TCOSF | CHAPTER 03

CHAPTER 03

“Hmm, is it getting a bit chilly?”

Emily rubbed her slightly cold arm and leaned against a pillar.

The scenery was as beautiful as ever, but Emily’s mood was restless.

‘That…’

Eren’s despairing face flashed before her eyes.

It was then replaced one by one with the faces of Charles, Chris, Gael, and other former boyfriends of Emily.

Emily’s romances had never ended well.

Of course, it was partly her fault for losing interest in less than a month, but she didn’t exactly feel cheerful about it.

“Ha…”

It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked them.

Being with them was fun, and seeing their faces made her happy.

She had made an effort to see them smile because their smiles were beautiful.

But was that what love really meant?

It was true that seeing their faces made her heart flutter.

If she hadn’t seen them for a long time, she missed those pretty faces.

But that was also how she felt when admiring beautiful jewels.

It lacked something to be called genuine love.

She didn’t know exactly what that something was.

Emily sighed once again.

“Is love supposed to be this difficult?”

She didn’t particularly want to know true love.

Emily was content with having beautiful faces beside her.

If the other person felt the same, they wouldn’t have chased her or shown a hurt expression.

Then she wouldn’t feel this way either.

As she was lost in thought, a leaf carried by the wind caught her attention.

Well, thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything.

Emily laughed softly and flopped onto the grass.

“Ah, whatever! Let’s think about Noah-senpai now.”

Thinking of Noah’s face, as angelic as an incarnation of an angel, brought a big smile to Emily’s face.

She rummaged through her bag and opened the notebook where she had organized information about Noah.

“Indeed, nothing cheers me up like a handsome man.”

Emily winked at the page labeled ‘Noah Collins’ and quickly skimmed through it.

Her eyes landed on the part about him liking sweets.

“This is it!”

It was about time to make her move.

Emily nodded and mentally listed desserts she had enjoyed before.

“Macarons should be fine, right?”

Humming, Emily headed to the macaron shop.

•

“Hello, Noah-senpai!”

“Huh? That… that time with that friend?”

Noah blinked in surprise at Emily’s cheerful greeting, then smiled while lowering his eyes.

“Did you handle that situation well?”

“Uh, um… yeah… I think so.”

Emily nervously smiled as sweat dripped inside her thoughts.

“That’s good. It’s best to apologize quickly when you’ve done something wrong.”

Emily felt a twinge of guilt seeing Noah smile kindly, even though he hadn’t been wronged.

She offered him a bag of macarons to avoid the awkward topic.

“Thanks for your help back then! This is a token of my appreciation.”

“Oh… you don’t need to give me this. I didn’t really do much.”

Emily held the macaron bag tightly and smiled brightly.

“What are you talking about! If it weren’t for you back then, it would have been a real problem. Please accept it.”

Noah hesitated, glancing between Emily and the bag.

“Still…”

“Well, if you insist, please grant me one favor!”

Noah nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, I’ll do anything I can for you.”

…Isn’t he too kind?

Emily pushed aside her conscience and boldly said,

“Please speak casually with me!”

“…Huh?”

Noah blinked, clearly surprised.

Emily smiled brazenly.

Noah stared at her for a moment, covering his mouth before chuckling.

“Alright. No, I like it.”

“Really?”

Emily shone her eyes and leaned closer, and Noah didn’t push her away.

“How could I refuse when such a cute junior wants to be friends with me?”

Noah closed his eyes gently as he spoke, truly angelic, which Emily would later recall as a moment of halo-like radiance.

•

“Noah-senpai!”

“Yes, Emily is energetic today as well.”

“I brought a piece of cake today!”

“You really don’t need to bring things like this…”

Emily felt a bit proud as Noah awkwardly accepted the cake.

A week had passed, and they had become able to greet each other when they met.

Though she had come specifically to see him, it was still a small step.

“Thank you. Let’s sit here together and eat.”

“Sure, sounds good!”

Emily quickly sat in front of Noah, took a fork, and offered a big bite of shortcake.

“Senpai, try it.”

“Hmm… I’ll manage it myself.”

“Rude!”

“Haha, Emily is fun.”

Emily secretly puffed her cheeks while watching Noah cut his piece.

Greeting each other was fine, but getting closer felt a bit difficult.

She had gone overboard feeding him herself, but other things, like carrying her bag strictly herself or maintaining odd walking distances, were also present.

And most importantly…

“Oh, it’s already this time. Sorry, Emily. I have to help Beryl with studying today.”

“Sorry. I already have a prior engagement.”

It meant he was kind to others just as he was to Emily.

Being kind to everyone was said to be the same as being kind to no one.

Emily tilted her head, confused.

Noah touched her cheek with a soft laugh.

“You’ve got some cream here. Be careful.”

Emily froze briefly at the unexpected contact.

Noah smiled sweetly and walked away.

Emily rested her head on the table with a sigh.

“So this is confusing.”

If he wasn’t close, he’d suddenly close the distance again.

“And somehow… it might just be my imagination.”

Emily muttered while looking at the half-eaten cake.

“It feels like there’s a wall.”

Or a mask.

He always smiled kindly, but she sometimes felt it wasn’t sincere.

Emily shook her head, thinking about how strange her thoughts were.

She was betraying Noah-senpai by thinking this way!

Indeed, he had appeared suddenly, yet treated her and everyone else kindly without a hint of discomfort.

Truly, he was the “Angel of Cervelle.”

That nickname had good reason.

But Emily’s thought was shattered the next day.

She was on the hill behind the old building, wondering what excuse to use to see Noah that day.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching.

“Gasp.”

Emily instinctively hid.

It was the first time anyone else had appeared here.

Two figures then appeared.

Emily exhaled in relief, then froze.

…Why am I hiding?

She hadn’t been doing anything strange or on private property.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she peeked out from behind the pillar.

The strangers had walked a little further under a tree.

“What’s going on, Bess?”

Emily recognized the quiet voice carried by the breeze.

“…Huh?”

The male figure looked familiar.

He was moderately tall, fit, neatly dressed, with slightly curly golden hair.

“Noah-senpai?”

Emily accidentally spoke aloud, covering her mouth to avoid being heard.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice her.

Calming her racing heart, she peeked again.

Seeing his delicate facial features from afar made her chest tighten.

Indeed, handsome is the best.

He was shining again today, Noah-senpai.

It was a lucky encounter, even if she ended up spying.

Then a barely-there girl spoke slowly.

“So, um, Noah…”

“Yes, Bess. Go ahead.”

Noah smiled slightly, and the girl’s face turned visibly red.

…Wait, what?

Emily felt a chill run through her body.

Blue autumn skies, a gentle breeze, an open field with a huge colorful tree, and two young people standing beneath it…

“This is a confession scene, isn’t it?”

No, this can’t be happening.

Emily panicked.

A girl with long brown hair slowly opened her reddened lips.

“Noah, I mean…”

Please, not this!

But she spoke.

“I like you.”

She bowed her head deeply and shouted,

“Please go out with me!”

It was a scene straight out of youth.