“What kind of boy looks like that?”

 

His curly brown hair looked so fluffy and soft that her hand kept twitching, wanting to reach out and touch it.

 

His sparkling, lively green eyes were as fresh as tree leaves drenched in water.

 

And for some reason, he kept crinkling his eyes and grinning brightly—so much so that just looking at that smile was almost blinding.

 

Anyone who saw that face would probably find their gaze captured and end up smiling along without realizing it. 

 

No matter how you looked at him, he was bright, radiant, warm—a boy like sunshine itself.

 

Jin, who had zero immunity to people in general, had even less when it came to boys her own age.

 

Even though she had intellectually understood how kids her age lived in this world—through all kinds of media and books since arriving here—the Ruern standing right in front of her felt somehow different in texture from all of them.

 

He seemed even more distant from her, who still hadn’t shaken off the air of an outsider.

 

Neither of them couldn’t quite blend naturally into this place, yet the sense of otherness was so strong that it didn’t even feel like Ruern, and she existed in the same world.

 

Just as it suited her to live in the shadows, Ruern seemed like someone who belonged in dazzling, brilliant light.

 

While Jin’s mind grew tangled with all these thoughts, Ruern was staring at her and inwardly marveling.

 

‘She’s way prettier than the photos. Unbelievably pretty. It doesn’t even feel real. Like a doll.’

 

Before coming here, Ruern had taken out Jin’s photos whenever he had a spare moment and couldn’t stop looking at them. 

 

It was almost strange how he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

 

Until actually arriving, he had desperately tried to temper his expectations—telling himself he might be disappointed when he saw her in person, that he shouldn’t get his hopes up too high.

 

But now that she was right in front of him, close enough to touch, he couldn’t help but sigh at how the photos hadn’t captured even one-hundredth of the real thing.

 

Begging his uncle to let him go to Moribelle had truly been an excellent decision.

 

Because of that, up until today, he’d been nagged endlessly by his uncle and forced to memorize an enormous list of precautions and rules, but the moment he saw Jin, all those painful memories simply melted away like snow.

 

Just facing her felt like more than enough compensation for all that suffering.

 

Ruern’s persistent gaze slowly roamed over Jin, taking her in inch by inch.

 

“I’m Ruern. Ruern Branner. You can call me Rue if you want. And you? What should I call you?”

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

“Then… can I call you Jin?”

 

“Sure.”

 

She already knew all of Ruern’s information—he’d been thoroughly briefed—so there was no need to ask. Jin thought to herself that she would probably never call him “Rue.”

 

Nicknames, after all, were only for people who were very close and intimate.

 

Just thinking about the word “nickname” made her fingertips tingle strangely; the feeling was oddly unsettling.

 

“I really, really wanted to meet you. But… are you seriously the same age as me? You’re so tiny.”

 

In truth, she was actually one year older than Ruern, but according to the age listed on her ID card, they were the same age.

 

“…I’ll grow taller from now on.”

 

When Jin’s lips pursed into a pout, Ruern immediately panicked and started flailing.

 

And on top of everything—she was cute too… The fluttering in his chest was overwhelming. As time passed, it felt more and more like motion sickness; his stomach kept churning.

 

But strangely, that churning didn’t feel bad at all. 

 

Instead, Ruern found himself restlessly wiggling his fingers.

 

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to tease you about being small—I just meant you’re really cute. If that upset you, I’m sorry. I really mean it, I apologize.”

 

Seeing his cheeks flush bright red, Jin’s heart softened instantly.

 

A boy who looked like an angel was apologizing so earnestly that she felt an overwhelming urge to forgive him right away.

 

Suddenly, a phrase she’d once read in some magazine came to mind, “If someone has a pretty or handsome face, you can’t get mad at them no matter what they do.”

 

She had never understood that sentence before.

 

But today, standing face-to-face with Ruern, she finally understood it completely.

 

🦋

 

“Please, I told you not to bring anything. Do you just completely ignore me when I talk?”

 

Several years had already passed.

 

The thirteen-year-old Ruern, spared from the curse of reverse growth, had grown into a breathtakingly beautiful young man whom anyone would instinctively admire.

 

He had shot up in height so much that Jin now had to crane her neck painfully to look up at him.

 

Unlike other Espers who bulked up with rugged muscle, his frame was long, slender, and perfectly proportioned—just right to look at.

 

The child angel had grown tall and healthy, becoming the very image of the flawless angels depicted in sacred paintings. 

 

Just looking at him made faith well up naturally inside you.

 

On days when Jin felt a little tired, she sometimes even saw a golden halo shimmering around Ruern. She would rub her eyes, blink, and confirm the dazzling aura was still there, repeating the cycle.

 

Every time she did that—rubbing her eyes and blinking cutely—Ruern would make a huge fuss, laughing and saying she was unbearably adorable.

 

She, who was probably the furthest thing from “cute,” seemed to have stunted growth in Ruern’s eyes alone. Unfortunately.

 

The “gift of the day” Ruern had brought this time was a bracelet studded with emeralds and tiny diamonds densely linked together.

 

Even a quick glance was blindingly bright. 

 

From the sheer radiance, it was obviously worth an astronomical amount.

 

“How can you walk around wearing something this scary? A robber could lose his mind and just chop my wrist off to take it.”

 

To Jin, Espers in general were far too extravagant with money—it was a serious problem.

 

And if you had to pick the absolute worst offender, it was undoubtedly Ruern.

 

“Pfft. They could snatch it, sure, but chop your wrist? You sure come up with gruesome ideas. That would never happen.”

 

“The point isn’t whether my wrist gets chopped off right now or not. What I’m trying to say is—”

 

“I keep telling you, this is just repayment for you guiding me. Why do you get so burdened every single time? Hold out your arm. I want to see if it suits you. Come on, hurry.”

 

“You already said I’ve more than paid that price back.”

 

“If you don’t like the things I give you, just sell them. With all that fortune I have, what’s a little contribution from me? If it really bothers you that much, just think of it as an early birthday present. Okay?”

 

No matter what Jin said to persuade him, Ruern lightly brushed it off and deflected every attempt.

 

It was as if he were determined to keep bringing her these ridiculously expensive gifts nonstop—until he was finally satisfied.

 

Jin shook her head with a small sigh and reluctantly extended her arm through the opening in the barrier. She already knew from experience that Ruern wouldn’t be happy unless she actually put the gift on and let him see it.

 

Ruern quickly took the bracelet out of its jewelry box and fastened it around her wrist. Her wrists were especially slender, so once the bracelet was on, it looked almost comically heavy.

 

He carefully rotated it so the emerald pendant faced the back of her hand, where it caught the light beautifully.

 

It really was stunning to look at—but knowing Jin’s personality and how much she disliked anything cumbersome or fiddly, she probably wouldn’t actually wear it out.

 

“It’s pretty. Really pretty. Thank you, Ruern.”

 

The moment she put it on and thanked him, Ruern’s gaze turned intense again, just like always.

 

He stared fixedly—at the earrings and necklace dangling from her ears and neck, at the new bracelet on her wrist—lingering for a long time before finally lifting his eyes to meet hers.

 

Every single time, Jin had to deliberately ignore the strange discomfort that stirred in her chest.

 

Facing someone else’s greed head-on was heavier than she’d expected. 

 

And knowing that she was the object of that greed only made it worse.

 

“Jin. The amount the guild pays to Moribelle for Odysseys is legitimate compensation for guiding our Espers. It’s completely separate from the gifts I give you from my heart. How many times do I have to say it? I know you’re pretending not to understand, but… just accept it.”

 

Ruern pouted slightly as he unfastened the bracelet from her wrist again and placed it back in the box.

 

He’d gotten to put it on her, and he’d seen how well it suited her—that was enough to satisfy him for now.

 

He’d mentioned recently getting a new safe installed.

 

It would be fine if one of the things inside it was something he’d given her. If he could fill that safe completely with things he’d given her, that alone would make him deeply content.

 

“Part of that guild money came from what you worked so hard to earn at the gates, you know? Dummy.”

 

Whether Jin nagged at him or not, Ruern—holding tightly onto the hand she’d extended through the barrier—wore that same fresh, bright smile today as always.

 

But contrary to that dazzling smile, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Jin overflowed with something heavy and viscous.

 

Ruern didn’t even try to hide it, and Jin deliberately pretended not to notice.

 

“I’m not going to be friends with you anymore.”

 

“You mean you want to break up our friendship?”

 

“That’s not what I—!”

 

“Ruern.”

 

“Not just friends! Can’t I be your boyfriend? I hate it so much when you guide other Espers. Even in the middle of a fight, just imagining you guiding someone else makes me furious. So guide only me. You’d like that too, right…?”

 

“Stop it, Ruern. Are we doing this again? Don’t you ever get tired?”

 

“How could I not?! Please—just let’s get imprinted. It would be good for you too—”

 

“If you’re going to keep this up, just go back. Calm down, and come find me again when you’ve changed your mind.”

 

“Jin!”

 

The years they’d spent growing up together hadn’t always been tender and sweet.

 

For Ruern, who had suffered through an especially intense puberty, those years had been particularly difficult.

 

Back then, his emotions had been completely beyond his control—he felt anxious all the time and sometimes exploded in anger.

 

Even though Jin clearly understood how he felt, she kept turning away, and that made him feel hurt and miserable over and over again.

 

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself from directing his anger at her, from pouring out all his rage. 

 

And even in those moments, he hated himself for it so much that he would cry and cry.

 

When the hormonal storm finally began to subside, Ruern had breathed a sigh of relief, thinking everything would be okay from then on.