Chapter 4. Gato pov

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Chapter 4. Gato pov

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Remembering that day long ago, Gato leaned back in his chair, laughing softly.

"Hehehe...."

Parri sighed, watching the daydreaming Gato from across the café table.

"So this is what it feels like—being friends with an idiot," he muttered.

They had finally arrived in Moirang, and now the three of them sat in a small roadside café, sipping tea.

Gato crossed his legs casually.

"Birds of the same feather flock together, bro. You're no different."

"What did you say? Repeat that again," Vasco snapped, leaning forward.

Normally, Vasco was quiet around other people, but he didn't mind joking around with these idiots.

"I'm the normal one, okay? Taking care of the four of you was always a headache for me," Vasco grumbled.

Parri smirked and nudged Vasco.

"Bro... you were so arrogant back then. If you were just a little like your chill self today, I wouldn't have called you gay to the principal that day."

"Hey, you stop acting like a saint just because you finally have a girlfriend now!" Gato shot back, grinning. "And gossiping about me being gay? Seriously?"

Vasco and Parri exchanged glances and grinned.

"Jealous, huh?" Vasco teased.

"Yeah... jealous. SoGato! So what kind of girlfriend does our mighty Gatotkaca want, huh?" Parri joined in, poking fun.

Gato closed his eyes, leaning back.

"...Our high school headmaster's daughter," he muttered. "It's been so long... I think I've started forgetting her face."

Parri shifted uncomfortably.

"Ah... ah... did you really forget her face?"

"Of course. It's been more than fifteen years since high school. Her father shipped her off abroad to study right after graduation. I've searched social media too... no sign of her."

Parri chuckled nervously.

"Eh..., you still searching for her? She's probably got someone by now, man... maybe even married."

Gato opened one eye and stared straight at him.

"Oh? How do you know she might have a lover, BRO?"

Parri swallowed.

"Haha... just saying, bro..."

"I didn't ask you to laugh. I asked if you knew. Do you, Bro?" Gato leaned closer, voice low and serious. "Are you hiding something, Bro? If you are, we'll end you right here."

"I swear to God I haven't lied! I swear! Nothing at all, bro, really!" Parri raised both hands in surrender.

As they joke and walked out of the café, Parri casually took out his phone, thumb flying over Instagram.

A recent post appeared on his feed—28 minutes ago.

grace_ningol

Dr. Grace Ningol

M.Phil, PhD — Department of Clinical Psychology.

A photo of a simple office nameplate.

Parri smiled faintly, slid his phone back into his pocket... and said nothing.

After sitting through the boring speech for a while, Gato couldn't take it anymore. Yawning, he quietly slipped out of the hall.

At the same time, outside near the garden, Grace politely told her superior, "Madam, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I'll wait outside for a while."

Taking her small notebook, a pen, and her phone, she went out and sat under a big tree just beside the gate.

Meanwhile, Gato strolled out, relieved to escape the dull lecture. His eyes casually scanned the surroundings when he noticed a girl sitting alone beneath the banyan tree.

She wore a plain white blouse tucked into high-waist beige trousers, with a light brown cardigan draped over her shoulders. A soft floral scarf was tied around her neck, and simple sandals completed the look. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders like silk threads. The notebook on her lap and the gentle tapping of her pen showed she was deep in thought.

"Hmm…" Gato squinted at her, rubbing his chin.

"Where have I seen her before…? This face… feels so familiar…" he murmured.

But no matter how hard he thought, the memory refused to come. Maybe it had simply been too long. Yet something stirred faintly in his chest—an odd sense of familiarity he couldn't shake.

Taking a sip from his water bottle, he casually walked over and dropped down on the grass beside her.

Grace felt the sudden presence next to her and turned, staring at the stranger who had sat down without a word.

Gato, wearing a simple cotton t-shirt, black trousers, and rough leather boots, noticed her gaze and grinned.

"Relax. Don't worry—I won't propose to you or anything. I just wanted to fool my friends for a while," he said smoothly.

Grace frowned.

What the hell was wrong with this guy?

"Feeling uncomfortable? Don't be. I didn't come here for you. I came for this tree," Gato added, leaning back against the trunk as if it made perfect sense.

Grace shifted slightly away, trying to put some distance between them as she continued scribbling in her notebook.

"Oh… am I disturbing you? Well, it is a public place. Not my fault." He leaned a little to peek. "So what are you writing? A story? A poem?"

Without a word, Grace snapped her notebook shut.

"Your hair's nice. Long hair suits you. Don't cut it short," Gato said casually.

Grace glanced at him but stayed silent.

"Also… try wearing a red dress sometime. You'd look great in it," he added.

That was enough.

Grace finally snapped.

"Why are you sitting here spouting nonsense? Should I shout and call people to drag you away?"

Gato grinned, completely unfazed.

"Before that… at least tell me your name."

"Do you really want to know?" she asked with a deadpan face.

"On second thought... nah. Never mind."

"Then don't ask," Grace said flatly.

"Okay... So... where are you from?"

"Didn't you just say you didn't want to know?"

"Oh... right. So... are you an only child?"

"Try finding that out yourself, genius."

"At least out of pity for a stranger... tell me your name."

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me your name, where you're from, and which neglected family raised you?"

Gato gasped dramatically.

"Neglected child?! Me?! I'm the prince of my house!" Gato stretched and let out a breath.

"I thought you looked gloomy, so I tried to lighten the mood. Something bothering you?" Grace paused, twirling her pen.

"Nothing really... Just thinking about those roadside trees. They'll probably be cut down when the new roads are built."

"Ohh... So that's it. You're the type who overthinks small things," Gato said.

"Yeah, maybe. But aren't you going to introduce yourself now?" Gato shot her a look.

"Wow, don't you have a girlfriend, huh?" Grace scoffed.

"Nope. I've been 'waiting' for my high school principal's daughter all these years. Guess I forgot to get a girlfriend."

"Eh? You've waited that long? You must've loved her like crazy, then."

"Love? No way. I just wanted to see the principal's face when I show up as his son-in-law. Then I'd break up with her." Gato grinned wickedly.

Grace couldn't help it. She laughed.

Even if this idiot had forgotten her face, she remembered him and he clearly hadn't changed one bit.

Still smiling, she teased, "So... Imagine if I was that principal's daughter. Would you date me?"

"Of course I would," Gato nodded confidently. "And after that, I'd break up."

Grace raised an eyebrow, amused.

"So you're saying you'd treat me like a toy? Play with me until you're bored and then throw me away?"

The word "me" slipped right past Gato's ears.

"Nah, not playing with her—I only wanted to prank her dad. It was all about messing with him."

Grace rolled her eyes.

This was getting stupid. She decided to change the subject.

"Didn't you say you came here with friends? Did they abandon you?"

"Nah... I just got depressed at the event, so I slipped out. Actually... I left home this morning already feeling low," Gato muttered, scratching his head.

At that, Gato suddenly chuckled.

Grace glanced sideways. "What? Did something hit your head?"

"Nothing. Just remembered something dumb from this morning." Gato smirked.

This Morning:

When Gato woke up, washed up, and sat for tea, an argument broke out with his dad and older brother—over Medusa.

Yes. Medusa, the Greek mythology figure.

From his point of view, she was misunderstood, and he was passionately explaining this "truth" to the kids whom Puto was tutoring in the living room.

But Puto, annoyed by his nonsense ruining the kids' study time, kicked him out of the room without mercy. That's why Gato left home annoyed and 'depressed.'

Later, when he and the others drove out towards the event, they stopped at a roadside stall to buy water.

And there—Gato saw her.

A woman standing by the roadside, graceful as a goddess.

She wore a flowy pastel summer dress, light and breezy, hugging her figure just enough. Her smooth hair reached down to her waist, catching the sunlight with every movement. Her slender neck, fair skin, and calm posture gave off a mysterious elegance—one that could easily make any man lose his breath.

Even without seeing her face, Gato felt his heart skip.

"I came out in depression," he thought to himself then, "but seeing such beauty… my heart's healed."

He hadn't cared whether she was married, widowed, or single.

Just her back alone—with its quiet charm, her gentle sway, her glowing skin—was enough to stir, confuse, calm, and tempt a man all at once.

Gato leaned back with a sly grin, remembering that morning.

"Heh... I thought red would suit her. I was smiling like an idiot, remembering my grandfather's old story about love arrows. So... acting like Apollo himself, I pulled an imaginary bow and shot a love arrow right at her back."

Grace glanced sideways, curious.

"And just like a deer struck by an arrow, she turned around—looking back over her shoulder... I was ready to charm her right there—"

But Gato sighed deeply.

"—But guess what? When she turned... I freaked out and turned my back. Then I realized it wasn't my arrow that got her attention. It was Parri and Vasco standing there like idiots. Vasco holding marbles, while grinning."

Grace raised an eyebrow.

"I said to them, 'Eh? Here I thought my arrow hit her—but you guys were the ones throwing marbles this whole time! You ruined my moment!'" Gato shook his head dramatically. "That's how I missed my chance. I was about to shoot a second arrow when a car parked nearby... and she got in and left."

He looked at Grace, grinning.

"That's how I 'met' her and why I never caught up with her. Damn Parri and Vasco ruined everything."

Grace glanced down at her simple dress—the one she had changed into not long ago—then back up at him.

"You seriously... never saw her face?"

"If I had, I'd be married by now," Gato said with a grin. "It's all their fault. I remember her shape though... just like a graceful deer..." He held out his hands, tracing curves in the air to describe the figure of the mysterious girl he'd seen.

Grace stared blankly... then looked down at her own figure with a small, dry chuckle.

What an idiot.

He's standing here, describing a woman's body like this... and has no idea that the girl from that day was me.

She felt a little annoyed.

So this is what he tells his friends, huh? Just about curves and figures... Men are all the same.

Trying to shake it off, Gato asked, "So... what do you do for a job?"

Grace crossed her arms, smirking.

"I take care of people like you."

Without thinking, Gato blurted, "Oh? Are you here to find a client then?"

Grace shot him a deadly glare.

"No. I came with one of my relatives."

Right then her phone buzzed with a message. She glanced at the screen, and her expression shifted. Narrowing her eyes, she stood up and said softly, "I should be going now."

Before Gato could reply, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a beautiful white magnolia—the same one she'd picked on her way here because of its sweet scent.

Without a word, she leaned in and gently tucked it behind Gato's ear.

"A woman is giving you a flower. Take care of it... okay?" she said with a faint smile.

Then, without another glance, Grace turned and walked away, leaving Gato sitting there, stunned and speechless, his hand lightly touching the white magnolia tucked behind his ear.

Not long after, familiar voices came from behind.

"Well, well... and here we thought you'd be sulking somewhere like a sad puppy," Parri smirked. "But turns out you were flirting here instead."

Vasco grinned beside him. "Unbelievable. He's finally trying to charm a woman. Miracles do happen."

Gato shot them a dry look. "You two weren't sincere enough in finding me a girlfriend... so I had to take matters into my own hands. And guess what? She even has the same name as our old principal's daughter—Grace! What a coincidence, right?"

Parri and Vasco exchanged glances.

"Should we tell him?" Vasco whispered to Parri.

Parri chuckled darkly, eyeing Gato carefully. "You seriously don't know who she is?"

"Hah? Know who? Have we met before?" Gato asked, confused.

Parri crossed his arms, looking amused but thoughtful. "Remember that girl you shot your imaginary 'love arrow' at, by the roadside when we stopped for water? The one you were rambling about, calling her a goddess or some nonsense?"

Gato blinked. "Yeah... what about her?"

"That was her."

Gato froze. "What...?"

Parri gave a faint smile, his eyes narrowing as if he knew more than he was letting on.

"Yep. Same person. Grace. But that's all I'm telling you... for now."

He didn't mention that she was the principal's daughter—but in his mind, he was watching Gato closely, wondering what Grace was planning by not revealing herself yet.

After all, in this world, except for her parents, he was the one who knew her better than anyone."Let go Alex and James said they are on a cafe call block cafe ."