Lovely Hatred

Sorry, Annika, but I’m gonna have to resort to violence this time around.

The buff man continued to push me down on the table, with his hand muffling any noises I made. In a battle of strength, I would probably lose against him.

Even if I got rid of him somehow, I would still have to deal with the rest of the people at the bar……

What should I do…..?

AHHHHH, MY HEAD HURTS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT! SCREW TACTICS! I’M DESTROYING HIS HAND WITH MY HEAD!

I lifted my head and slammed it onto the table, causing the buff man to scream out in pain and let go of his grip. Before anyone else could react, I launched an uppercut on the man’s chin, sending him flying all the way across another table. I swiftly launched a jab on the person next to me and elbowed him right in the liver as payback for what he did earlier. One of his friends tried to attack me, but I weaved away and countered with a hook straight to the cheek.

“Die, you bastards!”

My vision felt a bit hazy, but I couldn’t care less. All I could see was a mob coming at me all at once. One left punch, one right punch, one roundhouse kick, my body moved as I saw fit. I could feel my strikes connect from body to body, and everything that came by me was far too slow. Their arms and feet moved my way, but I dodged and blocked them all with ease.

At that point, the only thing I could think of was how I could destroy everyone in my way.

THEY WERE ALL JUST PIECES OF MEAT TO ME!

I felt a bottle shatter itself against my head. Does it hurt? Yeah.

SO WHAT?!

I grabbed the face of the person who struck me and slammed him down the table, breaking it into pieces.

“W-Wait! I know that guy!” a guy on the ground muttered.

“Huh? What do you mean?” another guy responded.

“I-In my city, he’s feared amongst all the gangsters in the area!” his pants started to grow moist.

While I listened to their voices, I was busy beating up a guy into submission.

“Who is he?!”

“The Masked Demon of the Kalor Family!”

“M-Masked Demon?” a guy scratched his head. “But he isn’t wearing a mask!”

“They call him that because of his pretty looks! Behind that handsome face of his, lies a demon ready to devour anything in front of him!” the pants wetter screamed.

“Shut your mouth.” I kicked the man’s face. “I don’t want to hear that name ever again.”

Everything else was fuzzy after that. Before I could think straight again, I found myself sitting on a person’s back. The bar had become a complete mess, littered with bodies and broken equipment.

The only people left standing in front of me were Suvi and Annika.

“Well done!” the blonde girl clapped her hands. “As expected of the Masked Demon.”

My body felt like it was going to collapse any second, but I kept myself standing despite all the pain.

“You’ve gone too far, Suvi! How could you drag Annika into this?!” I walked slowly towards them.

“It didn’t have to be this violent, you know? Should have just let it happen!” Suvi patted Annika on the back.

“This is ridiculous! Why would you even do such a thing in the first place?!” I gritted my teeth.

“Didn’t you overhear our conversation? I wanted her to understand how you felt!”

“By making her drink alcohol?!”

“This was necessary to give you both a stronger bond. If you’re gonna choose her over me, then I’ll do everything in my power to turn her into the woman perfect for you!”

I pointed my finger towards her.

“Y-You’re a monster.”

“Guess that makes us two of a kind.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Come on, Annika. Let’s just go.”

“Heeeeeeh? Kwaaaaaaan? Is that yooooou?” Annika slowly turned towards me with her mouth drooling.

Damn it, Suvi, you got her drunk.

“I feel a little weird all of a sudden. This is….”

Annika was about to fall off from her seat, but I caught her in my arms.

“I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop you.”

“Stahp me from whaaa?”

I carried her on my back and started to walk away.

“You better thank me, Kwan.”

I stopped and glared at Suvi. She looked as if what she had done was something to be proud of. I had no idea what was going inside that head of hers, but I no longer cared.

“Don’t talk to me or Annika ever again.”

“Okaaaay.”

I looked away from her and proceeded to walk forwards. Once I reached the bar’s exit, she gave me one last line.

“This is all for the greater good, Kwan!”

Greater good, my ass.

I left the bar and went back out into the streets. I decided it would be best to stay from public sight, so I decided to take the less populated routes back home. I’m pretty sure it would be weird to see an injured man carrying a drunk lady. Anyone would think that’s suspicious.

I walked silently along a quiet park, luckily there weren’t many people who could see us. Annika’s weight was tolerable enough for me, but it was getting harder and harder to keep my body stable due to my injuries.

Maybe I should go to the hospital? All of my injuries were pretty minor though, so I should be able to brush it off. Just a few scratches that will probably heal off in no time, not like I have an arrow to the knee.

“Kwaaaaaaaan.”

Annika wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my neck.

“Y-Yes?”

“I hate you. Soooooo much! Have I ever told you how much I hate you?”

Ugh….those words hit like bullets! Does she really hate me that badly?!

“You just told me you hated me.”

“You’re a huge idiot! A huge idiot! A scumbag sandwich! A huge idiot scumbag sandwich! I hate youuuuu a lot!”

So this was how she truly felt about me….I guess a person’s true feelings really do show off under the influence of alcohol.

I hung my head down.

Reality’s cruel, I know that. I totally deserve all the hate. I accept her feelings. But it sure hurts like hell!

“Why did you betray me with that womaaaaaaaan?! Whyyyyyyy?! Why did you have to break our promise?!!”

I guess Suvi told her about our relationship….

“I….have no excuses for it. If you hate me so much, then perhaps it's better if we part ways after this.”

“Nyooooooooooo!” Annika pinched my ears.

“O-Ouch! Why?!”

“I love you!”

Huuuuuuh?!

“Ah, no! I hate you! I love you! I hate and love you! I still love you and I still hate you!”

What is going on right now?!

I felt my cheeks switch up into hot cherries. A rollercoaster of emotions blasted through all the circuits of my brain. Waves of electricity seemed to flow through my blood, spreading from my heart throughout the rest of my body, not missing out a single cell.

“I hate that I love you, Kwan! Why am I like this?!”

“H-Hold on! How can you still love me after everything I did?”

“It’s because I still believe in you….I believed that the little Kwan in you was still in there! I believed I could still save you!”

“But what about when you called my confession lukewarm?”

“It was a stupid confession! How could you say such a thing after telling me how many women you slept with. It was a hundred, Kwan! A hundred women over me!”

Annika whacked her arms against my back. “You’re the worst!”

“O-Ouch! Ouch! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, already!”

“I can’t let go of you, Kwan!”

I was speechless. Tears ran down her eyes, along with some snot, so I decided to stop and wipe her face with a handkerchief. My eyes started to feel watery, but I kept myself from leaking out anything. What was important right now was to be strong for her sake.

“I’m sorry, Annika. I’m truly sorry. I-I don’t deserve this at all!”

I couldn’t contain it any longer. I let it all go, and water fell down my eyes like a dripping stream.

Kwan Kalor the Great? The Greatest Idiot.

I handed myself the title.

After a long and arduous journey, I had finally made it back to our apartment. The stairs were my enemy, but I pushed onwards, with every fiber of my legs getting through every step of the way. With all the remaining energy left in my body, I had finally arrived at Annika’s apartment.

“Where are the keys to your room?”

“My purse….”

I rested her by the door and began rummaging through her purse.

Wallet…..mirror….ballpens…..comb……phone…..some candy and medicines…….lipstick taser……..ah!

I picked up the key and unlocked the door to her room. Upon entering inside, I took off my shoes, then went back to carry Annika on my back again. I closed the door with my foot, locked it, and took some steps forward.

Hmmmm…the room is quite dark. I’m pretty sure the switch would normally be….

I searched through the walls, until I found two light switches by the edge of the small hallway. One of them had the usual white color like the one in my room, while the other was colored black, and it looked like it was just pasted there.

I wonder what the black switch does.

Once I flicked them on, purple neon lights flashed through my eyes. Sure they were surprising, but that wasn’t the biggest thing that left me in awe.

“Ah jeeeeeeez, you found out my secret……how embarrassing….”

The room was shaped exactly like mine, but that was their only similarity. It was neat and tidy compared to mine, and it had some rather interesting decorations. A collection of familiar toys and paintings scattered across the walls of the room, all in different shapes and sizes, placed on multiple shelves like a museum display. What sold the deal was a small filming area, with light screens, a camera, and a table with a microphone on top.

This is…..the exact setup of ‘The Girl in the ASMR’!

“Don’t tell anyone or I’ll tase youuuuuuu…..”

“I’m a huge fan actually.”

“What? Reaaaaaally?”

“Yeah.”

To think that she was living right next to me, it’s like I’m in a light novel plot.

I laid Annika on her bed, which had a surprising amount of stuffed toys everywhere. One of them being Grey, a catgirl from Blades of Gray. I tucked her inside the sheets and watched her close her eyes.

“Good night, Annika,” I said and turned away.

“Wait.”

I turned back to see her in a sitting position.

“Why don’t you sleep with me?”

Did I just hear that right?

And just like that, Kwan Jr. was as solid as a rock. My face had turned into a lava pit as I heard those words.

Her face was totally blushed over, with her body swaying around like a penguin. Her blouse was totally uneven, exposing her shoulder and her bra strap. To top it all off, the snow-haired beauty pleaded with me through her mesmerizing blue eyes.

Is this real?

“Y-You mean sleep on the bed with you?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Annika shook her head. “You’ve done it with a hundred women, right? So why not do it with me?”

I watched her plumpy lips move to say the last word.

“Sex.”