[33.3] Unlucky in Love

Moni sensed something was wrong and smiled softly at me, "I see that the mood was ruined. I apologize. I didn't mean to come between you two."

I shook my head, "No… It's okay. You didn't do anything… He and I were friends since childhood, but we aren't dating or anything… It's just… I don't know…"

Moni wasn't at all offended, "You don't need to explain. It's getting late anyway, so maybe it's best to go our separate ways."

I looked up at him with a bit of disappointment, "I suppose you're right."

He leaned down, kissing the top of my head.

My mouth dropped as I stared up at him in surprise.

I backed away quickly.

He laughed, "I would be honored if I can see you again. Keep an eye out for my letters, my dear. I will see you very soon."

I called after him, "What makes you think I'm going to see you again!?"

His lips curled in an ominous smile, "Because I never give up when there's something I want."

Once he walked away I collapsed to my knees and let out a groan, "What am I going to do?!"

After crouching down long enough, I finally slapped my cheeks, "It's no use concerning yourself over it. What's done is done."

I nodded to convince myself and walked home. But the closer I got, the more my mind became muddled.

I was so invested in my thoughts that I ended up walking home without ever summoning my ice chunk.

…Which was probably for the best because I couldn't use magic even if I wanted to.

My mind was too preoccupied with what just happened.

I opened my door to see my mother waiting anxiously.

She rushed to my side, "I WAS SO WORRIED!"

She embraced me, nearly suffocating me.

I let out a sigh, "I told you I would be fine."

She let me go and looked at me with a strict expression, "That was very naughty of you. What if something had happened? We would have thought you were in a totally different direction!"

I mumbled, "Yeah, yeah."

Her strict expression softened, "Reika… Did something happen?"

I shrugged.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I'm okay." I tossed my things to the ground and shuffled to the stairs, "I'm just a little tired."

My mother picked up the painting I had tossed, "Wait! You dropped this!"

I waved my hands, "Just throw it away. It's trash anyway."

As I stomped up the stairs, she looked at the painting. Her eyebrows pinched together, "Trash? How is this trash? It's a masterpiece… And It's definitely getting hung up on the wall for everyone to see."

I ignored her and walked up to my room. I flung open the door and paused. Zephyr was lounging on my bed with a defeated expression. He heard the door open up and perked up, "You're back from your date?! Was it good??"

I plopped down on the bed with a groan.

Zephyr rolled over next to me, "That rough, huh?"

I nodded, "I don't know what to do. I think I may have screwed things up with Goldilocks."

"What do you mean?"

"Cyrus ran into me at the exact moment that the guy kissed my hand."

He winced, "Oooh. That's bad."

I covered my face, "What should I do!? I feel guilty. Seeing Cyrus's face when he saw us made my heart feel like it was shattering… But why? Is it because I watched him grow up and I'm worried he might hate me?"

"Why are you even conflicted? That blonde-haired brat probably has the best qualities. He's good looking and I'm pretty sure he has a good package."

I flicked his forehead, "Don't say that. It's gross."

He stuck out his tongue, "Whatever. But that other guy didn't seem as handsome."

I looked at him in disbelief, "You didn't see his face?!"

Zephyr shook his head, "Nope. Della and I only got to see him from behind."

I laughed, "You should have seen that his behind is quite nice. Although that's nothing compared to his face."

Zephyr clicked his tongue, "So you're only interested in him because he is attractive?"

"That's not all. I do admit that is a big factor, but I can't help it. His hypnotic eyes would leave me breathless whenever he gazed at me. There was this sense of familiarity, but also mystery…"

Zephyr pursed his lips in irritation, "Humans really are so shallow."

"That's not it!" I sat up quickly, "We also have similar interests. It's been so long since I've painted with someone. It was really fun."

"You used to paint all the time with Felix."

I shook my head, "That's different. Felix is just a friend."

Zephyr's eyes widened, "You're actually calling someone a friend?! Who are you!?"

I laughed, "That little runt saved my life. If I didn't call him a friend, that would be heartless. I'm not that mean."

Zephyr nodded, "Right, right. But you seriously aren't interested in that blonde-haired brat at all? I definitely thought there were sparks between the two of you since you've returned."

I flipped over and poked the rabbit plush beside me that Cyrus had won at the festival, "Eh I don't know. I don't think so. I still see him as that little boy when I first saved him."

"Then what about that man you went on a date with? You want to see him again?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing him again."

"So you want to be serious with him?"

I shrugged, "I don't think I could be romantic with him, but I did enjoy the company."

Zephyr stared at me silently before speaking, "You know… You don't really seem that interested in romance. Aren't most women hopeless romantics?"

"I don't know. It's just kind of weird. If I date anyone my mental age, I would be dating men older than my father. If I date anyone my body's age, I feel like I'm robbing the cradle. So it's not like I have a lot of options."

He snickered, "Sounds like excuses to me. You sure there's no other reason?"

I looked at the rabbit with dull eyes, "Well… I guess… I guess it's because I wasn't totally… Lucky in love…"

"In your previous life?"

I nodded slowly, "What if they are just trying to use me? What if they don't actually care? A stranger is one thing, but if it's someone I trust…"

My expression darkened.

I can't do it.

I can't go through a thing like that again.

Seeing I wasn't going to elaborate further, he let out a sigh, "Then I guess we really are similar. That woman ruined my chances to be with another person."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why do you say that? You seem pretty interested in Hazel."

He scoffed, "She's attractive, but we demons only fall in love once. We don't have shallow feelings like you humans."

I laughed, "That can't possibly be true."

He nodded, "It is. Demons only have one mate during their entire life. That's the way it has always been."

"Then maybe you just need to break through that cultural barrier."

"Demons aren't like humans, trust me. The reason why there are few demons was originally due to low birth rates. Demons only fall in love once, but they would spend many years waiting for their mate and never find them. If it weren't for our long lifespans, we probably would have disappeared a long time ago."

He leaned forward with a mysterious smirk, "But I have a theory for why most demons never find their mate."

"Oh?"

"Humans and Demons have always been enemies. Humans have always hated demons and demons have always avoided humans, so we never really had any positive interactions. The reason why so many demons never found their mate was that they never spoke to or got along with humans. If they had, they would have found their love. That's what I always thought at least. But my family… They weren't convinced."

I nodded, "You were progressive when no one else was."

He sighed, "Yeah, but they were right in the end. I fell in love with a human who just wanted to use me. Now I can't love another."

"And if you do?"

"Then either my first love wasn't true love, or my second love isn't. But I'm certain my first love was real… Even if it didn't end well."

"Then… Why don't you just be a player?"

"A… Player?"

I nodded, "Yeah. If you can't have love again, then just have fun. It's better than being alone."

"That seems… Unethical."

"It's only bad if you don't tell the women. As long as you tell them truthfully and don't lead them on, then what's the harm?"

"I suppose that makes sense." He thought for a moment, "You know, the more I'm around you, the more you remind me of my Master."

I pursed my lips, "That sounds problematic."

"Not about the love talk, dummy. I mean how you act and speak. Sometimes you say strange things, but they were always things my Master would say… At the time, I thought she was just weird, but now I'm starting to wonder if she was from the same world as you."

My eyes widened, "That would certainly be a plot twist."

He nodded, "Sure would. Unfortunately, she's dead now and all her things are buried under layers of snow. I don't think we will ever know."

I held out the rabbit plush with conflicted emotions, "Why can't things just be simple?"

Bab 152: [33.3] Unlucky in Love

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