In a situation like this, it’s best to lie and say you have a boyfriend, but unfortunately, Anita didn’t have a boyfriend. Nor was she bold enough to make one up.

“I don’t think so….”

Lost in her own thoughts, Anita didn’t hear him mutter.

“Like I said, I have no interest in you.”

If I asked his name now, he would think I was interested in him. To prevent that from happening, she used the formal title of senior.

Anita’s gaze traveled to the back of her hand. The traces of the blue butterfly were faded, but still glinting in the sunlight, announcing my presence.

Rutger didn’t show up after that. After days of chasing after me, claiming he had something to tell me, he was uncharacteristically desperate, and now…

In the end, he didn’t want Anita to leave my side. He was upset that the stupid girl who had been following him around for so long was no longer there.

It’s so easy. How easy it must have seemed to him because I couldn’t come to my senses and looked like an idiot after just drawing a butterfly.

Anita rubbed the back of her hand furiously, forgetting the man standing in front of her. I couldn’t wait to get this paint mark off my arm.

“Are you listening to me?”

“…….”

Anita looked up from rubbing the back of her hand. The man was crossing his arms, one leg dangling over the other in frustration.

“What do you want me to say? I said I wasn’t interested in you. Some people do, and you’re not one of them.”

His tone, polite at first, grew colder toward the end. Anita didn’t like the man at all.

She wanted Rutger to tell her straight up that he didn’t have feelings for her, that he had a crush on someone else. Without being vague.

In that regard, Anita was doing her best not to be vague.

Seeing him being so stubborn, not even realizing how lucky he was, made her feel unnecessarily angry.

Maybe even jealousy.

I am constantly trying to shake off my regrets from Rutger and not be a bother to him. I felt bad because this man seemed to have crossed the line and lived a life where he didn’t even have to worry about how embarrassing or burdensome it would be.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to report you.”

“What, what?”

Anita jumped to her feet. Surprised by his sudden action, the man stumbled backward. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Anita walked quickly away.

Please don’t follow me!

Anita had a bad feeling that if he followed her, things would escalate. I hope he understands.

Unfortunately, Anita’s instincts were right this time.

A huge shadow stretched behind Anita’s shadow. Maybe it was because I chose this place because I like quiet places, but there was no one there except Anita and the man.

Anita walked faster. So much so that it’s almost no different from running. I felt his heavy footsteps following behind me.

“Anita!”

“…….”

“Wait….”

Nothing was heard. Anita kept walking, looking only ahead. Hoping he would tire of the weeds and fall off.

BANG!

The sound was deafeningly loud. A pungent odor filled her nostrils.

A gun?

Anita turned her head in the direction of the gunshot.

Guns were supposed to be banned.

Who the hell was using a gun in broad daylight? Anita furrowed her brow and looked around, and then she heard pounding footsteps in the distance.

Only then did Anita remember that a man was following her. He must have been frightened by the sound of gunshots and was running away without even looking back. He was running so fast that the dirt where his shoe heels had stepped was flying into the air.

Watching the man disappear in a cloud of dust, raised the corners of her mouth.

He must be afraid of guns.

The man who ran away for fear of being attacked probably didn’t know this, but the gunshot just before was not dangerous.

Anita barely remembered that Aberdeen University had a shooting club.

Anita, who hesitated for a moment while standing on the side of the road, walked towards the source of the gunshot.

She followed the tree-lined path, which soon turned into a narrow road. After a long stretch of deserted road, Anita was conflicted. She wasn’t really interested in shooting, and she didn’t want to start a club right away. Is it okay to go like this without even thinking about it?

But it was too late to run away.  In front of Anita, there was a huge vacant lot surrounded by a fence.

BANG!

Another ear-splitting blast assaulted her eardrums. It was louder than the last one, probably because it was closer.

“Hello?”

The sound was much quieter than the previous sound, but it still startled Anita as if she were on fire.

“What, what…”

“You want me to join?”

It was Richie Neuheim, smiling nonchalantly as if she hadn’t done anything to startle her.

“That’s a good idea, there’s nowhere as practical and friendly as our club.”

Practical. Friendly. Neither word fit the pungent scent of the shooting range.

“I’m not signing up yet.”

Anita’s voice gradually lost its confidence. From Richie’s point of view, she’d just walked away from the school building and the firing range.

“Hmm. It’s not a bad thing to be cautious. Shooting requires patience and discretion.”

The way she interprets people’s words to his advantage, and the way she talks to people behind their backs, is just like Edmund’s. It’s like they’ve known each other since childhood, is that why?

“Well, it’s boring to sit around and study like a sandman. Sometimes you need to relieve stress. You know?”

“Yeah.”