CHAPTER 42: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

«Ugh... I wish that hottie had invited me to go down the slide with him,» Ayane mutters, exaggerating her tone on purpose — clearly more to tease Aoshi than because she actually cares, though she wouldn’t have minded a ride with that guy.

«Cut it out,» Aoshi snaps, annoyed. His eyes stay fixed on the two-person slide, perfectly aligned with his lounge chair and close enough for him to make out who’s coming down.

«If I didn’t know you, I’d say you’re jealous,» Ayane teases with a smirk.

«Jealous? Me? Don’t be ridiculous...»

In truth, Aoshi isn’t just jealous — he’s super jealous, but not for the reason Ayane thinks.

It’s not her comments about that guy that set him off, but the sight of Eliss going down the slide with him again and again.

«It must be one hell of a ride if they’ve already gone down five times...» he grumbles, narrowing his eyes. «Ah, no — that makes six...»

He’d sell his soul on the spot to the God of the Underworld for a pair of binoculars, just to see what’s going on up there — though he’d probably regret it the moment he saw her laughing and chatting with that guy. It’s exactly what he fears, but from this distance it’s impossible to tell — he can only tell them apart thanks to the color of their swimsuits.

«I-I didn’t think you’d be jealous of her, since you’re the one who said there’s nothing between you two and that you don’t care about her...» Ayane murmurs — under her sunglasses, her eyes grow a little melancholic, even though her tone tries to sound more curious than sad.

«I-I’m not jealous! I’m just worried about her, that’s all!» Aoshi stammers, his face burning red. «Eliss is undeniably a girl with... well, an out-of-this-world kind of beauty, and the world is full of creeps who can’t keep their hands to themselves! I just don’t want that guy to be one of them, that’s all.»

«Honestly, he seemed like a decent guy to me,» Ayane mutters. «Actually, he was really sweet and polite — first he made sure she was single, and then he invited her to go down the slide without acting arrogant or vulgar. If all pretty boys were like him, the world would be a better place.»

«Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right...»

Damn it — the fact Ayane thinks so highly of him only makes me even more nervous!If he were just some creep, I’d feel way calmer — Eliss can handle guys like that perfectly. But if he’s a nice, well-mannered guy... and way hotter than me... C-Could Eliss actually fall for him?!

I don’t understand shit about any of this magical stuff — neither Eliss nor Raelor ever told me whether she can fall for someone else despite the charm spell binding her to me... And if it happened, what would happen to her? I’ve read enough fairy tales to know that true love is always what breaks the curse, and if even a part of that is true, I could lose Eliss way sooner than I thought!No — I’m not ready to say goodbye to her a month early!

Aoshi suddenly jumps to his feet, alert like a dog catching a scent.

«And to think you said you weren’t jealous...» Ayane comments, shaking her head in resignation.

«I-I told you I’m just worried! I’m going to check if Eliss is okay, then I’ll be right back. I won’t take long!»

●In the meantime●

«It was really fun, but I should head back to my dear Aoshi now,» Eliss says gently, her tone calm and natural.

She and Kaito — that’s his name — are standing near the public restrooms. He drank a lot of water during all those rides and, well... nature called. Or at least, that’s the excuse he used to drag Eliss toward the quieter side of the water park, near the restrooms.

«Your Aoshi? Didn’t you say you were single?» he asks, a faint irritation slipping into his voice.

«I said he’s not my boyfriend, not that I’m not his girlfriend,» she replies with a shrug. «My heart — and everything else — belongs to him, even if he claims otherwise. I only went with you to make him jealous, not because I was interested. Either way, I don’t owe you an explanation, so enjoy the rest of your day.»

Her tone is calm and courteous — the poise she’s learned after two months working as a waitress at the Moonlight Club.

«Oh no, missy, you’re not walking away that easily!» Kaito snaps, swinging his arm out to block her path. «First you act all cute and then you pull away like that? You one of those teases who make a guy think he’s got a chance and then slam the door? I know exactly how to deal with girls like you!»

He grabs Eliss by the arms and shoves her into the men’s restroom.

«W-What do you think you’re doing?! K-Keep your filthy hands off me, idiot!» Eliss shouts, her back pressed hard against the wall.

«I’ve met your type before — acting all hard to get, but deep down you’re the filthiest sluts of all. You want to be taken by force, don’t you? That’s why you tease us and pull away at the last second. You crave it — being pinned down, dominated, taken against your will. That’s what gets you going, right? Now be a good girl and let’s have some fun!» Kaito growls, completely consumed by lust.

Eliss glances around — no one is there. A wicked grin stretches across her lips.

This scumbag dragged me here thinking he could take advantage of the empty space. What an idiot. The fact that no one’s around will be the very thing that seals his death!

Eliss raises her finger, ready to unleash one of her strongest spells — then suddenly freezes.

No... I promised Aoshi I wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore. And after using my charm powers on those policemen, he told me I could only use them with his permission. If he finds out I disobeyed him, he’ll be furious... he might even throw me out... W-What should I do...?

«Stop struggling, you’re pissing me off!» Kaito growls, pressing his left hand hard over Eliss’s mouth to smother her cries, while his right hand—

«Mmh...! Mmh...!»

Her muffled, terrified whimpers spike the moment Kaito’s hand slips under her white bikini and grips her breast. With a rough jerk, he yanks the top up to her neck, exposing her wet, trembling chest.

«Oh... now this is a sight worth every second i wasted on that damn slide,» Kaito sneers, baring his teeth like a starving beast as he leans toward her exposed nipple.

«N-No... please... don’t...» Eliss begs through her tears, her voice reduced to broken, desperate noises against his palm.

But it’s useless — no plea could reach someone completely overtaken by animal instinct.

His lips hover a breath away. His tongue slips out. He’s about to lick her when—

«GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!»

A furious, desperate scream erupts from the doorway and then—

WHAM!

Kaito is slammed sideways, crashing into the tiled wall with such force that the ceramic cracks where his head hits.

Freed from his grip, Eliss immediately pulls her bikini back into place and hides behind her savior — Aoshi, who arrived just in time, ramming his shoulder into Kaito with every ounce of strength adrenaline could give him.

Dizzy and bleeding, Kaito staggers to his feet within seconds — but not fast enough to stop Aoshi from grabbing Eliss’s hand and pulling her away in a frantic escape.

«Eliss, why the hell didn’t you use your charm powers on that guy? I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t come looking for you!» Aoshi pants, struggling to run despite the dull ache still lingering from the beating he got from Renji a month ago. Most of the bruises are gone, but a few pains still remain — even if he’s already back to his routine of college and part-time work.

«B-Because you’re the one who said you’d kick me out if I used them without your permission!» Eliss snaps back.

«Obviously there are exceptions! I can’t list every possible scenario! If it’s about your safety, then use them! I didn’t think I had to spell that out! Of course I get mad when you use them to cheat — like that time at Cordesol Meat, on our one-month anniversary, when you made me believe you paid the bill, only to admit two weeks later that you hypnotized the cashier!»

«I only did that because the total was way higher than I expected and I didn’t have enough money! Avoiding getting arrested does count as protecting myself, doesn’t it?»

Ah... the patience this girl requires.

Still... yeah, I guess it makes me kind of an asshole, but I can’t deny I’m relieved that the handsome, polite guy from earlier turned out to be a complete jerk. I know I shouldn’t be happy about something like that... but at least I dodged the classic "We fell in love, I’m moving in with him, goodbye Aoshi" scene.

Funny thing is, I told her clearly that if I ever get the chance to date a girl, I won’t hold back just to keep her happy. And yet the idea of her going out with some guy pisses me off way more than it should. Damn it — I sound like one of those toxic boyfriends who cheat nonstop and then throw jealous fits when they see their girlfriend smile at another man.

And besides... why the hell am I jealous of Eliss? She’s not even my girlfriend. And it’s not like I feel anything for her beyond the normal affection you’d develop after living together for over two months. At least... I hope that’s all it is.