Chapter 15: A First Meeting

“How should I put it… she has someone she really cares about.”

“Mhm.”

“Even though the two of them have never spoken, she’s secretly foll—no, let’s say watching over that person… for five years already.”

After hearing Ina’s story, Selene tilted her head with a puzzled look.

“Watching over in secret?”

“Well… things like following him all the way to his doorstep, snapping photos of him eating in restaurants, or pressing her ear against his door to eavesdrop…”

The young witch lowered her eyes shyly, fiddling with the spoon in her drink.

…That’s just stalking, isn’t it?

Selene naturally understood that the “friend” Ina spoke of was Ina herself, but she hadn’t expected her friend to have such a… heavy side to her.

Still, considering that witches possessed secret arts allowing them to transform into animals, Selene let it go. This race really is born to be stalkers. No wonder the cheating rate among men married to witches is nearly zero.

“Uh, so in these five years… you’ve never once spoken to the guy you like?”

“…Selene, try to put yourself in my shoes.”

Ina puffed up her cheeks, scooping an ice cube into her mouth.

“What if he doesn’t like me? What if he prefers gentle, cute types? What if he rejects me? What if I open my mouth and he says, ‘Woman, don’t bother me’? What if he finds out I’ve been following him for five years?”

She paused, realizing what she had just admitted, and her face flushed red.

“And Selene—this isn’t about me! It’s my friend!”

“Yes, yes, your friend.”

Selene sighed, giving her a soft, indulgent smile.

Why did the cool, dashing girl suddenly turn into a gloomy, crawling mess whenever it came to romance?

But this contrast amused Selene. She didn’t mind hearing more of her friend’s complaints—in fact, she even wanted to help stoke the flames of Ina’s love.

“So, uh… I mean, your friend—don’t you think she should try approaching him directly? If she just keeps hiding in the shadows, nothing will ever come of it, right?”

Selene spoke solemnly.

“With a witch’s lifespan, it’s entirely possible he could die without ever knowing your friend exists.”

“Guuuh…”

Ina groaned like a defeated mob character, downed the rest of her drink in one go, then shook her head repeatedly.

“No, I can’t…! Wait—no, that’s not what I wanted to talk about!”

“Huh?”

Ina glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered her voice.

“What I really wanted to say is… yesterday, my friend saw another woman go into his house with her own eyes!”

Well, that was bound to happen sooner or later, Selene thought.

Like a childhood crush who never confessed, only to have someone swoop in and steal the peach.

If Ina didn’t change soon, ending up as a loser in love was only a matter of time.

“That woman never once appeared in the last five years, and yet suddenly, like a weed, she just pops up overnight from who-knows-where!”

“…A girlfriend?”

“Impossible. Definitely some tramp… I swear it! The moment you look at her, you can tell she’s the seductive type—and with such a shameless, vulgar body… no way she’s a proper woman!”

“Hey, Ina, speaking badly about someone behind their back isn’t okay,” Selene cut her off sternly.

“You only saw her, you haven’t investigated her background at all, right? You can’t just slander someone’s reputation because of your feelings. You, of all people, hate that sort of thing, don’t you?”

“…Urgh!”

“And who knows with love? What if they just hit it off last night and decided to move in together?”

“Ghh—stop, stop! Don’t say that, Selene, I’m begging you…”

“Honestly, Ina, you’re not a child anymore. Can’t you be a little more mature? Weren’t you supposed to reclaim the witches’ stolen artifact? It’s been five years already. I know witches have a different sense of time, but you can’t just waste so much of it on a man and neglect your duty. Are you really planning never to graduate?”

The young witch drooped her head. This time she didn’t stubbornly say it was “her friend.” Instead, she poked at her flat chest with both index fingers, looking pitiful.

“But… but Selene, this is my duty.”

“What?”

“The artifact stolen from our clan—it’s in his possession.”

“…What?”

Selene’s eyes went wide. Before she could say anything, Ina’s expression suddenly collapsed. Her features twisted out of shape, like a doll clumsily rearranged by a child.

Instinctively, Selene turned her head.

What she saw was a pair of striking figures—a man and a woman.

At that moment, Ina’s mosquito-buzz muttering reached Selene’s ears.

“L-L-L-Loki… Lord Loki…”

Loki?

Selene’s body went rigid, heavy as concrete.

She wasn’t just an ordinary citizen of Kaisania. She had ties with many different factions, so she knew very well the weight that name carried.

She had heard rumors that the dreaded villain who once kept so many awake at night now lived in Kaisania, but she had never expected to run into him here, like this.

How to put it…

He didn’t look as terrifying as the stories claimed. Just a handsome black-haired man, really. Uh, wait—my makeup should be fine today, right?

Selene nervously adjusted her hair.

No matter what, he was a big name—she had to mind her appearance.

Wait. The girl at his side… she looked familiar.

The Steel Saintess?

What on earth was the Church playing at?

Why was the Saintess with Loki?

Why was she leaning so intimately against his shoulder?

And—Lord Loki? The man Ina had been stalking for five years—could it really be—?

Selene’s brain spun wildly, overloaded with information, until it all but short-circuited.

She immediately stopped thinking and turned back to Ina.

The witch now sat up straight, her right elbow on the table, chin resting in her palm. Her left hand toyed with the spoon, stirring the ice that hadn’t yet melted in her glass.

Her bangs shaded part of her left eye, mismatched pupils gleaming with a mysterious light.

But Selene could tell—the emotions in Ina’s heart were nothing like the cool, boyish facade she put on.

Her gaze darted restlessly between the affectionate man and woman, radiating such a burning jealousy it made Selene’s heart clench.

The one Ina likes… is the Saintess’s boyfriend? What kind of dream is this?

Before Selene could say a word, Loki himself spoke.

“I’m looking for Miss Ina.”