The sun was starting to set, the orange glow slowly fading away replaced by the bright city lights that created light pollution.

At some drinking spot in Midtown, the same place where a few days ago Kai hung out with four other girls. Now he was using it to hang out again.

Two teenage boys and one girl.

Kai looked at Chloe sitting next to him, this dumb girl was busy loudly slurping her Oreo milkshake through a straw. This girl, even though Kai had told her she didn’t need to come because he wanted to talk with this new ’acquaintance’ of his. But as usual, this blockhead girl never listened. She even said she wanted to stay because she was really, really interested in a teenage boy she hadn’t even met and only just got to know, maybe an hour ago.

Sighing, Kai looked at the teenage boy sitting in the chair across from him. Ren was also drinking his drink with eyes that kept watching Kai.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" asked Kai as he took some onion rings to eat.

"Maybe first I want to apologize about... you know, when I was too forward with Risa."

Ugh... for some reason I don’t like him calling my little sister’s name. Is this the feeling of an older brother afraid his sister will be taken by someone else... is this a real feeling from this body?

"It’s okay... maybe I also want to apologize for suddenly acting pretty aggressive like that." said Kai as he took a tissue to wipe his fingers from the oil.

"Oh yeah, where are my manners. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ren, Ren Macrolla, next semester, I’ll be in eleven grade."

"Hoo... Ren, huh. Nice to meet you, my name is Chloe, Chloe Kalani, I’m also going into eleven grade next semester. So where do you go to school?"

"Hmm, me?"

Ren with a charming smile took something from his hoodie pocket, he pulled out a School ID Card, he showed the card to Chloe.

"Huh? You go to the same school as me and Kai!" Chloe then showed the ID to Kai, she shoved the card right in Kai’s face as if Kai couldn’t read. "Look look Kai~ he’s in the same school as us."

"Yeah, I can read, dumbass."

Waving his palm like a fan, Kai brushed the card away from his face which made Chloe pout.

That sight made Ren chuckle a little. "You two are really close friends?"

"Yep... Kai is my best friend." said Chloe as she returned Ren’s student ID card.

"Have you known each other long-"

"That’s not an important question, right." Kai cut in, interrupting the conversation. For some reason, Ren’s Goody Two-shoes behavior really was starting to trigger Kai a little.

Chloe, who for the first time saw Kai like this, losing his composure and not ’cool’ like usual, was genuinely confused. Did her close friend she’d only known for a few months have a side like this buried inside.

Ren then stopped wearing that smile on his face, picked up his drink, sipped it for a moment before putting on a flat expression looking toward Kai.

"Did I hit a nerve? Kai Clove..." said Ren as he played with the straw in his drink, his fingers spinning it counter-clockwise. "Aren’t you like ’this’ too, Kai Clove."

"Yeah, I won’t deny it. I am that kind of person... but that was before." answered Kai.

"So what’s the difference between you ’before’ and ’now’, hmm?"

Haa... does he know that I’m a reincarnator? What if he’s also a reincarnator like me.

The atmosphere was heated and neither wanted to back down, it really showed across that table. Meanwhile a certain girl was like a lost child, completely confused. Chloe didn’t understand what they both meant. Her brain couldn’t catch up but she knew that Kai seemed to have some issue with Ren.

Did they know each other? Chloe didn’t really get it, didn’t understand why they looked like they had a problem.

Seeing Kai at a loss for words, she slammed the table which made both Kai and Ren look her way.

"What’s wrong with you two? Have you known each other for a long time and had some problem back in middle school? Why are you acting like you want to fight? If you want to brawl, settle it with punches, don’t just talk."

Seeing Chloe’s behavior, unable to read the room, honestly made Kai hold back a laugh. Ren also held back a laugh looking at Chloe’s fake angry face.

An innocent, naive, dumb girl who didn’t know anything. But it couldn’t be denied she was one of the ’true’ heroines.

"Why are you both laughing? Haaa... I don’t understand how the boys relationships work."

"You’re really interesting no matter which ’route’ you’re on, Chloe Kalani..." said Ren as he propped himself up on his palm, leaning down, staring right at her eyes. "It seems I like you... want to go out with me?"

"EHHH!!! We haven’t even known each other for an hour, are you crazy..."

Thump!

Chloe felt something strange again, her heart pounded hard when she looked at Ren’s face for too long. Was she really falling in love? No, no, no. No way she could fall for some random guy she just met. Even if she was dumb, she knew that wasn’t logical.

Chloe then reached for Kai’s hand and gripped it tightly. Kai responded by gripping her back.

Good, she felt calm when holding her best friend’s hand. Chloe felt comfortable with the hand she was holding now. That pounding feeling slowly disappeared the moment she saw Kai’s smiling face.

Ren seeing that was quite surprised but from his surprised face, he seemed to have expected that what happened with Risa would also happen with Chloe.

"Ouch... it hurts a little being rejected by a girl." said Ren before getting up from his chair.

"Don’t want to talk anymore." said Kai. That was just sweet words coming from his mouth, but deep down he was very grateful this guy was leaving quickly.

"Hahaha... seems that sharp tongue is still the same. See you later, Kai Clove."

Kai and Chloe watched the teenage boy leave. Once he was out of sight, Kai let go of Chloe’s hand.

"What was with the hand holding." said Kai that poke her puffy cheek.

"Ha! Why are you acting all jealous like that, are you afraid Ren will steal me away? Wait-"

Kai sighed and continued eating his onion rings waiting for this dumb girl to finish her scenario in her head.

"Don’t tell me... you two had intentions of fighting over me. Hyuu~"

Chloe then closed her eyes after making an overly exaggerated expression and of course that fake sweet expression ended with Kai flicking her forehead, which made the dumb girl yelp so cutely.

"I think that teenage boy won’t come near you again for a while..."

"Hauu... why’s that? Because of you?" said Chloe rubbing her forehead which was a little red from Kai’s flick.

"But yeah... I don’t really care, as long as it’s you..." Chloe with a charming smile looked at Kai and of course she didn’t forget to take his onion rings.

That pounding feeling earlier was indeed intense, but for Chloe, the feeling she had when Kai was by her side was the best feeling ever she ever had.