Chapter 91：Like an open book

"Don't overeat anymore, okay?" When the two landed back on the roof, Dylan rubbed Fir's cheeks and reminded him.

"Mm." Fir nodded, closing his eyes with pleasure from Dylan's rub. "Let's hug?"

"Haha, alright." Dylan laughed and spread his arms out wide. The giant bird cheerfully pulled Dylan into his embrace, allowing him to sink into his feathers.

"As usual, you're so fluffy." Dylan's muffled voice said. He was basically absorbed into Fir's chest, only half of him was still visible. In fact, if they really tried, Dylan could even just dive into Fir's chest and hide himself there. Well, he wouldn't though because despite the outside feathers being nice and cool, the inside feathers were really warm and therefore too hot to handle in this weather.

"Ehehe." Fir giggled from being tickled. Dylan was rubbing his cheeks against his feathers, causing him to feel ticklish. "Lyn, it tickles."

"Oh, sorry." Dylan apologised and separated himself from Fir. "Let's go home."

"Okay!" Fir shrunk down and perched down on Dylan's shoulder. The two then walked down the stairs and went back to Janine's apartment.

The two at home heard him putting in the pin and rushed to the door.

"Where did you go in such a rush!" Charlotte scolded out of concern.

"How'd you expect us to make dinner!" Janine complained.

Dylan stood in front of the open door, shocked. His mouth was gaping open and eyes blinking open and shut.

"Pft-!" Charlotte and Janine laughed. "What's with your hair? New style?"

"Ah? What's wrong with my hair?" Dylan felt his hair in a panic. Charlotte silently handed him her phone whilst holding in her laughter. Dylan directed the screen at himself and opened the front camera. What was reflected in the screen was Dylan with hair flying backwards. All his hair was pushed back by the strong winds and looked like some outdated cartoon villain's hairstyle.

"…My hair's been going all over the place lately." Dylan commented while running his hand through his hair in an attempt to fix it.

"Where'd you go?" Charlotte asked Dylan again.

"Just went to various places randomly to exercise." Dylan answered.

"Really? I thought something went wrong since you screamed it out rather than just telling us like usual." Charlotte sighed with relief.

"Never mind that, I'm hungry." Janine whined. "Cook dinner, Dylan."

"Alright, what do you want to eat?"

"Spaghetti!"

"Okay, I'll tell you when it's time to eat." Saying so, Dylan directly walked into the kitchen and started to prepare dinner.

"Such an obedient slave." Janine teased with a smile.

"Oi!" Dylan playfully returned.

"Janine, what do you plan to have Dylan do?" Charlotte curiously questioned Janine.

"Hmm, I don't know? I can pretty much get him to do anything without the wish and if it's something that goes against his morals, then even if I do wish for him to do it, he wouldn't." Janine muttered. "At most, I could use the wish to encourage him to do something, to give him a little push."

"Like make him confess to Sherry?"

"Yep. But the time is not ripe yet. Dylan probably wants to confess after he's settled down, like get a house and everything."

"I guess. He's got this useless pride, doesn't he?"

"That he does." Janine laughed.

Little did the two know, Dylan had really really sharp ears. He could hear their whole conversation without even meaning to, much to his own dismay.

"Fir, can you go over there to make them stop talking about me?" Dylan asked Fir, his ears hot and red.

"Okay~" Fir carefreely complied and flew over to the living room.

"Fir, come sit here." Charlotte smiled and pointed at her shoulder.

Fir whistled in agreement and perched on Charlotte's shoulder.

"Why are you suddenly here? Not going to babysit your owner?"

"Lyn could hear you guys talk about him so he told me to make you stop." Fir honestly reported.

"Ah, hey, Fir! A little too honest." Dylan yelled from the kitchen.

"How dare you eavesdrop on our conversation, Dylan!" Janine yelled back.

"You shouldn't have been talking about me in the first place!" Dylan shouted back in his defence. "How'd you know about my plans anyways! I've only told Fir that!"

"Do you know how obvious your personality is? I bet you plan to buy a ring for her and propose when you confess."

"How did you know? Are you reading my mind? I could have sworn I have protections against that!"

Charlotte burst into laughter. "Do you know how gentlemanly you are? You're like a man in a movie, an old archaic movie!"

"That's fine and all, but you really got to up your game man! Sherry keeps sliding past your not so subtle advances, she thinks you're just flirty!" Janine warned with a laugh.

"Then what should I do to get her to notice me?" Dylan asked, running into the living room.

"Hey! You should be cooking!" Janine scolded.

"It's fine. Just keep speaking." Dylan urged.

"Well, first of all, appeal to her how much of a man you are." Charlotte advised. "You should be more open about your feelings about her as well."

"How do I do that? I already tell her she's beautiful, that I love the way she smiles and how I always miss her. I thought I was already being obvious!"

"Oh noes, you really are being obvious."

"No, the problem lies in your appearance." Janine stated. "You look like the stereotypical 'gentlemanly' playboy with girls surrounding you all the time. You probably compliment her without blushing or fluently praise her. She thinks you're not serious."

"What? But I've always looked like this? And from where I'm from, everyone was expected to behave gentlemanly! It was our way of living!"

"Exactly! It's normal and therefore not special. She can't detect the love in your words!"

"Then what should I do?" Dylan cried.

Janine-mon helpfully gave her relationship advice. Whether or not it was reliable was up for debates because Janine had been single her whole life. "Just tell her you love her."

"T-T-T-T-T-Tell her I love her?" Dylan stuttered with a bright red face.

"Yes indeed. You're dense, Sherry's dense so therefore, you say it to her face." Janine nodded with the wisdom of an eighty year old shifu.

Dylan shook his head in protest. "Impossible! What if she rejects me? How can I survive if she does?!"

"Then you move on, duh." Not that she is going to reject you.

"Our friendship will be shattered if I did. I can't do that, not to Sherry."

"Grow a pair, Dylan!" Janine scolded. "Sherry's not stupid enough to broke it off with you just coz you had some special feelings for her. Do you really think she's that type of person?"

"N-no."

"Exactly! So what are you so afraid of? Do you want someone to take her while you're being indecisive?"

"No!"

"Then fight, young man! Fight for your love! Confess to Sherry now!"

"Yeah!" Dylan cheered. "Wait, what, no!"

"Why?" Charlotte asked, frustrated.

"I have to at least get a stable job. I can't propose if I don't have future!"

"You don't have to support her, she can do that herself!"

"But if we're going to get married, I need to at least show that I can afford to do so."

"Why are you talking about marriage so early? You're 21!"

"If I'm going to tell her I love her, I'm obviously going to make her my fiancé." Dylan stated as if obvious.

"You've just skipped a whole step! What about the boyfriend and girlfriend stage?"

"What's that?"

"You don't know what a boyfriend and girlfriend is?" Charlotte stared at Dylan with disbelief.

"No." Dylan shook his head honestly.

"It's when you become a couple, it's like a trial stage where you just test things out. No marriage talks, no obligation. Just lovers."

"Aren't lovers people who have an engagement with each other? "

"No. What kind of backwater place do you live in?"

"So, what you're basically saying is, I can tell Sherry I love her, and be her romantic partner without being engaged and that's totally normal?"

"Yes!"

"Oh."

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Author: Why am I so frustrated at a character I made myself?

Janine: Your fault for making him such an idiot.

Author: Urgh, he's not an idiot, just lives in an outdated society, okay?

Janine: He was on Earth for three months. Should've learnt by now.

Author:...shut up