Chapter 227.

Chapter 227. Valentine’s Day: Night. (3/4)

With our noses touching, I calmly said, “Good, as I thought, you’re not sick and running a high fever after all. Aren’t you a bit silly to think you could deceive a devil, the master of deception?”

“R-R-Ran! Huh? Rosa? Where’s Rosa?” Her eyes darted about left and right refusing to meet mine as she scanned the room only to realize we were alone together.

“Rosa’s waiting outside, of course.”

“But I heard her right beside me just now!”

“Mmm.” I replicated the sound I’d made.

Her eyes shrunk when she heard it.

“Hah? That was… you?”

“Haha. Yes, it was. But really now, what a troublesome girlfriend I have? Thinking she can get away without me so much as seeing her once on Valentine’s Day. I was almost convinced you were tired of me and wanted to break up.”

“That wasn’t my intention!” She responded in panic.

“It wasn’t? Good. I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Uh… Ran… can you… move your face back a bit?” Her eyes shyly lowered to the bottom right as her eyes closed halfway.

“Oh? Am I that ugly that you can’t stand seeing my face up so close?”

“No. Rather, I… like…”

“Like? What?”

“It.”

“What’s it? I can’t read your mind.”

“Liar… you can definitely read minds. You’re always reading mine.”

“You’re just an open book and easier to figure out, but that doesn’t mean I can really read your mind. So? What’s ‘it’ that you said you like?”

“I like looking at you. There? Are you satisfied?”

“Looking at me? But that could mean anything you know. You must really dislike seeing my face if you’re going this far to give such a roundabout answer.”

“I like your face too. Stop bullying me. I’m not feeling well.”

“I see. Will you promise to feel better tomorrow if I stop bullying you?”

“I’ll feel better tomorrow. I promise.”

“Alright then.”

I tilted my head to the side and moved a bit closer until our lips touched. It was only a small kiss that lasted a second. I stood back up immediately and said, “When you’re feeling better tomorrow, I’ll give you your gift for Valentine’s Day.”

“You’ll get sick from me now…” Alicia mumbled to herself.

“Even if you were really sick like you claim, it wouldn’t make a difference to me. I’m immune to lovesickness after all.”

She grabbed her blanket, pulled it back over her head, and grumbled out cutely in protest, “I’m not lovesick.”

“Haha, right, right. And I’m not the devil. Well, see you tomorrow. I’m going to bed now. Today was a pretty long day for me. Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

“Good… night… I… I love you.” She somehow got those last three words out.

“I love you too, Alicia.” Having told her that, I opened the door and stepped out of the room. My bare minimum objective had been accomplished. If I wasn’t going to hand over her gift on Valentine’s Day, I felt I at least had to have that sort of exchange at least once today.

This way she wouldn’t think back to this day too negatively in the future. She’d at least have a small memory of today that she could think back to and be happy about.

“You’re already done?” Rosa, who'd been outside the entire time asked as soon as I closed the door.

“Well, for now.”

“How unfair~ Alicia gets special treatment for her illness~ maybe I should fall ill too so I can get some special treatment.”

I raised my hands, pinched her cheeks, and stretched them out before I whispered in annoyance, “Weren’t you the one complaining about how it was your fault Alicia got like this? Now you want some special treatment despite being the root of all evil?”

“How cruel~ to ruthlessly spit cold facts in my face than comfort me with sweet nothings in my ear~” Rosa whined about her unjust treatment.

“Oh? You want sweet nothings in your ear?”

I closed the distance between us and blew in her left ear before I nibbled on it.

She took a step back and leaned against the wall having been attacked without any warning.

“Wait. This sneak attack is unfair~” Her head flinched to the side as she said that.

“Oh? If it’s unfair, I guess I’ll stop.” I pulled away only for Rosa to immediately chase after me. She pushed me back against the opposite wall and kissed my neck.

“Such a terrible boyfriend.”

Her hands slid under my shirt up across my chest. Wherever her smooth skin brushed against me tingled.

Her face moved up from my neck until her lips stopped directly in front of mine. She firmly bit into my lower lip with her teeth.

“Rosha tha hursh.” After I said that, she retreated with an impish smile.

“Hmph! Good. If you think you can easily tease me the way you’ve done in the past, you’re just going to get burned.” She stuck her right arm out and playfully poked my chest with her index finger.

I felt a bit helpless. It was easier to freely advance and retreat in the earlier stages of our relationship when she was still unaccustomed to such tactics. But now that she’d grown accustomed to it, she was no longer caught off guard, unsure of what to do when I made a sudden retreat. Now she’d follow my retreat closely without giving me any space and she’d turn the tables in an instant.

She briskly turned around as her hair whipped up in the process and brushed against my cheek.

“I’m going to sleep now. Good night, see you in the morning~” Rosa said as she opened the door to Alicia’s room and stepped inside. Somehow she looked triumphant as if she’d won a battle. 

When the door shut behind her, I grumbled, “Leaving the second you take the lead.” Such a cowardly tactic… that’s my move. Don’t go stealing other people’s moves. Are you one of those cheat characters that go around copying everyone’s abilities like a sponge?

She long had hot tactics down, but cold tactics weren’t originally a part of her arsenal. She was trying to get me to want more, to chase after her while she simultaneously chased after me. Still, if your target realizes what you’re doing, you’re obviously still clumsy in making use of cold tactics. 

She wanted me to become a more possessive person. That’s what she said before. But I didn’t like the idea of becoming such a person. 

Why was that? 

Well, perhaps it was because I enjoyed freedom. To become possessive of someone meant losing your own freedom in a way. It was like having invisible chains and shackles connected between the two of you.

Was it related to her mentality as an assassin? A binding contract between contractor and contractee. In a sense, should the same sort of mentality not apply to a devil? As a devil, was I the strange one for not being possessive?

The act of wanting someone’s soul, was that not the ultimate form of possessiveness? On an instinctive level I sought souls out, but I didn’t feel like the owner of the soul should have their freedom taken away. Am I a defective devil?

I really wish I could meet another devil for reference. 

But that’s too dangerous. My greatest fear is a lack of information and understanding.

I returned to my room as I mulled over such matters in my head.

What awaited me when I opened my door was Irene. She laid there belly down in one of my shirts with neither skirt nor pants on. Her panties just barely peeked out from under the hem of my shirt. Her bare legs were bent up waving back and forth in the air while she watched a video on her phone with her chin buried in the hotel pillow I’d snatched.

“Oh? About time. You sure took your time.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting and all…”

“That’s fine.”

I took a seat on the bed with my back to her. Her weight shifted on top of the bed as she sat up behind me. Two arms slid over my shoulders and snuck their way under my collar as they crossed over my chest and ventured lower. She perched her chin down on my right shoulder as her body glued itself to my back. There were two pleasantly soft sensations squeezing against me from behind.

“Irene… sorry, but I don’t think tonight’s a good night.”

“Huh? Did I do something?”

“No… it’s just… Alicia…” It didn’t feel right to fool around like a monkey in bed making myself feel good with Alicia in her current state and Rosa forgoing Valentine’s Day to stick with Alicia the entire day.

“Oh…”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No… I’m a bit relieved. Rather, I probably would’ve felt slightly disappointed if you didn’t think about my daughter and Rosa more. My daughter’s been acting evasive recently but I haven’t been able to do anything about it. Then today she suddenly locked herself up in her room claiming she wasn’t feeling well. It’s been bothering me.”

“Well, things should work themselves out tomorrow. Whatever it is that’s been bogging her down.”

“I hope so… I don’t like seeing my daughter behaving like this.”

I fell on my side with Irene’s arms wrapped around me and shut my eyes. I was ready to sleep when Irene suddenly opened her mouth and said, “The scent of a woman I don’t recognize is still on you."