[ Bonus Chapter - 100 P.S ]
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"I told you already! Don't call me Young Miss!"
Lucy was still fuming, and the man's appearance today had been nothing but bad luck.
A vein visibly throbbed on her forehead as she raised the leather whip in her hand.
Wise instinctively stepped in front of her, while the man in the suit seized the opportunity to slip away.
"Damn it! Wise, let's chase him! He can't have gotten far!" Lucy shouted before taking off in the direction the man had fled.
Seeing the fury on her face, Wise couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the poor guy.
Not long after, they found the panting man in a narrow alley behind the coffee shop.
"So... so tired... Stalking people is easy, but why is running so exhausting...? Huh? Whoa, you found me already!"
Looking at Lucy and Wise, who had caught up to him, he seemed to suddenly remember something and immediately began rambling about the past.
Like how Lucy had loved playing hide-and-seek as a child, hiding in all sorts of places: the garden, the library, and even a factory building Mr. Montefio had just acquired after firing all the workers.
The first two sounded normal enough. But the last one raised several questions.
Before he could continue, Lucy jabbed him in the stomach with the handle of her whip.
The man immediately let out a pitiful yelp.
"Shut up!" Lucy snapped. "And I'm not introducing you to my friends. I'm no longer connected to that family."
"Mr. Montefio expected you would say that."
"Huh?" Lucy frowned. "Then why exactly did he send you? Does he want to see me living in poverty in the Outer Ring? Miserable and regretting that I ever left home?"
The man blinked in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"Hmph. If I were him, that's exactly what I'd want to see."
Lucy flicked her wrist. The whip cracked through the air, its tip grazing the man's cheek and making him flinch.
"I'm not going back. You should know that no matter what you do, you can't take me back. There's nothing in that house that I want. That's why I left, to find what I do want. It's that simple."
Faced with Lucy's calm but unmistakable threat, the man in the suit fled in a panic.
Lucy casually coiled her whip and put it away before turning toward Wise.
"...Ha. I caused you trouble again today, Wise."
"Helping you isn't a bother," Wise replied. "Besides, I have a feeling we'll be seeing that person again."
For some reason, he had a strange premonition.
Lucy clicked her tongue and said, "At least don't say things like that right now. Come on. Want something to eat or drink? My treat. Order whatever you want, no matter how expensive."
"In that case, I won't hold back." Wise smiled. "Oh, right. About what happened earlier..."
"Hmm? What?" Lucy asked.
Wise scratched his cheek before speaking.
"Actually, I don't dislike your personality at all, Lucy. And even though you're sharp-tongued, you always think about your companions when it matters. I think that's really attractive." His voice was very gentle.
The alley suddenly felt much quieter.
At that moment, there were only the two of them, and those words struck with far more force than any whip ever could.
"Ugh...!" Lucy's entire face turned bright red. "W-Why are you suddenly saying things like that?! Seriously..."
She bit her lip, looking both embarrassed and annoyed. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, and thankfully, she hadn't reached for her whip.
"Do you think I'd actually take what you said earlier seriously? Idiot! Idiot!"
But Wise had no intention of backing down now. Instead, he stepped forward, causing Lucy to instinctively retreat until her back pressed against the wall.
"Because I felt like you were deliberately distancing yourself from me before, and I really didn't like that feeling."
Wise put one hand against the wall and looked down at Lucy. Her gaze immediately shifted away from his, though she still tried to sound composed.
"W-What are you talking about? That's just your imagination. Haven't I always been like this?" Lucy attempted to bluff her way through, but it was obvious Wise wasn't going to let her off so easily.
Instead, he placed his other hand on her shoulder.
"Ugh... Alright, alright! I admit I did think about that... But that's not really me distancing myself, is it? It's just the appropriate distance to maintain a normal friendship."
Lucy looked up at Wise as she spoke, but deep down, she knew that wasn't the real reason.
What had truly led her to make that decision was what she had witnessed at the Overlord's feast a few days ago.
Back then, Caesar's feelings for Wise had been so obvious that even the most oblivious person could have understood them, let alone Lucy.
When she realized it, she felt more conflicted than surprised.
Should she continue pursuing her relationship with Wise and make Caesar sad?
That was clearly not an outcome she wanted to see. So she had decided to step back.
That way, neither of them would get hurt.
And she had actually managed to do it, at least until Wise ruined her plan.
"Is that so? Is that really what you were thinking?" Wise asked, frowning slightly.
"Ugh... Yes, so what? Even if you're my friend, isn't it normal for there to be some distance between boys and girls...?"
Lucy's voice gradually lost its conviction. After Wise had left the Outer Ring, she had spent a lot of time thinking things through on her own.
Although she had made up her mind, how could she remain calm after seeing the person she liked again?
No matter how mature she tried to act, she was ultimately still a young girl.
"Alright, how much longer are you going to stay like this? What if someone sees us?"
At Lucy's urging, Wise finally stepped back.
Freed from his close presence, the girl still wore a faint blush on her face. After pretending to adjust her hat to regain her composure, she quietly reached out and took Wise's hand.
"Hmm? Lucy..."
"W-What is it? It's just holding hands. That's normal between friends, right? B-Besides, you're a really good friend..."
Seeing Lucy like this, Wise chose not to say anything more. Otherwise, she might snatch her hand away out of sheer embarrassment.
To avoid that outcome, he simply gave her small hand a gentle squeeze before leading her into a nearby coffee shop.
Inside, after their coffee was served, Lucy's mood gradually settled. Having something to drink helped calm her nerves, and her thoughts began to wander.
'Caesar definitely hasn't done anything like this with him, right? That means I should have at least a little advantage.'
Lucy thought to herself. Based on her understanding of Caesar, that girl was probably still stuck in the fantasy stage.
But matters of the heart weren't something that could be resolved by taking things slowly. There was a saying: 'All's fair in love and war.'
And when it came to these things, it was always best to make the first move.
With that thought, Lucy finally made up her mind. All she could do was silently apologize in her heart.
'Sorry, Caesar...'
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