Even the hardest iron will soften at tis.
Just like even the truest man needs rest and sleep.
At least Sam slept exceptionally well, and whatever the girl in his arms was mumbling about him didn't matter.
Wait.
If she still had the energy to curse him, that was indeed his mistake.
But as the boy left Angel's house with a particularly straight back today, he felt a sense of pride.
After all...
After a night of madness, a certain hard-headed girl couldn't even get up and had to call in sick first thing in the morning.
Isn't that a mont worth commorating?
The sunlight today seed even brighter than yesterday.
---
Today was undoubtedly a special day for a boy nad Daniel.
Sitting in the classroom, he looked towards the window.
At the girl who seed so radiant under the sunlight.
Daniel didn't know when he first noticed this girl nad Isabella. Perhaps... it was a long ti ago, after all, no one in this school could ignore her presence.
Daniel still rembered his first conversation with her.
"Daniel, you don't have to take everything on yourself. I'm not a girl who can't do anything."
That was during one of the few school events they participated in together. Daniel felt that as a boy, he should take on more work.
But unexpectedly, she noticed his thoughts and smiled, saying those words to him.
Her smile that day stayed in Daniel's mory.
Although he didn't have many opportunities to talk to her or get closer.
As long as he could see her smile, it seed to genuinely make him feel good.
He enjoyed that feeling, and he knew exactly what his problem was.
It was nothing more than eting soone he couldn't help but fall for at this age.
It's normal, right? Everyone says it's normal, and his friends told him the sa.
"Daniel, liking a girl is the most normal thing. We can like anyone because liking soone is everyone's right. But... should you keep this beautiful yet bittersweet feeling in your heart, or give yourself a reason to speak up and leave no regrets..."
These words echoed in his mind.
If he could keep avoiding it, Daniel wouldn't be so conflicted or nervous.
He could continue pretending nothing was wrong, continue pretending he was just like any other student in the classroom, with a simple, ordinary relationship...
But.
Winter had co, and the holidays were approaching.
And... next year would be their last sester.
They would soon go their separate ways, and if he didn't say sothing now, he might never have the chance. If he didn't say sothing, the courage he had built up over these days might slowly dissipate.
So Daniel took a deep breath.
He took out his phone and sent a ssage to the girl.
[Isabella, can I talk to you after school?]
He was nervous.
After sending the ssage, he saw the girl by the window quickly look down at her phone.
Then she turned around, looking at him with so surprise.
At that mont, Daniel's heart pounded.
He thought Isabella was very smart and a girl with her own way of life, very beautiful.
Would she see through him? If she did... what would happen? Would she reject him outright? Or...
[Okay, I understand.]
She turned back as if nothing had happened.
Daniel looked at the ssage, feeling restless.
He knew the chances were slim. After all, in the whole school, he was just an ordinary guy, average height, average looks, no special talents, just another NPC in the ga of life.
But this was youth.
This was a once-in-a-lifeti, no-second-chance youth.
If a person couldn't leave so deep mories in their youth, even if they were embarrassing or regrettable... wouldn't that be too ordinary?
What if... just what if?
With a nervous heart, Daniel waited behind the school building after class, in a quiet, deserted spot, for the girl to arrive.
He was relieved that Isabella hadn't forgotten.
But he couldn't help feeling nervous.
She was like the sunlight that could shine into the cracks of his life, reaching the most vulnerable part of his heart, walking towards him.
Her expression was as gentle and elegant as always.
"Daniel, you called here. Is there sothing you want to say?"
She asked with a smile.
Seeing her smile, Daniel felt speechless.
He clenched his fists.
He knew he couldn't back out now. He knew he had to muster all his courage.
People often say youth is bittersweet, full of regrets, but also passionate.
Not because of the mistakes made, the childishness, how laughable or regrettable they were. But because everyone knows that in the future, there might not be another chance to make mistakes, to take risks.
Daniel found it hard to smile normally. He felt his gaze betrayed him.
He tried to smile.
"Isabella... I want to know... if..."
If...
Still using such a cowardly word.
"If I like you... do I have a chance?"
As he said this under her clear gaze, Daniel felt all his strength drain away.
His hands and feet went numb, his brain might be congested.
He felt he could barely stand.
He was dazed.
But he saw that Isabella's expression didn't change, still gentle and elegant, as if her emotions were unaffected.
So... she already knew?
Isabella looked calmly at the boy in front of her.
Not very familiar, but not a stranger either, a classmate.
She didn't need much ti to think. She just chose her words carefully.
"Daniel, I rember you said your goal is Kuhang University, right?"
"...You rember?"
Daniel was surprised she rembered what he had said in front of her a few days ago.
But why did she rember? Not answering directly... did she want him to get in first and then...
"I just rembered. I have a good mory. I hope you achieve your goal. Study hard."
Then Isabella smiled, her words gentle.
But his heart sank.
Sotis, not answering is the best answer.
Everyone knows, when you ask the most direct question to the person you want to ask the most, and they don't answer directly, it ans sothing.
It's like sending a ssage to soone late at night, and not getting a reply. You should know.
It's not that they didn't see it, or didn't answer.
Not answering is an answer.
But... Daniel felt a bit unwilling, or rather, he needed a definitive answer to accept it.
"So Isabella, you an..."
Isabella nodded gently.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"...Ah, I see. It's okay, I knew I didn't have much hope, but I didn't expect you to actually co..."
Daniel tried to smile through the bitterness.
He knew he must look ridiculous, like a clown.
But he didn't want her to feel sorry for rejecting him.
Isabella just smiled.
"Because I think it takes a lot of courage to do this. Sotis we should respect others' bravery. So I thought a formal answer would be better."
How could there be such a perfect girl to have a crush on like Isabella?
Daniel thought.
Her words didn't lessen his bitterness, but... she gave him dignity.
She was really gentle.
She was truly a Divine ssenger.
But unfortunately, she was Isabella, and he was just Daniel...
"I understand. Thank you, Isabella."
"Alright, then... goodbye."
"Goodbye..."
Watching her turn away, Daniel felt the sting of regret.
The sting of heartbreak.
Is this youth? It really tastes like green apples.
But she hadn't gone far when Daniel sighed.
"Hmm? Sam!"
"Damn! You scared ... Senior, why are you hiding here? Trying to scare people?"
"Hehe, didn't expect that, did you? I was hiding to catch you. Now get ready to be arrested!"
"Don't stick your hands into soone's collar in the middle of winter!"
"Don't run! No running!"
The distant figures.
The distant laughter.
It seed like a scene Daniel had hoped for, but it was happening to soone else.
Sam...?
The na sounded familiar. Daniel didn't know him, but that boy looked handso... at least more fitting for that girl.
But Daniel's vision blurred.
---
"Senior, you weren't waiting there just for , were you?"
Sam noticed sothing, of course. He wasn't omniscient, but seeing a boy wiping his eyes and sneaking away made him think of so possibilities.
Isabella seed normal, walking beside Sam, still sweet and beautiful.
"Junior Sam, do you hope I was there just for you?"
"Of course not, but why the change in address again?"
Sam didn't know why this girl liked changing how she addressed him.
Sotis it was Sam, now it was Junior Sam.
Isabella laughed, her laughter in the sunset was a beautiful mory.
Especially seeing Isabella like this made Sam think of those not-so-straightforward girls.
Being straightforward is a rare quality.
"Junior Sam, looking at one woman while thinking about another is very annoying, you know?"
Isabella winked at Sam.
Sam blushed.
"No way... and stop calling that."
"Okay, Junior Sam."
"...You're sothing else."
"Junior Sam, have you ever been confessed to by a girl?"
She suddenly asked.
"So you were confessed to just now?"
"Is it polite to answer a question with a question?"
"Oh... I've received confession letters."
"How did you feel?"
Isabella seed curious.
Sam thought for a mont.
"At first, maybe a bit smug, thinking I must be really charming, satisfying my vanity. Later, it didn't feel like much."
"Doesn't it feel like a burden?"
"Should it? Being liked... should that be a burden? They didn't affect my life, they just liked this handso, charming . What's wrong with that?"
"...Impressive, Junior."
"I'm gentle, right?"
"You're really shaless."
Sam rolled his eyes.
Isabella laughed, walking a few steps ahead, the cold wind blowing.
She sighed.
"It seems you don't care much about being confessed to."
"Why should I? That's your business."
Sam answered calmly.
Isabella pouted slightly.
"What if I accept soone's confession one day?"
"Then I'll congratulate you. What else is there to say?"
"Forget it, you're slippery. Talking to you is pointless. Don't you have anything else to ask ?"
Isabella seed to give up and changed the subject.
Sam shook his head.
"No."
"Aren't you curious why I proposed that club activity yesterday?"
"Well, a bit curious. But digging into everything takes away the fun."
"You think the proposal is interesting, right?"
"I think it's a bit far-fetched, hard to achieve."
"Why?"
Sam and Isabella walked on the increasingly deserted street outside the school, fallen leaves covering the ground.
"Because getting them to exchange gifts is hard, and I don't think they're genuinely at that level of relationship... If they do it, it'll probably be solved with money. As for satisfaction, what's the standard? Even you can't define it."
Isabella smiled.
She looked up at the setting sun.
"Sam... I don't really expect this to succeed. I don't even care if it happens."
Sam turned to her, puzzled.
"Then what's the point?"
Isabella smiled, like a mountain coffee flower.
"Chasing aning in everything is boring, isn't it? And now I suddenly think this proposal might succeed."
"Where do you get that feeling? Mind-reading?"
Sam didn't think it would work. Just getting Sophie to give a gift... seed tough.
Isabella put her finger to her lips, mysteriously.
"Not mind-reading, it's a secret. Just wait and see. Want to bet?"
"...Bet on what?"
Sam squinted.
Isabella fearlessly said.
"Whoever loses fulfills one wish for the other."
"No limits?"
Sam looked at her suspiciously.
Isabella smiled, her lips like tempting jelly.
"Anything goes..."
Then there's no reason not to agree, right?
No.
Sam felt she was deliberately making him think that... why did it feel like a trap?
But if it could happen... it wouldn't matter if it was a trap.
In other words.
This bet... Sam wouldn't lose either way.
But that's what makes it strange!
What is this girl thinking?
She stood in the wind, her long hair flowing.
Like a beautiful wandering traveler.
She would appear in anyone's world for various reasons, and wherever she appeared, she would leave special and interesting stories...
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