I had to admit it: Jamal was indeed a perfect guy.

Naturally it was me who had been assigned to mentor him, being in the same class and all. I was quite aggrieved at first about that tedious role, but I soon discovered that teaching someone who is good at understanding things is very enjoyable.

Just two weeks had passed after Jamal started working at Elizabeth, but he was already in a position to do any work related to waiting for the tables on his own, such as listening to costumers, taking orders and running the register.

He may have far exceeded everyone else in this café in terms of managing the customers. In addition, the sales were also on the rise thanks to the female customers who would come just to enjoy him in a waiter uniform.

The manager and the other employees were quite impressed with his abilities, but since I knew him from school, it was no surprise to me.

However, what was a surprise was that Jamal and Emma were on extremely good terms. If they had been like cat and dog, I would have understood it, but in fact you might also tell they turned out to be a perfect fit.

"I was convinced you wouldn't like his type of person," I addressed Emma.

"It's the opposite. Men like Jamal can't stand me."

Emma flashed the kind of smile you would expect of the leader of some wicked organization that schemes to conquer the world.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Magicians don't like audience that sees through their tricks. And you see, the tricks don't work on me." Indeed, Emma's intuition was queerly sharp.

He continued "There's this gal in university who's quite popular with the guys because of such tricks. Well, once I was kinda pissed off by her attitude—okay, my mood had hit the rocks during that period in general—but anyway, I cut her down to size in front of all the others. And when I was finished with her, she wept and wept... such a pain."

"My condolences." I said flatly.

"Right? She always runs away right when she spots me ever since. As if I was the bad one!" He finished.

I just rolled my eyes and went to work.

At the staff room after closing time.

"I would like you to see me home," requested Jamal after changing into his normal clothes.

"See you home...?" I repeated warily like a parrot.

"You see, I always feel someone's gaze on me on the way from the café to the bus station..." He had stopped bringing his car around since I refused to be entering it. So he resorted to taking the bus with me or walking.

He gave a shiver.

"Aren't you just being paranoid?" I wanted to say at first, but I reconsidered because it was quite possible in his case. After all, he was no doubt eye-catching and rich. Instead, I suggested, "Then you should consult the police rather than me."

"Weak, Gabriella! That's weak! Come on, be a good friend and escort him!"

Emma, who had apparently followed our exchange, thumped a table close to him. The staff nearby turned around, surprised, to see what was going on.

"I don't mean to brag, but I don't have confidence in my strength. I am a lady, even if he gets attacked by a stalker, the best I can do is get beaten up myself." I said.

"You aren't bragging at all! And if you're a lady, you ought to bravely fight all the same, even if you have to put your neck on the line! or why are you all clamouring for equality?" Emma shouted fiercely.

"I'm under the impression that you would make a better bodyguard than me, Emma." I said flatly.

"Moron! I'm a rich young man too, you know? I also need to be protected." He claimed

I shrugged exaggeratedly and took a look at the faces of the rest of the staff. They could only answer my gaze with lopsided smiles because they feared him, but their real thoughts were bound to be the same as mine.

"Very funny, indeed." I said.

"Heh, does your face look like you wanna complain? Gabriella?" Emma drew closer with glaring eyes.

"Bro Emma let it be. If Gabriella refuses so adamantly, there is nothing that can be done about it. I will try my best to get home alone...," Jamal sighed and plodded towards the entrance.

The very moment before he closed the door—"..................haah..."—he let out a deep sigh that resounded through the whole staffroom.

All gazes focused on me at once, each of which was reproachful. A close friend can become a close enemy, indeed.

"See him off, Gabriella," said the manager at last, siding with Jamal like the others. "You normally come together, so that shouldn't be a problem"

Bolstered by this, the entire staff began to condemn me. I was harassed from all sides. Outnumbered and made out to be the bad person.

"Fine, fine, I've got it already! I'll go see him home, okay?" I groaned and jumped out of the uncomfortable staffroom to run after Jamal.

To my surprise, I caught up with him immediately after leaving the café.

Jamal was leaning against a pole in front of the shop, waiting below a street light like the king of the night.

"I knew you would come."

He saw me and grinned like a flower in bloom — revealing to me that my action wasn't at all unexpected.

To calm my burning emotions I stared up into the night sky. Tonight the crescent moon kissed my face.

"You're just not nice" I said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"What are you scheming?" I said

"That's not nice, you know? As the son of a high profile family, I am very frightened to walk alone at night, you know?" He said.

"Then why didn't you bring your car or have your father pick you up, or ask someone else among the staff see you off, or contact the police?" I asked.

"As always, you seem to have no idea of how the heart works. I wanted you to see me home." He laughed as though he was humming and linked his arm in mine. "Shampoo?" he wondered out loud. "I can perceive a sweet fragrance of flowers from you"

"Let's go." Was all I said

From my experiences so far I had learned that once Jamal had taken the lead one could not get free so easily, but it was also a fact that I certainly had no submissive nature, only unwillingly accepting his lead.

"I won't run away, so please stop this," I begged him with a sigh mixed in, and finally shook him off.

"Too bad. And we had finally created such a nice mood." Jamal was sullen, but his steps remained light.

I let out a loud sigh. It may go without saying, but my steps were heavy.

We got on a bus heading out of the town and passed through four stations while getting a good shake. When we alighted at our destination, we were in a residential zone in the outskirts.

"I live over there. A few minutes' walk from here." Jamal pointed at a hill. I saw immediately that we would have a hard time climbing, looking at all the slopes and stairs that could be seen there. The sight alone had me dispirited.

"Don't frown like that. Going out with me means coming up this way all the time, you know?" Jamal said.

"My sympathies to your girlfriend." I said.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it in no time." Jamal walked off without caring about my sagging spirits. "Look, the stars are beautiful tonight," he said, sounding easy-going.

Since I didn't want to turn around after coming so far, I followed him reluctantly.

It was a tranquil residential area and rather "classy".

The streets were lit with comparatively short gaps, but it was still eerily dark around us. I had to admit that the shivering he had shown earlier might have been more than mere acting.

As expected, I was completely drained by the time we came to a stop. Jamal, accustomed as he was, showed no indication of strain, making him appear more irritating than ever to me.

"Here we are," proclaimed Jamal and stood before the entrance.

It was a large white building. The term "mansion" might be appropriate.

Since his mother had been the head of a construction design company, it was a rather fancy design, constructed with tetrahedrons systematically put together, giving it an overall geometric feel. I would have nodded in comprehension if someone had told me it was the house of a physicist.

There was no light inside, so his father was apparently absent.

While I was curiously looking up at the house, Jamal tugged at my sleeve.

"Now that you're here, why don't you come in?"

His proposal was most suspicious and virtually crying out to be doubted.

I knew it would be a pain if anyone got wind of this visit. If, on top of that, the guys at school learned that no one else had been in the house at the time, the rumors that might emerge from it exceeded my imagination. Especially in Tundun's case... I didn't even want to think about it.

By now I was sure everything had been an act of his to make me enter his house. It would certainly rub me the wrong way if his plan succeeded.

"Good idea. I'm pretty thirsty; can I come in for a drink?" Nonetheless, I accepted his offer because it was a very rare opportunity.

While as a matter of fact I had suspended doubting her because of a lack of progress, I had not stopped at all. In my view the doubt related to the murder plan was still burning.

I had originally expected major developments from aligning with him and learning more about him, but all of my attempts remained futile. The more I came to contact him, the less I understood his true nature. I had no idea how to differentiate between his serious comments and his jokes. To put it another way, he was as slick as a catfish.

Hence, I had come to the conclusion that it might be better to approach his father, From what I had seen of him at the funeral, he was not as complicated a person as Jamal It shouldn't be necessary to probe Jamal himself to find out about his relationship with his mother.

I followed Jamal into the house. Not a sound was to be heard inside.

While taking off my shoes at the entrance, I asked: "What time is your father coming back?"

"Do you have a soft spot for older men?" teased Jamal with a laugh.

"At least more than for you," I answered—with an earnest face as a test.

"Now that's a shock, even if it is meant as a joke." Jamal shook his head while taking out some slippers for us.

It seemed that I had taken the lead.

"My father has gone out and will be back late. Today is your chance!" He said mischievously.

"...just what sort of chance would that be, I wonder?" I pushed his head away, since he had come closer to peek at my face.

And the lead went back to Jamal.

"I only wanted to introduce myself to him since I'm here." I said.

"Oh, that pleases me to hear. Did you finally warm up to me?" Jamal inquired.

"I don't know how you took my words, but let me assure you that you're wrong." I said as I followed him into the living room.

"I'll bring something to drink. Make yourself comfortable on the sofa."

Jamal disappeared into the neighboring room, turning on the light there. Half of a well-equipped system kitchen entered my view.

I let my gaze sweep through the living room.

Like the outside, the residence of the Zaheer's looked quite respectable from the inside: there was a leather sofa with an amber luster and a queerly shaped glass table which even an amateur could identify as a designer table. Furthermore, I found a terrifyingly large LCD TV and luxurious hi-fi equipment. The rumors were true: they were quite a wealthy family.

To my disappointment however, there was nothing special apart from that, like an object that would have served me as a clue for Jamal's relationship with his mother.

Well, it was only natural that nothing too peculiar was placed in the living room where a lot of people went in and out.

Unfortunately, though, I didn't have any pretext that would have allowed me to look through the other rooms, either. I couldn't help feeling that I had forfeited the rare chance of getting into his house.

I was still reeling in disappointment when Jamal came back with a tray of drinks.

"I hope you are fine with red wine?" He asked

"Perfectly." I said. Remembering a certain conversation.

I intended to leave after emptying my cup. There was no use in staying for too long. However, Jamal had apparently read my intentions: "Make yourself at home! It's only Saturday tomorrow, so there's no need to hurry, right?"

"Are you out of your mind? I'm a lady, you know?" I said.

"That only supports my argument! A lady should never leave an anxious guy behind alone." He said.

"But this is your own home." I said.

"Do you believe stalkers care about such obstacles?" He said.

"How should I know how a stalker thinks? In the first place, that story sounds quite fishy to me anyway." I said.

"Too bad," Jamal sighed slightly. "You sure don't let me have my way, Gabriella." He said

"That's my line. You lead me by the nose all the time!" I objected promptly. I was naturally unable to just accept it that my opponent forestalled me in saying what had constantly been on my mind.

A moment later, he whispered in a voice that was too loud to be a monologue: "...I wonder if I should consult bro Emma about Gabriella..."

I almost spat out my red wine "...is that a threat?" I stared with hostile eyes at Jamal.

"It's unavoidable. I simply wish to receive a piece of good advice from an older man like bro Emma. There's nothing strange about it, is there?" Jamal covered half of his face under a cushion as if to block my gaze.

"Consulting Emma about love problems is like asking the devil the way to heaven." I sighed.

"That was a good one." Jamal laughed.

"It's no laughing matter. It's a most serious matter of life and death!" I almost got a headache just by imagining a merry Emma teasing me. I would surely have to say farewell to my busy yet peaceful work life, because he would be asking me about Jamal non-stop.

"I would not mind our colleagues at the café knowing about us. I don't like having secrets." He said.

"YOU don't mind, but I do" Jamal may have been used to being the center of attention, but I was not. Just the thought of capturing everyone's attention gave me the shivers. A comfortable role as a spectator suited me best. Everyone has their own qualities.

"To be frank, I would love to openly attempt winning you over." Jamal said.

"After all, you seem to be good at getting all the others on your side, right?" I said with a full load of sarcasm.

"An inborn virtue of mine?" countered Jamal without trouble.

"You don't say. You are a schemer, an actor and, if we get to the heart of it, just plain wicked. It's just that everyone is being deceived by your handsome looks and don't notice your deadly thorns." I spat.

"You think I am handsome? I am on cloud nine!" He beamed a smile.

"Where have the 'deadly thorns' gone?" I said exasperated.

"Paying regard to things that aren't true goes against my principles." Judging from his serious mien, he did not in the least mean to be joking. Most likely he was even scandalized, in fact.

But strangely enough, I also realized that a guy as "eye-catching" as him might actually need such nerves of steel.

"Would you like another cup?" smiled Jamal, holding the bottle.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I asked

"Are you insinuating I want to take advantage of you?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm insinuating" i said

"I'm hurt by your accusation, let's imagine I even try to take advantage of you, what's stopping you from reporting me and ruining my life?" He asked.

"Maybe you have a means of silencing me" my mind went to the murder plan.

He just laughed. "The cafè knows you followed me home, there's nothing I can donto harm you without consequence" he said.

I just kept silence.

Thirty minutes later.

"Your dad is pretty late," I addressed Jamal, who was sitting opposite me.

"Yes, he said she would be."

"When is he going to be back then?" I asked.

"Hm... sometime around ten, I suppose?" He answered.

"That makes thirty minutes from now, huh." I was starting to feel uncomfortable sharing the same time and room, just the two of us, but I was willing to bear with another half an hour and lay back in the sofa.

Jamal murmured, "Well, twenty-four hours from now, to be exact."

I bolted upright on the sofa and stared at him. He was leisurely browsing through his phone..

"What does that mean?" I asked

"He has gone on a company outing and will be back tomorrow." Jamal answered me.

"—You deceived me?" I was surprised myself by how deep my tone was.

"I honestly told you he would be late." Jamal said matter-of-factly

"How's that honest!? I'm leaving," I declared , standing up and heading towards the entrance. Most of the irritation was at myself for readily taking his bait.

Suddenly, he embraced me from the back.

"...please, don't leave" he pleaded.

The unusual fragility he was showing me was more than enough to activate my womanly instincts—even if it was a deliberate action of his.

But my rationality cooled down the overwhelming reality and kept me from making the wrong decision.

"Your charm doesn't work on me! Besides, that's not fair. I have not accepted going out with you." I said, still locked in his embrace.

Two teenagers alone under one roof — an alluring setting. Being a girl in her prime, I was naturally interested in what would happen in such a situation, all the more if the guy in question was Jamal Zaheer.

He slowly let go and I turned to face him "Im sure you don't mind if it's me." He whispered. As expected, he tried to capture me with inviting eyes and sweet words.

Had I met Jamal Zaheer under any other circumstances, I would have stood no chance against his seduction.

"I feel honored, but I have no such intentions!"

However, unlike the Gabriella in that hypothetical world, the real one bore up against him. Because, much more than I was hoping for an alluring development, I was scared.

It was wariness that sustained my rationality.

What was Jamal scheming?

It was then that I felt that I had caught a glimpse of the true intention behind his request to date him.

Perhaps, Jamal didn't have in mind to get rid of me, but to get me under his control?

He was well aware of his own attractiveness and knew how to use it effectively. I had been able to observe that fact more than enough lately. So, perhaps he was trying to make me his faithful puppet of sorts? He could be sure that I would not leak his secret in that case, couldn't he?

Of course, provided that he really had noticed that I knew of and had the murder plan.

Either way, I had to get out of there as fast as possible. Even if my assumptions were true and confirmed by Jamal at that, it was only a matter of time until I would give in to him.

Because his words may have been lies, but his attractiveness was a fact.

As things stood, I was going to fall victim to his venom. I knew for sure that as soon as that happened, the poison would spread slowly but surely and paralyze my will to resist.

I shook him off and hurried towards the entrance, but Jamal rushed after me in the same breath. Again, he clung to me from behind, restraining me.

His warmth, his entrancing fragrance blended into a charm deluding the senses and attacking me from behind.

"...It does not matter what you feel for me..."

His soft breath touched the nape of my neck. I knew that I had to escape, but I couldn't move a muscle.

He gently pushed me into the sofa, leaning against me. The light behind Jamal created a mystic contrast on his face. He placed his head on my shoulder and put his hands lightly on my chest—as if to feel my heartbeat.

A moment later, he nibbled the defenseless nape of my neck.

The soft sensation of his lips caused my shoulders to jump. I had never experienced such an impulse before, it was similar to tickling but still different.

My body was about to run out of control. In an attempt to push him away, I slid my hands between us and thrust towards the ceiling. Unwilling to be separated, he resisted and twisted his body.

Letting my instincts take over, I swapped places and sat astride him.

Right now———Jamal Zaheer was under my control.

That feeling of elation was far beyond normal. Even I, the cool thinker by principle, would have loved screaming as my feelings told me.

While frantically suppressing the urge to rush, I however, I was suddenly stricken by a shock that made my heart skip a beat. I had noticed my unusual reaction.

"—You're trembling." He noticed.

I blinked a few times with eyes that had lost focus.

"...you are" He repeated.

I was unaware of it myself, but I was trembling all over.

Feelings of guilt that I had pushed aside as my rationality had gone out of the window suddenly sprung up in me like water.

"...we really shouldn't be doing this. Let's stop," I stated while raising my body.

I was frightened, plain and simple. Frightened of shouldering something that could not be amended.

He was still lying on the sofa, looking up at me with wondering eyes. Behind his rumpled clothes, I could see skin. I averted my gaze automatically.

No words.

I cast him off and stood up as if to retreat. I moved to another chair, leaving two chairs between us. Far enough to stop any suspicious movement but close enough to hear ourselves.

When was the last time I had become this agitated? I couldn't remember. Thank you very much for this valuable experience, Jamal. I ran my hand through my hair.

"Why are you always so... so reckless!" I spoke up

"I am surprised myself." He said smugly.

"Don't act so unconcerned!" I shot back.

"Someone once said that men in love can go to any extent; there might be more truth to it than I thought. After all I do feel capable of anything right now," he nodded approvingly.

"Please, don't only think about yourself..." I let out a grand sigh. "In the first place, what happened to the rumors about you? Haven't you gone out with numerous ladies so far?"

It's not like I believed him offhandedly.

A guy like Jamal should have gone out with countless girls in his life. Wasn't she just playing with me?

"...I don't want to tell you," he averted his gaze to the side.

"You can't say that after dragging me in like that, can you? I have the right to know."

"I don't care." He said

"Don't be such a child." I chastised

"I bet you see me as some kind of player" he said, now sounding queerly like a precocious little girl. Where did the bewitching guy that seduced me go?

"Fine! I won't ask anymore if you don't want to tell me." I thought there was no use questioning him in that thickheaded state.

"...Do you really want me to tell you?" He asked

"...Which is it now!" Good heavens. As always he was hard to read.

Jamal took a deep breath and made up his mind. "I'll be honest. I have gone out with several girls before."

"As I thought." I commented.

"Hey, that's not nice, you know. Let me assure you: I may have gone out with various girls but I never gave out my heart to them. Honestly."

"You want me to buy that?" I said.

"They were all good and kind people and really loved me." Jamal continued.

"...Good for you..." i said

"But every time something felt off. In some way I knew that none of them were my destined partner," He told me with slightly downcast eyes, wallowing in reminiscences.

"Then why me?" I asked.

"Because you seemed different from the others! In the beginning it was just a baseless intuition, of course. At first I wanted to go out with you without thinking too deeply, as I used to do with the other girls . Because getting someone to date me is simple." He said.

"That sure doesn't sound like something someone my age would say. Come on, how old are you really?"

Jamal found my apathetic attitude funny, it seemed. He chuckled with great amusement.

"But I had not dreamed that you would reject me." He said finally.

"So sorry for not living up to your expectations." I rolled my eyes.

"No, by no means! Thanks to that, I gained a sudden burst of enthusiasm. So the result is absolutely fine!" He laughed

"...That's how life goes, I guess. Never the way you want it to."

Jamal's triumphant joy had the opposite effect on my mood. He made me remember that whatever I did to him always ended up backfiring on me.

"Indeed... I wonder why things never work out the way you want them in life." This time it was me who couldn't help laughing, seeing him say that with a solemn mien.

"If you of all people don't get your way, us commoners are stumped." The worries of someone who had everything seemed incredibly ridiculous to me.

"You are all just overestimating me, really." He said.

"But you deserve to be overestimated, from a neutral point of view." I replied

"Why is it that I cannot make you mine, then?" He squinted at my eyes as if to peek into my heart.

"...Who knows? It's a riddle even to me," I answered vaguely, looking away. For obvious reasons I could have never told him that it's because the murder plan was on my mind.

"Witch" he called me.

"Call me whatever you like." I said

"But I like you anyway, Gabriella, even if you are cruel and mean to me," laughed Jamal while rubbing his chin. It was a gorgeous demeanor. "How can I explain it...? It is just so enjoyable to talk with you."

He carefully chose his words, which made me realize that he was trying her utmost to convey his feelings precisely.

"You could say that we are... trying to outdo each other? Our conversations feel so exciting and enjoyable to me because they're unpredictable. I just can't talk enough with you."

His words silenced me, and caused me to stare at him. I was struck by surprise that he was of the same mind as me.

Strong sympathy can change ridiculously easily into a sense of closeness.

Indeed, at that very instant, Jamal Zaheer became a special guy to me.

"When I imagined how stimulating every day would become if I went out with you, I realized that you had to be my destined partner. So I did not really need to hesitate. You are the one I deemed destined for me" he said.

To make matters worse, he looked even more attractive now that I had become conscious of him. I've heard subjectivity incorporates a function that applies a filter to the brain that makes you interpret things in your favor.

"I didn't know you were so bold." I said referring to earlier on.

"And I wish I didn't know that you were so sharp tongued." He said

I shrugged extensively for show. Of course, I was not at all composed. It was quite the contrary: I was disturbed. You could say that I had a hard time dealing with the radical change in my feelings.

I had previously regarded any situation objectively with the utmost effort in order to bear up against Jamal and his staggering presence. Otherwise I would have fallen victim to his charm like everyone else.

However, now that subjectivity had mixed into my view, I couldn't remain calm anymore. My awakened instincts told me to savor the defenseless fruit before my eyes.

"I'm leaving." This time I seriously had to leave or I would end up loathing myself.

"Do you really want to?"

I heard Jamal's voice behind me when I was walking towards the living room door.

"Want what?" I asked

"—To go. I know you stay alone in an hostel, no one will miss you if you don't go home"

I felt the urge to turn around, but I chose to remain on course.

He would have surely shown me a devilish smile that very much met my preference and ruined my newly gained determination.

"Please forget what happened today. I wasn't myself."

"I don't want to," he declared.

"It's in both our interests." I said

"It's a valuable memory of the 'destined partner' I finally found."

"I'm stunned that you can use that phrase so carelessly. Say that again in ten years." I said, still not looking back.

"I am not using the word carelessly. Didn't you know that everyone is searching for their 'destined partner' from the moment they are born?"

"Well, my sympathies for all the trouble." I said

With that parting shot I opened the door. In that instant, I heard footsteps rushing towards me resounding on the flooring.

"Are you really leaving me?"

...No use using such lonely words.

"Of course."

"Okay let me drive you home. Its not safe for a lady at this time"

...No use using such pleading words.

"Well, I'll be fine and I just want to get as faraway from you and as fast as possible, a walk will clear my head." I said.

"You really are hard to deal with, Gabriella," he said, sighing.

I spontaneously turned around and glared at him. "You're the last person I want to hear that from!"

Jamal laughed heartily at seeing my unwilling attitude.

"Goodbye." I turned and stepped out.

"Be seeing you."

Even though I intentionally stomped on the floor to express my bad temper, I happened to see his sad and weak wave goodbye. It would be a lie to say that I didn't feel anything while closing the front door.