It wasn’t so much a sense of duty as a wish. Even just once, he wanted to say, “I’m sorry.” Only then did it feel like their relationship could move forward. Unbeknownst to him, his heart grew desperate, and Gopher opened his mouth to speak.

“I—”

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking interrupted Gopher’s words. Bleria stared at him intently before rising from her seat.

“We don’t often get visitors here. It might be Mixel,” she said, casually heading toward the door.

Gopher watched her retreating figure with a tense expression.

Mixel Luke was merely his excuse. For some reason—whether the informants had failed to report his presence or circumstances had delayed him—Mixel hadn’t appeared until now. But if the visitor were Mixel, his lie would be exposed.

This fragile semblance of normalcy would shatter instantly, and the reality he’d been avoiding would come crashing back.

I think you’ll ruin everything again, whispered Selene Pincher’s voice from his dream, echoing in his ears.

At that moment, Gopher stood. He opened his mouth to call Bleria back, but she had already reached the entrance.

Click. The doorknob turned, and the door opened. The sound scraped down his chest like a claw. He instinctively drew in a sharp breath and held it. But there was no one beyond the door.

Instead, there was only a letter. Bleria, seemingly accustomed to such occurrences, opened it without hesitation.

Gopher exhaled the breath he’d been holding and cautiously asked, “That is…?”

“It’s from a younger sibling who sometimes helps around the house. They’re saying they won’t be able to come anymore,” Bleria replied nonchalantly, slipping the letter back into its envelope.

That “sibling” couldn’t be Mixel, right? Gopher sighed, leaning on the dining table as a stranger’s voice rang out from outside.

“Oh? Hello there!”

It was a young man’s voice, likely around their age.

“You’re that customer from Heart Pie Bakery, aren’t you? Wow, it’s great to see you here! Do you remember me? I was standing next to Courtney, the owner—my aunt—when you got those cookies as a complimentary treat.”

“…Yes. Hello,” Bleria replied.

Hearing her response, Gopher straightened up from his slouched position. As he moved toward the entrance, the unidentified man continued talking enthusiastically.

“My name’s Aaron Baker. I’m the bakery owner’s nephew. There’s not much to brag about yet, but soon, I’ll head to the capital to become a rising opera star! Haha!”

“Yes,” Bleria replied curtly.

“Have you had dinner yet? I know a great place. If you’re free—”

“Is he someone you know, Mel?” Gopher interjected, stepping outside.

Even just hearing the man’s voice had been enough to sense his excitement, but seeing him in person was almost absurd. Aaron’s face was bright red, from his forehead to his nose and neck. Just looking at him felt stiflingly warm. When Aaron spotted Gopher, he jumped in surprise.

“Oh! Are you here with your… boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Bleria answered immediately.

Gopher’s fingers twitched at her quick reply, and Aaron’s expression brightened again. A knot tightened in Gopher’s stomach as he slowly rubbed his chin.

“Well, then—”

“But I’m afraid I can’t join you for dinner,” Bleria cut him off.

“Ah, of course. That would be a bit much, wouldn’t it? Yeah.”

Aaron stammered but didn’t seem too discouraged. He nodded vigorously, sneaking glances at Gopher as though gauging his reaction before suddenly appearing resolved.

Gopher crossed his arms, silently watching the scene unfold.

“Uh, we’ve got some new bread at the bakery. If you come by soon, I’ll treat you. You’re a regular, after all! Please don’t hesitate to drop by!”

With that, Aaron turned as if to flee but tripped over his feet, flailing his arms to regain balance.

“Ahhh!”

What a spectacle, Gopher thought with an incredulous smile.

Beside him, laughter erupted. Bleria covered her mouth with her fist, struggling to contain her giggles.

“Oh, sorry for laughing. Are you okay?” she asked.

“I-I’m fine! Don’t worry about me! Hahaha! See you next time! Please come by, okay? Definitely…!”

Aaron waved frantically and bolted down the path, his face even redder.

Bleria continued laughing as she watched him retreat, her light smile lingering until she turned her gaze toward Gopher and locked eyes with him.

At that moment, Gopher realized she hadn’t smiled at him even once since they’d reunited.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s nothing.”

He tried to hide his dampened mood, but his voice betrayed him. Gopher rubbed his face. Perhaps it would be better to step away for a moment to collect himself. Just as the thought occurred, an excuse presented itself.

His expression turned cold.

“Pearl…?”

“Sorry. I have something to take care of. I’ll be back shortly.”

Gopher’s eyes remained fixed on the far end of the path.

“With him…?” Bleria began.

“No,” he replied.

Not with Aaron, but with the one who followed after.

***

Aaron trudged along, his shadow stretching long in the dimming evening light. He remembered he had plans to meet a friend at the tavern later, but right now, that felt inconsequential.

Could this be fate?

It wasn’t as if they had met again at the bakery or there was any significant chance of running into each other in front of her house. He was just passing by!

And yet, his angel looked even more beautiful than before. She was so dazzling and angelic that it was frustrating that he couldn’t adequately put it into words. On top of that, he even saw her smile appropriately for the first time today.

If she had smiled because he fell, Aaron felt he could tumble a hundred, even two hundred times in front of her.

The problem was the man standing next to her—the most striking man Aaron had ever seen. If they had met elsewhere, Aaron might have been too awestruck to do anything but gape.

That must be the boyfriend Aunt Courtney mentioned, he thought.

They certainly did look good together…

“Argh!”

Aaron slapped both cheeks with loud, dramatic force. Look good together? What nonsense! She had clearly said he wasn’t her boyfriend!

Of course, that made sense. The man’s expression had been cold, and his piercing gaze at Aaron was so chilling it still sent shivers down his spine. He had probably been seething with jealousy.

That man had feelings for Aaron’s angel. But then again, Aaron wasn’t bad-looking either. Sure, he was a bit shorter and not quite as striking, but his personality was probably a hundred times better. He still had a chance.

I’ll practically live at the bakery starting tomorrow, he resolved.

Aunt Courtney had always said he should help instead of loafing around, so she would likely be thrilled. While earning her favor, he could save some allowance and plan a date…

Just as he was happily lost in his imagination, someone approached from the opposite direction.

He moved aside to avoid bumping into them, but the other person stepped the same way at the exact moment. Their shoulders collided with a painful thud like Aaron had hit a rock.

“What the—what’s your problem?” Aaron blustered, trying to sound harsh. But his courage evaporated as soon as he looked up and saw the man’s face.

At worst, he had expected a drunken passerby, but the man didn’t give off that impression.

Dressed entirely in black, the stranger’s gaze was murderous. His pupils were so small that the whites of his eyes stood out sharply, glowing like a predator’s golden-yellow eyes.

Aaron’s breath hitched when he noticed a scar just below one of those cold eyes as if the man had been slashed with a knife. His gaze lowered further, and he froze in terror.

The man was holding a knife with a gleaming, icy-blue blade. Aaron’s legs began to shake violently. Being robbed in broad daylight, before the sun had even set?

“If you want money, it’s in my inner pocket. I’ll take it out right now,” Aaron stammered.

“I’d love for it to be that simple,” the man said regretfully, spinning the knife.

Aaron shrieked and tried to run, but the man effortlessly tripped him, sending him sprawling. Before Aaron could move, the man straddled him, pinning him to the ground.

“Sorry. I hate this kind of thing, too, but orders are orders. The last guy who disobeyed got his head chopped off. It’s not like I have much choice. It’s complicated, you know?”

“If it’s not money, then why? Why are you doing this to me? What did I do?”

“It’s because our boss is nuts. He’s got this girl he likes, and he said anyone who gets close to her has to go—chase the women off, kill the men. What a petty bastard.”

A girl he likes?

Aaron’s mind immediately went to the pair he had met earlier. The angelic woman and the cold man beside her—the one who had glared at him with those icy eyes! It had to be his doing.

His teeth chattered with fear as the realization hit him.

“They say if you isolate someone, their heart will eventually open up. Like father, like son, huh? The boss almost got caught splitting hairs over this.”

“I won’t try to get close to her. I won’t even talk to her or go anywhere near her. Just please, spare me. Please, I’m begging you!”

“Sorry. I’ll say a prayer for you at the temple. Maybe you’ll be born into a better life next time.”