Chapter 69

R̀éãd̈ ̂õñ ̈K̀ât̀Ŕêâd́ĩñg̃Ĉãf̀è

He didn’t understand why, but one thing was clear:

Lucia was angry.

Why? For what reason?

Eugene racked his brain, desperate to figure it out, but no answer came to mind.

The only thing he understood was that it must have been because of his request.

Lucia was a kind person.

She was the type who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself for others—a courageous individual.

Hadn’t she been the first to step up when everyone else was paralyzed by fear?

Even in life-threatening situations, Lucia always thought of others before herself.

If someone like her was expressing anger, it had to be Eugene’s fault.

“Th-that… I-I’m sorry. Was it offensive after all? Saying something like that out of the blue….”

“Yes, it was. It was incredibly offensive.”

Lucia’s response was firm. She frowned, her discontent written all over her face.

It was the first time Eugene had seen her so openly express negative emotions.

Actually, it might have been the first time he’d seen her like this in any situation.

Eugene realized something painfully obvious:

He didn’t know Lucia at all.

And because of that, he had no idea what to say in this situation.

Which part of his words had upset her so much?

He lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes.

This wasn’t what he had intended.

He never meant to upset her.

He just… wanted to know more about her.

To grow closer to her.

But had his approach been wrong?

Yes, perhaps his words had sounded strange to her.

Suddenly asking someone to be your friend might come off as suspicious.

Especially when it was someone of the opposite gender.

Eugene cursed his lack of communication skills.

He had completely botched things, ruining a connection Lucia had initiated.

How was he supposed to apologize for this?

How could he fix things?

How could he make it right?

He didn’t know.

Not a single clue.

His eyes stung, and he felt the urge to cry.

“Eugene.”

A warm hand touched his shoulder.

Her voice was still calm, but it didn’t sound angry anymore.

If anything, it sounded… sad.

“Aren’t we already friends?”

“…Huh?”

Eugene raised his head as if in a trance.

Lucia was looking at him with a gloomy expression, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

“That’s so mean. Was I the only one who thought we were friends? You didn’t think of me as a friend, did you?”

“W-What? No, that’s not it…!”

Her words struck him like lightning.

Was this why she was upset?

“So to you, I’m just a classmate from the same homeroom….”

“No! I-I just wanted… to get closer to you…!”

His thoughts raced too quickly for his words to keep up, and his tongue tangled in frustration.

Eugene couldn’t help but curse his awkwardness.

Of course, she’d be upset.

If someone you considered a friend suddenly asked to be your friend, it could easily be interpreted as them not having considered you one before.

Even if that wasn’t his intent, it was a natural assumption to make.

It was upsetting, and it would hurt.

He should’ve been more thoughtful with his words.

His eagerness had caused him to disregard her feelings.

But it wasn’t too late.

Now that he realized his mistake, now that he understood why she was upset, he could still make things right.

Determined, Eugene clenched his teeth and prepared to bow deeply to apologize.

“Pfft, just kidding.”

Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

Eugene froze.

All the tension he’d built up drained from him at once, and he nearly collapsed.

He couldn’t process the sudden shift in the mood.

“Sorry. Your reaction was just too funny to pass up.” Lucia said with a playful smile.

It was only then that Eugene understood.

…It was a joke.

All of it had been a joke.

Relief flooded him, but it was quickly followed by a wave of embarrassment.

He had been so tense over something that wasn’t even serious.

As much as he was glad, his face burned with shame.

Now he wanted to lower his head for an entirely different reason.

Lucia seemed quite satisfied with how thoroughly she had fooled him, her smug smile a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor.

The cold expression she’d worn earlier felt like a distant memory, and Eugene let out a small sigh of relief.

“…”

But the relief didn’t last long.

Something about it all felt… off.

An inexplicable discomfort tickled at the back of his mind.

Even though she was smiling, her expression didn’t seem entirely natural.

Was that why his voice trembled slightly when he spoke again?

“…No, it’s fine. Now that I think about it, you’re right. We’re, um, already friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course. What else would we be?”

“…”

Eugene didn’t have the ability to read people’s minds.

Maybe there was someone out there with such supernatural ability, but he wasn’t one of them.

So he couldn’t be sure.

He couldn’t tell if his vague suspicions were real or just his imagination.

But he couldn’t shake the thought.

…What if it wasn’t all a joke?

What if there was some truth hidden in her teasing?

Even if nine parts of her words were playful, what if one part of them was real?

“Sorry, but wishes can’t be undone.” Lucia said, her tone calm and final. 

“Like spilled water, you can’t put it back. You asked me to be your friend, and I’ve officially granted that wish.” Eugene’s swirling thoughts abruptly halted as Lucia continued, her lips curling into a soft smile.

“But we’re already friends, right? Then I’ll make a slight adjustment to the wish. That’s okay, right?”

“I guess that’s fine, but… what kind of adjustment?”

“Simple.”

Lucia removed her hand from Eugene’s shoulder.

Eugene felt an unexpected tinge of disappointment at the loss of warmth but froze like a well-sculpted statue at her next move.

Lucia gently placed her hand over Eugene’s, her delicate fingers threading between his rougher ones. Their hands intertwined, forming a soft clasp that fit perfectly.

Lifting their joined hands near her chest, she cheerfully declared,

“Let’s be best friends.”

“…?!”

“I’ll change it to that. Just being regular friends feels too shallow, don’t you think? We’ve saved each other’s lives once. The reason we’re both still here is because of each other. That makes us life-debt partners, doesn’t it? Ordinary friendship feels too weak for that.”

Boom.

A soundless explosion echoed within Eugene’s mind.

Lucia wouldn’t have heard it.

It resonated purely within him, shaking his very core.

What’s happening? Why does my chest feel so tight? 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His pounding heartbeat seemed deafening, an unrelenting drumbeat in his ears.

Is this arrhythmia? If so, at least I’m a supernatural. I’ve never heard of a supernatural dying of heart disease…

‘Best friend?’

The phrase looped in his dazed mind.

What even was a ‘best friend’? Was it something you eat?

Does Lucia want to eat me? Or… does she want to be eaten by me?

His spiraling thoughts shocked him back to his senses.

No, a best friend meant someone extremely close—a best friend forever, a confidant, a soul companion.

“So, what do you think? Are you just going to leave things at ‘ordinary friends’ with me?”

“…No.”

Now, Eugene finally began to understand why Lucia had seemed upset earlier.

Her wistful tone wasn’t entirely a joke. She had genuinely been hurt.

It had disappointed her to hear someone she already considered a friend ask her to become one.

It was like she’d been the only one cherishing their bond while he lagged behind.

And to cover for his blunder, she’d brushed it off as a joke.

She was trying to spare my feelings.

Eugene felt deeply ashamed of himself.

If he’d been alone, he might’ve slapped himself back to reality.

He didn’t want to settle for being just friends with Lucia.

That timid, clumsy request of his earlier was simply a lackluster substitute for what he truly wanted to say.

Lucia had stepped in and voiced it for him.

“I also… want to have a deeper bond with you, Lucia. More than just as ordinary friends.”

“Hehe, I’m glad. We were thinking the same thing!”

“I don’t know you very well yet. That’s why I want to get to know you better from now on.”

“Sure! I’ll tell you all about me.”

Perhaps this was how it should’ve been from the start.

If he’d only taken one step further, shown just a bit more courage, he could have avoided disappointing her altogether.

“Because we’re best friends.”

“…Yeah.”

Though they’d just declared themselves best friends, the truth was that they still weren’t very close yet.

But Eugene didn’t mind.

They could grow closer from here on out.

If she called him her best friend, he would strive to be worthy of that title.

And one day…

Maybe even something beyond that.

“Eugene, could you turn around for a second?”

“Huh? Like this?”

Lucia’s sudden request confused him, but he complied, shifting on the bed.

The movement caused their clasped hands to separate, leaving Eugene acutely aware of the lingering warmth and softness on his fingertips as he turned.

He realized his position: sitting cross-legged on the bed, his shoes discarded beside it.

He faced away from her but turned his head slightly, unsure. 

“…?!”

Before he could voice his question further, he felt it—a silent gasp escaping him as his teeth clicked shut.

“Lu-Lucia?!”

From behind, she suddenly embraced him.

“Hold still. Straighten your back. That’s it, good.”

Her soft warmth pressed against him as she leaned in, her blouse-clad form molding effortlessly to his back.

A faint, sweet scent wafted to his nose—not perfume, but her natural fragrance, pure and unembellished, like ripe fruit.

How could someone smell so sweet?

Her arms wrapped around his torso, her hands pressing gently against his abdomen.

“I’ll massage your stomach. Pressing here should help you feel better if you’re feeling queasy.”

Her hands began moving in slow, rhythmic motions across his stomach.

She pressed down hard, like a cat kneading.

Each time, Lucia’s body shook, and her smooth chest without any excess flesh brushed against his back.

“How is it? Feeling any better?”

“…”

Hot breaths that stimulate the earlobes.

A violent sensation that cannot be hidden by the thin school uniform.

A sweet scent that intoxicates like alcohol.

The question of whether such an embrace is truly necessary for massaging the belly lingered in Eugene’s mind.

He is a man.

He has lived a chastened life compared to his peers, but such desires could not be ignored.

Moreover, he was in a phase of growth.

It was the time when such desires were most active.

Just as it had been once in the hospital.

The heat boiling in Eugene’s lower body gathered.

Every time Lucia pressed on his abdomen, it reacted in a hot pulsation.

His breathing gradually grew rougher.

Desire began to consume his mind.

Reason slowly faded away.

Instinct raised his head.

Slick.

Knead.

Lucia was busily pressing Eugene’s belly, lost in thought.

With each press, his chest took on a subtly changed form.

Eugene’s reason could no longer hold on and snapped.

Crack!

Eugene bit his tongue.

The metallic taste of blood spread throughout his mouth.

His tongue had slightly been bit off, but it was okay.

Even if it was completely severed, the school nurse would be able to patch it up.

Swallowing the blood pooling in his mouth, Eugene closed his eyes.

Lucia was acting with a naive desire to help.

It was wrong to view Lucia with those kinds of eyes.

He couldn’t show such a shameful sight to Yui, who would be watching from heaven.

It was an extreme form of patience, supreme mental fortitude.

But there was no one to praise it.

If he had just told her to stop, it would have been over, but there was no room to think about that.

Whether he told her or not, only Eugene would know.

In the end, Eugene stopped thinking inside his happy hell.

In the quiet infirmary, only the sound of Lucia’s moans echoed occasionally as she massaged Eugene’s abdomen.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene is a fool.

But he is a good fool, so please support him.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Arin set up a lethal support! Heh.