Jackson was so deep in his own thoughts that he did not notice Alicante was walking toward the waves of the beach.

His eyes widened, and his body reflexively moved quickly, using his werewolf speed to rush towards Alicante.

Without thinking twice, Jackson pulled Alicante’s bodies away from the beach waves, which were strong because of the high winds.

They landed on a sandy beach, well away from the waves. His hands, still tightly embracing Alicante’s body, trembled violently, with his head resting on the man’s shoulder.

The fear of losing Alicante for the second time brought tears to his eyes.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Alicante yelled in annoyance.

“I knew you wanted to go to this place, but what you did before was dangerous! What if you get swept away by the waves and die?!” Jackson shouted back at Alicante in response to what Alicante had said to him before.

Alicante’s face looked annoyed when he heard his response, but Alicante did not even try to let go of his tighter grip. Allowing Jackson to hug Alicante’s body for the first time.

He felt relieved when he touched not the cold, rigid body with closed eyes and pale, pursed lips as he had seen in his previous life. But a warm body and the sound of a slightly racing heart.

The scent of Alicante’s body wafted by his nose, making him even more regretful of the past. “Jackson?”

Alicante’s low voice snapped him out of his panic. He just realized he was hugging the man too tightly, so the man winced in pain because of it.

He found Alicante coughing as soon as he let go of his hand.

“My bad. I didn’t mean it,” he said, wiping his tears earlier. He panicked when he saw Alicante, who was still coughing from his tight hug earlier. “Are you all right?”

Alicante’s sharp glare answered an obviously stupid question in the middle of his cough.

He felt guilty and moved away from the man, who was catching his breath as his cough subsided.

Those words worsened his guilt.

How could he act so stupid by hugging Alicante like that? The difference in their bodies was obvious. Alicante was just an ordinary human, and he used almost half of his strength while trying to save that man.

What a moron...

If he had not heard Alicante’s voice earlier. Perhaps he would have actually killed the man with just a hug.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated the word regretfully. “I––I did not mean to do it.”

Without a second thought, he faced and bowed deeply, without daring to look at Alicante’s face while doing so.

“I am really, really sorry! I promise—no, I swear to you, I will never do it again!”

There was no response from Alicante. He continued to maintain his prostate position until he heard the man’s soft laugh, which provoked his curiosity.

Slowly, he raised his head, finding Alicante in front of him, laughing at his reaction just now.

“Geez, I was only joking. There is no need for you to be so panicked,” Alicante said between his laughs.

It made him flinch when he heard the laughter he had wanted to hear from Alicante in the past.

“But about what you said this morning...”

“Yes?”

“You told me you would do anything for me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course. Of course,” he said, still in his original position, not daring to move. He thought about what Alicante meant by asking that question.

“Anything? Do you really mean it?”

“Yes. You didn’t hear it wrong. I will do anything you want me to do, Alicante,” he answered again.

Alicante’s left foot, which he realized was not wearing shoes, stretched out to him. Until the distance of Alicante’s shoes filled with beach sand was very close to him. “Then prove it. Kiss my feet right now.”

“Sure.”

He changed his position and grabbed the foot attentively, as if it were a precious treasure. Then he kissed the sand-filled toe soulfully.

Ignoring the sand that stuck to his lips as he did so. His eyes then fell on Alicante, who looked shocked to know that he had actually done what Alicante had just asked him to do.

Both of his hands grabbed Alicante’s right foot, doing exactly what he had done to Alicante’s left foot just now.

“What else do you want me to do?” he asked after wiping the remaining sand off his lips with the back of his hand.

“Y-you really did it!?” Alicante pulled his leg away, leaving Jackson a little surprised.

“Of course. You asked for it, and I was serious about what I said this morning,” he changed his kneeling position in front of Alicante to sit down. “Did you think I was just joking when I said all of that? I am deadly serious.”

A blush appeared on Alicante’s pale face upon hearing his words, and Jackson continued to speak again.

My seriousness: I also meant what I said about being interested in you, Alicante Watson. I’m truly in love with you. I know this is weird and too sudden. But still––”

“You’re definitely not Jackson. Definitely not him …”

Alicante shook his head slowly, repeating the phrase repeatedly as if he were casting a magic spell. Ignoring him while moving backward with a terrified expression on his face.

“The Jackson I always knew would never say,” said Alicante again, still in disbelief, “he would never do what you did. So who are you? Where did the old Jackson always do things to—”

I just told you: I’ve changed. I won’t repeat all the stupid things I have done to you in the past. Did you think I was joking when I said that?”

Alicante was silent, leaving Jackson feeling a little confused and anxious as he waited for Alicante’s answer.

However, when he glanced at Alicante, he found that the man was no longer as frightened as before.

He saw Alicante offering him the pudding that he had given to Alicante earlier at the school canteen.

“Here. For you,” Alicante said, smiling at him.

“Eh?”

Jackson’s eyes blinked in disbelief, looking at the pudding and Alicante simultaneously.

“But I gave it to you...”

Alicante chuckled. “Do you think I can finish these puddings alone?”

“Yes,” Jackson replied quickly.

Alicante pursed his lips as soon as he heard the answer. “Take it anyway!”

“But--“

“Didn’t you say you’d do everything I said?” Alicante interrupted Jackson quickly. “Why are you suddenly refusing? I’m not sure if you really meant what you just said or not...”

“I meant it,” Jackson shifted position, facing Alicante with his right hand raised. “I swear to the gods in the sky that I meant what I said.”

“There’s no need to be that serious...”

“If it makes you believe me, I’ll do it.”

“Then take this pudding,” Alicante pushed the pudding at Jackson. “I don’t want to eat alone.”

***