Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 151: The Real One

Eirin slapped her hand on her neck, capturing Shade’s finger. She pulled Shade’s hand as she turned around. "What are you doing? Why did you suddenly touch me? Are you a pervert?"

Shade stared at Eirin’s hand holding his. "You have a sweat dripping on your neck," he said. His eyes were glued to their hands.

"So?"

"My hand moved on its own."

Eirin blinked lots of times. "Would you normally do that to someone?"

"I don’t usually do that—no, I would never do that."

Eirin’s forehead creased. "Then why did you do it to me?"

Silence surrounded them, a thick, suffocating atmosphere. Even though the festivities didn’t die down, the two couldn’t hear anything else but each other. It was as if the world, a vast, chaotic place, had just disappeared, and there were only the two of them.

"I’m pretty sure you’re aware why I did it." Shade’s voice was a low, smooth tone. He leaned in, and a small smile formed on his face.

Heat flooded Eirin’s cheeks the moment Shade let go of her hand. She covered her mouth with the back of her palm and stumbled toward Coleen. Shade stood a few paces behind, watching Eirin’s hair lift and fall with her every movement. His gaze lingered on the place her fingers had touched.

They threaded through the hall in a slow, unavoidable parade. Heads turned, voices rose. Eirin felt every eye like a strand of light drawn to a fresh gem.

"Here’s our Serena! Welcome back, Eirin."

A ripple of cheers rolled along the corridor. Students clapped, and even the café customers who lingered by the archway raised their cups in applause.

"Oh? Shade Cromwell’s with them."

Where Shade passed, a cluster of students swarmed. He walked easily through them as if the crowd parted of its own accord. Link’s attention turned to the three, his expression softened, knowing how Shade had just returned from a hard mission — the kind that leaves quiet weight in the bones — and because Link, who kept the café running, recognized exhaustion when he saw it.

"We’re planning to eat. Want to come with us, Link?"

Coleen’s voice was bright. She always had a way of making things seem easy and blissful.

Link shook his head. "I’ll eat later. You guys should accompany Eirin to eat since she’ll be back on stage later."

Coleen pouted, but she knew how serious Link is when it comes to taking responsibilities, so she couldn’t say anything but agree with him. With that, they ordered some food and planned to find a quiet place to eat. Shade was tasked with finding the place, since he’s always aware of spaces that are empty.

Coleen grabbed onto Eirin’s arm, a soft, firm grip. "Let’s go choose."

Eirin followed Shade with her gaze until she couldn’t see him anymore. ’Why do I feel oddly conscious of him today? What’s wrong with me?’ she thought, a small, panicked whisper in her mind. Her heart kept thumping loudly as her hands trembled. She wanted to escape that feeling, but she couldn’t.

"Wait. I remember, I don’t trust Shade. You should go after him, Ei," Coleen said, her eyes innocently pure, unaware of the turmoil going on inside Eirin’s head.

Trixtan grinned. "Let’s give our sweet couple their time together," he said, his voice teasing, causing Coleen’s eyes to widen. Before she could even retort, Trixtan already pulled her away, leaving Eirin as she sighed.

"How am I going to find him anyway?" she said, a small whisper as she looked around, a vast, chaotic sea of people. Despite being usually taller than her peers, she looked so small there.

Eirin tried to find the path Shade took, but there were too many people, and she didn’t even have a phone or any gadget to contact the young man. She couldn’t stop sighing as she continued walking aimlessly.

"Just listen to me, will you?"

A voice, a low, desperate thing, suddenly echoed from the empty second building, causing Eirin to halt. The voice sounded so familiar that Eirin couldn’t move another step. She peeked behind the concrete wall, and there she saw Naya and Shade standing in front of each other.

"Why are you fixated on me?"

Eirin leaned on the wall as she heard Shade’s unusual, gentle tone. The voice, so soft and gentle, was the direct opposite of the cold and distant tone he usually used. She didn’t want to listen, but something within her stopped her from leaving.

The teenage girl gulped. ’I know eavesdropping is bad, but I’ve got to keep Shade in my sight or it’ll be harder to find him later.’

"How could you ask me that? You know why," Naya said, her voice brimming with pain. Her smile slowly faded as she tried to touch Shade’s arm, but he pulled away. "Why? Why can’t it be me? Didn’t you agree that if I win the contest, you’ll accept my feelings? Why can’t it be me?"

Eirin’s eyes widened upon hearing that. Even though she had already heard it from Naya earlier, it’s different being confirmed by Shade himself. Her heart thumped, anticipating Shade’s words.

"I didn’t do that. I said Do whatever you want, and I’ll do whatever I want."

Shade’s low, gentle voice filled Eirin’s ear as she could feel goosebumps all over her arms.

Naya balled her fists as she bit her lower lip. "Then just like me. Love me like how I love you. I’ve been in love with you for years, since we were children. You already knew how I feel, so why? Why can’t you just... just like me will you?"

Shade sighed, a long, weary sound. He massaged his temple as he looked at Naya; his face showed tiredness. "I don’t see you in that light, Naya. I never did, and I never will." The words, full of brutal honesty, were a direct, painful blow that left her reeling.

"Why not!? Do you not think I’m pretty? Am I not good enough?" Naya’s voice was a loud, desperate shout.

Shade couldn’t believe the words he was hearing from someone he treated like his sibling. He was a man who didn’t show his emotions often, but what Naya said, the desperation, made him react.

"You are pretty. You are more than pretty, Naya. You are beautiful." His words made Eirin’s eyes go wide. It was the first time he complimented someone so genuinely like that.

"Then why won’t you like me? Why won’t you choose me?" Tears welled in Naya’s eyes as she reached out to Shade’s hand, soft and trembling. "Why can’t it be me? I’m the one who knew you best. She doesn’t even like you back—but me, I love you. You’re the only one for me."

Eirin could feel the pain in Naya’s words that she couldn’t move herself. It was overwhelming and terrifying. Something she had never felt before, but at the same time, it was amazing. She never knew someone could feel so desperately in love.

"I was the one here for you. I am always here for you, so why would you still choose someone you just met? Someone who doesn’t even understand you in the slightest bit?"

The moment Eirin heard Naya sobbing, her heart sank. Eirin knew that she had to leave. She couldn’t listen to such fragile and sensitive conversation anymore, so she rushed in the opposite direction.

Shade sighed once again. He knew how much Naya held her feelings back. "You’re like a sister to me, Anaya. You are my comrade, my friend." His words, instead of giving comfort, were like a knife stabbed into Naya’s heart that he continued twisting.

"I know how much you liked me, and I take that seriously," Shade said, his attitude was nothing like the usual he would show others. His voice, a soft, gentle, and utterly sincere thing. "But I cannot reciprocate simply because I don’t feel the same way. You know I’m not the type to force myself to do something I’m not fond of."

Naya pursed her lips, trying to suppress the tears that were looming to fall once again. "Am I not lovable enough? What does she have that I don’t?"

"You deserve someone who will love you with all their heart, Anaya," Shade said, his tone still gentle and sweet. He was a man who rarely showed emotion, but Naya’s pain was something he did not wish to see.

"Why can’t that someone be you then?"

Naya’s continuous struggle made the young man sigh again, this time. "I can only see you as a friend," he said.

"Then what about Eirin? What do you see in her? What does she have that I don’t? I want to learn it."

A smile slowly formed on Shade’s constrained expression. The smile was the opposite of the expression he had earlier. "She made me feel... seen. She comforted me when I needed it most. She accepted me for who I am."

Naya’s eye twitched as she could feel her heart being constricted while looking at the man she was yearning for talk about the woman he likes. She had been there for him, she had loved him for so long, and yet, he chose someone he just met.