"As you know, Cupid, there are only two days left until the gifted student exam, then two weeks until the autumn festival, and after that, the spring camp."
"Uh." Cupid nodded, chewing on the chestnut ice cream he had just ordered.
"What should I do…sigh…"
"Uhm…"
"I really can't believe that damn student council president is so calm! Why did I even apply to be a student council member in the first place…"
"Isn't it because you're a gifted student?"
"No…my family wanted me to, so I applied…who knew I'd get accepted…"
"Such bad luck."
"Uhm…damn it!" The vice president of the student council slammed her hand on the table, making her coffee cup and Cupid's ice cream cup rattle.
"So, when are you going to plan to eliminate the president?"
Rose, looking down at the table, sighed deeply: "… I'm going to get really fed up with him if he keeps pissing me off like this…"
Cupid nodded, taking another spoonful of ice cream.
If you're wondering, Cupid, what's going on? And why are you sitting in the cafe, eating ice cream and talking to the vice president of the student council? We need to rewind fifteen minutes.
"Mom's office having a party today? Did you bring Eros along too? Yes. Have a good meal, see you later at home." Cupid turned off the phone call, thought, maybe it wouldn't hurt to be home alittle late today.
So he went to the school gate to wait for Nova.
Cupid pondered, should I text Nova first?
He wondered if Nova's alright… Cupid knew these things were minor matters for the talented Nova, but during important exams like this, Nova's family sometimes… put pressure on him.
Cupid recalled the first time he saw Nova's father—not exactly a pleasure meeting, but a chance encounter—standing at the kindergarten gate. He seemed rather strict, even scolding Nova, "Why are your grades so low?" while Nova had higher grades than almost all the other children in the class.
If anything happened, he hoped Nova wouldn't hold a grudge…
"Oh," Cupid exclaimed suddenly when he saw the portulaca flowers in front of the school gate.
They were called portulaca; they usually bloom at ten, but sometimes they bloom at nine o'clock or even earlier…
Cupid sat down and bent his head to admire them. Under the cool afternoon breeze, as it was the end of the year, winter was approaching, then it would pass, and spring would come; everything was passing so quickly. The flowers swayed in the wind, and somewhere a bee flew and landed on a pinkish-orange flower.
Cupid was intrigued, opening his eyes and gazing intently.
A small, round bee, if you looked closely, Cupid could see that its feet were covered in yellow-orange pollen. Oh, how adorable they are!
He happily hummed a tune under his breath, hum hm um hm~
"These flowers are so beautiful, aren't they?" Then a voice somewhere said, "The student council decided to plant portulaca flowers because they're easy to grow and cheap."
Cupid looked up and saw a figure that seemed…familiar?
"Vice-president…of the student council?" He wasn't very good at remembering faces; even Cupid himself had to admit he had a terrible memory, so he just whispered to himself.
"You're the one who gave out the samples of the cake the other day, Cupid, right?"
How did she know his name? Oh well, maybe his class president told her.
"That's right." Cupid nodded and turned his gaze back to the portulaca flowers.
After a moment of silence, Rose spoke, "Actually, Nova has told me quite a bit about you…"
"Huh?" Cupid frowned.
"Because…" Rose stammered, "I used to ask Nova for help with my homework, and since then we've talked a bit, and Nova has told me about you…"
"Ah…" Cupid sighed wearily. This Nova…!
"He didn't say anything bad about you, so…"
"I know…" Cupid gently interrupted Rose. Nova has a bad habit of bringing up stories about himself, like a proud mother boasting about her child. Ah, it's not "like", his mother is exactly the same…
"But is the story about you being the god of love true…"
"No. Why would you think such things are real?" Cupid gritted his teeth and replied, "Even the vice president of the student council cares about this strange rumor?"
"Is that so..."
Why does she look so disappointed...?
"Don't you have extra classes today?" Cupid asked, frowning. "The vice president registered for the gifted student competition, right?"
"Ah, my class got dismissed early today. We just did a practice test, no other extra classes."
"Oh..." Then go home! Don't disturb my time enjoying the flowers anymore.
"Cupid..."
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
Cupid froze. Don't tell me... she needs help with love matters again...?
"No, it's not like that. I just want to ask someone out for coffee to talk..." Rose flatly refused when she saw Cupid blinking at her.
They looked at each other in silence, Cupid wondering what he had done to get the vice president's attention…
"I'll…treat you…If you want?" Rose said matter-of-factly, with a perfectly calm expression.
"Let's go for coffee, I know a really good place." Cupid grabbed his bag, ready to run off at any moment.
On the way to the cafe, Cupid wondered why she had to ask him to go with her; is there no one else she can talk to?
"So?"
"Let's see… I have a best friend, but she's not the right person to discuss this with, and I don't want to annoy her. Forget the student council president. My family… my parents are too mature to listen to this kind of thing, and my damn older brother… let's not even talk about him!"
"Looks like you should buy a diary after today."
"Sorry, but I don't have enough time to write in my diary every day." Rose quickly dismissed Cupid's idea.
Oh… I forgot, a top student like Rose, who also works in the student council, would need three heads and six arms to have enough time to write in her diary.
"But, don't come to me every time you have something to confide in me about…"
"I'll pay for the drinks."
"I'll think about it…"
"Good."
And so, the two are now sitting at Cupid's favorite cafe, known for its incredibly delicious chestnut ice cream.
"I'll have a hot latte coffee, please."
"You were eating ice cream and drinking coffee?"
"The vice president paid for it…why not?"
Rose blinked, unsure whether to be surprised or frightened by his nonchalant demeanor. But she could only shrug it off; after all, Rose was the one who invited him here.
"So, you came to me instead of anyone else, which means it has something to do with love…right?"
Rose's eyelashes twitched.
Cupid immediately noticed the change in Rose's expression.
"Just, let's put that aside…"
"Really...?"
"I've been too busy these past few days to care about romance…I really can't believe I have to take on this vice president position!"
"Is it that bad?"
"As you know, Cupid, there are only two days left until the gifted student exam, then two weeks until the autumn festival, and after that, the spring camp."
"Uh." Cupid nodded, chewing on the chestnut ice cream he had just ordered.
"What should I do…sigh…"
"Uhm…"
"I really can't believe that damn student council president is so calm! Why did I even apply to be a student council member in the first place…"
"Isn't it because you're a gifted student?"
"No…my family wanted me to, so I applied…who knew I'd get accepted…"
"Such bad luck."
"Uhm…damn it!" The vice president of the student council slammed her hand on the table, making her coffee cup and Cupid's ice cream cup rattle.
"So, when are you going to plan to eliminate the president and drag his corpse out and throw it into the river?"
Rose, looking down at the table, sighed deeply: "Don't say scary things like that…But I'm going to get really fed up with him if he keeps pissing me off like this…"
Cupid lowered his head and ate a spoonful of ice cream, then whispered just loud enough for Rose to hear: "Poor you."
Rose sighed out a long breath…
"Just try to get through next year. Or maybe you could give up the vice president position to someone else?" Cupid gently suggests
"That's nearly impossible! Even the class president and vice president positions in our class, rarely anyone will take it, let alone the vice president of the whole school…"
"Oh…right…yeh…"
"There's someone already slated to be vice president, but only after I graduate. Because she's a good student, she said she'll replace me when I graduate."
"I see." Cupid nodded slightly, then saw the waitress bring a latte, and quickly thanked her.
"Aren't you coming with Nova today?" The waitress asked,
"Nova has been very busy lately. You probably won't see him until next year." Cupid shook his head.
"Oh… I was thinking of letting him see if we should put the seal-shaped cookie in our latest ice cream…"
"I'll ask him about it."
"Kid! We have to wait for him to come and try it himself. I want him to be wide-eyed with surprise when he sees the new ice cream!"
"Ah… um… okay, ma'am." Cupid nodded and waved goodbye to the waitress.
"Nova comes to this place often, too?"
Cupid nodded when he heard Rose ask.
"He and I come here often." Picking up his hot latte, Cupid poured a little coffee into his ice cream. "We've been drinking here for about four or five years now."
"Huh…?!" Rose was startled. "H… how many years have you two been friends?"
Cupid took a spoonful of hazelnut ice cream with coffee, then reached out and counted, "8…9? 10 years?"
"Huh?!"
"Probably…"
"What-that's incredible…"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing…nothing." Rose lowered her head in denial: "I also…have a childhood friend…" she whispered softly, "I guess she counts as one…"
"Oh?"
"But…then my family moved away…so we just met again recently…"
"Uh…but that's a good thing, right?" Cupid took another spoonful of ice cream.
"Yeah…I meet her again…but…"
"If you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."
"No…it's fine, I already told you this much. It's just that it's been so long since we last met, I'm afraid we've both changed and…"
"Too different from back then?"
Rose nodded slightly. "Yes, that's the thing I'm worried about!"
"So…uhm…why not start over?" Cupid gently suggested.
"Start over?! It's too late now!"
"Uh?"
"I…how should I put it…I think she's busy liking someone else, so I didn't dare bother her. I wanted to spend more time with her, but if we went home together, she'd sometimes mention the name of the person she likes, I mean, not all the time, but it still, it's annoying me!"
Cupid took another spoonful of ice cream, this time chewing on the metal spoon, feeling like he was witnessing a rather interesting scene.
It's not every day you get to see the student council vice president angry because her friend has a crush on someone…
Wait a minute…
Cupid bit the spoon in his mouth. Could this girl be jealous of her friend's crush?
It seems… our Cupid has stumbled into another problem!
Damn it!!!
Like a detective… murders case everywhere he goes…
But hey, isn't love an indispensable part of a person's life? Not to mention, it's still school time, of course, love will blossom…
But still!
Damn it…
"Well… hang in there, buddy…" Cupid didn't know what else to say…
"Hm…" Rose sighed wearily. "Thank you…"
"Huh?"
"Thank you for listening to my complaints…"
"You're welcome?" Cupid finished his ice cream before remembering, ah, I think I forgot to text Nova… is it still possible to text him now…?
Rose checked her phone and then gasped in panic: "Oh no… I have to go! She's still waiting for me outside the school gate?!"
"I'll go with you."
"Huh?"
"I think Nova is waiting outside, too. I forgot to text him…"
"What? Then hurry your feet up!"
Cupid and Rose grabbed their bags and ran back to the school gate, seemingly having forgotten something important because they were so engrossed in their conversation.
Cupid thought, he really didn't want to get involved in these loving and friendship affairs… maybe next time he'd be invited, he'd refuse no matter how much they offered…
What a nuisance…
As they reached the school gate, they saw two familiar figures talking to each other in front of the school.
"Yunne!" Rose exclaimed, "Sorry for keeping you waiting..." catching her breath after running almost to get here.
"Nova... sorry..."
Nova smiled and flicked Cupid's forehead. "I knew it... no matter how many times I advised you, you'd still have that habit of forgetting..."
"So you didn't need to wait..."
"Uh, it's alright." Nova shook his head. "It was fun talking to Yunne."
Huh? So Nova was talking to Yunne all this time? Cupid slowly turned his head to look at Yunne.
"It's alright," Yunne smiled back at Rose. "You have a date with Cupid? If so, I won't bother you..."
"No!!!" Rose immediately shouted, making the three people standing nearby look at her in confusion "Ah... uhm... Well, you see, we just so happen to meet and have a small talk, that's all!"
"What's got into you again, Rose?"
"No, nothing at all, we should head home, it's late!" She looks back at Cupid before turning her head away.
And as sharp as always, Cupid catches on; it seemed like she sending him a threatening signal. Like 'shut up about what just happened or else…'.
Yunne quickly nodded. "Then... we'll go home first, see you guys later!" She turned to Cupid and Nova, nodded goodbye, and took Rose's hand, pulling her away.
Cupid stared blankly at their backs…
Wait a minute…in that last moment, everything connected…
Rose told her childhood friend…went home together…that friend had a crush on someone…it all related to Cupid, that's why…she came to him…
Rose didn't come to Cupid just because he's called the god of love, but also because her childhood friend, is Yunne, her childhood friend's crush, Yunne's crush, was Nova. Nova! His best friend, Cupid's best friend!
Rose's childhood friend is Yunne. Yunne likes Nova, Nova likes Heos, and…Rose wishes to be able to spend more time with Yunne…
Really…? Holly molly…
What the heck is this mess…
What have I got myself into…
This is not a love triangle anymore, this is a rentangle…a messy one…
Goodness…
"Cupid?"
"Ah…sorry…"
"Your face is a little pale. Are you alright, Cupid?"
"I'm fine…uh…" Cupid sighed, trying to calm himself down: "I feel like school life is really turbulent for someone like me…" then turned and walked away.
"What?" Nova blinked in confusion before running after Cupid.