Chapter 55: Norika Harada Turns Docile

Quillan asked, "Norika, have your father and mother arrived safely?"

Norika was clearly not used to being called that, so her reaction was a bit sluggish. However, she quickly snapped back to her senses.

"It’s right over there, let’s go!"

Norika took the lead. After walking about ten meters, she felt something was off and looked back, only to find Quillan still standing in place without moving a muscle. Slightly knitting her delicate brows, she asked Quillan, "Hey, Quila... fine! Quillan-kun, what’s wrong now?"

At first, Norika had been about to put her hands on her hips. But remembering that they were pretending to be a couple, she realized that if she put on her teacher’s air to lecture him, Quillan would probably use quitting as an excuse again. In the end, the passive one would still be her!

Thus, Norika’s tone shifted from her original dissatisfied questioning to a gentle inquiry.

Only then did Quillan take a few steps forward. Reaching Norika’s side, he took his left hand out of his pocket slightly, pulling it away from his body, and asked, "Miss Harada, shouldn’t you hold my arm?"

"This..." Norika hesitated.

Quillan wasn’t wrong. If they were a couple, as the woman, she really should hold his arm to demonstrate intimacy and affection, but...

Norika had rarely dealt with men growing up. Even though she was working as a schoolteacher now, in this particular domain, she was still like a child with zero experience!

Although she just had sex with Quillan, being affectionate with him in public still made her feel embarrassed. She became especially self-conscious whenever she noticed other people looking at them, instinctively keeping a little more distance from him.

Seeing her so conflicted, Quillan shook his head helplessly. It seemed expecting Norika to take the initiative was impossible, so Quillan took the lead himself, reaching out to grab Norika’s right hand.

Norika’s body shuddered. Her instinctive reaction made her want to pull her hand back without a second thought, but Quillan didn’t give her the chance. He forcefully pulled her hand over, positioning it so that she was holding his arm.

Seeing that Norika still wasn’t resigned and wanted to retract her hand, Quillan rolled his eyes and said to her, "Miss Harada, if you really refuse to cooperate like this, then I think we should just forget it! Otherwise, even when we stand before your parents, with that stony face of yours, your cousin will see right through us in an instant. When the time comes, you won’t be the only one humiliated—even an innocent bystander like me will get dragged down with you!"

"I..."

Norika quickly and obediently held Quillan’s arm tightly, saying, "I’ll do my best to cooperate... cooperate with you, Quillan-kun!"

Her current demeanor—whether out of nervousness or fear—was entirely different from her usual self.

To put it in perspective, the old Norika Harada was a stern homeroom teacher, whereas the current Norika Harada looked completely like a young girl experiencing first love, going on her very first date with a boy.

Apprehensive, uneasy.

Nervous, worried...

A surge of mixed emotions made Norika’s heart feel like a spilled jar of spices.

Even the hand holding Quillan’s arm was trembling slightly from unfamiliar feelings stirring in her heart...

Quillan had no choice but to say to her, "Miss Harada, you can’t be like this..."

"I know..." Norika muttered in a hushed, suppressed voice.

Quillan continued, "You have to work hard to overcome your emotions..."

"I got it!" Norika bit her lip, looking as though she were right on the verge of snapping.

"If..."

Quillan opened his mouth again, but before he could finish, Norika exploded: "I know, I know! Hey, Quillan, do you really have to go this far?! I already said I know! Saying I know means I’ll definitely try my best to overcome it and pull this off! I’m already being so submissive to you, what more do you want?!"

"Uh..."

Unexpectedly, Norika still ended up bursting. Quillan was momentarily left at a loss for words.

"I..."

Norika stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes once more, only to find Quillan had stopped walking as well, turning sideways to look at her. A faint blush crept across her face yet again. Lowering her head slightly, she spoke in a tiny voice that was just barely loud enough for Quillan to hear: "S-Sorry, Quillan-kun! I got too emotional just now, but I’m fine now. So... from here on out, Norika Harada will truly play the role of your girlfriend! Please... take good care of me, Quillan-kun!"

"Ahem, I wouldn’t dare..."

Quillan was dumbfounded, suddenly speaking to Norika with polite restraint.

In truth, Quillan hadn’t expected Norika to switch her emotional state so quickly. Sure enough, women really were like that—flipping their moods faster than turning the pages of a book!

Lamenting inwardly, Quillan looked at the suddenly docile Norika beside him. Seeing her delicate, feminine posture, he really wasn’t used to it.

Sniffling slightly, Quillan couldn’t help but feel a lingering concern.

Never mind how docile Norika appeared right now—this woman’s emotional intelligence really didn’t seem all that high. What if...

What if she reverted right back to her old self later on?

For a while, neither of them said anything.

The atmosphere between them suddenly became strangely quiet. Norika kept her eyes fixed ahead, trying her best to maintain a calm expression, she could hear the sound of her own footsteps, along with the faint rustling of Quillan’s clothes whenever he moved his arm.

If her earlier attempts to have sex with him had been driven by selfish motives, to make her lose virginity, by suppressed desires, and the thought of using him to satisfy something she had kept buried for far too long, what she felt now was completely different.

There was a strange warmth spreading through her chest, one that had nothing to do with desire or temptation. It was softer, quieter, and far more difficult to understand.

Norika had always thought she could clearly distinguish between attraction and affection. Yet at this moment, as she held Quillan’s arm and walked beside him, another unfamiliar emotion quietly surfaced in her heart.

Could this be...

Love?

The realization made her heart tremble even more.

She had never imagined that something as simple as walking beside a man could make her this nervous.

What made it worse was that she couldn’t stop thinking about how close they were. Every time Quillan moved slightly, she could feel his presence beside her, making her fingers unconsciously tighten around his arm.

"Calm down..." Norika silently reminded herself. "It’s only acting. We’re just pretending to be a couple."

Yet repeating those words did little to calm her racing heart.

Quillan glanced at her from the corner of his eye but said nothing. Seeing how tense she was, he decided it was probably better not to tease her any further.