Isn't It Love?

The fragrant breath from a face only inches away, and the palm pressed against a girl’s chest—honestly, it made Kai’s heart beat a little faster, even though the expression he showed was quite flat.

He never thought Lily would be this brave, just as Kai expected from a character known for her RNG. This girl was truly the "final boss"; compared to all the capture targets, only Lily was someone Kai couldn’t predict.

Impulsive? Maybe. Kai stared into those unblinking eyes, his heart pounding, her lips slightly parted like an invitation to kiss.

"..."

"..."

Both Kai and Lily stared at each other in silence, before moving the hand that was buried against Lily’s left chest to stroke her cheek.

"Hmm..." A soft sound escaped Lily, a purr like a cat’s, her eyes closing for a moment as Kai’s hand caressed her cheek.

I’ve messed up too much...

Kai reflects about his act that happened recently. He had messed up many things since reincarnating in this world. In his mind, sometimes he still thought that the world he was in now was a "game," even though he also sometimes considered this world real.

Kai, Risa, Lily, Chloe, and Daisy—he was a game character he once played. He was Ryan, reincarnated as a villain named "Kai," nothing more.

He just didn’t want to die. Because in Risa’s character ending, "Kai’s" fate always ended in death. That’s why he tried to make amends with Risa as quickly as possible, just so he wouldn’t die.

I’m so selfish now... I’m really a bad person, aren’t I?

This world, once again, this world and the people living in it—they are people with thoughts and feelings. As someone who knows things others don’t understand, he couldn’t just move behind the scenes and step in only if "Ren" failed.

Ryan Anemone wasn’t that kind of person. He was a guy who held the principle of always being useful to others. Mimi, Arisa, and his old friends always thought Ryan was an easygoing guy, the type suitable to be a husband. But as a boyfriend, he was really boring because he was a bit naive.

Naive... I think that’s better than pretending not to care and only moving to get praise.

If you want to be evil, be thoroughly evil. Don’t make trash look like a flower.

If I’ve already messed up this much, screw the routes. Whether I die or live in the end, I want to be friends with many people because I can’t carry all these burdens alone. There’s no quick load or quick save feature. I’m not a prophet sent from another world. I’m just a normal person given a second chance to live again.

Kai brought his face closer, lips almost touching. Lily’s eyes opened. This close view was truly breathtaking. Their breaths mingled and could be smelled by their noses.

"This is my first time..."

Lily smiled gracefully, moving her palm to reach Kai’s cheek to lean on.

"Me too... please treat me gently."

Lily closed her eyes again, her lips slightly parted, waiting for Kai to take them. Kai brought his lips closer, his eyes closed, and—their lips met.

In the gloomy city, with raindrops falling on the roof of this slide structure, the two teenagers were making out very clumsily.

Kai had never kissed anyone, and neither had Lily. This was their first kiss. Only a minute passed before they were gasping because they forgot to breathe.

"Haa... haa... that felt weird." Lily touched her lips, her eyes half-lidded as if carried away by the comfortable mood. "...I heard that kissing should use the tongue, not just lip touching."

"...You have fiancé."

"Yeah... how do you know?"

"Just a lucky guess." Kai pulled his face back and put some distance between them. "Sorry... I was a bit impulsive earlier."

"It’s okay."

Lily leaned back while still touching her lips. The sensation remained. The rain continued to pour over the city, and in silence, Kai and Lily just watched the rain.

No words were created or heard, except for the raindrops.

There was no awkwardness. They both just chose to stay quiet. Sink into their own minds. Who knows what Lily and Kai were thinking.

Was that kiss a mistake, or was it the start of something new? Who knows. None of it mattered.

But surely it wasn’t love.

Lily placed her palm on her left chest. The heartbeat was still normal. Even "Iris" seemed to feel that the kiss meant nothing.

An empty kiss.

On the other side, Kai also watched the rain. He didn’t feel anything either. His impulsiveness earlier was impulsive behavior. Even though his "Ryan" side had tried to hit the brakes, in the end he was still childish... he wasn’t fully mature yet.

So this is how I am... pathetic.

For hours, they both just sat in silence, until eventually the rain stopped. The sky was still overcast, but the raindrops were gone.

Without exchanging a single word, both Lily and Kai stood up and climbed down from the slide structure.

The truancy they had been doing together had truly gone beyond their expectations. Holding their own umbrellas, they walked out of the park with distance between them.

"I’m going home now. Thanks for today."

Lily smiled at Kai, then turned around and walked away.

Catch up to her—that’s what Kai would probably do. But his feet seemed to tell him to go home and let Lily go.

Haa... what am I thinking? I don’t know anything anymore.

Kai the coward left the park without looking back at Lily, who was starting to disappear from view. The journey home somehow felt faster than taking the bus.

Kai walked like an empty, dazed person. Reaching home, he quickly entered and took off his shoes.

"Ahh~ welcome back... big brother...?"

Kai walked past Risa as if he didn’t care about his little sister’s presence. He went up the stairs and entered his room, tossing his bag onto the floor before throwing himself onto the bed.

"Big brother..."

Risa saw her brother lying face down, pressing his face into the pillow. She hesitated whether to go in or not, but seeing her beloved brother looking so lost, she walked over slowly and then lay down beside him.

Hugging Kai, Risa gently patted his head.

"I’m here..."