Chapter 79

"It's really delicious, thank you."

"Hehe, I'm glad."

I had come to Zain's office to deliver the homemade sweets I made.

Zain took a break from his work, and he was enjoying the freshly baked cookies with tea.

As I looked at his desk, I saw a mountain of documents piled up, enough to make one's head spin.

"Still, Zain, it really seems tough. How long will this busy period last?"

"This is the usual amount. It might even be less."

"Really?"

The idea that he handles this much work regularly is far from normal.

However, there's no way Zain would be doing unnecessary work, and all of this must be necessary. I couldn't possibly suggest he take a break or reduce his workload.

"Is there anything I can help with? I mean, I can't do anything too difficult... but..."

Wanting to reduce Zain's burden even a little, I asked him this when he finished eating.

Zain blinked his long, golden eyes and then relaxed his lips into a gentle smile.

"Then, could you organize these receipts? I want them sorted by month and arranged in date order."

"Yes! I'll take care of it."

"Thank you."

Thinking I could handle that much, I eagerly started the task.

"......"

As I began, looking through the expenses felt like peeking into his daily life, making me a bit uneasy. Still, I was happy he entrusted this task to me.

Zain doesn't seem to indulge in luxuries or spend much money on himself. As I thought about how typical this was of him, I continued working.

Suddenly, I found a receipt that caught my attention.

"......Repair costs?"

And it was from a casino. The amount was so high that it made my stomach hurt, as if I had broken something myself.

I couldn't help but wonder what could have caused such damage, and then I realized this casino was where we had our fake date with Ranheart.

When I saw the date, a loud, puzzled "Eh?" escaped my lips.

Zain stopped writing and looked at me.

"Is something wrong?"

"Um, this..."

Feeling awkward, I showed him the receipt with the date from that day. Zain's expression didn't change, and he calmly said, "Ah."

"After seeing you and Ranheart Gardener's fake affair at the casino, I realized I had punched a hole in the wall."

"......"

"Even though I knew it was fake, I got so frustrated."

Facing Zain's usual calm demeanor, I couldn't stop sweating. I remembered seeing a large hole in the wall when we left that day.

I had assumed it was from someone who had lost at the casino and was frustrated, but I never imagined it was Zain, and that I was the cause.

"I'm sorry... really..."

The thought of the usually calm and composed Zain doing something like that was surprising, but recalling the bracelet-breaking incident made it strangely believable.

Feeling guilty, I looked down, and suddenly a shadow fell over me.

When I looked up, I realized Zain was right next to me.

He gently touched my cheek and leaned his perfectly chiseled face close to mine.

"When it comes to you, I lose my composure."

"......"

"Please, don't make me jealous anymore."

As I hurriedly nodded repeatedly, Zain's lips curved into a satisfied smile.

I firmly resolved to be more careful and not make Zain jealous again.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Today, the first volume of the manga is finally being released!!

The beautiful cover featuring Zain and Grace, drawn by Minori Amakaze and Ayumu Nakajima, is the perfect marker ( ˘人˘ )♡♡

At the end of the manga, you'll find:

- A new comic featuring Evan and Grace

- A new short story featuring Evan and Grace

It's a heart-fluttering Evan festival.

Of course, Zain is also at his best in the main story and other special features!! It's a very interesting, beautiful, and wonderful book, so I hope you enjoy both the physical and digital versions ♪♪

Additionally, the second volume will be released on the 15th of this month!

I'm so grateful to everyone who bought the first volume, making it possible to release the second volume (；；)♡♡

On Amazon, you can also pre-order a set of volumes 1 and 2 with a new short story and illustration as special bonuses!

If you were considering whether to buy the book, now is the perfect time!!! (Desperate promotion) I hope you'll continue to support the series as we move on to volumes 3 and 4 (///ω///)