A heart to heart with Angela.

April 10th – Monday.

The past week had been disappointingly uneventful. Leonardo was being careful not to rush things with Maeda-san, but talking to her he did learn quite a few things. She lived with her parents, was always at least top 2 in her grade, and currently didn’t have a boyfriend despite being very popular with boys.

He got up early in the morning as usual and got breakfast ready. And as he did that, he also started working on four bento boxes. One for himself, one for Angela, one for Mrs. Wisler and one for Maeda-san. After all, it was her birthday, and he decided that for her present he’d make her lunch since she was always eyeing his.

He got a bunch of potatoes, peeled them and chopped them, throwing them in a pot to boil. He then finely chopped half an onion and got the minced beef. He threw the beef into a pan, and when that browned added the onions, soy sauce and sugar. It was letting out a really nice smell.

He heard the sliding door open and looked back to see Angela already dressed up in her uniform. It was still only 6:30 am. She was a consistent early riser, just like him.

“Angela, can you set the table please? I’m getting lunch ready.”

“Oh. Sure.” She nodded. She walked behind him to get the bowls from a cupboard and saw the bento boxes on the counter.

“Four boxes?” she asked.

Leonardo’s shoulders tensed, but there was no point in hiding anything.

“Today is a classmate’s birthday,” he said. “I told her I’d make her lunch today.”

He kept his eyes on the frying meat and onions, and Angela took a moment before answering.

“Is it that cute girl you’re always talking to?”

His heart skipped a beat. Her tone was neutral and non-judgmental. Distant, even, more so than usual.

“…” Leonardo swallowed. “She speaks English and has been helping me out a lot.”

“I see,” she said, getting the bowls and plates from the cupboard under the kitchen counter.

Leonardo drained the water of the boiling potatoes once they were done and started mashing them as Angela set the table.

“So she’s your first target?”

Leonardo almost dropped the potato masher. He turned his head back to Angela before even considering that might be a bad idea. The blonde girl was still setting the table with her back to him.

“The old lady told me, you know? It was how she pitched her offer to me. She said she’d find someone who could break the curse, as well as let me make use of my Gift,” she explained. “When we got here I asked her how you were involved in all this, and she told me about the book. When were you going to tell me?”

“…” He took a deep breath and continued to work on the mashed potatoes, even as his heart pounded wildly and his chest felt too small for it. “I wasn’t trying to hide it. I’m still not sure I believe it myself. Besides… We haven’t been on the friendliest terms.”

“Of course we haven’t,” she groaned. “I try not to be near you. I see how you look at me, and I feel the same. It gets me horny.”

His body froze for a couple of seconds, then continued as if nothing happened.

“Mrs. Wisler says it’s the book. It’s doing weird shit and making you see me that way,” he said.

“You didn’t have the book when we met,” she argued. “You’re better looking than you think.”

A small, self-conscious smile crossed his lips. “Thanks.” He mixed the beef, onions and potatoes into a bowl and started mixing it with a big spoon.

“You’ve thought of me, then?” she asked. This time her voice was low, hesitant, ****. It was surprising to hear her sounding like that.

“Every day since we met,” he admitted. He took some of the potato and beef mix with his hands and shaped it into a croquette. Mindlessly, he kept doing that as he spoke to Angela. “Even had a very annoying dream about you.”

“Annoying?” she asked, carefully. He could tell she was now behind the counter, directly behind him. “In what way?”

“You know exactly in what way,” he answered.

“Oh.”

“…”

Things got quiet, and Leonardo kept working. He rolled the croquettes along thin bread crumbs before frying them in oil. The sizzling sound was the only thing heard in the room for a good while.

“Sorry,” Angela said with a heavy sigh. “I’m just jealous.”

“About what exactly?”

“I don’t know,” she groaned. “That you’ll get some while I don’t. But you’re also not bad looking and are a cool guy. You come off as a bit aloof, but I kind of like that about you. I guess I’m also jealous of that girl.”

Leonardo took a deep breath. “Did Mrs. Wisler tell you the specifics of the book?”

“Yeah. She said that you’d need to fuck a lot of women to get rid of the curse,” she says. “But that you might be able to make me feel something before that.”

“If things go well with Maeda-san, and I keep that up for a month, then I will be.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He grimaced.

“But it’s not like I can do anything about it. It’s either that or nothing,” Angela said, resigned.

Leonardo turned back to face Angela directly. Speaking to her while cooking made things easier for him, but he couldn’t hide his face any longer.

“This will sound presumptuous but… is there any way I can make it up to you?”

His chest tightened even more. The idea of having multiple partners was appealing at first, but talking to Angela, hearing how she seemed uncomfortable with the idea, and knowing that he’d have to get someone like Maeda-san involved in this made him feel guilty. But he knew he needed to do this, so his question was nothing more than looking for a way to feel better about himself. It was pathetic, he knew.

She pursed her lips and closed her eyes. “I’ll… think of something,” she gave him a small smile. “I know we both have little choice in the matter. I won’t come too hard on you for it, but I’m still gonna give you shit every once in a while.” Her smile then turned into a grin. “For now, I want half of your croquettes.”

The worst part was that her words really did make him feel a little better.

He chuckled. “You’re gonna get fat,” he said, smiling in relief as he turned back to his cooking.

“Believe me, I ate worse shit back home and never gained a single pound.”

Huh. Interesting. It was the same for him.

But more importantly, he finally had a real conversation with Angela. This felt like a huge step forward. With their feelings out in the open now, they could maybe start being more honest with each other.