Chapter 359: Grand Finale (Part 1)

“…No, that’s not it.” Joanna Kennedy touched her nose, a little embarrassed, and said, “I just think you really look like a good friend of mine.”

“Is your friend’s name Anna, too?”

“Ah…” Joanna Kennedy’s face flushed with embarrassment. Her mortified expression made Anna Yates chuckle.

“What a coincidence,” Anna Yates said, half-joking, half-serious. “I think you look like a friend of mine, too.”

Anna Yates raised an eyebrow slightly and added slowly, “A friend I’ve never met.”

Joanna Kennedy froze, staring at her blankly. Anna Yates wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw the pretty girl’s eyes turning red.

“Hey, no way, you’re not going to cry, are you?” Anna Yates started to panic. “I was just kidding. Look at you… I don’t have any tissues. It’s no use crying at me, don’t—”

“Anna…” Joanna Kennedy suddenly hugged her, cutting her off. After a few seconds of silence, she said in a muffled voice, “I’m not crying…”

Now it was Anna Yates’s turn to be stunned. The girl was a bit taller than her, yet hugging her somehow inspired a feeling of protective affection. Anna Yates tried to push her away but couldn’t, so she said tentatively, “…I’m into guys, you know…”

“…”

“Seriously, I really like guys. You must have seen him in the restaurant just now. That’s my fiancé.”

Anna Yates was one step away from raising her hand and swearing an oath to the heavens. Even though the girl in her arms was delicate and soft, she was still biologically attracted to men.

Afraid of scaring her off completely—though she’d already done a pretty good job of it—Joanna Kennedy slowly let go of Anna Yates. “I know…”

“Then why did you…”

“I like guys, too,” Joanna Kennedy said.

Anna Yates let out a long sigh of relief. Realizing she’d overreacted, she awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, you can’t blame me for jumping to conclusions. It’s just that you…”

Anna Yates didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear. ‘Who in their right mind just throws themselves into a stranger’s arms, crying and… acting all clingy?’

Joanna Kennedy didn’t think she was being clingy. She was just overwhelmed with emotion at seeing her good friend again. ‘What’s wrong with being close to your bestie? It’s perfectly normal.’

“You have a fiancé?” Joanna Kennedy asked, frowning as she recalled what Anna Yates had said.

“…Ah, yes.”

“Is he good to you?”

“…”

Meeting the girl’s concerned gaze, Anna Yates faltered and didn’t answer right away. It wasn’t that she found the question offensive; it was just a business alliance. There was no “good” or “bad” to speak of.

Joanna Kennedy was still waiting for her answer. Anna Yates felt a complex mix of emotions. “He’s fine…”

“Do you love him, then?”

Anna Yates fell silent. After a moment, she looked up. “Do you know my fiancé?”

Joanna Kennedy paused for a second, then shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

Joanna Kennedy hadn’t thought much of it; she only asked because she wanted to know if Anna Yates was happy. But clearly, she had crossed a line. In her eagerness, Joanna had forgotten that to Anna, she was just a stranger.

For a stranger to pry into someone’s love life wasn’t just crossing a line—it was downright intrusive. Joanna Kennedy hadn’t meant it that way, but she apologized nonetheless. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I was just… just a little curious…”

Anna Yates nodded, though it was unclear if she believed her. A valet brought her car around. Anna got into the driver’s seat and turned the car around, only to notice the girl was still standing there, unmoving. She rolled down the window.

Joanna Kennedy heard the awkwardness in Anna Yates’s voice. “I’m going to hang out with some friends. Want to come?”

The tables had turned. Joanna Kennedy’s face instantly lit up, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. “Yes!” she chirped.

‘Such a pretty girl, with no guard up at all. I could lead her away with just a single sentence.’ Anna Yates sighed, but deep down, she felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Anna Yates usually met her friends at bar-like entertainment venues. This time, however, she didn’t join in on the drinking challenges. Instead, she lounged on the sofa, “interrogating” Joanna Kennedy.

After all, she was a stranger who had suddenly appeared. It was natural to be a little wary. Joanna Kennedy’s answers were seamless; she just said she was a tourist from another city.

“You came to Aethelburg to travel all by yourself?”

Joanna Kennedy thought of Simon Lockwood, but he wasn’t with her right now. She nodded. “Mhm, by myself.”

Anna Yates clicked her tongue. The way she looked at Joanna Kennedy instantly changed, as if she were looking at a naive little bunny with no sense of self-preservation.

“I’m not familiar with Aethelburg.” Joanna Kennedy lied without batting an eye, putting on an innocent act. “Can I hang out with you for the next few days?”

“I have money. I won’t be a freeloader,” Joanna Kennedy said.

Anna Yates was speechless. She didn’t want to take on this kind of trouble, but she didn’t have the heart to refuse such a pretty, well-behaved girl. “…Fine. But you have to stick close to me. No running off.”

“If you get into trouble, I’m not taking responsibility for you.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

On her seventh day in Aethelburg, Joanna Kennedy had successfully latched onto Anna Yates. Anna really did treat her like an out-of-town tourist, taking her to many different places.

Riverbend, The White Hall, The Crimson Hall, Nightfall—Joanna Kennedy had been to all of Aethelburg’s famous entertainment venues and scenic spots many times, but she still pretended it was her first visit.

She cherished every moment with Anna Yates. On the afternoon of the 14th day, the sunset in Aethelburg was more beautiful than ever, its amber afterglow bathing the rooftop of the abandoned school building.

Not minding the dirt, Anna Yates leaned back and sighed. “It’s been so long since I’ve been back to my high school…”

“Jo, why did you suddenly want to come to my high school?”

Joanna Kennedy smiled and copied her, leaning back as well. “Because the view is better here, I guess.”

‘Because this is where I met you.’

“Hahahaha.”

‘What kind of good view could there be on a high school rooftop?’ Anna Yates thought she was joking, but she didn’t press the issue. The two of them leaned against each other and watched the sunset for a long time, until the school bell rang and students in uniforms began pouring out of their classrooms.

The quiet campus suddenly came to life. Girls with ponytails walked arm in arm. Anna Yates watched them for a long time, and in a daze, she began to recall her own high school days.

Her memories were crystal clear, yet at a certain point, they just wouldn’t connect, as if someone had been forcibly carved out of them. She didn’t know how much time had passed before she heard the person beside her speak. “Anna, I should go.”

“…Will you come back?” Anna Yates heard herself ask.

The air was quiet for a few seconds. Then, Joanna Kennedy smiled, her voice soft. “I will.”

“When?” After asking, Anna Yates laughed at herself first. Turning her back to Joanna Kennedy, she waved. “Then I won’t see you off, new friend.”

“…Mhm.”

‘Old friend.’

Joanna Kennedy walked out of the school gates and let out a heavy breath. She had just started to move when she caught something in the corner of her eye. She froze for a moment, then slowly lifted her gaze.

Across the street, under a plane tree, a tall, imposing man stood quietly, just as he had back then.