67. School Violence!

67. School Violence!

“Skadi! I got some information… are you okay?”

“… No. I shouldn’t have sent Claire away.”

It was so hot that even with all my clothes off, sweat was pouring down. Because Priscilla returned late, I had collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted, before I could even start a proper pursuit.

My once proud, fluffy tail hung limply. My ears, which were usually perked up towards the sky, were completely drooped and flattened.

Fortunately, the dirt on the ground was cool. Priscilla looked flustered seeing me rubbing my cheek against the ground and said.

“I-is it that hot?”

“Yeah.”

Even though I had adapted to the cold of the North, was it really normal to be this hot? Was there perhaps another reason I didn’t know about?

However, with my already sluggish mind, I couldn’t possibly guess the reason while enduring this heat. I eventually gave up thinking and focused solely on exhaling my body’s heat with my tongue sticking out.

“I’ll go buy you a drink. Please wait a moment.”

“Okay… Thank you.”

Fortunately, Priscilla was a good friend and looked around for me, heading off to find a nearby store.

“….”

Heated breaths, a pounding heart, the warm spring breeze.

In this sweltering heat, the only thing cooling my body was the ground of the Academy, which was in full contact with my body. I desperately rubbed my face against the dirt. I felt like I would truly dry up and die if I didn’t.

The heat made it difficult to even breathe, and the pile of dirt barely cooled it.

It was a precarious tightrope walk, as if I were about to fall off a cliff.

Eventually, half of my face was buried in the dirt, and the cool underground soil touched my cheek. As my hot breath escaped through my lungs again in that state, a thought flashed through my mind.

I need to cool my body.

But rubbing dirt on the outside isn’t enough.

So, what if I cool it from the inside, not the outside?

It was a brilliant idea, indeed. Thinking about it, drinking beverages or eating ice cream cools the body from the inside, not the outside.

Dirt should be no different.

“Hup.”

Having found a remarkably innovative solution, I immediately buried my face in the ground and began to inhale dirt.

The metallic scent and the characteristic bitterness of the dirt spread intensely in my mouth.

As the icy dirt passed through my body, which was heated red-hot, I could clearly feel its path. Along my tongue, down my throat, and into my stomach….

“… It’s effective.”

Cooling my body from the inside was a much more effective strategy than I had anticipated. Feeling the significantly improved coolness, I continued to chew and eat the dirt.

“Um, Sister….”

Nom nom.

“Sister…?”

“Om nom nom… Yes?”

As my mouth became gritty with particles, Iris called out to me. I pulled my face out of the ground, shook off the dirt vigorously, and looked at Iris.

“Why did you call me?”

“… Is it tasty?”

Iris, crouching down and looking at me, tilted her small face cutely and asked. I wanted to squeeze those soft cheeks, but unfortunately, I was lying down, so my hands couldn’t reach.

“Want to try?”

“… Uh, no.”

I replied to Iris and scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground. Seeing the rough particles flowing between my fingers, Iris sobered up and stepped back.

I muttered regretfully.

“It’s surprisingly edible….”

Well, if Iris doesn’t want to eat it, I should. I immediately put the scooped dirt into my mouth.

After chewing the dirt for a while. Iris trotted back to me and quietly asked.

“Um… Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Are you having a hard time because of me…?”

Iris’s red eyes, gazing intently at me, held a concern that she might have been too much of a burden. Especially Iris, who was looking closely at the dirt around my mouth, continued.

“You don’t need to catch the culprit or anything….”

“Iris.”

I needed to correct Iris’s thoughts. I looked straight at Iris and said.

“It’s natural for a sister to help her younger sibling. Iris, you don’t need to feel guilty at all.”

Even though we weren’t biological sisters, I was Iris’s older sister and protector. If I didn’t help Iris, who would?

“So, if you have any difficulties, Iris, you don’t have to bear them all alone. You can rely on me. I’ll always welcome you.”

These were words I had said to Freya before, and I repeated them to Iris.

Still, Iris hesitated. I got up from the ground, opened my arms to Iris, and tried to hug her.

… I tried to hug her.

“Sister, the dirt….”

“Ah.”

Iris stepped back. I stood awkwardly, then brushed off the dirt from my body and sat on the bench, waiting for Priscilla to return.

——

“I’m back! Here are the drinks!”

Priscilla brought a total of three drinks, holding one cup in each hand and another balanced on her head. I didn’t know how she did it, but she was quite talented.

“What kind of drink is this?”

“It’s a mix of mint, chocolate, and milk. It’s my favorite drink.”

Is it like chocolate milk?

I hesitated for a moment and then accepted the drink. The icy coldness transferred to my hands, and I rubbed the drink against my cheek, fully enjoying the coolness.

Iris also received a drink. Since Iris, who didn’t feel the heat, didn’t press the cup against her body, she immediately gulped down the drink. I started drinking along with her.

“Ugh, ugh….”

Exactly one second later, Iris complained of discomfort. I was startled and asked Iris.

“Iris? What’s wrong?”

“It’s n-not tasty….”

Iris, with milk in her mouth, said something, but her pronunciation was slurred and difficult to understand. As I stood there sweating, unable to comprehend, Priscilla said indignantly.

“It’s not tasty?! Why! This delicious drink!”

“Ugh….”

Iris, with milk in her mouth, began to tremble. It looked like the drink in her mouth was about to burst out.

“Iris, just a moment.”

“Ugh?”

To spill food on the ground, such a waste. I quickly leaned forward and covered Iris’s mouth.

With my mouth, of course.

“Ugh?!”

Iris’s face was so close that our noses touched. Her small lips were tightly closed. Her soft silver hair brushed against my cheek, tickling me.

As Iris’s eyes widened, I gently extended my tongue and penetrated her lips. Little by little, the tightly closed door of her skin opened, and the drink slowly leaked out.

Once a secret space is opened, it is quickly conquered. Iris’s lips crumbled like a dam that had sprung a crack.

The soft skin felt in our clasped hands, the faint scent of milk from an unknown source, the dizzying moment when our breaths mingled and intertwined-

Gulp, gulp.

Only the sound of liquid going down echoed clearly in my ears.

After drinking all the milk from Iris’s mouth, I snatched the drink cup from Iris’s hand. Since Iris didn’t seem to want to drink this milk, I intended to finish it all myself.

I laid Iris, who seemed to have lost her spirit, on my lap. A moment later, Priscilla grumbled.

“Why aren’t you drinking this delicious drink? How about you, Skadi? It’s delicious, right!”

“I can eat anything except vegetables.”

I could even eat poisonous mushrooms. I remembered my father’s disgusted expression when I first ate a poisonous mushroom.

I continued to gulp down the refreshing drink.

“Sigh… I feel a bit better now.”

Indeed, the drink was more effective at cooling than dirt. My body temperature returned to a bearable level, and I regained enough energy to wag my tail vigorously again.

My white tail wagged left and right excitedly.

“Priscilla?”

“Yes….”

Priscilla was looking at me with a dazed expression. Looking at her red eyes, which had lost their light, I suddenly decided to do something I had wanted to try while Priscilla was in a daze.

I really wanted to do this.

I gently picked up two empty cups and approached Priscilla. Priscilla, staring at me blankly as if her thoughts had been frozen, had her mouth agape.

I moved even closer to Priscilla.

“Oh.”

And then, I put the cups into her rolled-up hair.

Priscilla’s rolled-up hair perfectly cradled the cups, like a custom-made cup holder. I marveled at the stable comfort provided by her rolled-up hair.

Amazing.

… Then, a minute later, Priscilla regained consciousness and scolded me.

——

“Anyway, let’s head out now. It’s gotten very late. The perpetrator was heading towards the training grounds, so we should go in that direction.”

“Right.”

Iris, Priscilla, and I stood up and headed towards where the perpetrator might be.