29 Don't touch me as you please

Meanwhile, Sei looks around the house. He's always been curious about her. Since she made herself at his house last night, she wouldn't mind if he does the same, right?

An unconscious smile appears on his lips. He looks at the odd-looking antiques on the wall. She has a peculiar sense of aesthetics. There's a faint scent of incense in the air. Does she burn it regularly at home? He doesn't dislike it. He opens the door to the balcony. He notices the line of salt.

She has quite an obsession with salt. Was she planning to do the same at his house? Her balcony is full of plants. He frowns. Why she is growing weeds in her balcony? He sniffs the leaves to be sure. At least, she's not growing marijuana at her house.

He sighs. Why does he like an odd girl? How did she manage to attract him? He knows that she has been trying to keep a distance from him. He's partly at fault. He told her that he didn't like her in middle school.

He lets out an exasperated sigh. He misses the way she used to look at him. There was a certain innocence in those eyes that made him want to protect her more. If he understood his feelings better back then, would he have taken different decisions? She wouldn't be with someone else.

He tears Basil's leaf and brings it closer to his nose. Is it right to steal her from someone else?

If her heart can be swayed by him, she doesn't love that man enough. He will take her away from that person. She will belong to him.

"What are you doing to my soldiers?" Wakana yells at him when she sees him tearing the leaves one by one. "Don't hurt them."

"Soldiers?" He stares at her blankly. They are just plants. How did he hurt them?

"They are my defense against the evil creatures." She stands between him and the plants, using her body to protect her little soldiers. She resists the urge to punch him in the face. "Tearing leaves like that? Don't you know that they also feel pain?"

"I am sorry?" He drops the leaves in her hand. "I didn't notice... I was thinking about something."

"You should have torn off your hair instead." She places the leaves at the bottom of the basil's stem.

She's quite feisty when she's angry. Does she have friends? In school, she was always with her sister. Nakashima Sayuri was quite social. Nakashima Natsumi was too proud and unapproachable. She was either always alone or hanging out with her sisters. In middle school, she sat a few desks ahead of him. He always watched her from behind.

"Did you talk to your sisters?"

She pushes the strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't them."

Her action attracted his gaze toward her hand. He finally realizes. Why there is no wound? He grabs her hand and gets another electric shock. He shouts at her, "Why are you still wearing it?"

"Because I like it." She crosses her arms. "Don't touch me as you please. You are a man. I am a woman."

It's good if she knows that he's a man. He grabs her left hand. There is not a single wound. The scars are gone too. He murmurs with confusion in his eyes, "How is this possible?"

"How would I know? When I woke up, my wounds were gone. You must have applied a good ointment. Give me the name. It will be helpful next time." Wakana's face softens. He took care of her wounds with care last night. He has that side too. His girlfriend must be happy. Why is his girlfriend living in another city? If it was her, she would have left the city for him.

Wakana releases a sigh. She did a lot more than leaving the city for him. She took the test of courage and went to the cemetery. She took the exam to become a police officer. She ended up in the criminal investigation division.

Sometimes, her mind wonders what it's like to kiss this man. This current moment is one of those 'sometimes'. He's looking at her palm as if he's trying to understand the mystery of the universe, unaware of her eyes on him.

"That ointment is good, but it can't heal wounds this fast," Sei mutters.

"Maybe it's because you applied them on my hands," She blurts out, regretting saying it in the next moment. Sei looks at her, surprised. She clears her throat, blushing and looking away. "That because... you are good at first aid."

The corners of his lips curl up. "I don't do this for everyone."

She turns her head toward him. "Not even for your girlfriend?"

Sei purses his lips. Why did he lie to her about his girlfriend? He doesn't have one. If he had known that she hadn't even seen the face of her boyfriend of seven years, he would have shouted that he's single. "She's not that special."

He pauses for a moment before saying, "It's not working out between us. I am thinking of ending it."

Wakana asks him with curiosity, "Why do you want to end it, Minami Kun?"

He is learning how a lie can come back to bite in the arse. "She lives too far. We can't always meet. Our feelings might have faded away because we have been separated for a long time. It's better this way. Long-distance relationships do not work out."

Get the hint, woman.

"Tsk!" She takes back her hand and scolds him, "If you love someone, distance or time does not matter. Did you love her if your feelings are fading like this? It's only been days since you came to this city. You are already thinking of abandoning your girlfriend."

He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. This woman is dumb, isn't she? Unless he screams it on her face, she won't get it.

"You should put sincere efforts. I am sure that it will work out if two people want to be together." Her voice becomes faint. Why is she advising him to stick to another woman when she likes him so much that it hurts? She pretends to check on her little soldiers, leaning down. Her hair moves away, revealing the back of her pale neck. The night is cool. There's a faint sweet scent in the air. The moon is bright in the sky.

"Do you love him that much?" Sei asks with a solemn tone. Her body becomes stiff when she hears his question.

"You haven't seen the face of long-distance boyfriend for seven years. I don't understand why anyone would be in a relationship with a person whose face she has never seen. How does this work between you and him?"