The Magic That Made the Playboy Who Never Dates Fall for Me Chapter 06
Evan actually cracked a smile. System whispered in my head: [“First time I’ve seen ML smile since I got assigned to Host. Record this for the archives.”]
I picked up the balls and started demonstrating as I talked:
“Okay, so first—put one ball in this hand—”
BAM. Loud commotion from outside. Then it spills into the room—and suddenly goes dead quiet.
I look toward the door.
Mason’s back from basketball. Mob trailing behind him. Sophie’s nearby, spots the little balls in my hand, and her eyes light up like Christmas morning.
She darts straight over: “Avery Blake! Are you doing a new trick again?!”
I don’t react.
Because Mason’s holding the ball, staring at me with dark, unreadable eyes.
Evan—who was sitting in front of me—stands up. Mason’s gaze snaps to him.
They lock eyes across the room. One second. Two. Feels like an eternity.
Then Mason smiles. Tosses the ball—WHAM—it slams off the blackboard with a crack and bounces right back into his hand.
—
“Sorry,” he says. “Slipped.”
System trembles in my ear: [“Host… I’m getting BAD vibes. Like, bad-bad.”]
Sophie shoves Evan aside like he’s furniture—completely forgetting which school she transferred to for in the first place. Evan gives me a helpless look and retreats to his seat.
Sophie plops down in front of me, rubbing her hands together:
“Avery, Avery—show me the new trick you did for Evan!”
She waves at Mason over her shoulder. “Mason, you wanna watch?”
Mason glances at me. I remember what System said: Give him space.
Right. No pressure.
So I look away.
Mason’s ball drops to the floor. Bounces twice. I catch his mutter:
“What’s so great about it? Boring.”
He goes back to his seat, pops in his earbuds, and face-plant on his desk. Dramatic much?
For days, it’s obvious—Mason’s in his feelings.
But System tells me to hold steady: Only the patient ones win in the end.
Then the school announces the talent show—and I can’t hold steady anymore.
—
I sign up for a magic act at the front of the class. About to go ask
Mason if he’ll be my stage assistant—
Evan blocks my way.
“Do you need a stage assistant?”
I do, but…
I look over at Mason.
He’s looking back at me.
The second our eyes meet? He whips his head away and loudly turns down the student activities rep asking him:
“School talent show? That boring thing? Have I ever signed up for it any year?”
Sigh.
I barely ever sigh. But this is one of those times.
What a shame. 😞
Then I look up and accept Evan’s offer.
Before rehearsals start—another exam drops.
Results come out: Mason’s first. Evan’s second.
Mason still doesn’t look happy.
What does it take to please this guy? 😊
Since we have to prepare for the show, Evan and I are usually out of
—
the classroom during study hall.
During a break, I watch him bustling around and ask: “Won’t this affect your grades?”
Evan stops, holding a dove cage. “No.”
Doves coo. I look at them and say: “I overheard your call with your mom just now.”
Not on purpose. But before he walked out, I caught her telling him to stop wasting time on useless stuff.
Evan’s quiet for a moment. Sets the dove cage down. Sits across from me.
“I…” He traces circles on the table with his finger. “I loved magic when I was a kid. But my family thought it was a waste of time.”
System chimes in: [“Yeah, I mean, Evan’s gonna take over the company someday.”]
I nod. Ah. Young heir problems. Must be rough. 🎧
[“Host, maybe you should comfort him. He’s rarely this down.”]
Soft-hearted System feels really bad for Evan.
“You can treat magic as a hobby,” I say.
I snap my fingers.
The dove that was in the cage? Now in my hand.
“Go.”
—
It flies to Evan. Lands in his palm.
Before he can even react—I snap again.
Dove vanishes—and in Evan’s hand lies a deck of cards.
“For you. The deck I used when I first started learning magic.”
Evan’s silent for one second. Two seconds.
Then he says something completely out of character:
“Are you a witch?” 🐦
He looks around. The dove that vanished from his hand? Somehow back in the dove cage. Poof.