160 An Outing 4 (1/2)

They ordered light meals and until they arrived debated whether Iris was crazy or not. She refused to rise up to Kyro's taunts, but it was getting harder and harder. He seemed really amused that she'd ask someone for a newspaper just to read about him.

”What did you want to find out about me?” he asked in the end, when their meals were already on the table.

Iris had gotten grilled octopus, since she had never eaten it before. After a small bite, she realized that it wasn't too bad. Strangely, it didn't taste like seafood, but more like… chicken? Well, a very weird chicken.

She shrugged at Kyro's question. ”Even I don't know. It was after I returned from being kidnapped and realized that I know nothing about you even though we've stayed together for quite a while.”

”You think you know me better now?” he asked, and Iris got a sense that this was a test of sorts. Was he expecting her to answer that she knew him or admit that she knew nothing? After all, in a way both answers were true.

”I've learned that you're single,” she said daringly.

This was a bit of a dangerous ground, but she wanted him to admit it to her. Even though she saw his mother's actions and heard him repeatedly say he planned to live alone, she couldn't help remembering the name Jane in the diary-like book she'd secretly read before.

Back then, he had dated that Jane and, when something happened, started a huge fight with some Brons company over it. The order of events made it obvious that it was due to the girl. And worst of all, it didn't seem like Kyro had dated anyone after that.

All of it pointed in one direction, and Iris didn't like it whatsoever. Yet she couldn't confront him in the open without raising too many questions, so her only choice was a roundabout statement like that.

”How insightful! What gave it away? The fact that I didn't throw you out the moment you showed up for fear of misunderstandings? Or my mother's oh-so-covert actions?”

In an instant, the smile from Kyro's face disappeared, and his mood soured. He looked like he'd eaten something extremely distasteful, and Iris winced. She had clearly stepped onto a landmine.

'Abort the mission, abort the mission!'

Quickly, she changed her direction. ”You're actually quite bitter, aren't you? I thought to tease you about it, but it seems it's too early.”

”Tease me?”

”Certainly, revenge for calling me a newspaper thief!”

This seemed to calm him down a little, and Iris breathed an internal sigh of relief. She'll have to ask about that Jane later. For the moment, it was fine as it was. They were out together, eating at a small restaurant before going to some event.

Which sounded totally like a date.

'Iris, stop those thoughts. Yes, they have no right to be in your head. It's just friends going out together on their free time. That's right.'