“Are you just going to keep lazing around there?”

At this point, Ana couldn’t take it anymore.

She was bored with fiddling with her tool, and while there were a bunch of other things she could do, the Loli found it hard to ignore the boy in front of her.

“I’m not lazing around,” Kuzon replied, now gazing at her.

“S-sure, you aren’t…” She found herself stuttering, unable to keep up with his handsome features.

Upon seeing this, Kuzon smiled.

“What’s that grin on your face for?”.

“Nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah…”

“Hmmm…” Ana felt weird vibes from Kuzon.

To be honest, he wasn’t much different from the guy she knew.

They hung out and talked a lot, just like this. Of course, Kuzon never really talked much about himself and Ana carried most of the conversation.

Still, why did he seem so much like the Kuzon of the past now than he did during their first meeting?

“Alright, spill.” Ana sighed, deciding to finally have a conversation with the boy.

‘He might be a jerk, but I’m not.’

She was used to having male friends, like Edward, who would try to hide things from her. She could tell from Kuzon’s face that he was hiding a great deal.

The golden haired boy gave a slightly surprised expression at her statement.

“I’ve not forgiven you for leaving me yet, but…” Her eyes met with his—clear blue with golden—and she heaved a sigh.

“… I guess I’ll listen to you for a moment.”

Kuzon broke into a smile instantly.

“You really haven’t changed at all.”

“H-hey! I’ve grown in a lot of ways, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” He narrowed his eyes and widened his smile.

This caused Ana to shiver since it almost felt like Kuzon was ogling her body.

“J-just say something already! This is a limited edition coupon. It won’t last forever, you know?”

“Ah, really now?”

Ana closed her eyes and nodded with a false sense of superiority.

“Yup! I’m just taking a break.”

“Interesting…”

“What’s interesting about that?”

“Nothing.”

“Urgh! You really…” Ana’s glare was slowly returning.

She began to reconsider talking to Kuzon. It wasn’t a very good idea, to begin with.

“I guess I’ll just return to—”

“How have you been?” Kuzon’s voice gently came forth.

His eyes showed sincerity, and a warm smile permeated his face.

Ana found herself melting as she witnessed this.

“W-wha—?”

“After I left… how have you been? You’ve grown into a fine young woman. A lot must have happened, right? You even killed a Demon Lord, and I’ve been hearing good stuff about your work. So… how are you?”

To be frank, Ana never expected that question… especially from Kuzon.

But, his gaze didn’t seem to have any hidden intentions behind them. It was the opposite, actually.

It was almost like he truly, genuinely cared about how she felt.

‘I won’t get deceived by you a second time!’ Ana shut her heart and hardened her face.

“I was… fine.” Her response was short.

“Hmm, I see.” Kuzon’s response was sullen, his face displaying slight disappointment.

“And you? How have you been since you left?” Ana returned the question to him.

To be fair, she knew nothing about him. As much as she didn’t like Kuzon—or tried not to—it was difficult trying to eliminate her curiosity.

“Busy. I was busy.”

“Yeah? You don’t seem so busy now. We’ve been waiting here without doing anything tangible.” Ana gave Kuzon a suspicious eye.

“Well, that’s because I was waiting for something.”

“And what’s that?”

“For you to talk to me.”

“W-wha—?!” Ana’s face turned pink instantly, and she was unable to hide her flustered, jumbled feelings.

The fact that Kuzon’s expression was calm made Ana feel much worse.

“It would be too boring if were to journey together, and there’s nothing to talk about.”

“Is that so?” Her face instantly fell.

“Yeah.”

Silence pervaded the area, and both of them engaged in a brief staring contest.

The first to look away was, of course, Ana.

“And? Now that I’m talking to you… are you satisfied?”

“Not really. You seem upset at me for some reason. What did I do to you?”

“You mean, other than abandoning me for such a long time without maintaining contact?”

“Y-yeah… other than that…” Kuzon’s face slightly scrunched up.

For the first time, he appeared flustered as well.

“Well, let’s see…” Ana began listing his offenses.

“You called me dead weight. You sent the wrong signals by giving me a mere customary greeting in form of a kiss. Worst of all, you act all innocent and make it very difficult to dislike you!”

“Wait, how is the last one a bad thing? I’m just being myself.”

“Well, yourself sucks!”

“Wow, you’re really mean.”

“See what I’m talking about? How am I the bad guy here? You’re the one who kissed a girl and left for that long period without saying anything, then you show up and kiss that same girl again. You whisk her away to your lovely home and suddenly expect that she becomes your chatting buddy.”

Kuzon was silent throughout Ana’s venting. Patiently listening to her, his gaze never left for a single moment.

He didn’t even blink.

“… And that’s why I’m mad at you.” Ana took in a deep breath after she was done complaining.

She deflated on the golden sofa and sighed.

“I see. Can I ask something first before answering your complaints?”

“What is it?”

“Are you mad at Jared too? Or, rather… what do you think about him?”

“What does that matter to you?”

“It’s just a harmless question.” Kuzon strained a smile.

Just how much did Ana not trust him?

“Yeah, I’m mad at Jared… probably even more than I am at you. I initially thought he was just a dense idiot, but it turns out… well, it doesn’t matter now.”

This wasn’t just childish rage. Ana’s face displayed absolute seriousness.

Both men had wronged her, and she was sick of it.