One answer from Ivory was enough to make the hope in Cakara's heart grow.
It's true what Ivory said; the girl has no right to love her Copulation partner. Who is she to dare to love someone who already has a fiancé? After all, they were only tied for one year. There's no guarantee they'll get back together after Copulation is over. In fact, judging from Ivory's words, it looks like Aaron Magnifico will soon marry his fiancé.
Good chance for him, right?
Cakara shook his head for a moment. He suddenly felt guilty for thinking too far. His rational mind, which had always led him to behave with full manners, shook his head in shame. He felt like he wasn't a good man when negative thoughts flashed through his mind.
Remember, they were just friends. He did not want to quickly destroy their friendship bond with too lofty a dream. He will only try to be a good friend to the girl for now.
"Why is that?" he asked, again trying to dig deeper.
Ivory drank a full glass of water before placing her plate on the table.
"It's dangerous if I fall in love with Aaron. I will hurt a lot of people. I will disappoint a lot of people."
Cakara Park tilted his head curiously to know more.
Ivory then continued the story. "If I can't control my feelings, I'll hurt Aaron, Joy, and myself. I've never been in touch with anyone before. Maybe that's why I'm having trouble controlling my crush on Aaron. Even so, I still and will continue to do my best not to fall in love with him." Then she laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I talked too much."
"It's okay," said Cakara without hesitation. "I told you, I'm ready to be your confidant. Just tell me if it makes you feel better."
The girl nodded slowly. "Aaron has been very good to me. I feel so lucky to have met a man like him. But sometimes … I'm worried I'll misinterpret his kind attitude toward me. I was petrified," she said.
"Afraid of what, Kelana?"
Ivory lowered her head as she spoke almost silently. "I'm afraid I might fall in love with him," she said.
Of course, controlling feelings for someone is not an easy thing.
Just like what Cakara is currently doing.
"At certain times, like today, I get annoyed when he chooses to go with his fiancé. I don't want to be left. I also want to be accompanied. What's more, yesterday, my lower body still hurt so bad after the examination. I really wish Aaron would stay and keep me company. In fact, he still went with his fiancé. He didn't come back even until the evening. I shouldn't be upset, but my heart feels tight while waiting for Aaron to come home," Ivory said. She then smiled wryly and continued her turmoil again. "Ah, even I just realized. How can I expect Aaron to come home when his home is that girl? She is Aaron's real home. The fiancé was Aaron's place to come home to. It would be presumptuous of me to think otherwise."
Cakara could see the sadness in Ivory's eyes. The girl was trying her best to hold back her tears. She even bit her lower lip to restrain herself.
How big is Ivory's love for her Copulation partner?
"I know you must find it difficult to position yourself, but think about how Magnifico's fiancé feels, Kelana. The girl met the man first. They fell in love first. And until now, they still love each other. Compared to you who just arrived, it would be a waste of time to be upset with Magnifico." Cakara touched Ivory's palm gently. He squeezed the palm gently to strengthen Ivory, who looked sad. "Try not to get carried away. Before going too far, it's better to keep your feelings right, so they don't grow. I don't want you to get hurt later."
Ivory looked at the hand that the Guardian Leader was holding. The anxiety, worry, and fear that originally covered her started to go away when dealing with Cakara began to disappear. She could feel that the man in front of her could be a good friend to her. He wasn't intimidated at all.
"I'll maintain my feelings, Cakara. Thank you for the advice."
"You're welcome, Kelana. I hope you can live a happy life until you're old and die," Cakara prayed earnestly.
Ivory smiled, hearing the man's prayer.
"Cakara, by the way, why do you keep calling me by my last name?"
The figure in question blinked his eyes a few times. He was also surprised that he was suddenly asked by Ivory. "Your last name is good. Very unique. I like to call you Kelana," he answered.
"Hey, that's not fair! You told me to call you by your first name, but you call me by my last name," protested the girl.
Cakara laughed loudly when he heard the girl who became his new friend grumble.
"Okay, okay. I'll call you Ivory."
"People closest to me call me Ivy. You can call me Ivy too."
The man tilted his head slightly while suppressing a smile. "Then you can call me Caka once in a while. Sometimes my nickname is also shortened. My sister often calls me Caka."
"Okay, that's fair!" said Ivory cheerfully. "I'm happy to be friends with you, Caka!"
"Me too," replied Cakara with a smile. He liked seeing Ivory cheerful.
Back chewing her food, Ivory also tried to resume their conversation. "Oh, by the way, your shoes are still with me. I want to return it to you. Should I take it now and bring it here?"
Cakara nodded slowly. "Nope. Easy. Later. You'd be hard-pressed to find your way into the Bowl if it weren't for me anyway," he said. Besides, he didn't want Ivory to be too tired. He doesn't really need his shoes either.
Ivory nodded slowly. She just obeyed his words. Then she chatted again. "Your house is very unique. Incredibly interesting. How can you build an underground house that is so sophisticated?"
The man started peeling the apple in his hand. He remembered the first time the idea of making this Bowl came up. While throwing a piece of apple into his mouth, he began to speak.
"I used to get bored with the atmosphere around me. The conditions at my home were not very pleasant for me. That's why I wanted to have my own place of escape that not many people knew about. A secure place that is safe from disturbance. A secret place for me to hang out when I'm tired. I then made a design and tried to build it with some of my subordinates I could trust. That's why I built the Bowl."
"Who else knows this place?"
"Not much. Only my sister, my five subordinates helped me build the Bowl, and … you."
Ivory wondered, as a civilian who had just met Cakara, why was she allowed to know about this secret place?