Chapter 165 - It’s Because I Love You

The sun had finally dipped beneath the ocean’s horizon, bleeding its last streaks of gold into the restless waves. Darkness pooled in the sky like spilled ink, yet the stars and the full moon hung above like lanterns, scattering silver light over the quiet seaside. The sound of the surf rolled in gentle, ceaseless murmurs, each wave sighing as it broke against the sand.

“Here.” My voice was soft as I extended my handkerchief to the girl beside me—a Mary Sue in distress.

Myrrh lifted her head slowly from her curled-up position. Her wet, blue eyes shimmered under the moonlight, trembling as they met mine.

“…Zaft.”

For a heartbeat she hesitated, as if even the gesture of accepting kindness felt fragile. Then she reached out and took the handkerchief from my hand, pressing it to her face with quick, nervous motions. She dabbed at her cheeks, careful to sweep beneath her nose—mindful, perhaps, of the last time she had cried so hard and ended up with snot streaking her face.

The sight made me chuckle quietly. There was something disarming about her vulnerability. I lowered myself onto the sand beside her, letting the cool grains shift under my palms, and simply sat there with her while she composed herself. After a moment, her beautiful features emerged from behind the tear-streaks, though her cheeks still burned a deep strawberry red.

“How long have you been here, you stalker?” Myrrh muttered, her lips forming a small pout.

“Takes one to know one, huh.” I snickered again. “I’ve been here since Ephraim called you.”

She huffed, hugging her knees a little tighter as her words spilled out. “I really think you have this hobby of watching me in secret while I get heartbroken again and again. I mean… I’m the one who broke his heart this time, but still…”

“I know. But still, you cried.” My voice stayed steady, softer now, like a tide retreating. “It must have hurt a lot, huh—rejecting him, even though there’s still a last ember of feeling flickering inside you.”

Myrrh’s lips trembled into a pout as she mumbled, her voice fragile but stubborn. “I told you already… I don’t have feelings for him anymore. I… I’m just uncertain about what I’m feeling right now…”

“I understand,” I replied quietly, though my words felt small against the vastness of the moment.

Silence drifted between us like mist. Only the hush and crash of the waves filled the gap, each foamy surge rolling onto the shore as if whispering secrets neither of us could name. Beneath the symphony of the ocean, I could hear my own heartbeat pounding, heavy and arrhythmic—like a boombox pressed against my ribs. I drew in a breath of the salty air, then exhaled slowly, but even the cool night breeze could not steady the thrum of my nerves.

I didn’t understand why I was so unsettled. I’d been with Myrrh on countless occasions—dates, even private ones—but somehow this moment felt new, like speaking to her for the first time under a sky too vast to hide beneath.

“Thank you, Zaft.” Myrrh’s voice broke the stillness, soft yet steady.

“What for?” I asked, turning to her.

She tilted her head, her hair swaying like a dark ribbon in the moonlight. “Well, you’ve always been there for me, haven’t you? Even back then… during prom night. Even when we were enemies, you still tried to comfort me by giving me this handkerchief.” She raised the damp, reddish-pink square of fabric between her fingers, its edges glowing faintly under the moonlight. “Even though I always thought of you as a hopeless goon,” she added with a small, almost playful sigh, “I can’t help but rely on your kindness. Every time.”

“Don't mention it. This feels kind of like prom night all over again, doesn’t it?” I scoffed lightly, trying to mask the heat in my cheeks. “You cry like a little bitch, and there I am—swooping in to save the day.”

“I bet you were only there at the exact moment I broke down because you wanted to see me crying.” Myrrh’s face flushed crimson as she pouted, her words sharp but her voice fragile.

I scratched my cheek and let out a nervous laugh. “I thought that might’ve been my reason too, but… I’m not that sadistic, you know.” The warmth rising in my face betrayed me. Blushing was contagious when the two of us sat this close, bathed in moonlight.

“Then why?” Myrrh’s eyes flickered toward me, her tone unsteady but insistent. “Why did you always save me from breaking down?”

The question hung between us, heavier than the sound of the waves. I swallowed, fumbling for words that wouldn’t come. Another salty breeze brushed past, tugging gently at my hair, and with it came the push I needed. I turned my gaze upward—to the pale moon casting its glow on the shore, and beyond it, the neon glimmer of the cyberpunk planet Xyraxis etched across the heavens like a forbidden dream.

“To be honest…” My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. “I’ve always adored you—from a distance. Back in our first year of high school, I saw Mirana Alicent, my childhood savior, reflected in you. And when I learned you were her daughter… I couldn’t help it. That crush only grew. But it was complicated. You weren’t just her daughter—you were you. You were brighter, stronger, more perfect than she ever was.” I exhaled shakily, my voice lowering. “But you already had a boyfriend then. And me? I was nothing more than a worthless delinquent, a headache for you girls in the student council.”

Myrrh’s blush deepened, her lips parting in tremors as she stammered. “T-that… that doesn’t answer my question. There’s no need to flatter me like that. J-just go straight to the point…”

I sighed and dragged my fingers through my hair, trying to steady the storm inside me. But the words in my chest were no longer mine to hold back—they spilled out, raw and unpolished.

“It’s because I love you. Seeing you like that... breaking down, crying... it makes me feel the pain too. It just… hurts. And I can’t stand it. So I have come to your rescue, at least, to give you something to wipe those tears away.”

For a heartbeat, the night seemed to hold its breath. Then Myrrh’s face ignited crimson, her blush reaching all the way to her ears. With a startled gasp she shoved me, so hard my shoulder sank into the cool sand.

“Ow!” I yelped, wincing as grit scraped my palm.

“You jerk!” Myrrh snapped, her voice caught between fury and embarrassment. “Are you confessing right now, or just trying to be kind!? If it’s the former, that’s a lame-ass confession! If it’s the latter, I don’t need your kindness! Hmph!”

“It’s true, though.” I sat up, brushing sand from my clothes, my own face burning now. “I’ve been in love with you ever since I saw you back in high school. I just accepted that we were oil and water. So go on—reject me if you want!”

“You know I’m not going to reject you!” Myrrh blurted, her voice cracking. She facepalmed, fingers dragging down her cheeks as if trying to erase the moment. “Urgh…”

Then, with a small sigh, she extended her hand toward me. Updates are released by N()velFire.net

I stared at it for a moment before taking it, her fingers warm and trembling against mine. We settled side by side once more, gazing out at the dark stretch of ocean where the waves shimmered faintly under the moonlight. Another awkward silence unfolded between us, longer and heavier than before.

It was only then that it sank in—I’d just confessed to her. Not with a grand gesture, not with perfect timing, but with the clumsiness of someone tripping over his own heart. The thought made me grit my teeth a little. I kind of hated myself for screwing it up.

“Why now?” Myrrh’s voice was soft, but there was an edge beneath it—like the thin line where a wave meets the sand. Her fingers tightened slightly around her knees as she stared at the moonlit surf. “If you’ve adored me all this time, you had your chance back at prom. You even had a whole year to confess at Orbital Tech.”

I lowered my eyes, the night breeze tugging at my hair. “It’s because I wasn’t sure until you said you had a crush on me back at the Xyraxis New Year fireworks,” I muttered. “And after New Year… things got complicated. Our lives, our missions, everything. But as time went on, my feelings kept growing stronger. I didn’t want to ruin what we already had, so I thought I’d be fine just… staying like that.”

“So you heard what I said back at the fireworks, huh?” Myrrh’s doubtful glare flicked to me from beneath a blush that spread like spilled wine across her cheeks.

I gave a weak laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “I just pretended I didn’t. I wasn’t sure. Honestly, I always had the impression you hated me.”

“I used to.” Myrrh’s eyes softened, her voice dropping. “But after you gave me that handkerchief… and then made a pact with the Machine God to bring me back…” She trailed off, biting her lip. “I realized I kind of like you… kind of.”

My heart jumped. “So you’re saying you like me too? Are we… a couple now?”

“Not so fast!” Myrrh shot to her feet, planting her hands on her hips. Her hair swayed in the night breeze, her blue eyes sparkling with both anger and embarrassment. “I hate that you kept all those feelings locked away from me. It made me look like an idiot after I confessed at the fireworks! So now you get a penalty!”

“What penalty?” I blinked up at her.

“All the dates I owed you? They’re void!” she declared with a triumphant huff, though her blush betrayed her.

“Huuuh?” I cried, my shoulders slumping. “No fair…”

“But!” Myrrh raised her index finger like a teacher scolding a student, though a sly smile curved her lips. “I’ll give you one chance. If you whisk me away and run from here, maybe, just maybe—I’ll answer your confession.”

I let out a sharp scoff and rose to my feet, brushing sand from my shorts. “You’re such a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“I’m gonna put my foot up your ass!” Myrrh shot back with a playful growl, cheeks still glowing red.

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry! I take that back!” I yelped, throwing up my hands in mock surrender.

Then, reaching into my pocket, I produced a sleek smartwatch and fastened it to my left wrist. Instantly, pale blue holographic runes flared to life, spinning and aligning before my eyes—the WEEB System interface activating with a soft chime.

[Weaponry Enhancement Engineering Bios]

[Weapon of Mass Destruction Series Unlocked – Master Control Beta v1.1]

“How…?” Myrrh blinked, her eyes wide as she stepped closer, the ocean wind catching her hair.

“It’s an experimental WEEB System, integrated with the Kaiserin’s Archonlight,” I explained, my fingers gliding across the glowing controls. “Got it delivered by parcel two days ago.”

I tapped the [Rift Generator] icon, and a neon-blue cybernetic circle spiraled open in midair, its edges humming like a starship’s engine. With my right hand, I reached into the flickering ring of light and drew out a sleek white portal pistol that pulsed faintly with energy. One pull of the trigger—and a dimensional gate erupted before us, its surface rippling like liquid glass.

“Wow.” Myrrh’s breath caught, her eyes shimmering with awe. “So you really can use the WMDs on your own now.” She clapped her hands together softly, a little grin tugging at her lips.

“It’s just a basic skill,” I said, smirking over my shoulder at her. Then I extended my free hand to her, the portal’s glow framing my silhouette. “Come on, Myrrh. Let’s get out of here.”

“Yes!” Her answer came without hesitation. She slid her hand into mine—warm, trembling with excitement—and together we leapt into the swirling portal, the world dissolving behind us as the light swallowed us whole.

A searing flash engulfed us as we dove through the wormhole, the world collapsing into streaks of light. For a heartbeat, it felt like we were suspended in infinity—our silhouettes swallowed by radiant streams of silver and violet. Then, with a sudden burst, we broke through.

We landed on the rooftop of a towering skyscraper, and before us stretched a cyberpunk city alive with color and motion. The night sky shimmered like a dreamscape, stars glittering impossibly close, each one glowing as if it had descended just for this moment. The entire world was painted in neon hues—silver, violet, and electric blue weaving together like brushstrokes on a cosmic canvas.

Below, the city throbbed with life. Lights danced across the streets in dazzling swirls, rivers of neon weaving between buildings. At the center, the colossal Archonlight Tower pierced the heavens like a gleaming spear, its surface reflecting the dreamlight above. To one side, the Orbital Tech Applied Kinetics University loomed faintly in the distance; on the other, the Megamall’s holographic billboards burst with shimmering colors.

This was Myrrh’s secret base—the rooftop sanctuary of the Xyraxis hospital.

I opened my mouth to brag, ready to puff out my chest—

But Myrrh moved first.

The world slowed. Her hair lifted with the breeze, strands glowing with streaks of neon as she lunged forward. I barely had time to register her warmth before she collided with me, her arms wrapping around me in a sudden, desperate embrace. And then—

Her lips met mine.

Time shattered. The city fell away. All that remained was the brilliant moonlight and the flare of neon wrapping us in a halo. My chest erupted with a pounding so fierce it drowned out even the sound of the wind. Her kiss was soft, trembling, but it carried all the words she had never spoken, all the feelings she had locked away.

When she pulled back, the light lingered on her face as if the world itself wanted to frame her in perfection. Her sapphire eyes sparkled brighter than the stars, her pale cheeks blushed crimson, and her lips—rosy, trembling—were still so close I could almost feel them.

“You’re so helpless, Zaft Callahan,” she whispered, her voice breaking like a delicate note carried by the night. “I love you too. Just how oblivious can you be?”

The city around us pulsed like a beating heart, as if celebrating with us. And for the first time, under the starlit sky of Xyraxis, I felt like the world itself had chosen this moment to stop—just so it could belong to us.