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Mahiru Shiina sulked for a while before she couldn't help but quietly crack the door again.
As soon as her eyes met his fiery gaze, she gasped and quickly slammed the door shut.
"You—! Why are you still here? What are you doing standing outside my door?"
Leaning against the door, Mahiru asked with clear frustration in her voice.
Andrew shrugged casually and replied lazily,"Couldn't sleep. Just wanted to look at the moon. It's a nice night. Probably sunny tomorrow."
Mahiru snapped, "Then go look from in front of your own room! Don't just stand here getting in my way."
"But I still wanna sleep with you. What should I do?" Andrew said without a care.
"I swear I'm calling the cops! If you keep harassing me—!" she warned, flustered.
"Go ahead," Andrew replied. "But I won't be able to sleep unless I'm holding you tonight."
"Agh! Shut up! Keep your voice down!"
Mahiru rushed out and quickly covered his mouth with her hands, eyes darting around nervously.
This jerk! Talking so loudly—was he trying to let someone else hear? Like, say… Aoyama Nanami next door?
As Andrew felt her soft, delicate hand on his lips, he suddenly wrapped an arm around her slim waist. "As she gasped in shock, he picked her up and carried her straight into her room.".
Mahiru realized what just happened and .started struggling frantically, punching his chest with her tiny fists..
"You perv! You freak! I already told you no—put me down! Get out of my room!"
Andrew didn't stop her from hitting him. He just silently watched her struggle.
Then, once they were in her room, he walked straight over to her soft bed, laid down, and pulled the blanket over himself.
"Ugh… What do you even want from me? Isn't it enough that you're already bullying me like this?"
Mahiru looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears that began to silently roll down her cheeks.
Andrew pulled her close, held her tightly, and said seriously,"I'm not trying to bully you. I was just worried you'd do something dumb. I want to stay and keep an eye on you."
"Also… if I'm not hugging you, I really can't sleep tonight."
"You… you jerk!"
Mahiru didn't know what to do anymore. Angry that he barged into her space, she bit down hard on his arm without holding back.
She tasted blood in her mouth but didn't let go.
Crying while biting him, she poured out her frustration.
Andrew winced but didn't pull away. He just gently stroked her smooth golden hair.
Just like last night… giving her a warm, comforting hug.
Eventually, Mahiru let go of his arm and suddenly burst into deep sobs, burying her face into his chest.
"You jerk… You're such a jerk! We just met… Why are you doing this to me?"
Andrew didn't answer.
He just slowly leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, then kept stroking her hair gently.
Mahiru stayed silent after that.
She just kept her face buried in his chest, sobbing quietly and letting it all out.
Holding it in would've made it worse—crying helped her feel a bit better.
After about half an hour, Mahiru gently pushed him away.
"Let go of me."
When he didn't move, she blushed and said with a sigh,"Let me treat your wound."
Finally, Andrew let her go, though he clearly didn't want to.
Mahiru quickly wiped her tears, as if she didn't want him to see how messy she looked.
But then again… he'd already seen her crying face—and even more embarrassing things. So she kinda gave up caring.
She gave up trying to keep a front.
Still in her white pajamas, she knelt on the bed and carefully took out the first aid kit. With a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, she gently cleaned the bite mark she'd left on his arm.
Looking at the bleeding bite, Mahiru's heart started racing. She grumbled quietly,"Why didn't you dodge? Doesn't it hurt?"
Andrew smiled a little, "I made you cry. Hurting a bit is fair. Besides… I've made you feel pain too, right?"
"Shut up! Don't say it!"
Mahiru cut him off, blushing and glaring at him.
"I told you to forget it! I'm not asking you to take responsibility, so what more do you want?"
Andrew naturally took over her sweet-smelling pillow and looked super comfortable.
"I just want to sleep here, that's all. You've already slept in my bed, right? So I get to sleep in yours. That's fair."
"Fair my ass! What kind of logic is that? You're such a perv. And shameless, too!"
She kept snapping at him, but her hands didn't stop. She carefully finished cleaning the wound and put on a bandage.
Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Mahiru was just that kind of girl—gentle and kind. Even though she was the one who bit him, she still ended up feeling guilty.
Maybe she realized he came to comfort her. That he cared.
And that touched a soft spot inside her heart.
But she was still a girl. Pride and modesty made it hard for her to show affection first.
So in the end, it had to be Andrew who made the move.
"You did a great job patching me up. So… time to sleep. Come on, Mahiru."
Mahiru clenched her teeth and glared at him without saying a word.
Andrew didn't push her. He just scooped her up again, lay down with her, and pulled the blanket over both of them.
He hated the cold war between them and couldn't stand being ignored by her. So he had to take the initiative.
Even if she bit him, things were looking pretty good now.
In his arms, Mahiru trembled slightly. Her small hands clutched his shirt tightly.
Thinking about what might happen next, she had no idea what to do.
She knew she should be resisting. Should be calling the cops. Should be throwing him out of her room.
But when he gently stroked her hair again, her nose stung and her eyes began to tear up again.
This bastard.
Why does he have to be so gentle?
Wouldn't it be better if he just stayed a jerk? Stayed a perv?
Then she could hate him, ignore him, and slowly forget everything.
He even said it himself—time would erase everything.
While she was still overthinking things, Andrew placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Shh… sleep. I won't bother you anymore."
She bit her lip and looked up at him for a second.
Then her body finally relaxed.
Maybe… just maybe… she could trust him. A little.
After all, he really was being gentle right now.
Snuggled up in his arms, Mahiru slowly drifted off to sleep…
"..."
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