Office Romance with a Werewolf - Chapter 82

La la la la

“Are you that happy?” Randell asked Ranz while listening to him happily humming and looking in love.

“Of course, she finally said yes! You should know since you witnessed how I worked! ”

“Well, congratulations! I’m happy for you! ”

“Thank you! You seem happy as well. ”

“Of course, I won’t get extra work from now on. You know, I get exhausted too from all the hard work you have done. ”

“What do you mean? Of course, I won’t stop making an effort!”

“Huh? She has already said yes. She agreed to date you! What more should you do to exhaust us? ”

“Are you stupid? I need to work harder and give more effort so that she won’t regret dating me and to prove that I am worth staying for! ”

“What?” Randell rolled his eyes, thinking that real dating was a draining experience. “Dating as portrayed on TV seems too easy and lovely!” He grumbled as he thought about Ranz’s determination to date Nida seriously.

“But Ranz, what should we do whenever you’re gone?”

“Oh, you’re right! I didn’t think about that!” Ranz panics, as his absence was not part of his plan.

After Randell turned ten years old, Ranz would be unconscious for a week, and it always happened around the full moon.

Things get more complicated when their adopted parents start to lock Randell inside a prison-like room and isolate him until the full moon disappears.

Without Ranz, the prison-like atmosphere becomes dark and creepier since he is locked alone without anyone to talk to.

Even though the two have the same body, they no longer share the same knowledge and experience.

Like what Ranz did, he hid some of the werewolf’s information from Randell because he thought it would scare or traumatize him because he believes Randell is too young to know.

Randell also hid from Ranz that he was being locked up in a prison-like room every full moon.

All Ranz knows is that he usually blacks out every time the full moon is around for a week.

“I will just avoid her.”

“No! You can’t do that! What if she’ll hate me if we don’t see her for a week? ” Ranz’s voice sounded very worried, while Randell calmly talked to him and didn’t want to suggest the most tiring thing to do: act like Ranz as a proxy.

“Then what should we do?” he asked instead.

“Just act like me. Can you do it right? ”

“Of course not! I am bad at acting. She will notice it! ”

“Don’t worry, two personalities in one body are rare. Even though she will feel it strange, she won’t break up with me. I am more worried if we don’t see each other for one week! ”

“Okay? Don’t blame me if I messed up. ”

“Don’t worry, I won’t get angry if you mess up. The important thing is that you keep her company! ”

“Okay?”

Randell agreed to act as Ranz’s proxy whenever Ranz was absent.

….

….

“Are you sick?” Nida touched Randell’s forehead without warning, and that made Randell move away in reflex.

Nida frowned because he found Randell’s reaction strange. He would usually grab her hand whenever she tried to touch him, but today he moved away awkwardly, but soon concluded that Randell might be really sick.

With his exhausted look that showed his dark circles around his eyes, he approached Nida and grabbed her hand again.

He thought to himself, “I forgot Ranz is very touchy,” as he tried to recall Ranz’s personality and habits.

Even though he felt really tired and sleepy, he forced a smile towards Nida.

It turns out that his nightmare from being isolated is being extended until the morning to force himself to act well in front of his other personality’s girlfriend.

He was about to tell some lie or make excuses to Nida, but he soon felt his body tilted and his head landed in Nida’s lap.

“Did you pull out an all-nighter studying again?”

Randell can’t respond because he is surprised by Nida’s suddenly pulling him down so that his head can rest on her lap. He blushed because it was his first time leaning on a girl’s lap.

He thought as he could smell Nida’s sweet rosy smell, maybe because of his fabric conditioner on her clothes, that the smell sips into his nose.

Surprisingly, the smell and light brushing of Nida’s finger through his hair made him feel relaxed, as if he was being massaged.

It’s the first time he’s felt at ease after being locked up.

“Don’t force yourself to accompany me. Rest if you feel tired.”

Her voice felt like a lullaby as well, and that made his eyelids feel really heavy.

He worked hard, trying not to fall asleep. and Nida noticed it.

Nida chuckled and placed her hand over his eyes.

“Sleep, let me take care of you too.” Nida feels good as well, as she could finally return Ranz’s efforts because he always comes to take care of her.

Randell gave in and let Nida’s warmth wrap around him until he had finally fallen asleep.

….

….

Days, weeks, and months passed, and dating with Nida went smoothly. Even Randell became close to her since he kept on taking Ranz’s place as a boyfriend for a week every month.

Also recently, Randell feels refreshed and fine, even though he has been isolated. He used to cower and tremble every time he went out of his isolation, but he found new comfort at Nida’s side, and that solaced him.

Randell, who never asked his parents’ purpose for locking him up and never asked his other personality behind his peculiar characteristics and past, continued to have a peaceful life by letting everything go with the flow.

Everything went smoothly until he turned eighteen.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ranz exclaimed as they entered their room.

“Wrong with what?” He honestly doesn’t know what Ranz is getting worked up about.

“I said, don’t show Nida things out of my character! Remember, you’re just a proxy! ”

“Ah? Sorry? Did I play too much today? I’m sorry. I’ll be careful next time. ”

Randell is getting carried away by showing his real personality because he is too comfortable around Nida now.

“Just stay still, Randell! That’s something you’ve said before! You will make her fall for someone who is not me if you keep that up!” Ranz grumbled.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be still.”

“She’s mine, Randell. We’ve been sharing almost everything. But she’s not. I can’t share her with you! She’s mine alone!”

Randell flinched as he heard Ranz’s warning.

“O-okay. I know it. You have her. Don’t worry, she’s not my type. I love pretty girls!”

“I’m just saying this to make things clear to you. ”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

Although Randell told Ranz not to worry, he himself is getting worried. He feels like he is falling for her as well.

…

…

A month had passed, and the full moon was about to come again.

“Stay still, Randell.” Ranz warned him before he left.

“I will.” he replied, looking outside the window.

As Randell stared at the night sky while leaning on the windowsill, he lifted his hand and reached out for the bright moon.

“Waxing Gibbous,” he mumbled the name of the moon phase he learned at school.

The waxing gibbous phase is between a half-moon and a full moon.

It is always the phase in which Ranz disappears inside of him and will reappear in the waning gibbous phase.

He used to hate Ranz’s disappearance because it meant he would suffer alone in isolation, but nowadays he somewhat looked forward to it since he could freely interact with Nida without Ranz getting jealous.

“Hey Moon, I still hate you,” He said something to the bright moon and soon heard the familiar voice he wished to hear.

“Hey! Hurry and get down! ” Nida came to his house to pick him up.

Although it’s weird for a girl to pick up her boyfriend, it’s their situation since Randell’s parents are more strict than Nida’s. Her parents almost let her do what she liked, as long as she didn’t tarnish her father’s political image.

“The door is open. Mother is waiting!” he shouted back and went out of his room promptly.

When he got down, his mother and Nida were already talking.

“Just make sure to not roam outside the school grounds.”

“Yes ma.” Randell replied and looked at Nida with a smile, thanking her for helping him get his mother’s permission to let them attend the seniors’ party.

He already knew that he could not attend the graduation ceremony because there was a full moon at the same time. That is why he planned to enjoy this night.

“Toto will come as an usherette. Let’s have fun together! ” Nida excitedly said as she waited for Randell to ride on the back of her scooter.

“You talked like you were invited. You’re just a party crasher.” He teasingly replied, hugging her from behind and savoring the smell that he had missed because he only got this close to her once a month.

“Haha! Don’t worry, I’ll contribute to keeping the party fun and awake till morning! ”

“Haha! Don’t exhaust the graduates; they still need to attend the ceremony tomorrow. ”

“No! No! Let’s party till the sun goes down! ”

Nida excitedly shouted while driving her scooter.

Randell just enjoyed her eccentric behavior and fell for her more.