Did I just make things worse? He smiled — that sly, knowing smile that made my heart skip for reasons I didn't want to admit.
"Okay, fine. But how many days am I supposed to pretend to be your girlfriend?" I asked weakly, my tone flat and uninterested. He chuckled softly.
"Mmh, maybe a month… a few days… who knows?" I rolled my eyes.
"Fine. But if this lasts for a year, we're breaking up immediately." He nodded, clearly amused. "Oh, and one more thing," I warned, narrowing my eyes at him. "Don't fall in love with me."
He raised a brow, smirking. "Afraid you'll get hurt?" I shook my head, meeting his gaze coldly. He was still smiling — the kind of smile that told me he was more than ready to toy with my heart.
"Don't worry," I said dryly. "You're not my type." That wiped the grin off his face. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
...
I was about to leave the library when a girl with short hair approached me.
"Umm, miss…" she said nervously, fidgeting with her hands. I frowned.
"What do you want?"
"You're Eros's classmate, right?" Her question caught me off guard.
"I don't know him—" I started to walk away, but she grabbed my arm.
"Please! Can you give this to him?" she begged, eyes desperate. I sighed heavily and took the book. Just this once, I told myself. This won't kill me… right? "Thanks, miss! You're my savior!" she said a little too loudly, drawing curious looks from everyone in the library.
I rolled my eyes and walked away. Seriously, why me? She could've just asked Sol! Eros and Hevis were the last people I wanted to get involved with — they weren't just weird… they were dangerous. They were twins, both living in their own dark little world until Sol came along. Ever since then, they wanted nothing more than to keep him forever. As I walked down the stairs, I looked around the empty hallway. No sign of Eros. Great. I should've brought someone with me. Then I froze.
"Stop! Please—agh!" a man's scream echoed from the next corridor. I pressed myself against the wall and peeked. Eros was there… stabbing a man — laughing as he did it. My breath hitched. Then he looked in my direction. I quickly hid behind the wall, heart pounding. When the silence returned, I exhaled shakily.
"Human~ are you hiding from me?~ Don't be shy~ show me your face~" I froze. His voice was chillingly sweet. "Human~ if you don't come out soon, I might lose my patience… and that would be bad for you~" I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling. Why did I ever agree to this?
"Eros, Sol's looking for you," came a cold, familiar voice — Hevis. Eros sighed.
"What for?"
"You forgot? You're partners for the project Sir Flores assigned," Hevis said flatly.
"Tsk."
"I'll take care of the body. Don't make them suspect anything," Hevis added. Eros groaned.
"But I still want to play~" To him, humans were nothing but dolls. And Sol… Sol was his precious one. I needed to leave before they noticed me.
"Later," Hevis said sharply. "There are plenty of them, anyway."
Eros chuckled.
"Fine~ thanks, little bro~" I heard footsteps moving away. I finally took a deep breath and prepared to escape— —but froze again when Hevis suddenly appeared in front of me, leaning against the wall, eyes cold and piercing. Oh, crap.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I… uh… I was just… planning to give this book to Eros," I stammered. Was this the end for me? Was I really going to fail my only mission?
"He's on the third floor. With Sol. You probably heard that already," he said in the same icy tone.
"T-thanks," I managed, turning to leave. But then I hesitated and faced him again. "Don't worry… I won't tell anyone what I saw."
He said nothing, only stared — expression unreadable. I didn't wait for him to respond. I ran. ⸻ When I reached the third floor, I saw Sol smiling brightly at Eros, while Eros looked utterly bored. One day, you'll fall in love with her — and you won't even understand why it hurts to see her with someone else. I approached them, doing my best to act normal. Sol stopped talking and looked at me, while Eros's gaze immediately fixed on my face.
"Uh… the girl from the library asked me to give this to you," I said, handing him the book. He took it without a word, eyes still following me as I walked away. ⸻ What would happen if I changed my actions? Would the story itself change? Would I finally have a chance to live peacefully — or even survive — if I tried to befriend them? I knew their pain, their loneliness. And I remembered what Sol once said — the secret that made them fall in love. But I didn't want to be the female lead. I just wanted to live long enough to return to my real world.
...
"Miss Valencia!" Sir's voice jolted me back to reality. I blinked.
"Y-yes, sir?"
"I've been calling you for a while," he said sternly. Before I could answer, Saichi raised her hand.
"Sir, I heard Luna say this lesson is boring," he said with a fake sweet smile. My eyes widened. What?! I never said that!
"Valencia! Detention room. Now!" I glared at Saichi, who looked way too pleased with herself. Geez. That two-faced snake!
...
When I entered the detention room, I saw a boy with brown hair and gray eyes. The moment he noticed me, he grinned — playfully, mischievously. In a blink, he was right in front of me, holding both my hands tightly.
"Hi! I'm Demure Kio Ledesma Frias! Nice to meet you! I just know we'll get along perfectly!" he said with childlike excitement. Demure Kio Ledesma Frias — or Kio, as people called him — was only fourteen. And if there was one thing about him everyone knew… He was clingy.