My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 5

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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 5

After finishing lunch with Aemerus, I headed to the Girls’ Restroom.
I gargled briefly and dried my hands with a paper towel when I felt eyes on me from somewhere.
When I looked up, my gaze met that of several female students watching me through the mirror.
“Hey, Liri.”
“Hey.”
The nickname Liri that Jessie had given me remained at the school even after he graduated.
There was something ironic about it, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
“You’ve been getting pretty close with Aemerus lately.”
“Oh…”
I wondered why these girls, who usually only exchanged nods with me, suddenly started talking to me—but of course.
I shrugged my shoulders as if it were nothing.
“Jessie was close with Aemerus, so when he graduated, he asked Aemerus to look after me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, those two were pretty close.”
Once the girls learned that Aemerus and I were nothing special to each other, they finally relaxed their guard and became warm toward me.
“How’s JJ doing?”
“He’s doing well, thanks for asking.”
“I saw a photo shoot JJ did recently. Tell him it looked really cool.”
“Sure, I will.”
Hearing such things, I felt a little proud, as if I had become someone special to Jessie.
‘Well, we’re childhood friends, so I suppose I am special.’
After exchanging pleasantries about Jessie for a while, the girls finally got to their real purpose.
“By the way, do you know if Aemerus has decided who he’s going to Homecoming with? We thought you might know, Liri.”
“You’re the one who spends the most time with Aemerus among all of us.”
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
When I used to stick to Jessie like we were one person, I was often asked questions about him just like this.

‘Does JJ have a girl he likes?’
‘Who’s JJ going to the dance with this time?’
‘Is JJ attending the summer camp too?’

This time, it seemed the only thing that changed was the subject—from Jessie to Aemerus.
‘I suppose I was born for this role.’
The information broker in dramas and movies—the one who feeds the female lead details about the male protagonist.
Wasn’t that precisely my function?
There was a time when I harbored the foolish dream that I might be the heroine myself, but well.
Now I know my place.
“I’m not really sure about that. I don’t talk to Aemerus much.”
The girls burst into laughter despite not getting the answer they wanted.
“You two really don’t seem close.”
“At first, I thought the teacher just forced you two together.”
“Ha ha….”
I forced a laugh along with them.
At least to everyone else’s eyes, we appeared distant—and for that, I was grateful.
It meant Faye wouldn’t see me as some white man-obsessed girl, and that small consolation was enough.
“Well, pay attention in class.”
I slipped out of the Girls’ Restroom, my energy completely drained.
But there was still one more hurdle waiting for me.
The moment I spotted Aemerus leaning against the wall near the restroom with his arms crossed, a heavy sigh escaped me.
“You don’t have to follow me around like this.”
I voiced my complaint, but Aemerus didn’t even pretend to listen.
“Just keep your promise.”
With that, all he did was jerk his chin toward the Classroom.

***

After all the classes ended.
Though it was precious free time, I found myself at the Shopping Mall with Aemerus.
‘This is all because of Homecoming.’
The topic had come up in conversation, and now I was stuck with this pointless outing.

‘I know JJ’s taste well. I’ll help you pick out a dress.’

Fine. I’ll admit it. The mistake I made in yielding to Aemerus over just one word was significant.
But from her perspective, she couldn’t help but be tempted.
Jessie’s taste in women—something even her childhood friend didn’t know!
I had no idea what kind of woman he liked.
Whenever we were together, Jessie never brought up other women, after all.
But between the boys, he must have been exchanging conversations about what kind of women they preferred.
For that reason, I’d made plans with Aemerus and ended up coming all the way here.
‘Did I make a mistake?’
I was already regretting it slightly.
Whether Aemerus read my expression—how I wanted to go home immediately, dress or no dress—he opened the shop door wide.
“Let’s go in.”
There was no way I could tell him to turn back when he stood there so firmly.
Reluctantly, I stepped inside, and the shop owner greeted us both.
“Welcome. Riverside School?”
The owner glanced at the blue uniforms Aemerus and I were wearing and immediately guessed the school.
In truth, there weren’t many schools in New York that required uniforms.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Looking for a homecoming dress, I see. As they say, the diligent ones always get the prettiest dresses.”
“Well… I suppose so.”
“You’ve come at the perfect time. The new dresses I ordered just arrived.”
The owner led me forward with an excited expression.
As I was practically dragged along, Aemerus quietly followed behind me.
“How about this one?”
There was a separate corner displaying only the newly arrived dresses.
True to the owner’s word, they were all beautiful.
Now that I felt motivated, I picked up one dress. It was a black mini dress.
“May I try this one on?”
“Of course. The fitting room is over there.”
I thanked the owner briefly and looked at Aemerus.
He nodded at my gaze and spoke.
“I’ll wait here. Go change.”
Wait, I was asking what he thought of the dress…
Logically speaking, there was no reason to ask for his permission just to change clothes.
I looked at him with an incredulous expression and turned away abruptly.
Since he didn’t tell me to try on a different dress, I could only assume the one I’d chosen wasn’t bad.
“Oh my, we’ve found the dress’s true owner.”
When I emerged from the fitting room in the dress, the owner gasped in admiration.
From my perspective, it didn’t look bad either.
The beads embedded in the skirt sparkled like stars, as if I’d draped the night sky across my body.
Even now it looked this beautiful—under the lights at the homecoming, it would look far more stunning.
She fidgeted with the dress, adjusting its fit, before turning to face Aemerus.
“What do you think?”
But when I turned to look at him, his expression seemed oddly off.
His mouth hung open like a fool, and his eyes looking at me….
Just as I was about to look more closely, he suddenly whipped his face away.
“It’s pretty.”
His incomprehensible reaction made me embarrassed too.
‘What on earth?’
When the shop owner looked between us with an intrigued expression, I raised my voice and asked without thinking.
“Do you think JJ would like this dress?”
“Oh my, isn’t he your boyfriend?”
The owner looked at Aemerus with surprised eyes.
It seemed she had assumed we were dating, or at least on the verge of it.
It was worth saying JJ instead of Jessie, lest she think he was a girl.
“He’s just a friend who came to help me pick out a dress.”
“Ah, I see.”
The owner patted Aemerus on the shoulder and went to attend to another customer.
Whether it was an apology for the misunderstanding or consolation, I couldn’t tell.
Soon, left alone together, an awkward silence settled between us.
“Well…. Since I’m here, should I try something else on?”
I was pretending to browse the clothes when Aemerus suddenly approached.
“Try this one.”
His voice came from far too close.
Startled, I lifted my head and froze.
Aemerus’s green eyes were literally right in front of my face.
My heart began to race at a distance where one wrong move would bring our lips together.
“I-I’ll go try it on.”
I had no idea what color the dress he handed me was as I bolted toward the fitting room.
“Why did he suddenly get so close like that….”
Even now, far from Aemerus, his cologne lingered at the tip of my nose.
A scent like gliding across a frozen lake, cutting through the crisp winter air—sharp and crystalline.
It was a fragrance that suited him perfectly as an ice hockey player.
It felt even more vivid because it was so distinctly different from Jessie’s warm, cottony scent.
“Forget it.”
Here I was, smelling another man’s cologne when it wasn’t even Jessie.
I found myself regretting once again whether coming here with Aemerus had truly been the right decision.
I shook my head and changed into another dress, emerging from the fitting room.
“Not great.”
“Terrible.”
“Sigh….”
Aemerus rejected every dress she tried on.
The color didn’t suit her.
The neckline was too low.
By the end, he had run out of excuses. He simply sighed deeply without pretense.
“Go back to the first one.”
When they circled back to the original black mini dress she’d tried on, her irritation reached its peak.
Finally, Harry couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Aemerus, I really didn’t want to say this, but what exactly are you doing? I chose this dress myself, didn’t I?”
Even as she protested, Aemerus didn’t bat an eye.
“It’s JJ’s taste. I’m sure of it.”
“Really?”
“Trust me.”
Well, then.
Harry calmed herself, changed back into her school uniform, and paid for the dress.
She was about to suggest they part ways cleanly now that their business was done.
“Want to grab some ice cream?”
Before she knew it, she found herself seated at the Ice Cream Shop, having followed Aemerus inside.
I was too exhausted from shopping to resist.
Too drained to even argue with Aemerus when he casually paid for her ice cream as well.
After silently eating her ice cream and replenishing her depleted energy, she finally felt somewhat restored.
That’s when a familiar face entered her field of vision.
“Oh? It’s Jessie.”

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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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