My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100

“Wow, what a traitor.”
Someone seemed to say that.
It was obviously Tyler.
But Randy’s enthusiastic outburst quickly revived the atmosphere.
“Melissa, I missed you.”
“I didn’t miss you much.”
Undeterred by Melissa’s cold response, Randy rubbed his face all over her shoulder.
‘Ah, so that’s how they work as a couple.’
But seeing that Melissa didn’t push him away, she didn’t seem to dislike him entirely.
I was watching them warmly when Aemerus openly expressed his displeasure.
“How much longer are you going to keep staring at other people?”
Strangely, everyone except me seemed more surprised by those words.
“Aemerus can say things like that?”
“So the captain really is in a relationship….”
Aemerus hadn’t dated any girl throughout his entire high school years.
It was surprising enough that he’d started dating so late, around graduation, but the fact that he was acting like a puppy begging for his owner’s attention, so unlike himself, was remarkable.
“Ha ha….”
I was laughing awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
Right on cue, the photographer called out to us.
“Next couple, please come over!”
“Oh, that’s us.”
Samantha raised her hand and stood up.
“Finally, it’s my turn.”
Tyler, her partner, also straightened his collar and spoke with determination.
‘Should I just leave those two alone?’
Strictly speaking, the photographer and an assistant were there too, but if Tyler were to demand some difficult pose….
‘That won’t do.’
Staying here would only make me worry.
“I want to watch you two get your photos taken.”
As I said this and stood up, Casey and Melissa also got to their feet.
“I’ll help you with poses alongside Lili.”
“Oh, then I will too.”
“I want to go as well.”
As the girls moved together, their partners, the boys, followed along in confusion.
“What, when did you all become so close?”
All the boys here were ice hockey players from school.
The bond we shared from competing together through the finals was special, but not with these women.
Women who had nothing in common except being hockey players showed awkwardness toward each other from the moment they boarded the limousine.
Yet when I stepped away briefly, they had clustered together so tightly that it was surprising.
But I had no intention of revealing the answer.
Harry exchanged knowing smiles with the women and watched as Samantha and Tyler posed for photographs.
“Is there any particular pose you’d like to try?”
The photographer asked the two of them, who were fumbling uncertainly about what position to take.
Then Tyler answered with confidence.
With onlookers gathered around, he was in quite an elevated state.
“I’ll lift Samantha up into the air.”
“Are you copying Aemerus right now?”
A ripple of commotion ran through the watching women.
There was no patent on a photograph pose, so there was nothing wrong with someone copying it.
But the problem was that the contact between the two would become more intimate.
“Doesn’t seem like a good idea?”
“Yeah, anyone can see you’re just copying Aemerus.”
“What do you mean copying who?”
The moment Aemerus’s name was mentioned, Tyler bristled.
Still, the women paid no attention and continued chattering.
“What if you drop Samantha while holding her up?”
“Or if your front teeth break again….”
“No! I’m not doing it!”
Apparently Tyler disliked having his front teeth broken three times even outside of hockey matches, so he changed his mind.
In the end, Tyler simply held Samantha’s hand and finished the shoot.
“Like Mormon missionaries.”
Tyler’s grumbling was drowned out by the women’s shower of praise.
“The photos look beautiful—what’s the problem?”
“Right. They really turned out great, Samantha.”
“You can call me Sam.”
Samantha blushed shyly and permitted them to use her nickname.
‘How adorable.’
The women, now much closer, surrounded Samantha like penguins in the middle and finished watching the next couple’s shoot.
“Shoot’s finished!”
“Woohoo!”
“I’m starving—let’s go eat dinner now.”
All the shoots were complete with New York’s sunset as the backdrop.
After applauding the hardworking photographer and assistants, we boarded the limousine and headed straight to the restaurant.
“Welcome. Let me show you to your table.”
Thanks to Aemerus having made a reservation, we were shown directly to a private room.
“I heard this restaurant is difficult to book. How did you manage it?”
Harry walked arm-in-arm with Aemerus, whispering her question to him.
Since her parents ran a restaurant, Harry had picked up quite a bit about the business over the years.
Seeing her fascination, Aemerus smiled.
“This is one of the restaurants my father invested in. That’s why making a reservation was so much easier.”
“Oh….”
So this was what people meant by the “dad advantage.”
Harry nodded in understanding.
“Please pass along my thanks to your father.”
I would have preferred to thank him in person.
But having experienced firsthand how busy Mr. Huntington was back in Canada, I chose to convey my gratitude through Aemerus instead.
“I will.”
Smiling, Aemerus pulled out Harry’s chair for her.
After helping her sit, he took his place across from her.
Randy then sat beside Harry, with Melissa settling across from him.
After the group finished seating themselves in alternating rows, a brief silence fell over the table, but it was quickly broken.
“Lili, I took some photos of you and Aemerus during the photoshoot earlier. Want to see them?”
“Really? Show me.”
The photos Melissa had taken on her phone turned out quite well.
Seeing that Harry was pleased with them, Melissa made an offer.
“If you’d like, I can send these to you. The official photos from today will take a bit longer, they said….”
“Of course I’d love that!”
The two of them exchanged phone numbers right then and there.
“I can’t believe I’m only getting your number now, right before graduation.”
Melissa laughed sheepishly as she sent over the photos.
Harry felt equally embarrassed.
‘I should have made more of an effort to connect with everyone around me.’
I felt a twinge of regret about my past self, who had blindly believed that Jessie alone was enough.
“I took the photos of Melissa. Don’t you both look absolutely adorable? You and Randy too?”
“I want to see them too!”
Once the conversation started flowing, it continued uninterrupted.
In the comfortable atmosphere, Harry and Aemerus exchanged knowing smiles with each other.
After drinks arrived and the course meal began, someone knocked on the private room door.
At first, I naturally assumed it was a waiter coming to clear the plates.
But the moment the door opened and I saw who had entered, the boys shot up from their seats like fresh recruits snapping to attention.
“Devon Knox…!”
“What an honor to meet you, Coach!”
It was Devon Knox, Riverside School’s pride and a legendary ice hockey player.
He currently served as a coach for the New York Hunters, a professional ice hockey team in New York.
Since several players at the school dreamed of joining the New York Hunters, his sudden appearance naturally caused quite a stir.
“I heard some of my juniors were dining here, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“An interruption? That’s nonsense!”
“Please, sit here!”
While the men wagged their tails like dogs who’d discovered a treat, Aemerus Huntington, who had been sitting farthest from the door, slowly rose from his seat.
“I’ll ask for an additional glass.”
At Aemerus Huntington’s suggestion, Devon Knox smiled and politely declined.
“I’m not planning to stay long. I only came here for the twins’ birthday, so I need to leave soon.”
“Ah, Coach, you have twin children, don’t you?”
“Happy birthday!”
“It’s not my birthday, but thank you.”
The women exchanged knowing glances as they watched the men eagerly vying for Devon Knox’s favor.
Only Aemerus Huntington, who had no interest in becoming a hockey player, maintained his composed demeanor.
“How are your twins? They seem like they’d have a talent for hockey, taking after you.”
Even this legendary player, who had been named the NHL’s best player three years in a row at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award ceremony, was no different from any other father when it came to talking about his children.
“Teaching my son hockey was my dream. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much interest in it. He must take after my wife—his eyes light up only when he watches figure skating.”
“Your wife was a figure skater, wasn’t she?”
“That’s right. At least my daughter shows interest in hockey, so that’s a relief.”
Though he spoke with feigned reluctance, it was impossible not to see how proud he truly was of his twins.
‘Hmm… I wonder who a child born between me and Aemerus would resemble.’
Quite unexpectedly, I found myself curious about that.
While I was lost in thought, Devon Knox began preparing to leave.
“Congratulations on winning the league championship this year. The Coach has his eye on you all, so make sure you do well on the upcoming recruitment exam.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We won’t disappoint you!”
Devon Knox, who had been smiling at the male students saluting like soldiers, turned his gaze toward Aemerus Huntington.
“Aemerus Huntington. I remember your name. Is it still true that you have no intention of becoming a hockey player?”
“I apologize.”
“That’s not something you need to apologize for.”
However, Devon Knox couldn’t completely hide his disappointment.
“There was another player in Minnesota before who ran like a wolf. I went all the way to scout him, and he turned me down, saying he wasn’t interested in hockey…”
“You mean the Coach went all the way there personally, and he still declined?”
The men were indignant, as if they could never forgive a man who had kicked away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with his own feet.
“I heard he recently married his first love. Since he seems happy, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Soon after, Devon Knox changed the subject.
“Today’s meal is on me to treat my juniors. When you meet your juniors later, treat them well too.”
“Thank you!”
“It’s an honor, Coach!”
Even after Devon Knox left, the excitement didn’t fade.
As everyone chattered loudly, Aemerus Huntington, who had been observing me carefully, asked quietly.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“Did your taste in hair color change from blonde to brown?”
Harry nearly spat out the food in her mouth.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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