None of them spoke for several minutes. Only the sound of music that was heard from a distance and the sound of friction leaves that occasionally sound when the wind blows hard.
Katie, who had felt awkward, now could breathe freely. She did not know whether the man was intentional or not, but Kinsey did not give a threatening atmosphere or excessive movement as if he was trying to convince her, he would not hurt her.
If the man was aware of her anxiety and did it on purpose, Katie's heart would jump from happiness.
Happy? Why does she have to feel happy?
Katie shook her head quickly to throw her mind away. She couldn't possibly be happy just because of a stranger.
"How are your feelings?" for the first time since the silence began, Kinsey struck a conversation.
"My feelings?"
"I mean since that incident. Have your feelings improved?"
Katie lowered her face to stare at her glass of wine, which she had not yet drunk. Has she recovered? If said to be better, Katie already felt better. More precisely, she tried to control her emotions so that her power would not be active.
If only she were not the red queen, Katie might have gone crazy by this time and screamed hysterically every day.
"Not bad," she replied after a while.
"Really? Then you are a strong girl."
Katie only gave a thin lips hearinh the compliment. Strong girl? She is not strong at all.
"You're wrong. I'm not. Sometimes, they haunt me every night. I can't sleep well because of that nightmare. I'm not a strong person at all." there was a sad tone in her voice.
"I had expected it."
Katie looked up to see Kinsey smiling softly at her, causing her heart tremble again.
"There's no girl who doesn't feel traumatized after experiencing what you've experienced." Kinsey continued. "But, in my eyes, you are a strong woman. You can surpass it all and smile, laugh, and even provide a pleasant surprise for my sister. As long as you have feelings to make your loved ones happy, you will be fine."
Katie was stunned by the man's explanation. As if this young man's statement touched her deepest heart and gave her the strength to continue her life.
For the first time since she arrived on this balcony, Katie relaxed her nerves and enjoyed the night view there. Somehow she felt sure this man would not do anything to hurt her, and strangely enough, she felt comfortable accompanied by him.
The two of them began to chat casually while laughing. Without realizing the time, they had been talking for almost an hour.
"By the way, I was curious at something," said Katie. "Why did you call your sister with Rinrin, when everyone called her Cathy?"
"There is no important reason. My parents called her Rinrin. It seems like only they called her Rinrin."
Indeed that was the reason given every time someone asks why he calls his sister by the name 'Rinrin.' But the real reason is... he just doesn't want to call his sister who sounds like the name of his first love.
It takes a lot of effort not to think too much about his first love. If he called his sister, who sounded like Katie's name, it would be tough for him to forget that girl. As a matter of fact, he still couldn't get rid of the name Katleen Morse in his mind, no matter how hard he tries to forget it.
"Looks like Cathy and I really look alike," stated Katie with a small laugh. "When I was little, only my parents called me Katie, while my friends and others called me Kei."
Kinsey sighed. Of course, he still remembered it when her friends used to call the girl by the name Kei. But he also believes that not only the two girls' parents called her Katie, he also called her by the name Katie!
It seemed like the girl had completely forgotten about him. Again, he unconsciously turned sour, and his mood turned cloudy.
While enjoying the night view, Katie took a small sip while glancing at Kinsey, who was still sitting on a chair.
Since the conversation about the nickname, the man seemed to be pondering something. Did she say something that offended him?
For some reason, Katie was afraid that he would hate her.
She couldn't fathom as to why does she feel restless like this? She had never experienced it before. What is this feeling?
Katie cleared her throat before opening up a new subject.
"I heard you only met Cathy last year. How did you feel when you met her? Cathy said she suspected you once wanted to do a pervert thing to her."
Kinsey smiled at that. "Looks like there are no secrets between you girls. Your friendship is very close, huh?" Kinsey answered it with questioning her.
Hearing Kinsey's question, Katie smiled broadly and recalled the early days of her friendship with Cathy. She was completely unaware, Kinsey looked at her with a look of adoration as she smiled broadly just now. Katie looked extraordinarily beautiful with her smile.
"We are very close and almost inseparable," explained Katie. "Unfortunately, since my career was at its peak, we rarely met. But we always make video calls and try to meet every weekend. I love her very much."
"Outsiders will think you're lovers if they don't know you."
Katie laughed at that. "Maybe. If I were born as a man, I would fall in love with her, I think."
"Well, fortunately, you are a girl." Kinsey murmured very slowly.
"What?" apparently Katie hadn't heard because Kinsey said it almost silently.
"Nothing," Kinsey answered nonchalantly as he sipped his drink. "Where did you first meet?" Kinsey asked casually as he poured wine from the bottle into his empty glass.
Kinsey really likes hearing Katie's voice, especially listening to Katie's story about her relationship with his sister. Because of that, he prompted the girl to tell more.
"We met at Trinity School."
Ba-thump!
As if the world stopped spinning, Kinsey stopped moving.
Trinity?