Apathetic

Ch. 14

They remained in the same position for so long that they forgot to blink once as they held each other's eyes. Kotoha couldn't get out of this situation, which was already a bit awkward for them. She has to flee as soon as possible and hopefully they will never talk about this again or even see each other.

"I...I..."

She slightly flinched when he leered at the young woman, his lips near her own. He gazed down at her natural red plump lips. They looked so delicately natural and tender that it would be almost impossible not to lick them. His eyes began to look very suggestively. If he believes in divine law, then it is believed he has a sinful desire to possess what he sees, especially those things that have visual appeal.

One of them is sitting in front of him right now.

However, he remained calm and backed away, letting go of her face and sliding back, giving her space. This put Kotoha at ease.

"I apologize my dear. I tend to give my followers the kind of space they need when they first encounter me." He always embraced empathy and concern in his tone. "I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable on your first visit with me."

Despite being unable to respond immediately, Kotoha could tell he was being duncete about his misfortune, so she shook her head. "N-no you did not. I was not prepared for this sudden gesture of yours but I should respect your generosity and your way of getting to know your new...followers."

"It is a pleasure to hear that, Kotoha-Chan. Would you like me to pour you another cup of tea? Yours is now a cold beverage, and I do not want you to drink this freshly grown organic tea in cold! It would be very rude on my part if I let you be dissatisfied with our finest herbal tea."

While Kotoha hesitates at first, she nods when she pulls the cup and reaches out to him. She does not really want to reject his kind offer especially after what he has done for her. Taking the cup back from her, he pours her a fresh cup of hot tea while humming. When the tea reaches the rim, he puts the pot down and hands the cup over to her. "Enjoy!"

After drinking tea, Kotoha kicked off the conversation by describing her own personal life that she had to leave behind to survive. This led her out into the wilderness on a winter night. The people in Eternal Paradise saved her from death as she assumed she would die.

Kotoha explained her entire story to him starting off with her childhood where she had a care-free life with a loving family, filled with a sense of freedom and life. In addition to being cared for, she was also given the freedom to explore anything and everything that interests her. Especially in the outdoors.

Her greatest adventure with him was never mentioned or specified.

If he could feel empathy, he might have kicked her out in anger. However, he didn't and couldn't.

When she told him her parents had tragically passed away when she was growing Up, her voice became low and somewhat broken. Her mother was killed by an unknown intruder when she and her father came home one day from buying raw food and other ingredients. This was at a age of 10 years old. They tried to move forward after it fell apart. Her father suddenly fell ill when she was 18 years old. During his visit to the village looking for medicine resources, her father found what he thought was the most suitable guy for her to marry. The man would be Kotoha's former and abusive husband, Takeshi. He would beg her father to let him be part of her life. Her father can be overprotective of Kotoha. It was hard for grown men to take their eyes off her beauty, so they tried to throw themselves at her. She usually stays at home when her father travels to the village. However, out of all the absurd men he'd seen, he was eligible. Takeshi held a high-paying job as a salesman with a reputable personality and strong determination. Especially with a respectable reputation. Takeshi made a promise to her father that he would make Kotoha be the happiest wife the world has ever seen. The father would not have to worry about his daughter's future and living conditions once he died, as he would take good care of her. So long as he let him marry her. As long as he takes their last name, her father gave him his blessing. Takeshi unhesitantly accepted his condition. He also asked if his mother was able to live with them after they got married. This is because she is getting to a very old age where she needs special attention and she is afraid to live alone. Especially after getting to know the elderly woman, Kotoha's father found that having a mother-like figure and compassion was very meaningful to his daughter.