Don't Wish Upon a Shooting Star - Chapter 3

“Kitty? Miss Summers, are you listening?”

Kitty returned to reality while looking at the red fighter plane. Tommy was looking at her through his ill-fitting horn-rimmed glasses. Yes, this was the reality surrounding her now.

Was the reason she ran away from a forced marriage just to date an oddball?

Ugh, that really wasn’t it. Kitty, having made up her mind, smiled. Tommy’s face relaxed, seemingly relieved at seeing her bright smile.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What? No! There’s still a lot I want to show you……”

“Tom, you’re undoubtedly a good person. So let me tell you, women usually don’t want to see photos of wrinkly old men or pieces of junk on a date.”

“Pieces of junk……”

His face turned pale. Isn’t the point you’re shocked about all wrong? Kitty, realizing there was no hope left, slowly shook her head like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis.

“Then if this isn’t a piece of junk, what is it? At least that’s how it looks to my eyes.”

“This is a historical monument!”

“Then let’s call it a historical piece of junk.”

“……”

“And this model has three MG-17 machine guns mounted after removing the cannon, not two. The ceiling is also about 500 meters lower.”

Kitty scratched the back of her head in displeasure even as she explained. Why do I still remember this kind of stuff?

It seemed like the date should end here. If she delayed any longer, she felt like she really wouldn’t be able to control herself.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Um…… just a moment!”

“I hope you meet a woman who likes pieces of junk.”

She waved her hand behind her back as she left the exhibition hall. By the time she had completely exited the building, she took out sunglasses from her handbag and put them on. It was to prevent anyone from recognizing her.

Of course, not as the legendary pilot Greta Holt, but as ‘Queen of the Night’ Kitty Summers.

As soon as the date ended, Kitty had a new destination. It doesn’t feel right to go home like this. I should go to my favorite bar. With that thought, Kitty headed to a small saloon a bit away from downtown. It was a saloon with a sign that read <Black Prince>.

As she pushed open the door, comfortable interiors and the song from the jukebox greeted her. Even though it was still early, there were quite a few people who had come for a drink like her.

“Hey, Kit. Welcome. Want your usual?”

“That would be nice.”

“Shots?”

“Make it a double.”

Hannah, the bartender, quickly prepared a drink for her. Kitty sat in front of Hannah and took off her sunglasses. Hannah’s face became much clearer.

“You look a bit down.”

“Because of some guy.”

“Why, did someone introduce you to another asshole?”

“It’s not that bad…… He’s a good person. Nice. But not worth spending my time on. No matter what, I don’t think an oddball is right for me.”

“How come every guy you meet turns out to be a landmine? Or are your standards too high? Well, I guess it would be stranger to say that the famous Kitty Summers could date just anyone.”

“Hey, lower your voice.”

“Okay, okay.”

Kitty felt the tingling sensation of alcohol going down her throat as she tilted the glass. Yet her mood didn’t improve much. Why was that? Tommy wasn’t the type to make people angry.

Was it because she had been thinking too much about the past? That was probably likely. It must be because she momentarily recalled the past due to that stupid airplane. And of all things, why did the memories she wanted to forget the most have to surface?

The hardest part of all was that she had no one to confide in. Kitty had run away from the fate of a forced marriage. And she had completely settled down by creating a new identity.

But to perfectly launder her identity, she had to hide all of her past. Only Kitty herself knew that she was the pilot Greta Holt. She couldn’t even confide about her most difficult times to Hannah, with whom she was relatively open.

Still, she didn’t regret coming to the Black Prince. She didn’t want to go home.

If she couldn’t talk about the past, might as well exchange other stories.

“Don’t you have anyone to introduce me to?”

“Me? Why are you suddenly asking me?”

“You must know quite a few customers. Isn’t there at least one decent-looking guy among them?”

“Listen, Kit. As a rule, you don’t find boyfriends in bars. You should meet a more solid guy. Someone you can envision a future with.”

“I’m looking for a boyfriend, not a husband.”

“That’s the same thing, isn’t it? Whether it’s a boyfriend or a husband, it’s about the present and future, right?”

“Oh, please.”

“And you’re a star! Many people like you, you know that? Someone like you especially shouldn’t be dating just anyone. You should find a man of high value. Do you know who you are!”

“You’re right.”

Kitty took another sip of her drink and replied.

“I should be more picky now. I realized that again today.”

“I’m so happy you’ve finally come to your senses. But why did you come here at this hour? Don’t you have a schedule today?”

“I deliberately left it open. I have to board a large cruise ship soon, and I wanted to relax a bit until then.”

“Good for you.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Not a suffocating vacuum, but a comfortable silence that naturally passes between friends.

Hannah, who seemed to be recalling something, suddenly spoke up.

“Come to think of it, there is someone who comes to mind.”

“What, who?”

“He came recently, that person. He was a customer I’d never seen before, apparently he moved to the neighborhood. He had a drink and left, but I think he’ll come again soon.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“That man, he’s incredibly handsome.”

At that, Kitty unconsciously straightened her posture. Seeing this, Hannah burst into laughter.

“Look at how your posture changes as soon as I say he’s handsome!”

“What does he look like? Tell me.”

“I don’t know, there were quite a few customers then. I was busy, so I didn’t have time to observe his features closely.”

“You said he’s handsome, so you should give reasons!”

“He looked roughly like a movie star, that’s true! And a bartender can’t stare intently at customers. I told you, he was a customer I’d never seen before. Not enough data has been collected yet.”

“His name? Did you hear what his name was?”

“No, I don’t know. But he was the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. I can bet the Black Prince on that fact. But he doesn’t look like a bum either. When he was silent, he seemed melancholic, and his voice was so deep and low……”

“You’re just infatuated.”

“Kitty. Forget what I just said. Who knows, good relationships can form in bars too! That man is worth introducing to you. He passes the preliminaries. You can meet him and figure out the rest slowly. Right?”

Hmm. Kitty closed her mouth and imagined the unknown man. Hannah had an occupational hazard of not remembering individual faces well because she met so many people every day. If Hannah was confident to this extent, it meant he really was a handsome man.

Now the important thing was how high Hannah’s standards were…

“Wouldn’t someone that good-looking already have a girlfriend or wife?”

“You don’t have one, so what law says that man would?”

“I guess.”

“Besides, if he had someone, would he be frequenting a bar like this alone? My intuition tells me… that person is single. I’m sure of it.”

The small bell attached to the entrance door jingled. Of course, Kitty didn’t pay any attention to it. It was a sound she would hear many times while at the Black Prince.

However, it was a bit concerning that the unmistakable sound of dress shoes from the person who rang the bell was slowly approaching.

At some point, Hannah fixed her gaze.

Then she smiled with a somewhat ominous look.

What…?

“Ah, I knew you’d come again. What would you like?”

“A light whiskey, please.”

“I’ll bring it right away.”

Kitty, do your best. Hannah whispered in a low voice and moved away to get the whiskey bottle. What on earth is she saying? Kitty, whose judgment was clouded due to the alcohol, continued to sip her drink without even knowing who had arrived.

Meanwhile, the man who ordered whiskey took a seat a little distance away from her. Kitty unconsciously turned her head towards the man. The man with neatly combed-up black hair was looking down at the counter with one elbow propped up.

He looks a bit depressed… I wonder what happened?

Did his wife run away or something?

At that moment, the man’s and Kitty’s eyes met. The man in a suit had eyes that shone golden like whiskey.

Jet-black hair with golden eyes.

He was looking at Kitty.

It felt like an electric current was running down her back. Kitty snapped back to her senses. She shouted in her mind. Damn it, I’m ruined now!

Her adjutant, no, her husband was right here.

The very husband that Kitty had abandoned and ran away from.

She was sure He was Lieutenant Percy Collins.