Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 165 - It's Because I Love You

Chapter 165 - It's Because I Love You

The sun had finally dipped beneath the ocean's horizon, bleeding its last streaks of gold into the restless waves. Darkness pooled in the sky like spilled ink, yet the stars and the full moon hung above like lanterns, scattering silver light over the quiet seaside. The sound of the surf rolled in gentle, ceaseless murmurs, each wave sighing as it broke against the sand.

"Here." My voice was soft as I extended my handkerchief to the girl beside me—a Mary Sue in distress.

Myrrh lifted her head slowly from her curled-up position. Her wet, blue eyes shimmered under the moonlight, trembling as they met mine. 

"...Zaft."

For a heartbeat she hesitated, as if even the gesture of accepting kindness felt fragile. Then she reached out and took the handkerchief from my hand, pressing it to her face with quick, nervous motions. She dabbed at her cheeks, careful to sweep beneath her nose—mindful, perhaps, of the last time she had cried so hard and ended up with snot streaking her face.

The sight made me chuckle quietly. There was something disarming about her vulnerability. I lowered myself onto the sand beside her, letting the cool grains shift under my palms, and simply sat there with her while she composed herself. After a moment, her beautiful features emerged from behind the tear-streaks, though her cheeks still burned a deep strawberry red.

"How long have you been here, you stalker?" Myrrh muttered, her lips forming a small pout.

"Takes one to know one, huh." I snickered again. "I've been here since Ephraim called you."

She huffed, hugging her knees a little tighter as her words spilled out. "I really think you have this hobby of watching me in secret while I get heartbroken again and again. I mean... I'm the one who broke his heart this time, but still..."

"I know. But still, you cried." My voice stayed steady, softer now, like a tide retreating. "It must have hurt a lot, huh—rejecting him, even though there's still a last ember of feeling flickering inside you."

Myrrh's lips trembled into a pout as she mumbled, her voice fragile but stubborn. "I told you already... I don't have feelings for him anymore. I... I'm just uncertain about what I'm feeling right now..."

"I understand," I replied quietly, though my words felt small against the vastness of the moment.

Silence drifted between us like mist. Only the hush and crash of the waves filled the gap, each foamy surge rolling onto the shore as if whispering secrets neither of us could name. Beneath the symphony of the ocean, I could hear my own heartbeat pounding, heavy and arrhythmic—like a boombox pressed against my ribs. I drew in a breath of the salty air, then exhaled slowly, but even the cool night breeze could not steady the thrum of my nerves.

I didn't understand why I was so unsettled. I'd been with Myrrh on countless occasions—dates, even private ones—but somehow this moment felt new, like speaking to her for the first time under a sky too vast to hide beneath.

"Thank you, Zaft." Myrrh's voice broke the stillness, soft yet steady.

"What for?" I asked, turning to her.

She tilted her head, her hair swaying like a dark ribbon in the moonlight. "Well, you've always been there for me, haven't you? Even back then... during prom night. Even when we were enemies, you still tried to comfort me by giving me this handkerchief." She raised the damp, reddish-pink square of fabric between her fingers, its edges glowing faintly under the moonlight. "Even though I always thought of you as a hopeless goon," she added with a small, almost playful sigh, "I can't help but rely on your kindness. Every time."