In the end, after locking eyes with Gwen for a moment, Alicia gave up on acting and threw herself at him.
"Long time no see?"
A faint floral fragrance drifted into his nose. The girl's sweet voice was like a gentle hand, softly smoothing away the trace of dissatisfaction in Gwen's heart.
"Mm... long time no see!"
Wrapping his arms around the soft body before him as though he wanted to knead her into his embrace, the unfriendly smile on Gwen's face finally turned into a genuine, tender one as he spoke softly.
"My, my, I can feel all the excitement in Gwen's heart, you know?~"
The breeze stirred, gently lifting the girl's hair and tugging at the young man's heart. Amid the lingering floral scent, all worries and sorrows drifted away with the wind.
Watching this scene, Eden and Aponia exchanged glances. The unfriendly smiles they had forced onto their faces could no longer be maintained, and both broke into soft laughter.
Beneath the warm sunlight, the reunited young man and girl embraced, beautiful and peaceful...
"Phew...
Gwen, you're hugging me so tightly. I can barely breathe..."
Taking a step back, the girl's pretty face was faintly flushed from embracing a man so intimately in front of her best friends. She let out a soft breath and puffed out her cheeks slightly to express her dissatisfaction.
"Then shall we do it again, so you can get used to it?"
Gwen merely smiled unconcernedly and opened his arms again.
The Reason Behind Her Disappearance
"This is a one-time reward only. If you want another, you'll have to work much harder, okay?~"
In response to Gwen's words, Alicia simply smiled and took another step back, crossing her arms before her chest to make a large "X."
Although she was refusing him,