Chapter 65

Ｒêa&d; ‍ｏn K‌a​tR̀e​&a;​đi‌&n;&g;Ćaf̈e

Even with the large-scale incident that wiped out an entire research team, the Academy continued its schedule as if nothing had happened.

This applied even to Class A, whose homeroom and assistant teachers were both hospitalized.

Though the students had been caught up in the incident, no lives were lost, and injuries were kept to a minimal. With most students able to attend classes as usual, there was no reason to halt the curriculum.

The Academy’s schedule was always packed.

They had only three years to turn fledgling students into fully capable heroes.

Of course, graduation didn’t immediately thrust students into real combat, but by the time they finished, they were expected to perform at least the basic duties of a hero.

“Alright, everyone~ Let’s do our best today!”

Under the guidance of a temporary instructor, the lesson began.

The woman with mint-colored hair braided to one side shouted energetically. Her flushed cheeks gave her a rather innocent appearance.

She was the instructor temporarily assigned to oversee Class A in place of Angelica and Si-ul, who were still in the Academy hospital. Eugene didn’t know her name—only that she was the assistant teacher for Class D.

Class D, as far as Eugene knew, was notorious as the “problem children’s class”. It was surprising that someone so innocent-looking was responsible for them. Then again, she was an Academy teacher. Anyone teaching at the Academy was a seasoned veteran who had likely dealt with high rank monsters.

Eugene, who had faced such creatures firsthand, fully understood what monsters they were. Anyone who had taken them down wouldn’t be easily overwhelmed by mere students.

‘Besides, not everyone in Class D is bad…’

Eugene recalled a girl with severe dark circles under her eyes. Her excessive accessories and slightly delinquent outfit didn’t quite match the image of a hopeless troublemaker.

Rumors tended to be exaggerated, and if someone were truly irredeemable, they wouldn’t have even been admitted to the Academy in the first place.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Eugene reminded himself to focus. It was his duty as a student to pay attention in class.

Today’s lesson was straightforward. It simulated a situation where a spatial rift appeared in a city, and the students had to protect those who hadn’t evacuated while fending off monsters.

It wasn’t new; they had done similar drills before. Typically, a mannequin would represent the civilians, and the students defended it against Angelica’s golems.

This time, the civilian role was played by one of the students, while the monsters were summoned creatures conjured by the Class D assistant teacher’s supernatural ability.

Her ability allowed her to bring drawings to life. Although not as formidable as Angelica’s golems, the summoned creatures were decent enough for training.

Eugene instinctively cut down the summoned creatures.

His body moved on its own, propelled by fire as he darted unpredictably, dispatching foes with a single slash.

The exercise wasn’t even a warm-up for him, leaving his attention wandering.

“L-Lucia, I-I’ll p-protect y-you…!”

“Alright, I’m counting on you! But don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Y-Yes!”

Lucia, playing the civilian, and Alice, standing protectively in front of her, caught Eugene’s eye.

Both were classmates Eugene couldn’t help but notice.

One reminded him of the sister he had lost.

Whenever Eugene looked at Alice, a bittersweet ache welled up inside him.

He knew rationally that Alice wasn’t his sister; they only resembled each other.

Even so, he couldn’t stop himself from imagining: If Yui had grown up, would she have been like Alice?

He wanted to get closer to her, to befriend her.

At the same time, he wanted to stay away.

Seeing Alice brought back the pain of that day, a pain that was hard to bear.

The other was different yet similar to Alice.

Looking at Lucia made his heart race.

Whenever he saw her, his heartbeat quickened, sometimes so much that it hurt.

It left him feeling dizzy, his mind muddled. Despite the discomfort, it didn’t feel bad—in fact, it left him strangely elated.

This was a first for him.

He wanted to learn more about her.

But whenever he tried to get closer, fear held him back.

Why? Eugene didn’t know.

He wanted to talk to Lucia, but the words never came. This didn’t happen with anyone else. Only Lucia rendered him speechless.

Was it because she was a girl? Because he was a boy and she was a girl?

But Arin was also a girl, and he had no problem interacting with her.

“…I don’t get it.”

Eugene bisected the final summoned creature with a clean strike.

His body felt light, but his heart was weighed down.

“What should I do about the wish token?”

The wish token Lucia had mentioned kept gnawing at his mind.

It was meant to repay him for saving her, but she had saved him too.

By all rights, it should have been canceled out. Yet Lucia had insisted she’d grant him a wish.

It didn’t feel like a joke or an empty promise.

If it had been, she wouldn’t have brought it up twice—once at the hospital and again this morning.

Eugene felt his face heat up.

Just thinking about it brought back the sensation of her breath brushing against his ear.

His hand unconsciously reached for his ear as he held his breath.

Eugene had lived a relatively ascetic life for his age, but he was still a teenage boy.

He wasn’t oblivious, and he certainly wasn’t devoid of certain desires.

When a girl like Lucia—a beauty—offered to grant any wish… naturally, that kind of wish came to mind.

It wasn’t Eugene’s fault. He was a growing boy with a healthy imagination.

The fault lay with Lucia for approaching him so carelessly, utterly unaware of the impact she had.

“Is it too late to turn her down now…?”

If he was going to refuse, he should have done so from the start.

Feeling burdened by accepting yet unwilling to let go, Eugene had hesitated until things reached this point. Ultimately, it was his indecisiveness that led to this predicament.

Now, rejecting the offer would be disrespectful to Lucia. She had brought it up twice, clearly demonstrating her sincerity. Dismissing it after so much thought would mean disregarding her kindness.

Eugene swallowed dryly.

Alright, let’s not overthink this.

It was just a wish token.

How complicated could it be?

He could simply make a simple request.

Not too trivial, though—he didn’t want to disappoint her. Something appropriate, something balanced…

But what if he made an unreasonable request?

How would Lucia react?

Would she refuse, saying it was too much? But hadn’t she said she’d grant any wish?

“Staring that hard, huh? Careful, or you’ll burn a hole through her.”

A sudden voice broke into his thoughts.

Eugene was so lost in his musings that he hadn’t noticed someone approaching.

Startled to the point where his hair nearly stood on end, he quickly turned his gaze without betraying his surprise.

“Arin.”

“Were you looking at Lucia? Or was it Alice? For a moment, I thought you were about to shoot lasers from your eyes. Then again, eye beams would probably be more of Alice’s thing. Hmm, but you might pull it off too.”

Arin, who had been playing the civilian earlier, crossed her arms and spoke teasingly.

Typically, once all the summoned creatures were dealt with, roles would rotate. Since Arin had just been the civilian, it was now Eugene’s turn to take on that role.

“I called you, but you didn’t even respond. What’s got you so distracted?”

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“A moment? You’ve been spaced out for ages. You’ve been like this the whole time.”

Even while slashing through summoned creatures, Eugene hadn’t paid them any mind.

Arin followed Eugene’s earlier gaze.

Alice, having defeated the summoned creatures with weakened heat beams, was bouncing with joy. Lucia hugged her, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Alice’s head.

The two of them, laughing and holding onto each other, looked like close sisters.

Though they were the same age, Alice’s youthful appearance added to the illusion.

As she watched them, Arin turned her attention back to Eugene, scrutinizing him.

It wasn’t hard to figure out.

“So, you’ve got your eyes on Lucia, huh?”

“……”

No answer.

But his silence was enough of an answer.

Arin nodded knowingly.

Now that she thought about it, it made sense for Eugene to be interested in Lucia.

That day, Lucia had thrown herself in harm’s way to protect him.

Despite sensing the impending danger and rushing forward, Arin had been too far away to intervene in time. It was a dire situation, one where tragedy seemed inevitable.

Yet Lucia had acted without hesitation, using her own body to shield Eugene.

She had taken the attack from the high rank monster head-on, suffering terrible injuries.

How could Eugene not care about her after that?

At least from what Arin understood about Eugene, he wasn’t the type to treat such a debt lightly.

“If you want to thank her properly, should I help?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Wait, knowing you, you probably already did. You must’ve thanked her at the hospital, right?”

They had both been hospitalized at the same time, so it was likely.

Arin tilted her head.

Strange. Then why is he staring at her so intensely now?

She felt like she was on the verge of understanding something, but now wasn’t the time for idle chatter.

Looking at Eugene, she reminded him firmly, “Whatever you’re thinking about, now’s not the time. This is class. Focus on the lesson.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

“If you’ve got something to say to Lucia, I’ll set it up for you after class. Stop brooding over it alone.”

“Wait, really?”

“Sure. Class will be over soon, and then it’s lunch. Easy enough.”

The Academy’s lunch breaks were generously long.

Even after eating, there was plenty of time to chat or relax.

“Then…”

Eugene fiddled nervously with his bangs, hesitating to speak.

Finally, he steeled himself and asked, “Can you help me be alone with Lucia?”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):

What does Eugene want to do with Lucia in secret?

Huh? What are you imagining?

This novel is rated 15+

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Wow, Arin’s support made it a fair 2v2, good luck!