At a loss for words, Kise shoved the remaining waffle and ice cream all into his mouth at once.

 

‘Ugh, this is so cold.’

 

The wind blows at just the right moment. 

 

The cold from the ice cream inside her body and the wind flying from the river outside whipped fiercely around her.

 

The river wind was no joke. 

 

As Kise belatedly fumbled to fasten her collar, Leonhardt stopped walking.

 

“Cold? Want a hug?”

 

“…”

 

A hug… Hah, he’s finally managed to render me speechless…

 

Why does the flow of conversation and consciousness roll in that direction? 

 

She glared at him, putting intense pressure around her eyes, but he just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘Why? What’s wrong?’

 

So Kise now shut her eyes tightly.

 

Why on earth are you treating me like this? Could it be that you, me? …She briefly felt like responding naively with such thoughts, but her own self-awareness was far too high to commit such an audacious act. 

 

She was too embarrassed to do it.

 

So she had no choice but to be conscious of everything, exactly as she felt.

 

Kise was intensely, acutely aware of Leonhardt’s actions. 

 

And she also knew—that man was currently acting flirtatiously toward her, using his good head to strategize his approach, deploying all sorts of temptations and snares, skillfully laying invisible traps, and deliberately, determinedly prancing around her.

 

For a human, to be that proficient.

 

‘St… stay strong!’

 

He was an opponent on a completely different level from anyone before, making a simple, iron-wall defense insufficient. 

 

This might be an all-out war, one requiring her entire life.

 

Kise forced herself to turn her head away. 

 

But Leonhardt stuck close, following her movement. The breath he exhaled brushed against the rim of her ear.

 

To Kise, who had given no answer after his—‘Cold? Want a hug?’ query, he thoughtfully whispered another option.

 

“If you don’t want me to hug you, you can hug me instead.”

 

Giving me even the right to choose, how could one be more considerate than this?

 

Kise retorted coldly, “You don’t actually think such nonsense would work on me, do you? Come back after you’ve leveled up more.”

 

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

 

Leonhardt narrowed his eyes seductively and lifted the corners of his mouth like a thousand-year-old vampire.

 

Having lived for a thousand years, deceit, fraud, and transformation would be second nature to him, and his methods would be cunning and strategic.

 

It was foreseen that the road ahead would be sufficiently arduous. 

 

Mountains beyond mountains, seas beyond seas. Kise pushed his face away haphazardly with her hand.

 

“And please, control your charm a little. How can you just let it spill out everywhere like that? Pick it up, quickly.”

 

The women passing by were now openly glancing at Leonhardt.

 

Not even stealing glances, but looking quite openly. 

 

And then they squealed—I really find that irritating. The space between her pretty brows narrowed slightly.

 

Since when does a man spray pheromones all over the street that he can’t even take responsibility for?

 

At Kise’s sharp remark, Leonhardt obediently backed off. 

 

It was as if he were being considerate, saying he’d be satisfied with this much for today.

 

“Shall we go?”

 

Then he gently and politely offered his hand. It was, again, an infuriatingly gentlemanly act. 

 

A body language meaning ‘I will escort you,’ and a sign of courtship expressing a desire to be your partner.

 

It would be easier to deal with him if he’d just firmly decide whether he’s a rogue or a gentleman… Kise’s thoughts became complicated.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Nevertheless, two hands carefully came together.

 

🫧

 

“You said it was a walk?”

 

Her pale eyebrows twitched upward.

 

They had walked all the way up the tree-lined street along the river. 

 

Just when she thought they had walked enough, what appeared before her eyes was a massive red brick building, like a fortress—the Exchange.

 

Combining work and exercise, is it? If so, it’s an efficient use of time. Whether it’s cunning or clever… 

 

Just as Kise was about to add a look of such praise, a crowd of people suddenly swarmed behind them.

 

Leonhardt, sensing their presence a step ahead, quickly pulled Kise into his embrace, concealing her snugly with both arms, then turned his body to hide their appearance from the passersby.

 

In broad daylight, and on the street at that, the passersby glanced at the couple clinging to each other with varied expressions. 

 

However, they could only see his back, not their faces, so they soon lost interest and went on their way.

 

Kise, who had been sniffing the deeply ingrained scent of his perfume on his clothes, lifted her head.

 

“What is it this time?”

 

“Camouflage, perhaps.”

 

“Are we doing espionage activities now?”

 

“Hmm, just covert infiltration?”

 

‘Oho!’ Kise’s eyes sparkled brightly. 

 

Finding that adorable, Leonhardt carefully scanned the area for any onlookers. Then, he immediately headed towards a side door at the back, leading to a hidden courtyard of the Exchange.

 

The Exchange is the optimal place to gauge the market atmosphere and public opinion trends. 

 

Pushing through the tall bushes, Kise tried to interpret the boisterous noise coming from beyond the brick wall.

 

Just how many people were gathered there? 

 

Even with just a slight extension of her hearing, she could hear the echoing voices of numerous people calling out bids.

 

A place where information and money are thoroughly mixed, creating dozens of life-reversal dramas in a single day.

Perhaps sensing the subtle anticipation from their connected hands, Leonhardt asked with a curved lip.

 

“Are you looking forward to it?”

 

“A little.”

 

“Doesn’t seem like a little.”

 

“Alright, a lot.”