconic lean, except I was leaning backward.
“Juncheng.”
“What is it? Uh... This position is really uncomfortable for my back...”
“You’re... a friend.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Right. We’re friends. Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”
Was it because I had asked her about the definition of a friend earlier during dinner? Was she emphasizing that she was my friend again because of that?
But why now? And still, she never gave me a reason I could fully accept.
“So, Snowy, why do you consider me your friend?”
“Because... I like you.”
“Huh?!”
The unexpected confession caught me off guard, and my legs gave out, sending me plopping onto the ground.
“That’s why... I want to get closer to you.”
Sitting on the ground now, Snowy was taller than me. I had to tilt my head back, and my head ended up resting against her stomach, just below her chest.
Snowy cupped my chin, tilting my face up so that I was looking straight up at the sky. And then she bent down... and kissed me on the lips.
It was a light, fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a pond.
“Thank you.”
A soft smile curved at the corners of her small mouth, a gentle expression that made ripples in my heart, just like those spreading across the surface of a lake.
Then, she squatted down behind me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and with surprising strength, lifted me to my feet.
Whoa... Where did that strength come from?
“Next time... we meet...”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t hear what she said at the end. Before I could react, Snowy pushed me forward, and I had no choice but to stumble ahead. I couldn’t even turn around. The most I could do was twist my neck to glance back.
But she was too short. I couldn’t see her — only her title hovering above her head.
The once bright blue title began to darken, a deeper hue bleeding into it, growing darker and darker...
“Wait! Wait, Snowy! What were you trying to say? I didn’t hear you!”
Just as I was about to step out of the alley, I felt a hard shove against my back. I lost my footing and stumbled forward. In that moment, I whipped my head around as hard as I could.
And I saw it — white hair and blood-red eyes.
But the title above her head had changed. The bright blue had darkened into a near-black, almost blending into the darkness, making it hard to distinguish.
She said she liked me, but there wasn’t a single hint of pink in her title. That “like” wasn’t the kind of special feeling I thought it was, was it?
But that deep, almost black blue... What kind of emotion was that supposed to be?
I stumbled backward, nearly losing my balance. I finally caught myself by crashing into something behind me. When I steadied myself and looked back at the alley...
Snowy was already gone.
Next time we meet... what?
What were you trying to tell me, Snowy...?
“Ouch... that hurt...”
A voice behind me snapped me out of it.
I turned around, my attention shifting to the person in front of me.
I’d bumped into someone while stumbling, and that was probably why I didn’t completely fall over. But judging from the way she was sitting on the ground, it looked like she had taken the worst of it.
“Oh, sorry! My bad. Are you okay?”
I turned around, forcing a sheepish smile, and extended a hand to help her up.
And then my smile froze.
The girl looked up at me. The moment our eyes met, her entire body stiffened. Her eyes widened in shock, and she just stared at me, mouth slightly open.
The person I’d accidentally knocked over, just my luck, was the last person I wanted to deal with right now —
[Intermediate Stalker] Lan Hua.
Ahhhh... I want to run away...
Why do I feel so uncomfortable around Lan Hua? Because her stare is terrifying. It’s the kind of gaze that feels like it’s boring straight through my skin, peeling me apart layer by layer, exposing everything.
...Wait. A gaze?
Hold on. Could it be... Was Lan Hua the one who had been following me all this time?!
I just happened to run into a certified stalker right outside the entrance to Black Street? No way. There’s no way that’s just a coincidence.
I was sure of it. There was no mistaking it. Lan Hua was the stalker.
But why? Why would she be following me? If she were going to stalk someone, shouldn’t it be Lillian? Was she trying to gather some kind of dirt on me or something?
While I was still reeling from the shock, my mind working overtime, I was the first to regain my composure.
Feigning nonchalance, I put on a bright, casual tone.
“Oh? Lan Hua? What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Aaahhh! Aaaaaahhhhh!”
She suddenly let out a shrill scream.
Instantly, all the people around us turned to stare. Curious, confused, suspicious eyes all zeroed in on us. In a matter of seconds, we had become the center of attention.
“Uh...”
Was that really necessary?
You’ve /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ been stalking me all this time. Shouldn’t you have at least mentally prepared yourself for being caught?
I’m the victim here, and yet she was the one making it seem like I did something horrible to her. Now everyone was looking at me like I was the bad guy.
Damn it. This was a mess.
But dealing with Lan Hua would have to wait. First, I needed to defuse the situation with all these nosy bystanders.
I quickly turned around, waving my hands and raising my voice.
“Hey, hey! Nothing to see here, people! It’s just my girlfriend throwing a little tantrum!”
The moment those words left my mouth, Lan Hua’s screaming stopped.
And the surrounding people? They all lost interest in an instant, muttering things like, “Publicly arguing? How uncivilized,” “If they’re going to fight, they should do it at home,” “So embarrassing,” and, “But man, that guy’s girlfriend is pretty hot.”
Gradually, the crowd dispersed, and only a few people remained, still lingering to see if there was more drama to unfold.
Phew... That was close...
But... why do I feel like I just said something really, really stupid?
Lan Hua was still sitting on the ground, staring at me blankly, her expression frozen. Her mouth hung open slightly, her eyes still wide as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
“Uh... Lan Hua?”
I bent down, squatting in front of her and waved a hand in front of her face.
That finally snapped her out of it.
Her cheeks turned as red as a boiled octopus. Clapping her hands over her mouth, she let out a muffled, incomprehensible noise.
“Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!”
“Uh... Are you okay...?”
Now that I think about it, this might actually be the first time I’ve ever spoken to her.
Despite her sitting to my side for longer than Lillian had sat behind me, I’d never said a single word to her.
I didn’t know much about her personality either.
All I knew was that from her title and the color of her name, she was a yuri-leaning stalker...
Ugh... Whatever. I really don’t want to deal with her.
After a while, Lan Hua finally dropped her hands, took three deep breaths, and spoke in a trembling voice.
“T-That just now... Y-Your... girlfriend... You were talking about... me?”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just didn’t want the crowd to misunderstand and blow things out of proportion...”
I extended my hand to her again, intending to help her up.
This time, she took my hand without hesitation. But instead of standing up, she covered my hand with her other hand, trapping my hand between both of hers.
Her palms were slightly damp, and she was sweating like crazy.
“T-Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...”
She was like a broken tape recorder, repeating the same words over and over, trembling as she spoke.
And I... I just stood there, frozen like a statue.
Her palms grew even sweatier, as if she were wringing out a wet towel. She kept squeezing and stroking my hand, like a child who had just been given a new toy and refused to let it go.
The way she touched me was strangely... intimate. She intertwined her fingers with mine, sliding her damp fingers between mine.
And the stuff dribbling from the corner of her mouth... Was that... saliva?
“...”
What... the hell is going on here?
Why... why is Lan Hua’s title...
Why is it pink?!
