The Story of How I Pretended To Be A Boy and Ended Up Being Loved By A Mafia Boss - Chapter 15

From Anis’s point of view → then from Ryu’s point of view

The doorbell rang, and when I opened it, Ryu was standing there.

“Ryu? What are you doing here? You just came yesterday!”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Huh? Is it something important?”

“Yeah. Just get in the carriage for now.”

What’s going on?

Ryu doesn’t seem like his usual self. He looks a bit down.

We rode the carriage up a hill, and after a while, we reached a place with a beautiful view.

“Wow! It’s so pretty!”

“You can see all the way to the west district.”

“Ah, you’re right! I wonder if I can see my house from here?”

“Your house is too small. You probably can’t see it.”

“Haha, yeah, true.”

I smiled at him, but Ryu didn’t even try to smile back.

“Ryu, did something happen? You seem really down.”

I tugged on his sleeve, and he looked down at me with a sad expression.

“The truth is… I won’t be able to come see you anymore.”

“What?”

“I’ve got a lot of work now.”

“Huh? For how long?”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh… okay. Then I’ll just go see you instead. That should be fine, right?”

“No.”

“No? What do you mean? Do you not like me anymore?”

“That’s not it. You’re still an important friend to me.”

“A friend…”

Maybe Ryu regrets what happened yesterday?

Maybe he’s worried I misunderstood?

“Ah, right! If it’s about yesterday, you don’t need to worry. I’m not upset or anything. It was like a greeting, right? I’m not misunderstanding!”

“Anis…”

“I’m not asking you to like me back or anything. So please, keep visiting me. Not every day—just once a month, or even once every six months is fine!”

“Anis, stop…”

Ryu pulled me into a tight hug.

“Why? Why can’t we see each other? Am I not important to you anymore?”

“That’s not it… It’s just… you and I live in different worlds.”

“But it’s always been like that, hasn’t it? Are you pushing me away because I’m from the west district?”

“No… It’s because I’m part of the mafia. If you’re with me, you could be in danger.”

“I don’t care if it’s dangerous, as long as I can be with you.”

“But if something happened to you, your mother would be devastated.”

” Oh, That’s… true.”

That’s not fair.

He knows I can’t choose between him and my mom.

“If anything happened to you, I’d never be able to forgive myself. Do you understand?”

No. I don’t understand at all.

Breaking things off like this—just deciding it on your own—is so cruel.

All I could ever do was wait for you to visit me.

To you, was I just someone to see when it was convenient?

Like a stray kitten on the street?

Cute enough to pet now and then, but not someone you’d ever take home.

So easy to leave behind.

“I see… I get it. Thank you for everything, Ryu.”

“Anis?”

“From now on, if you see another sad little girl, don’t be kind to her. She might misunderstand.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Bye.”

Anis jumped out of the carriage without looking back.

“Anis!”

From Ryu’s point of view:

*****

At first, I thought it’d be better if she hated me.

I had lines ready to hurt her—like saying I found someone else or that I got bored of her.

But deep down, I didn’t want Anis to hate me.

I wanted her to still care about me.

So instead of lying, I told her I was leaving because I cared.

What a selfish man I am…

The thought made me laugh bitterly.

Haha…

Anis, please don’t forget me.

Even if you go to a new world, stay true to yourself.

Until the day I find you again…