Chapter 62

Rеad ȯn​& ;Ｋαt̃R​ｅa&d;ｉn​g​Ḉa​f​e‍

The day after his discharge, Eugene found himself walking the familiar path to the academy.

The academy’s sprawling grounds meant a decent trek from the dorms to the main building. Even though he had plenty of time before class, Eugene quickened his pace.

Perhaps it was the morning training session that left his body flushed and his pulse racing. Or maybe it was the lingering thrill from the dawn of a new achievement.

He had perfected the Sun Sword.

Though it still had its flaws, the technique had been rebuilt from the ground up with the lessons of that day etched into its foundation.

It was now more efficient, requiring less energy to deploy, and its destructive power had soared.

Eugene felt certain that if he faced another horde of monsters like before, he could annihilate them with a single strike.

“Though using it as naturally as breathing, like that person, is still a long way off…”

The captain of the Second Division had wielded the technique effortlessly.

For him, it wasn’t a trump card—it was just one of many tools in his arsenal, executed as casually as drawing and swinging a sword.

For Eugene, the Sun Sword was an ultimate technique. For him, it was a basic attack.

“My so-called ultimate move is just a parlor trick to someone like that. I’ve still got a long way to go. No room for arrogance.”

Even so, Eugene couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. He picked up his pace, eager to reach the main building.

He’d barely slept the previous night, his excitement bubbling over into wakefulness. He had overslept by ten minutes, an unusual lapse for him.

Why was he so eager to get to class today? He asked himself this as his feet moved faster.

During his hospital stay, he’d been impatient to be discharged. At the time, he’d chalked it up to his desire to train and refine his Sun Sword. But now, even with the technique perfected, the same feeling persisted.

After much deliberation, he concluded it was because he wanted to show off his new move.

After all, a finishing move was a man’s dream.

A one-hit-kill technique—who wouldn’t want to share that with others?

He thought about showing it off to Leo, only to recall that Leo was still in the hospital.

“Right. I forgot about that… Maybe Arin?”

But no, Arin envied powerful offensive techniques. Boasting about an overwhelming move like this would only come off as insensitive.

“What about Su?” He immediately dismissed the thought—he wasn’t particularly close to the class vice-president.

“Alice?” But they hadn’t spoken much, and Eugene realized he was the only one paying attention to her.

“Anastasia?” She was impossible to read, so he quickly abandoned that idea.

“…”

Eugene found himself stunned into silence, realizing just how shallow his relationships were.

In truth, Eugene wasn’t particularly sociable. He rarely approached others first, and connections only formed if someone reached out to him.

It wasn’t deliberate—it was just how things had been since the day Yui died.

From that day forward, Eugene had poured himself into relentless training, at the cost of everything else.

His accomplishments, far outstripping his peers, were the result of countless hours of grueling effort. Naturally, his social life had suffered.

Leo and Arin were the only ones he could consider friends—and only because they had made the effort to approach him.

He greeted his other classmates, of course, but could he call any of them close? Not really.

“I don’t think I used to be like this…”

Eugene sighed, his steps slowing momentarily as self-reproach crept in.

Still, his pace picked up again—an unconscious eagerness spurring him on despite his musings.

Why, though? If he had no one to share his progress with, why was he so eager to get to class?

Puzzled, Eugene turned the question over in his mind.

As he tried to suppress the strange flutter in his chest, an image surfaced in his thoughts: soft pink eyes.

“…Lucia.”

Just thinking about her made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t quite describe.

Golden hair like silk. Gently curved eyes.

A perfectly straight nose, lips as red as roses, and pale, delicate skin.

Ah, that must be it.

Eugene realized he wanted to show his perfected technique to her.

His heart thundered in his chest as he pictured her face.

Lucia had been the first to witness the Sun Sword.

Back then, his clumsy execution had left his hands burned. But now, he had mastered it—safe, stable, and exponentially more powerful.

Yes, that’s why.

Lucia had worried about his burned hands. She had… well, done her best to soothe the injury.

Clearing his throat, Eugene brushed away the memory of her trying to cool his hand with her breath.

He wanted to show her there was no need to worry anymore.

To assure her that his technique wouldn’t harm him again.

That it was okay now.

He arrived at the door to Class 1-A.

Standing before the familiar nameplate, Eugene paused.

It had only been a few days since he’d been in the classroom, but the moment felt fresh and new—almost like the day he first stepped into the academy.

His chest tightened with nervous excitement.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Eugene filled his lungs with crisp air. Swallowing hard, he opened the door.

The room was mostly empty—it was still early.

But the students who were there all turned to look at him.

Eugene, however, was only aware of one pair of eyes.

He found her instantly, her face imprinted in his memory as if he had drawn it countless times.

The same gaze that had distracted him whenever he tried to replay the simulation of their field training in his head.

For a moment, Eugene forgot how to speak.

Why? He really doesn’t know.

Just looking at her made his mouth feel dry.

“Hi, Eugene.”

Thankfully—or maybe it’s not so fortunate?—she approached Eugene first.

I wanted to be the one to greet her first… Eugene thought, but he set that aside and awkwardly raised a hand.

“Oh, hi, Lucia.”

“You’re out of the hospital? How are you feeling? Are you okay now?”

“Thanks for worrying about me. Everything’s healed, and I’m completely fine.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

“……”

Her smile was bright and unpretentious.

Eugene once again found himself at a loss for words.

Wasn’t I going to brag about completing the Sun Sword?
I was planning to reassure her that I wouldn’t get hurt anymore, wasn’t I?
So why can’t I say anything?

“You don’t look so good. Are you still uncomfortable?”

“No, no! I’m fine. I told you, I’m all better now.”

“Really? But your face looks a little red…”

Lucia, looking concerned, reached out her hand.

Her hand lightly touched Eugene’s forehead. Lucia’s expression shifted slightly in surprise.

“You’re burning up! Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?”

Eugene opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything in response to the touch.

Her hands were as soft as ever, almost tempting him to hold them without thinking.

“Ah, no. It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been training my abilities since early this morning, moving around a lot, so I guess I haven’t cooled down yet.”

“Oh, I see. If it’s just that, then good.”

Focused on the sensation of her hand, Eugene was late to respond, but luckily, Lucia didn’t seem to think anything of it.

She removed her hand from his forehead, glancing around as though checking if he really wasn’t in any pain.

After examining him thoroughly, Lucia smiled and said, “Training from dawn? You’re so diligent, Eugene.”

“Uh, yeah…”

It wasn’t that special.

Every academy student was serious about honing their abilities.

After all, once they graduated, they would become active heroes, fighting on the frontlines.

It was only natural to strengthen themselves while they were still students and under the academy’s protection.

Of course, there were lazy students here and there, but whenever Eugene trained early in the morning, he would see others doing the same.

There were first-years, second-years, and third-years—students from all grades started their days early, training hard.

So, Eugene didn’t think it was anything worth being praised for…

“Wow, that’s amazing. I should follow your example.”

…On second thought, maybe it was worth some praise.

Just because others did it too didn’t mean that consistent effort wasn’t impressive.

Eugene was still human, after all. Getting out of bed before sunrise was no small feat.

Even after years of making it a habit, there were times when he wanted nothing more than to pull his blanket over his head and go back to sleep.

In those moments, he always pushed himself.

The first time is always the hardest.

Skipping early morning training even once could easily lead to a string of skipped days.

Now that I think about it… I’ve worked really hard.

“I’ve been slacking off a bit lately… but alright, time to refocus and get back to basics!”

Lucia gave her cheeks a light slap as she spoke, then quickly stepped aside as though remembering something.

“Oh, sorry. I’ve been keeping you standing in the doorway. Come on in.”

When she moved out of the way, Eugene found himself hesitating, reluctant to step forward.

He wanted to talk to her a little longer.

It wasn’t for any strange reason… no, really… okay, fine, it was because he wanted to tell her about completing the Sun Sword.

Yes, that was it.

But when he tried to say it, the words wouldn’t come out and just lingered in his mouth.

While walking to school, it hadn’t even occurred to him. But now, thinking about bragging about a special move to a girl—it just felt childish.

It was one thing to tell Leo, but saying it to Lucia? It felt too immature, too embarrassing.

What if she laughed it off, saying, “A special move? Isn’t that something out of a cartoon?” He’d want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

“……?”

Lucia tilted her head curiously, noticing Eugene standing there awkwardly instead of passing by.

She rested her chin on her finger, as if deep in thought. Then, as if something clicked, she clapped her hands.

“Oh! I see.”

“Huh? See what?”

Could she have figured out what he was thinking?

Eugene gulped nervously. He didn’t want to look childish.

“You’ve decided, haven’t you? On your wish.”

“…What?”

Lucia stood on tiptoe. The height difference between them was enough that she had to do this to bring her lips close to his ear.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she whispered in a small voice that only he could hear, careful to keep it from the ears of their A-Class classmates.

Each time she spoke, her soft breath tickled his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

“What is it? Tell me. I told you I’d grant whatever you ask, so don’t feel pressured.”

Ah, the wish.

Eugene’s face flushed hot.

It felt as if his supernatural ability was setting his face ablaze, from the base of his chin to the top of his head, turning bright red.

He hadn’t forgotten.

Of course not.

He’d just been avoiding the thought because every time he dwelled on it, strange and absurd ideas would pop into his mind.

So it wasn’t a joke?

She really meant it. She really intended to grant his wish?

It wasn’t just something she said to cheer him up—it was a sincere promise?

Her breath grazed his ear and neck.

The warmth and ticklish sensation sent a shiver down his spine.

Lucia’s face was far too close.

It was still early, so there weren’t many students at school yet. Even so, a few classmates were in the classroom.

To keep them from overhearing, she had leaned in so close that her face was just inches away from his.

Thump.

With every beat of his heart, his pulse pounded noisily.

It felt as though all the blood coursing through his veins had turned to fire, leaving his body scorching hot.

Her pink eyes sparkled just inches from his, softly curving into a smile.

It was the kind of smile that seemed to promise anything, assuring him that she would grant whatever wish he made, no matter what it was.

Eugene clenched his fist tightly, trying to steady himself.

But it wasn’t working.

Her breath, her scent—they made his youthful, hormonal heart race uncontrollably.

“Is it a wish that’s hard to say? Or is it that you don’t want to say it here?”

Lucia glanced around, nodding as if she understood.

The classroom wasn’t empty—they weren’t the only ones here. She seemed to assume that he didn’t want to voice his wish in such a public space.

“Then tell me later, okay? Promise?”

“…Alright.”

Eugene barely managed to reply.

Battling the flood of wild fantasies and thoughts her words stirred, Eugene mentally cut them all down with an imaginary Sun Sword.

Still, his ear tingled from where her breath had brushed it, and he found himself absently rubbing the spot.

…Lucia definitely doesn’t understand boys.

Absolutely not.

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
No, I don’t.

I know it very well.

Eugene is a complete idiot.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Too much heat to handle? Heh.