Chapter 358: Ch 357: Late Night Date - Part 2

Lyra tried to control herself while eating, but she was too nervous. Kael was being too good to her, and she did not know what to do.

As a result, she ended up ordering too much without realising it, and the desserts filled the table.

She usually had a bottomless stomach because she was a demon, but today, it felt extremely small and uneasy. But she still took a bite out of the sweet dessert.

It melted on her tongue, and before she knew it, she had cleared it off. It was really good... it was so good, in fact, that she wanted to share it with Kael as well.

So she raised her spoon, filled it with the last bite, and extended it toward Kael.

"You have to try this. It’s so delicious and—"

Kael closed his lips around the spoon Lyra had just eaten from, and his eyes shone with amusement as they looked at her. It made her feel nervous, and she tried to pull the spoon back... only for Kael to not allow her such a luxury.

The way his eyes twinkled told her that he was playing around, but his tongue felt hypnotic as it licked and sucked the spoon...

It did not feel sensual, but something about it was making Lyra squirm in her seat.

Thankfully for her, Kael decided to have mercy on her and pulled himself back. His eyes twinkled as he looked at Lyra, and her heart continued to beat faster as she looked into his eyes.

"I... should we head back?"

She asked, forgetting what she was doing and what she was here for. But she only got an amused laugh for her troubles. Kael looked at her like he did not know what to do with her, and then her eyes fell on the table.

The table was still filled with sweet snacks around her which she had not even touched yet.

"I..."

She tried to make an excuse, but Kael just sighed and brought her to sit back down.

"It’s fine. You can have as much as you like. And as for the rest, we can have them packed to bring back. You can do what you want today."

Kael assured Lyra, and her face refused to calm down from the red hue it had taken. She honestly felt like this was too much for her heart, and she could not even look him in the face.

And yet, she did not want to be anywhere but here.

She heard the shopkeeper giggling at her and Kael, calling them cute, and she realised she had reached her threshold. It was time to head back before she combusted from embarrassment.

"L-Let’s head back now. We are done here, right?"

She asked, and Kael let out a sigh before he followed after her. They quickly got out, and the cold night wind made her feel better.

Kael, who had put her extra boxes in his inventory, extended his hand toward Lyra, and she grabbed it without thinking.

They started to walk back, and it was a quiet night. Lyra did not want to break this silence by speaking, but she felt like she had to know something.

Why had Kael decided to give her a chance? Why her and no one else?

She did not think he was clueless enough to not know that there were others who liked him as much as she did... maybe even more. So why had he chosen her out of them all?

"Kael, can I ask you something?"

She sounded hesitant even to herself, and Kael paused to look at her. His eyes were clear and kind, which made her feel even more nervous. After all, she did not want him to be with her because of pity.

So she took the risk and asked.

"Why did you give me a chance? I doubt it’s because you are in love with me like I am with you. So why—?"

She looked up and saw Kael’s eyes. They were still shining, but there was something else there as well. It was not interest, but something along the same lines.

Kael leaned closer to her, which made Lyra take a step back and then another. She suddenly felt like a trapped animal standing in front of a predator, and it made her shiver.

She suddenly felt like she did not want to hear what Kael had to say. Instead, she needed to run away—

But where could she even run away to? Kael’s arms were trapping her between them, and he looked at her with a smile that sent shivers down her spine.

"W-What..."

"Hmm, don’t you want to know why I decided to give you a chance? Well, it’s because you confessed to me. Not once, but several times. Since you decided to show such courage, I feel like I should reciprocate it as well."

Kael told her, and Lyra suddenly felt her face flame red.

Lyra stared at Kael as if she had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. His answer was so simple that it almost felt unfair after all the thoughts she had been struggling with.

"So... you are saying you accepted me because I confessed so many times?"

She asked carefully, as if she was afraid that she had misunderstood him.

Kael nodded, but his eyes also looked interested.

"That is one of the reasons."

"One of the reasons?"

Lyra repeated, and her heart immediately started beating faster again. She had been trying to calm herself down, but Kael seemed determined to make things difficult for her.

"What is the other reason?"

She asked, and Kael fell silent for a moment. He looked at her with a thoughtful expression before finally answering.

"I like having you around."

Those simple words hit Lyra harder than anything else he had said that night.

"You... like having me around?"

"Yes. You are annoying, troublesome, and far too stubborn for your own good. I still recall how much grief you caused me at first, playing constant pranks on me."

Kael replied, causing Lyra’s expression to fall.

"Hey-!"

"But you also make things more interesting. You are honest about how you feel, and I know that you would not hesitate to stand beside me when things get difficult."