8 Step #01

That same day, Davi took her bag and went out of the gray mansion. She insisted on going out on her own but the worrywart butler just wouldn't let her, so she ended up being escorted until she reached the hospital.

She spent the day with her recovering little brother and then went to her high school best friend's place at night. Her best friend, Hinari was actually a hardcore fan of all sort of romance related things. Currently, she was aiming to become a successful romantic author, and the fact that Davi couldn't even count the number of boys she dated back in high school, made her the right person to go in her time of need. Of course, Davi's intention in meeting her was because of her new mission. She went to her to seek for advice.

And thus, days went by in a flash but Sei didn't come back. Davi's notebook was already filled with the notes she gathered during the three nights she spent with her best friend. Unfortunately, Hinari was set to go on a trip so Davi, who was left with her brother, was now spending her time surfing and reading all sort of articles and books related to what was called the art of flirting and seduction.

…

After seven days.

The gray mansion was in chaos. The old butler couldn't control the mansion's wild princess anymore. 3 days ago, the butler mentioned that Sei actually takes a long time whenever he goes abroad and he said that a month was surprisingly the shortest, which shocked Davi. At the same time, she was glad, for she didn't expect that she would be given plenty of time to prepare for the approaching battle. She then came and insisted on making some changes in the mansion's garden. She wanted to turn the dark, chilly garden into something romantic. She wanted to add some colors to break its monotone look. She wanted to transform it into a perfect dating spot for future purposes.

While everyone was pleased with her idea, the fact that she wanted to do it herself was something that made the butler and the maids feel completely bewildered about. But they couldn't do a thing. Their lady boss was just so stubborn and kind at the same time, giving them no choice but to listen to her.

However, under the bright sunny day, a blizzard suddenly covered the bright sky. Shockingly, Sei suddenly appeared, making all of them tense. The servants were scared for they were caught red handed by the fact that they were clean and tidy while their lady boss was like… a dethroned princess who turned into a messy but beautiful gardener.

At that same moment, Davi was quietly standing like a soldier waiting for her superior to scold her, wearing another large white printed tee paired with black jogging pants. Her hair was tied in a messy bun while her face and neck were wet with sweat, indicating the length of time she had been working under the sun.

However, Sei didn't talk. His gaze just skimmed past to the quiet girl before him. He noticed her hands were dirty, as if she had just played with mud.

"Uhh, this is… I'm planting in the garden," she said, smiling pleasantly at him. "W-welcome back."

Davi stared at the masked man in front of her, and without any care about the way she looked, she instantly transformed herself into what she called 'mission mode'. She remembered the first thing she wrote in her notebook; 'Step #1: gaze and smile'. Hinari told her that the power of a gaze was actually so huge that it can melt even the thickest, invisible wall between you and your target, while a dazzling and natural smile was effortlessly sexy and can melt even the coldest heart.

Therefore, Davi put all her energy into her eyes and did her best to not look away from him, while trying to bring out what Hinari said was her flirtatious nature. However, one thing was off. The mask was in the way, an obstruction that kept distracting her. She still did it anyway but she was unsure about whether he was affected or not. Nevertheless, she had to follow her plans at all costs. Besides, who knew, it might actually work on him.

Meanwhile, Sei was observing Davi's expressions. The girl suddenly showed such a warm wide smile, her eyes filled with intense energy which made Sei become momentarily baffled. He could tell that the girl was up to something, but for some reason, he seemed to be pleased by it.