CH 28

Sunday evening, 6 PM.

Nanami, dressed in a plain white tank top, a hooded short vest, short pants, and sneakers, was arguing with a tall man in a complex alleyway. They were discussing something that couldn’t be talked about in public.

“I’ve told you already. I’m breaking up with you, Wataru. Don’t make me say it again.”

“Come on, you can’t be serious. We were supposed to go to that place tonight. It’s our one-month anniversary!”

“Oh, please. That’s why you brought a bag with a change of clothes. You were ready for it, but we never agreed to go to a hotel. Wataru, you just invited me without asking me.”

Nanami faced her boyfriend Wataru with a confident attitude, showing more vigilance than ever before.

“So, why did you call me out here?”

“Don’t you get it? I just wanted to say goodbye properly.”

She could have conveyed the message of ‘breaking up’ even through email. However, Nanami wanted to stick to her principles. She believed that important discussions like this should be done in person.

“Tell me, what’s the reason for this?! This is so sudden!”

“I don’t think someone who’s a b*****d would understand.”

“What?!”

“A scumbag who only wants to sleep with me.”

At the moment Nanami’s voice turned cold, Wataru was taken aback, his pupils trembling.

“I heard it. Two days ago, during our after-school date, you were on the phone with someone saying those things.”

“You must have misheard… that’s impossible.”

“Well, then we don’t have to go. To the hotel, I mean.”

Nanami had prepared herself for the breakup, but she still wanted to believe in Wataru. They had been dating for a month, and she thought maybe he had just been confused or something. Maybe it was just a friend’s prank that led him astray…

The truth was, these words made her feel a tightness in her chest, even in this space.

“Why is that…? It’s not a big deal. Just for today…”

“Ugh!”

But at that moment, the feeling that she wanted to believe him instantly vanished, and Nanaumi raised her voice in anger.

“How dare you! What do you mean by ‘just for today’? To think that you see me as a promiscuous woman, it’s outrageous!”

“…”

“You’re probably just making a bet with your friends to see if you can sleep with me within a month. And I heard you talking about it on the phone!”

“Tch…”

“Did you hear all of that?” Wataru frowned and clicked his tongue. His reaction was as good as admitting to it.

“If you had admitted it early on, there might have been a way to salvage this situation. But now that you’re trying to deceive me to the end, I’m completely disillusioned.”

As she spoke those words, Nanami’s eyes did not sparkle with hope, but instead emitted an aura of complete rejection.

“That’s all I wanted to say. Don’t have anything to do with me anymore. I’ve also deleted your contact information,” she said, and turned her back on Wataru.

But at that moment, Wataru, who was filled with rage, grabbed Nanami’s left wrist with great force, so much so that it felt like it could be crushed.

“Wait a minute!”

“Ow…! Let go of me!”

“After all the verbal abuse you spewed at me… I won’t forgive you.”

“You’re the one at fault here, aren’t you!?”

After her angry voice,

SMACK!

A high-pitched sound shook the air as Nanami completely broke free by hitting Wataru’s cheek with her right hand.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore!”

Wataru’s movement completely stopped after the sudden slap. After somehow shaking off the grip on her left hand, Nanami dashed away from the scene.

“Haa…haa…”

“Hey, wait up!!”

However, he was only frozen like a statue for a few seconds. Wataru threw his bag, which contained his belongings, and chased after Nanami who was running away from him.

(If I don’t run away… if I don’t run away… if I don’t run away… if I don’t run away…)

She was aware of what would happen if he caught her… No, he would definitely do something terrible. That’s why Seven Seas ran desperately without looking back.

“Oraa!!”

“Haa… haa…”

The voice of Wataru could be heard from behind. The distance between them still remained.

Fortunately for Nanami, she was wearing sneakers and clothes that were easy to move in. On the other hand, Wataru was wearing leather shoes. This gave Nanami a clear advantage that helped to offset the difference in their running ability.

Although the gap between them did not widen, it also did not narrow. However, Nanami did not have the luxury of even having such thoughts or feelings.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

“You damn girl!!”

The gap between them continued to shrink. Nanami was running out of stamina.

“Don’t you run away from me!”

“Huhh…”

As the threatening words got closer from behind, Nanami summoned the last of her strength and turned a corner into a small, inconspicuous shop.

“Hah…!”

By chance, Nanami caught a glimpse of a small and quiet shop. It looked like a hidden sanctuary.

(I-H-here…)

With no strength left and no other option, Nanami ran straight towards the small shop, breaking the door down and bursting inside.

“H-Help me! I’m being chased!”

“U-Um…?”

There was only one person inside the shop, a well-dressed gentleman.

“Chased…?”

He looked puzzled for a moment, but quickly understood the situation and changed his expression.

“I understand. Please hide under the counter here. If that person comes here, I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you… pant… thank you so much…”

Nanami, out of breath, followed the gentleman’s instructions and hid under the counter.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”

“Thank you…hu…huh…”

Nanaumi realized that she had seen this gentleman’s face before in a photo. It was probably still in her smartphone’s photo album. However, she had not recognized him at all because of his work clothes and hairstyle.

He was the person that the Nursing’s Angel liked. Toma-kun.

And this was their first encounter…