My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 62

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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 62

We decided to have lunch inside the Cafeteria rather than at the outdoor tables.
It was an unavoidable choice, as the weather had grown quite cold even during the day.
“Ugh, so loud.”
With all the students gathered in one place, the Cafeteria was bound to be chaotic.
But today it seemed unusually rowdy.
“What’s going on?”
Just this morning, everyone had been dragging themselves through the day, suffering from Monday blues.
Now they seemed excited, as if they’d just watched some entertaining viral video.
Harry glanced at Aemerus with a questioning look, but he shook his head.
He’d been by my side since morning, so it was difficult for him to pick up on the rumors circulating around campus.
“It’s probably nothing important.”
Harry shook her head dismissively and took a spoonful of tomato soup.
Feeling the lingering fatigue from the trip, I deliberately chose hot soup instead of a cold sandwich.
“Ah…”
The warmth felt revitalizing.
Aemerus smiled silently as he watched her nod in satisfaction.
“Aren’t you eating?”
When Harry looked up, Aemerus’s expression became blank, as if he hadn’t just been watching and smiling at her.
“I will.”
“Okay.”
“How’s that song lyric writing going?”
“That was ages ago. I finished it and submitted it long since.”
The day after Halloween, I had completed all two verses of the song lyrics as if possessed and submitted them by email.
Now I was in the process of writing lyrics for an entirely new song.
“When will the results come out?”
“Probably next year? Though it could be sooner.”
I hadn’t sent the lyrics with great expectations in the first place.
That way, if the lyrics weren’t accepted, the disappointment wouldn’t be as severe.
“Your parents still don’t know?”
“No. I can tell them later when the results come out.”
I was having this casual conversation with Aemerus when it happened.
“So you two were here. We looked all over outside for you.”
The Hockey Team players appeared and crowded around our table, taking their seats.
Among them were faces Harry recognized.
It was Randy, who seemed to be the closest to Aemerus among the players.
“Hey, Randy. You found us?”
“Yeah. I heard a pretty outlandish rumor.”
An outlandish rumor?
Could it be about Aemerus?
Or perhaps a rumor involving both Aemerus and me.
“What kind of rumor?”
“Well, apparently Aemerus’s shoulders are fake. They’re saying it’s just padding sewn into his jacket. Does that even make sense?”
“Huh?”
It was false information I’d spread before Halloween.
And it was only now circulating around the school?
“Seriously?”
“Of course not! We know Aemerus’s body better than anyone!”
“…You realize how weird that sounds, right?”
“Yeah. That statement came across pretty gay.”
“What are you talking about! I like women!”
I shook my head in exasperation.
I hadn’t even asked whether Aemerus’s shoulders were real.
I was asking whether such a rumor was actually circulating.
“When did this rumor start?”
“I just heard it now, but it seems like it’s been going around for a while.”
“Ah…”
The only person who knew about Aemerus’s fake shoulders was Faye.
Could she really be a stalker?
Or was she just a loose-tongued gossip?
I exchanged a glance with Aemerus before turning to search for Faye.
As always, Faye was seated at a table with other Asian students.
‘I let my guard down because the stalker had been quiet, not even sending DMs to Aemerus for a while.’
While the investigation had made progress, I couldn’t bring myself to feel purely happy about it.
It would have been better if rumors spread that Aemerus and I were dating.
I swallowed a bitter taste.
“But what if the rumor is actually true?”
“What?”
“Tyler, are you out of your mind?”
Not just I, but the other players too stared at Tyler with bewildered eyes.
The only one who didn’t look surprised was Aemerus.
“I mean, isn’t it true? Even if we’ve seen Aemerus’s body, it’s only for a brief moment when he’s showering or getting dressed. I think it’s stranger that Randy is so confident about it.”
I couldn’t understand why poor Randy was being singled out.
The others’ reactions seemed no different from mine, so Tyler pressed harder to convince them.
“Why are you making those faces? Were you all creepily peeking at Aemerus’s naked body? Are you all gay?”
Randy shot back with an exasperated expression.
“If we don’t listen to you, does that make us all gay?”
“My elementary school niece that I saw last weekend is far more logical than you.”
As another player chimed in, Tyler clamped his mouth shut with a displeased expression.
He seemed to realize that no one was on his side.
“Would it help if I proved it?”
It was Aemerus, unexpectedly, who broke the silence.
“Proved it? What do you mean?”
“My shoulder.”
“Right now?”
“Here?”
The players seemed startled at first, but soon grew excited and egged him on.
“Yeah, why not? Show us what you’re made of!”
Only Harry and Tyler appeared to be completely lost.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“What’s he going to show?”
“Who’s taking off their clothes?”
As the hockey players, whose voices boomed as loudly as their builds, made a commotion, the attention of the entire school gathered.
“Aemerus….”
Harry grabbed him with a bewildered expression.
I never expected him to respond so actively to a false rumor.
Just as he had responded to her teasing before, I thought he would simply brush it off without a care.
“It’s fine. This much is nothing.”
Aemerus casually removed his jacket and school uniform sweater one after another.
Besides, he had already removed his upper garments at the hot spring in Canada, so it truly was nothing to make a fuss about.
As he unbuttoned his shirt, Randy stood on a chair and held up his jacket, announcing loudly and clearly.
“Everyone, open your eyes wide and look! Nothing padded under Aemerus’s jacket—it’s all clean!”
“Why are you going this far?”
Harry found herself in unexpected agreement with Tyler, who was grumbling beside her.
She glared at him with wide eyes.
“It’s because of you. If you hadn’t kept pestering and questioning….”
Harry’s voice was drowned out by the cheers erupting from all around.
“Amazing!”
“I never believed the rumors from the start.”
“My goodness, do all hockey players have bodies that perfect?”
Everyone marveled at Aemerus’s physique, but Harry couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
After seeing his bare body in Canada, she had been in a daze for half a day.
It didn’t seem like things would be much different now.
“Lili, if you’re going to look, just look openly.”
“Hmm, well.”
Harry caught herself stealing glances at Aemerus through the fingers covering her face, and she was caught red-handed by Randy, causing her to let out an awkward cough.
Aemerus heard their conversation even amid the cheers and whistles, and when he looked at Harry and smiled, she felt even more embarrassed.
Satisfied after confirming Harry’s reaction—her neck flushed crimson—he turned toward Tyler.
“Tyler, is the proof sufficient now?”
“…Yeah. I get it, so just put your clothes on already. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Tyler continued grumbling even though he had personally removed his shirt to disprove the rumors.
‘Male jealousy truly is an ugly thing.’
It would have been far more dignified to simply acknowledge it and move on.
Harry entertained such thoughts idly while observing Faye’s reaction.
Unlike the other students, she wasn’t looking at Aemerus.
Instead, her face twisted with fury as she typed out a message on her phone.
Moments later, just as her fingers stilled, an alert chimed on Aemerus’s phone sitting atop the table.
A new direct message had arrived.
“Harry, could you check my messages for me?”
Even as he buttoned his shirt, Aemerus’s eyes remained fixed on Harry as he made the request.
Since this was exactly what she wanted, Harry seized his phone without hesitation and opened the DM.
“What’s between you two… exactly? How do you even know his phone’s unlock pattern?”
Randy made a pointed observation from beside her, but Harry dismissed it with barely a glance.
After reading the message, Harry abruptly pushed back from her seat and stood.
“…I’m going to head out first. Can you clear my tray for me?”
“What? Where are you going all of a sudden?”
While Randy looked bewildered, Aemerus remained composed, as though he’d anticipated this.
Harry walked directly to where Faye sat and stopped before her.
“Faye.”
“Hey, Lili. Are you enjoying your lunch?”
Faye greeted her with casual composure, as though nothing had happened.
Her shameless demeanor infuriated me.
“We need to talk. Right now!”
“Why are you being so scary?”
Faye, intimidated by Harry’s fierce momentum, hesitated before following her.
Harry found an empty classroom nearby, practically shoved her inside, and slammed the door shut.
“I know it was you who’s been sending Aemerus those harassing messages, Faye.”
“What? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“The story about Aemerus’s shoulder being fake—I only told you. No one else could possibly know.”
“I’m innocent! Someone could have overheard our conversation!”
Faye seemed determined to deny everything to the bitter end.
“Faye, no one wishes for your innocence more than I do. I truly considered you a good friend.”
“….”
“So I’m asking you. Please give me a reason to keep believing in you.”
At Harry’s words, Faye’s lips trembled.

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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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