Henry Bennett looked at her without saying a word.

　　It felt like a silent rejection.

　　The woman's expression grew more and more awkward and uncomfortable.

　　Grace Sawyer's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, unable to figure out what Henry Bennett was thinking. Before he could respond, she suddenly lifted her head and blurted out, "Sis, my brother has twenty-nine girlfriends."

　　Henry Bennett's brow twitched as he lowered his head to look at her.

　　"You don't need to worry, he'll probably give you a chance," Grace Sawyer didn't dare look at Henry Bennett, her manner sincere and cheerful. "He changes girlfriends every day, and he's still short one this month, so I guess that's you."

　　"……"

Chapter 6 Sneaking

　　Grace Sawyer's voice wasn't loud, and her tone was calm. But maybe because what she said was so shocking, it was as if her words were broadcast through a loudspeaker, reaching the other two's ears.

　　The silence was broken, and for a moment, the atmosphere relaxed. Then, it became even more awkward.

　　Henry Bennett pressed his lips together, still saying nothing.

　　The woman couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he caught off guard, or did he just think it was a harmless joke? The smile on her face faded, and the hand holding her phone slowly dropped.

　　Grace Sawyer snuck a glance in Henry Bennett's direction.

　　By coincidence, she met his gaze. She immediately looked down, guiltily slinging her backpack to her chest, fumbling for her phone inside, pretending to be just part of the background.

　　A few more seconds passed.

　　Henry Bennett looked away and followed up on Grace Sawyer's words: "Yeah, I'm kind of a player."

　　"……"

　　"And lately, it's getting hard to keep up," he chuckled, shaking the phone in his hand, speaking lazily, "If you want to call me, you might have to get in line."

　　His tone was so matter-of-fact, as if he saw nothing wrong with what he was saying, not a hint of shame on his face. It was like he thought having good looks made him superior.

　　Henry Bennett raised his eyebrows flirtatiously: "Do you want to reconsider?"

　　The woman took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay polite: "No, thank you."

　　"That's a shame," Henry Bennett sighed, sounding regretful. "How about leaving your contact info anyway? Maybe you'll change your mind someday…"

　　Before he could finish, the woman turned and walked away.

　　Only Grace Sawyer and Henry Bennett were left standing there.

　　Once the woman's figure was out of sight, Henry Bennett turned his head to look at Grace Sawyer, and asked leisurely, "Kid, your brother can't make it to thirty this month. What should I do?"

　　"……"

　　His tone was gentle and calm, as if he was really asking.

　　But it also felt like there was a hidden threat behind his smile.

　　Grace Sawyer even thought she'd rather he just got mad at her. That would probably be less scary.

　　"One short," Henry Bennett smiled. "How am I supposed to get through this month?"

　　"……" Grace Sawyer didn't dare say a word, coughing awkwardly, her back tingling. A wave of nervousness washed over her.

　　Henry Bennett, standing to the side, said nothing more, the silence almost oppressive.

　　It was as if he was preparing some big move.

　　Grace Sawyer was truly scared now, not even daring to sneak a look, just standing obediently in place. The uncertainty of what would happen next made her anxious. She swallowed hard and quietly took a step back.

　　She mustered her courage and quickly called out, "Bye, brother." Then she suddenly took off running, as if fleeing for her life.

　　Henry Bennett raised his eyebrows and easily grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

　　"Where are you running off to?"

　　She hadn't even made it two steps before being caught.

　　Grace Sawyer suddenly realized that escaping was basically impossible.

　　She deflated.

　　"It's too late… it's almost dark," Grace Sawyer mumbled, head down, her voice as soft as a mosquito, "If my mom comes home and sees I'm not back yet, she'll worry."

　　Henry Bennett made a show of looking at the sky: "It's so late, how could I let you go home alone?"

　　Grace Sawyer immediately said, "It's fine, the bus stop is nearby, and once I get off, I'm almost home. You need to get back to school too, or you'll be late."

　　"Hmm?" Henry Bennett said, "How come I never noticed you cared about me so much before?"

　　"……" Since she couldn't run, Grace Sawyer just gave up, "Brother, it's just a small thing, why are you holding onto it for so long? It's not like you lost anything."

　　Henry Bennett drawled lazily, "How did I not lose anything?"

　　Grace Sawyer retorted confidently, "You hesitated for so long because you didn't want to give that girl your number, but you were too embarrassed to say no. Wasn't I helping you just now? If you think about it, you should be thanking me."

　　The little girl was quite good at making things up, not even blinking as she spoke. Henry Bennett stared at her for several seconds, as if amused, then tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "Fine."

　　"But you helped me just now too," he agreed, but Grace Sawyer still felt no confidence at all, and could only force herself to say, "Then let's call it even."

　　"That won't do," Henry Bennett said. "Come on, your brother will thank you in person."

　　"……"

　　At this age, the two words kids fear most are probably—"tell the teacher" and "call your parents."