The Magic That Made the Playboy Who Never Dates Fall for Me Chapter 07
Before I can even explain the trick—”Avery!”
Evan and I turn at the same time.
It’s Sophie.
And behind her? Someone else.
I blink. Mason.
He follows Sophie inside, grumbling the whole way: “Why’d you drag me here?”
“Oh, come on—just thought we’d check it out! Don’t you think it’s cool? She’s doing magic!”
Sophie plops down right next to Evan.
Which means Mason has no choice but to sit beside me.
Maybe it’s my imagination, but his posture looks stiff as a board.
“So what trick were you two doing just now? And there were doves too!”
I show her another one.
We chat back and forth about magic for a while until Sophie slumps onto the table.
“My parents are coming to the school talent show this year. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see Avery’s magic.”
She turns to Evan. “Evan, is your family coming?”
—
Evan answers flatly: “They probably don’t have time.”
“That’s too bad…” Sophie sighs, then points at Mason. “Your parents —”
“No idea.” Mason cuts her off.
Finally, all eyes land on me.
Even though nobody says it outright, I can tell all three of them are waiting.
“Avery, do you—”
“What about your—”
“So do you—”
They all start at once. Then stop. Awkward.
System scratches its metaphorical head in my ear: [“This vibe is so weird…”] 😂
I take a deep breath. Then I just say it:
“I don’t have any family.”
Not in my past life. Not in this one.
Same either way. Ever since I can remember, I’ve never had anyone to call Mom or Dad. Later, when I was old enough to understand, the troupe director who raised me told me I’d been sold to the traveling magic troupe by my birth parents.
In this world? I don’t have that backstory anymore—I’m just an orphan.
—
All my expenses come from the system, to help me complete the romance mission. 😊
The three of them go dead silent.
After a long moment, Sophie’s eyes turn red.
“You’ve been doing all this on your own? All this time… that must’ve been so hard…” 😉
Mason clenches his jaw as he looks at me.
“Broke and still buying me breakfast.”
His fists are tight. He looks fierce.
But somehow, I feel like he wants to hug me.
Evan says nothing. His finger, which had been tracing circles on the table, has long since frozen in place.
I want to say it’s fine.
Because I make tens of thousands of dollars per show.
My fans are passionate. Brand sponsorships. Merch sales. Broadcast rights. Photo licensing. Premium VIP seating. Plus I often collaborate with major circus companies.
Six figures per show? Not unusual. 😉
—
you think?”
Yeah.
I nod in serious agreement. Probably for the best. 😊
After school that day, I’m the last one to leave the classroom.
I’m surprised when I spot Mason around the corner.
“What’s up?”
He has his bag slung over one shoulder, looking straight at me.
“Don’t want to see me?”
I blink. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I overthink everything,” he mutters grumpily. 😂
Then he grabs my wrist and starts walking down the stairs, mumbling under his breath:
“Somebody said she liked me, and then went and told someone else she didn’t.”
Oh…
My brain kinda short-circuits for a second.
I’d almost forgotten about that.