TPCF 96

CHAPTER 96………………………

“That one’s broken. The one next to it.”

“This one?”

“Yeah.”

Was he possessed or something?

She had never seen him this obedient before. Not once in the long thirteen years they had known each other.

“What about this one?”

Anita hadn’t meant much by the question. Collecting seashells didn’t hold any particular significance for her. But since he was so unusually enthusiastic, it felt awkward to just stand there and watch. She bent down and began digging through the sand pile.

“This one looks like you.”

Anita’s lips dropped at the sight of what he held out. The seashell twisted and knotted in several directions—like a gnarled piece of driftwood.

“You look like a dried-up starfish.”

She shot back irritably.
But his reaction was strange.
He suddenly burst out laughing. He turned his head away, but he couldn’t stop his shoulders from shaking.

Was calling him a dried-up starfish really that funny?

The longer he laughed, the hotter Anita’s face grew. Thinking back, it really was a childish retort—something only kids would say.

“I had no idea that’s how you saw me all this time.”

“Well, at least you know now.”

After that, they both fell silent and kept digging in the sand.
Anita made a few comments out of concern for his hand, but he didn’t seem to hear her.
After a while of fidgeting with the sand, Anita glanced up.
He was brushing sand off a shell with a look of deep concentration—like an archaeologist carefully excavating a fossil.

“Did your dad say anything to you?”

“What do you mean?”

He asked absently without looking up.

“Never mind.”

She was worried that his father might have scolded him for hanging up on her and not coming home.
But judging by Rutger’s calm demeanor, nothing serious must have happened.

“Did you guys fight?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that why you didn’t go back? Because of Mr. Rodel?”

“…Yeah.”

“Because of me?”

“……”

“If it’s about what happened back then, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Anita didn’t know what to say. His hand, half-buried in the sand, was still wrapped in bandages. She wished his wound would heal soon. Maybe then her guilt would ease a little.

“Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

They’d clearly gotten too absorbed in their play for their age.
When Anita finally lifted her head, the sun was already dipping below the horizon. They’d come to the beach after breakfast, which meant they’d spent nearly five hours there.

“Give me your hands.”

“Why?”

Even as she asked, she obediently held them out.
He dropped a handful of seashells of all shapes and sizes into her palms. Then, dusting off his hands, he turned and headed toward the stairs.

Once he was ahead of her, Anita let the shells slip from her hands.
With a soft pattering sound, they tumbled back into the sand.
She had told Rutger she’d pick them up just to have an excuse—but she’d never planned on keeping them.
After all, they technically belonged to someone else’s private property.

“What are you doing back there?”

“…Coming.”

She quickly hid her hands behind her back, afraid he might notice.
Rutger stood still, waiting for her to catch up.
She didn’t want to admit she had already thrown away the shells he’d gathered so carefully for her.

“Why are your hands behind your back?”

“I heard walking with your hands clasped behind you is good for your health.”

“……”

Even to Anita’s own ears, it was a terrible excuse.
And there was no way sharp-eyed Rutger would believe it.
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her clockwise.
Anita blinked rapidly in embarrassment.
When he saw her empty hands, Rutger let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“Did the neighborhood kids snatch them away already?”

“……”

Even though he’d clearly seen the pile of shells lying behind her, he let it slide.
As they climbed the stairs together, Anita’s confusion only deepened.

Even setting aside his sudden appearance, his recent over-the-top kindness and thoughtfulness were impossible to understand.
After thinking it over for a while, Anita recalled the coping method she’d come up with recently.

“Just don’t think about it.”

Whether he was cold or warm, as long as she didn’t care, it wouldn’t matter.
It actually seemed like a pretty decent strategy.

When they entered the garden, Lilliana spotted them and hurried over, pressing a hand dramatically to her forehead.

“Oh my goodness! You’re amazing. I don’t think I ever gave you the address—did you really find this place all on your own?”

She spoke in a rush, barely pausing for breath.

Even someone as oblivious as Anita could tell the act was terrible.
How could she possibly not be suspicious that Rutger, who hadn’t been there yesterday, had suddenly shown up?

Anita already knew Lilliana had told him where the villa was—and she didn’t intend to blame her for it.
It was Lilliana’s property, after all; she could share the location with whomever she liked.

“But why were you two coming from that direction? There’s nothing over there.”

Shielding her eyes from the sunlight, Lilliana peered toward the path they’d come from.

“We went to the beach. There’s a staircase down the cliff.”

“Hm? You mean the old iron stairs on the north side of the garden? Those haven’t been used in ages. There’s a new passageway now.”

“Oh.”