Chapter 182
Eli had no idea why her body had suddenly become immobile.
Feeling this jerk Mineo wrapping his arms around her slender waist and teasing her, she was so angry she wanted to give him a hard bite.
"You bastard, what exactly did you do to me?"
"Hurry... I said hurry up and let me go!"
"Take your hands off me, you jerk!"
"Well, if I let you go, Eli has to promise me that you absolutely won't bite me again."
"You jerk, how dare you say that! If you weren't teasing me like this... there's no way I'd do something like that!"
As Mineo released his hold on Eli's body, Eli lifted her foot and stomped on Mineo's instep with all her might.
"You... can't you treat me with more gentleness?"
"Why... why do you always look down on me like this... is bullying me one of the ways you show off your abilities?"
"I... I really misjudged you!"
"Back when you added me as a friend, I should have deleted you right then and there! I really should have!"
"Eli, where am I bullying you? This is love!"
"You still dare to talk!"
After being teased so intensely by Mineo, Eli sat on the bench with her chest heaving up and down.
At this moment, a faint crimson blush adorned her fair cheeks.
Feeling a bit of lingering moisture on her cheek after being kissed by Mineo, she quickly took out a tissue and wiped her face.
Mineo reached out his arm, sliding it over Eli's slender shoulders and pulling her into a hug.
This time, Eli didn't continue her resistance or her struggling.
Her body remained still, her small head resting quietly on Mineo's shoulder.
The two of them leaned against each other closely like that, and for a while, neither of them spoke.
Just like that, two minutes passed in a warm and quiet atmosphere before Eli's voice sounded a bit weary:
"Knowing you... I feel like it was the biggest mistake of my life."
"Mineo, you are a jerk! A total scumbag!"
"You... have been targeting me for a long time, haven't you?"
"In your eyes, I'm just an item in your pocket that you can get whenever you want, right?"
"Why would Eli say such a thing?"
"Do you think the feelings accumulated over three years of us talking are fake?"
"Even though I sometimes feel like I might be a bit fickle, at the very least, when I said the words 'I like Eli,' I said them with all my sincerity."
Eli initially wanted to talk back, but when she saw Mineo's 'dog paws' starting to get restless again, her expression suddenly turned cold.
"Can you let go of your hands?"
"It seems I haven't officially agreed to date you yet, you jerk."
"Take a step back—even if I were dating you, don't you think you should give me the most basic respect?"
"Ah, sorry about that, Eli. It was a subconscious reaction!"
"It's just that you're too charming, Eli. Being able to hold you in my arms is a dream I've wanted to realize day and night."
Extending her small hand, Eli pinched the back of Mineo's hand very hard. Only then did Eli sit up straight and shift her gaze elsewhere.
"I need a little time to consider."
"Sure! No matter how long it takes, I'm willing to wait."
"No matter how long it takes, you're willing to wait? When you say that, do you consider their feelings? Do you think your way of thinking is fair to the others?"
Even though Eli wasn't looking at him, Mineo could guess exactly what she was thinking.
So, at that moment, Mineo turned Eli's body back so she was facing him directly.
Gazing into her eyes, Mineo extended his left hand.
"This is a gift I have for Eli!"
"I've had it prepared for a long time."
"I hope Eli likes it."
Looking at the item in Mineo's hand, Eli's pupils suddenly contracted.
She asked in a low voice, sounding as if she couldn't believe it:
"This... when did you take this out?"
"Why... why are you carrying this!"
There in Mineo's hand, appearing out of nowhere, was a bouquet of roses!
Blue "Blue Enchantress" roses, icy blue in color—exactly the bouquet and color that Eli loved the most.
In the center of the bouquet sat a heart-shaped brown gift box.
Additionally, a pink card was tucked in among the flowers.
"This is a gift for Eli!"
"I hope Eli can feel happy and cheerful every single day from now on!"
"If allowed, I hope I can be the one to stay by Eli's side to spend the rest of our lives together."
Seeing the three lines written on the card, Eli fell silent.
After a few moments, she reached out, took the card, and gripped it tightly in her palm.
"Mineo... how did you know I liked Blue Enchantress?"
"And how did you know that I liked chocolate with this kind of flavor?"
"As far as I remember, I never told you."
"That's why I said, the two of us are a fated pair!"
Mineo, seemingly out of thin air, produced a set of Tarot cards and placed them in his own palm.
"Nozomi plays with these things all day, but sometimes Tarot cards are quite interesting."
"Eli, let's play a little game!"
"Let's let the Tarot cards test what our fate actually looks like."
"Go ahead, pick a card. I want to see which one Eli draws."
Eli reached out and pulled one card from the deck.
Once the card was flipped over, Eli immediately fell into a heavy silence.
"The Lovers!"
"It looks like Eli's luck is quite good!"
"The very first card we drew is being very kind to both of us!"
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