Chapter 155 Goodbye . . .

<CONGRATULATIONS on completing the main quest, BREAK AMARA GOLDSTEIN's heart! Rewards! 100 000 EXP! 10 000 Evil Points!>

I blinked.

I had to be honest here. Even though I was devoid of useless emotions and only thought logically, I couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Probably, any logic in this world wouldn't be able to comprehend what was happening right now.

I hadn't even bought that [Handsome Elixir] yet. I hadn't even done anything to make her fall in love with me and break her heart . . .

. . . Unless . . .

My head whipped over at Amara, my eyes wide as they could stretched.

I caught her looking at me with shaking eyes while clutching her arm and biting her lips like she was repressing her tears.

Her face was flushed, and she had that expression like she was longing for something . . . or someone but couldn't have it . . . unless . . .

. . . Unless she was in love with me this whole time.

<Seems like it~>

My heart beat so hard I almost buckled. I knew that feeling came from my other self. His feelings were overflowing, intense, and razing, clawing right through me.

Damn this fool!

<Looks like he wanted control>

Heh. Too bad. I still have three days.

<Be careful, Host. Your other self wanted answers. And his feelings for this girl are intense. More intense than his ex. I suggest not killing her>

It was not my intention in the first place.

<Oh~?>

I was not an idiot and plunged my other self into despair enough to kill himself.

What's the purpose of all this struggles, then if I would only end up dead?

I then faced Amara and uttered in a low voice. "Amara . . . you. Do you love me still?"

< Host is so direct!>

Being straightforward was the way to go.

Amara's eyes bulged, and her face was so red it would burst. She shook her head, still trying to hold back the waterworks. She couldn't seem to get enough air into her lungs as she stammered when she spoke.

"N-no! W-what are you talking about? That's so long ago!"

Yep. She definitely loves me still.

I repressed a smirk and looked seriously at her. "That day when you rejected me and got together with my best friend, you were trying to protect me from those bullies, right?"

". . ."

I was right when she bit her lips. That was all the answer I needed.

I always knew in the back of my head, but my other self convinced himself that she was no good because it was easier for him to blame her than accept to himself the fact that he was helpless. That he couldn't do anything with those bullies and protect her both in the present and in the future. Instead, she was the one who protected him.

<'Him' means you Host>

I don't want to be associated with that guy. If it was me, I would have did things differently.

<So you already know her feelings from the start, Host?>

It was just a guess. I didn't have evidence to prove my claims . . . until now.

Amara looked everywhere but met my eyes, and her voice was so soft that it barely reached my ears. But I still heard every word of what she said.

"Yes . . . I wanted to tell you . . . But . . . what good would it do?"

She was right.

Her actions were the most logical thing to do if she wanted to protect me and her, however . . .

"Did I say that I wanted protection?" Those words came out of nowhere. They felt like they were ripped straight from my heart.

Great.

My other self was influencing me again.

<Are you sure that it's not you, Host ~?>

She's nothing but trouble. Remember, that Edward guy likes her. Not just Edward, but almost all of the players in the Academy likes her.

If I didn't want trouble, then the best course of action was to leave her alone and move on with my life.

<Starting a war for beauties is never trouble>

"N-no . . . but . . . for the person I like, it's only natural that I would want to protect you! I know that if I told you, you wouldn't agree. Then what am I supposed to do? You're going to get hurt and possibly die!" Her words were coming out of her mouth so fast that they almost sounded like they didn't make sense.

"Is that so?" I turned around and smirked. "Let's go, Thomas."

Thomas growled in boredom and couldn't wait to get out of there.

"Hey, wait! Is that it? Are you just going to leave?!"

I paused and glanced at her. "What do you want me to do then? As you said, associating with you would only get me killed, so it's better to go on our separate ways."

Women . . . they're so complicated.

Amara looked at me in incredulity before her face buckled into a sad smile. She clutched her arm, and she bit her bottom lip like she wanted to say something but restrained herself.

I turned around and left her there even if all my nerves were tearing me apart. My other self was protesting, but too bad, she would be out of here by tomorrow, and I didn't plan to associate with her anymore. I already got what I wanted with her, so it was time to go.

<Too bad, she's a beauty>

I didn't run out of beauties.

We were walking back when I heard the repeated crunching of leaves and panting of breath. Then I felt two arms around my waist and soft breasts pressing against me from behind.

"What are you doing?" I asked Amara while signaling Thomas to calm down when he was about to attack the woman.

"I . . ." Amara buried her face against my back, and her hold tightened around my waist. "I . . . don't know . . . I just wanted to hug you one last time. I will graduate tomorrow and go away and live my life, and we will probably never see each other again. So . . . for one last time . . . I wanted to do this much."

Ah . . . so troublesome . . . this emotion again. This damn thing was clawing out from me, and wanted to break free. It was ripping my sanity that it was hard to think at all.

Fine.

One last time I will indulge you for your peace of mind.

I pulled away from Amara, and I saw how her chin trembled with unspoken grief. She must have thought that I was rejecting her.

With one rough hand under her chin, I angled her face towards me and kissed her.

She was surprised at first, and there was resistance on her part, but when I placed my hand on her waist and drew her closer, deepening the kiss, it didn't take long for her to respond as well.

My hands clasped gently into the back of her hair, pressing her to me softly. I felt her hands slide up my chest and then down over my shoulders, where she gripped tightly in a tight fist.

I felt her body begin to relax against mine. Her hands slid up my chest once more, over my shoulders, and down my arms. She then moved them behind my neck, pulling me in even closer to her.

Her tongue slipped out from between her lips, and she began to lick my bottom lip playfully. I could feel her breath in my mouth, and I opened my eyes slightly. Her blue eyes were staring directly into mine as our mouths remained locked together.

Her lips were soft against mine, her mouth opening slightly as we continued our kiss once again.

We broke apart after several minutes of kissing each other, both panting heavily from the intensity of the moment. I saw her eyes sparkle, and her lips slightly curved up into a smile.

The look on her face told me everything. There wasn't the outrage there that should have been. If anything, she had the same expression she had for expensive chocolates and liquors.

I couldn't help but smile back. She was charming. If only she was obedient.

"Y-you . . . Do you like me?" she threw the question back on my face, licking her lips like she was savoring the kiss.

I was tempted to kiss her again, but once was enough.

I only did it for my other self so he would stop interfering with me.

System, how come he could influence me, but I couldn't to him?

<Host is already influencing the other Host little by little. As evidence that he had gone wary and suspicious of his fellow humans. He wanted revenge as well when Thomas died, and sought you out even knowing that the other party would die once he did>

Hmm . . .

"You should already know that answer by now," I whispered to her as I looked deeply into her eyes.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)