"Rei Ao-kun!"
Seeing who it was, Kato Hiromi couldn't help blurting it out—her voice full of stunned delight and palpable relief.
Looking at the man before her, as if he'd stepped off a fashion magazine cover, her heart hammered so hard it felt like it might jump out of her chest. He was nothing like the casually dressed Rei Ao she usually saw.
That stark contrast—plus the overwhelming aura he was giving off—made Hiromi panic for a second, two spots of color blooming on her cheeks.
Rei Ao walked straight up to her as if no one else existed, his gaze settling on her face with gentle warmth. He ignored the shocked, envious, and curious stares around them. Some people were gawking at how expensive his supercar was; others were jealous that Hiromi had such a handsome, well-off boyfriend; and of course there were those who simply resented her.
Rei Ao disregarded them all. He reached out, naturally tucking a strand of hair—blown loose by the car's slipstream—behind her ear. His fingertips brushed her slightly hot earlobe, sending a tiny shiver through her.
His movements were tender and intimate; his voice carried just the right touch of pampering.
"Hiromi, you look surprised. Did you forget I said I'd pick you up today?"
"Uh…" His touch and words made her heart skip several beats. Her mind went blank, but what little reason she had left told her he'd slipped perfectly into the boyfriend role. Flushing even redder, she hurried to follow his lead.
"N-No, I didn't forget! I just… just didn't expect you to show up like this…"
She pointed at the ridiculously cool supercar. It had genuinely stunned her. She'd thought he would just show up like a normal pretend boyfriend to walk her out—she hadn't expected an entrance like this. Impeccable clothes, effortless poise, and that flashy car—textbook tall-rich-and-handsome.
Rei Ao smiled lightly, the expression like a spring breeze skimming an icy lake—lazy and indulgent.
"Think it's a bit too high-profile? Sorry, I just happened to take this one out today. If you don't like it, I'll bring something more low-key next time."
He sounded as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.
"No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Off to the side, Oda Toshita finally snapped out of his shock and jealousy. His face went chalk white, then flushed crimson with humiliation and rage. He couldn't accept what he was seeing. How could Hiromi actually have a boyfriend—and one who crushed him in looks, presence, and wealth on every front?
It had to be fake.
Clinging to that straw, he jabbed a finger at Rei Ao and the car, shrilling, "It's a scam! All of it! Hiromi, you really went all out just to turn me down, huh? Where'd you hire this actor? And the car—rented, right? Bet the day rate isn't cheap. Why bother!"
He tried to paint the worst motives he could think of to prop up his pitiful pride.
Only then did Rei Ao seem to notice the noisy fly nearby. He frowned, clicked his tongue, and slowly turned his head. The eyes that had just looked at Hiromi with warmth went glacial in an instant—Siberian permafrost, staring straight at Oda.
"Huh. Why do I hear an annoying fly buzzing around?"
He didn't raise his voice, yet it carried a heavy, invisible pressure. That formless aura descended like solid ice, enveloping Oda in a heartbeat.
"—!!"
Locked in that gaze, Oda felt a chill shoot from his soles to his crown. Those eyes were terrifying—nothing like a human's. More like some god on high surveying an ant.
Under that look, all his bravado and doubts evaporated. His knees buckled, and with a thud he collapsed, trembling so hard his teeth chattered.
Rei Ao didn't spare the crumpled mess on the ground another glance. Instead, he turned back to Hiromi.
"Hiromi, I hear there's a rule-ignorant fly at your company that pesters you every day—this non-recyclable trash lying here, right?"
His tone returned to gentle, but the content brooked no argument and dripped with disdain.
Blanketed by Rei Ao's suffocating presence, Hiromi felt both safe and a little scared. She nodded meekly, voice barely more than a whisper.
"Y-Yes… that's him. Oda Toshita."
"Good."
Rei Ao clapped lightly—an elegant gesture, yet as indifferent as if he were deciding the man's fate.
"I didn't expect anyone to be dumb enough to covet someone who belongs to me."
He walked over, step by step, to the quaking Oda, looking down at him with a cold, contemptuous gaze—as if at garbage. His tall frame blocked the sunset, casting a wide, despairing shadow over Oda.
"Looks like life's been too comfortable. You were itching for a little thrill?"
His voice was flat, but the chill in it was unmistakable.
Oda's courage shattered. Tears and snot streamed down as he babbled for mercy.
"I-I'm sorry! I was wrong! I really was! I didn't know—didn't know Hiromi-san was yours! Please, spare me—I won't do it again. I'll leave—right now!"
Rei Ao hadn't even done anything; his aura alone had gutted the man. It wasn't that Oda wanted to be this pathetic—it was fear from the marrow out, turning his legs to jelly.
Even his pleading was pure instinct. He himself didn't understand why, as a grown man, he became so disgraceful in front of Rei Ao.
~~~
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