Chapter 379: [Bonus - ] first girl friend
"Yes. I hate it, but no one ever noticed that except you."
Was it relief that swelled in Ivy’s chest at Heaven’s straightforwardness? Or was she a bit surprised that someone could read her as if she was an open book? Either way, Ivy didn’t mind.
"You see... growing up around those guys isn’t easy." Ivy trudged to Heaven’s spot, planting her hand on the surface beside them. "Being a woman on top of that was never easy. I have to face many prejudices and I had to prove myself over and over."
She lowered her eyes as she chuckled, glancing over her shoulder at where the guys were. "But being their friend isn’t the hard part. They will accept me whether or not I share the same hobby, but it’s easier to hang out with them doing the things they like."
"Moreover, they were the only friends I have. All the other females were... let’s say, there’s so much drama with them. I’m not saying everyone, but most of the ladies I met so far were never genuinely happy for me," she continued, summarizing her reasons for pushing herself into taking hobbies that she didn’t like. "I appreciate that you noticed, though I’m a little embarrassed since that is not the impression I wanted to give my first female friend."
"I didn’t expect you will say all that, but well." Heaven shrugged nonchalantly, placing the pistol on the surface. "But if you hate it, why are you still taking this hobby? It’s not like you need to impress them. Or do you have a reason to impress them?"
"I tried it at first out of curiosity, and told myself I might like it if I try it more and more," Ivy explained as she glanced at the targets now being collected by the staff. "But I didn’t like it in the end."
"But why are you still doing it if you don’t like it?"
This time, Ivy’s smile stretched from ear to ear. "You can say I want to impress someone."
"Someone...?" Heaven instinctively glanced at where their audience sat.
"He’s not one of them." Another wave of playful chuckle slipped past Ivy’s thin lips.