I had to break the silence. So, even though she was shy about it, I approached her first.
“… Just.”
“Just? Aren’t you worried about me?”
“Well, what do you mean? Why would I be worried about you?”
Looking at her blushing as she said that, anyone could tell she was worried about me. When she hardened her expression as if regretting something, she seemed to realize what she had done a moment too late.
“I’m sorry… If you had come because you were worried about me, I might have fallen for you.”
“What did you say…?”
“Then, can I ask you again?”
I grabbed her hand, resting on her lap, and slowly turned my gaze to meet hers.
Stella didn’t pull away, even though I had taken her hand. She always tried to be aloof with her words, but her body had long since betrayed her.
“What did you come here for?”
“I…”
Her pink lips, like cherry blossoms, quivered as if she were about to say something. But just as a sound escaped her mouth, she suddenly snapped out of it, shook my hand away in a fluster, and stood up to retrieve a lunchbox from the kitchen.
“Hey, this! I can’t break a promise just because you’re in the hospital, right? That’s why I came!”
She handed me the lunchbox, her tone uncharacteristically defensive.
I opened it and couldn’t help but exclaim at the contents. It was usually extravagant, but today’s menu had a special touch.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Hmph.”
She folded her arms and turned her head away. That was always how Stella Eritz was. Knowing her nature, I silently began eating the lunch she had brought.
As I quietly focused on the meal, she hesitated before speaking softly.
“… Are you hurt?”
“I passed out because of the pain.”
“I know. It was quite unbecoming.”
Listening to her, I recalled that the reason I had fainted was because I had been sta*bbed in her place.
When I thought of that, the gratitude I felt for her began to wane as if it were being washed away by water.
‘No, I saved this b!tch…’
“Thank you,” she suddenly said.
“A single word of thanks…?”
Before I could say anything else, Stella interrupted me with perfect timing. She seemed to enjoy catching me off guard, and her amused laugh confirmed it. When she made eye contact with me, she quickly apologized.
“Sorry.”
“…for what?”
“At that time… When I saw you with another woman, I misunderstood and ran away. I apologize.”
“Uh… Did something like that happen?”
“… Did you forget?”
I racked my brain and remembered it was about ten days ago. It was when I had just summoned Empress. It seemed she had seen me walking with her. After that, I traveled to another territory with Syrah or received a stab from Dinua. There had been so many events that I had completely forgotten.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Yeah, what. If you say so.”
Perhaps realizing how insignificant her worry had been to me, Stella let out a smirk and looked a bit disappointed.
I held out the lunchbox I had in my hand.
“Want some?”
“… Yes.”
Today, she wasn’t afraid to indulge.
***
In the morning.
The academy buzzed with chatter. The gazes of the cadets flitted toward me, their whispers often accompanied by pointed looks in my direction. Judging by their stares, it seemed like the commotion had something to do with me.
‘What now?’ I wondered.
Had Stella claimed to be my lover and snuck into my room again? Still, it wasn’t like I had done anything wrong, so I headed to the classroom quietly.
The cadets already in the classroom also glanced at me as I entered.
“Ian!”
Syrah, who had arrived before me, rushed over and threw her arms around my shoulder. If not for my frequent shoulder training, I might have toppled over from the force.
“… What?” I asked, twisting slightly to free myself.
Grinning, Syrah held up a piece of paper.
“Have you seen this?”
“What is it?”
She handed me what looked like a notice taken from the bulletin board.
[Dinua Erebos]
[-Seven days of suspension.]
“What is this?”
The punishment was lenient, considering Dinua’s history of cooperating with demons and almost killing Stella and me, both 4-star Summoners. If Stella and I hadn’t submitted a petition requesting leniency, Dinua would have faced expulsion instead of suspension.
“Hey, it’s Senior Dinua’s case. Aren’t you surprised?”
“Why would I be…”
Then it hit me. It was all being kept under wraps—Dinua Erebos’s near-contract with demons and the fact that she had almost killed Stella by doing so.
“Ah…how surprising!?” I cautiously remarked.
“Ian, do you know something?” Syrah pressed.
“No, I don’t know anything.”
Realizing it was too late to feign ignorance, I avoided her gaze, pretending to be as clueless as possible.
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