“Good.”
Reiji’s eyes curved gently, clearly pleased by her answer.
["The contract is complete. Then, I look forward to seeing you again."]
Guru, who understood only the word good, raised her hand high and waved it from side to side.
“Owkay! Den bye-bye, Mistuh!”
“Bye-bye......”
Reiji waved back—but then suddenly froze, eyes locked on something.
“Why?”
“Is that child your friend too?”
At his question, Guru tilted her head and looked in the direction he pointed.
The kid coming down the potato path looking startled was definitely...
“Woojoo?!”
Woojoo recoiled in shock and mumbled,
“W-Why are you here...?”
“Whaaa?”
Guru puffed out her cheeks.
She should be the one asking that!
He said he was going to hang out with a fwiend! A new fwiend Gwuu didn’t even knoow about!
Just then, Woojoo’s face went pale and he suddenly bolted.
“Woojoooo!”
Guru took off after him, and Mephisto shot through the air right behind her.
By the time Veilach turned around, Amakusa Reiji was already long gone.
Why is Gwuu here? Isn’t it her sports day? Who was that man...?
The shock of unexpectedly running °• N o v e l i g h t •° into her had scrambled Woojoo’s thoughts and made him panic and flee!
Once he no longer heard footsteps behind him, he skidded to a halt and looked back.
What if she got caught by that weird guy...?!
He had to protect her.
But when he turned around, Guru was just standing there quietly, her head hanging low.
“Gwuu...”
“......Why Woojoo avoiding Gwuu?”
“That’s...”
“Did Woojoo get a new fwiend who bettew dan Gwuu?”
“No, no! It’s not that!”
“Gwuu heawd Woojoo on da phone. Yoo no wanna be wit Gwuu no mowe?”
“No, it’s not like that! Haa...”
Woojoo’s face twisted with discomfort. If he’d known she was listening in on that call, he never would’ve said those things.
His head and heart were a mess of tangled threads he couldn’t begin to untie.
He knew he wasn’t acting like himself.
He just—really, just—tried to avoid everything. Like that would magically fix it.
But all avoiding had done was leave disappointment on Guru’s and his dad’s faces.
You didn’t gain anything by running away.
Finally, Woojoo shut his eyes tight and spoke.
“...It’s because...”
“Huh?”
“I was embarrassed...”
“Embawwassed about what?”
Woojoo slowly opened his eyes.
“I awakened.”
“Reawwy?!”
Guru’s reaction was cheerful, but Woojoo bit down hard on his lower lip with a sullen look.
He muttered so quietly it nearly disappeared,
“...It’s F-rank. I was embarrassed.”
“So what? What’s wong wif dat? Teachuh said most kids don’t awaken till schoow. Said it’s a big deal if dey do!”
“But compared to you or the older guys... I’m so weak. I didn’t want to show that.”
The sports day was a stage for awakened students to shine.
The whole school had buzzed with anticipation over the older guys. Even the buzz around S-Ranks had felt real.
The ones they shared lunch and jokes with—those were seriously powerful people.
S-Ranks.
And him? He was just an F-rank.
Not even a cool skill. Just one lame F-rank power.
[Grow-Grow-Grow! (F): Helps crops grow rapidly!]
Today, he’d snuck in to secretly help Guru’s potatoes grow.
Because he’d felt bad that she was disappointed he wasn’t joining the events...
He figured... even an F-rank could at least do that.
If he’d known Guru was eating lunch in the garden, he never would’ve come.
But thanks to his dumb decision, now she knew he was F-rank.
I wish I’d never awakened at all...
These days, Woojoo really wanted to be good at things.
He’d kept up with his studies and passed the pre-school course. His acting career was gaining momentum. He helped Guru grow potatoes with all his heart.
Everything.
“Because I wanna look cool... to you.”
He finally said the words he’d buried deep in his heart.
Everything he’d done to act like he knew stuff in front of her... it was all because he wanted her to think he was cool.
The way he thought she was.
Searching for Guru’s pictures online, reading every article about her, buying Guru merch and piling it up in his room...
Guru doesn’t do anything like that back though...
Huh?
Suddenly realizing the truth, Woojoo’s lips trembled.
If you like someone, isn’t that the kind of stuff you do?
Even just as a fan?
His heart pounded like a drum inside his chest.
Come to think of it, Guru had never done any of that toward him.
It was all his manager hyung hyping things up beside him.
So then...
Guru doesn’t actually like me?
For real?
Trying to look cool, collecting her merch, clipping her videos, saving her photos and looking at them every day...
He was the only one doing all that.
It was like... he was the only one obsessed with her.
A chill ran down his spine, and his vision spun.
Woojoo couldn’t bring himself to look at her and bowed his head low.
Is dis fo’ weal?!
Was he seriously the only one who liked Guru, while smugly assuming she liked him back?!
Horrifying.
Woojoo clapped both hands over his mouth.
The truth he’d just realized hit him so hard, he felt nauseous from the shame.
Silence stretched between them.
And then suddenly—
“Woojoo’s pwetty!”
Jolt!
Woojoo’s eyes widened in blank confusion. His whole face flushed red like a ripe tomato.
“Wh-What?!”
But Guru didn’t stop. She raised her fingers and started counting them one by one.
“An’! Yoo say smawt wowds, actin’ good, evewyone wike yoo, an’ you knoow a wot!”
“T-That’s just...”
Woojoo stammered, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes from embarrassment.
Compared to all the amazing things Guru had, none of his felt like a big deal.
But Guru smiled brightly and said,
“Woojoo is aweady coow! You gweat!”
He’d always wanted to hear those words from her.
But now that he had... he realized that wasn’t what he truly wanted.
He wanted something that reached deeper. Something that felt impossible to contain.
“Feew bettew now?”
Woojoo rubbed his flushed face with the back of his hand.
“...For now, just knowing that’s how you feel is enough.”
“Otay?”
“Mm—”
Avoiding it hadn’t suited him.
Woojoo was a pretty competitive guy.
He’d made it this far after countless auditions. He knew from experience that falling behind didn’t mean you’d lose in the end.
“—For now.”
He nodded, firmly resolving himself.
Next to him, Veilach suddenly shrank down.
Guru sighed deeply at the hamster form and scooped him into her bag.
Woojoo gave a small gasp of awe, like he always did when seeing it.
After she’d revealed she was S-rank, Guru had also told him about Veilach.
Guru, who could turn an SSS-class monster into a hamster without blinking.
She really is amazing...
Woojoo clamped his lips shut.
“Woojoo, wanna go wun a wace wit Gwuu?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
Woojoo took her hand and led the way.
Guru trotted behind him, chattering away.
“Gotta twy weawwy hawd. Gwuu wanna win a pwize.”
“Yeah.”
Woojoo looked back and smiled at her.
“I’ll definitely win it for you.”
No matter how you feel right now.
Even if I’m behind for now, I can win everything.
I’ll make you feel it, make your heart race, and make you think I’m the coolest.
Because this time for real... I’m going to become your number one.

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