Ch.139Chapter 139: Tranquility (3)

#

Now that I’ve decided where to rest.

I find the right tools for the place, settle in.

And take my own form of relaxation in a comfortable position—that’s all there is to it.

Normally, returning to my room to sleep would be the best choice.

But her breathing wasn’t steady the entire time I carried her to the infirmary.

And when I placed my hand on her forehead, I was startled by how hot it felt.

So I decided I should watch over her a bit longer.

Having made that decision, I need to prepare to keep watch over Shizu.

“Let’s see.”

First, I need to find a chair to place beside the bed where Shizu is lying.

As I look around the empty infirmary, devoid of anyone except Shizu and myself.

“Here it is.”

I easily found a folding chair in storage that satisfied both requirements—easy to carry and comfortable enough for someone playing the role of caretaker to sit in for extended periods.

I grabbed it with my right hand, moved it next to Shizu’s bed, and unfolded it.

“The backrest is well-designed.”

I realized the chair was of better quality than I’d expected as I sat down.

“…With this, I’m properly prepared for the role of caretaker.”

My preparations to watch over Shizu, who was peacefully sleeping on the bed to maximize her body’s natural healing, were now complete.

#

I don’t know how much time has passed.

I’m still sitting beside the bed where Shizu lies.

At first, I planned to check that she was sleeping comfortably for about thirty minutes.

Then return to my quarters to rest my weary body.

But as I focused on how her pained expression when she first lay down had transformed into one of comfort.

Thirty minutes became forty minutes.

Forty minutes became an hour.

When I finally looked up to check the wall clock.

“…I’ve been sitting here blankly for two hours.”

As I just said.

Two hours have passed since I brought her to the infirmary.

My body still felt tired.

And the chair I’d found in the corner of the infirmary and placed beside the bed was unexpectedly comfortable.

If I let my guard down, my eyes would likely close without me realizing it.

But my eyes, which were about to close, refused to do so when they caught sight of something at the edge of my vision.

*Breathe in… breathe out…*

How could I fall asleep when I could see Shizu lying on the bed, breathing much more comfortably now?

“…Thank goodness.”

Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but let out a voice tinged with relief.

*Breathe in… breathe out…*

Once again, I hear her steady breathing.

Compared to when I first laid her on the infirmary bed, it was remarkably even and stable.

When she was first placed on the infirmary bed, Shizu maintained a peaceful expression.

But her breathing was uneven, and when I placed my hand on her forehead, I was surprised by how her fever showed no signs of subsiding, which had me quite worried.

Now that her fever had gone down and her breathing had become very stable, there seemed to be no need for further concern.

[Young one, take care of your own body first. You’re forcing yourself to stay awake even now.]

Oh my.

Judging by Fafnir’s voice—who claimed to be sleeping but is now wide awake after just two hours—telling me to take care of myself first.

‘I… should… probably… get some… sleep now…’

I thought it would be alright to close my eyes with peace of mind.

As I felt my determination to stay awake fading.

[Go back to your room to sleep, you fool!]

My eyelids closed regardless of Fafnir’s voice telling me to return to my room to rest.

It happened because the tension that had been holding back my overwhelming drowsiness finally released, reaching a point beyond my control.

…Well, I’ll just close my eyes for about an hour.

As my eyelids closed, I decided to sleep for just an hour as my consciousness drifted away, no longer forcing my eyelids to stay open.

The chair cushioning my backside was quite comfortable.

Even though my posture was awkward, I didn’t think my body would be uncomfortable.

[Don’t sleep slumped over like that, it looks ridiculous! Go back to your room!]

Geez, so noisy…

·

·

·

#

My heavy eyelids closed as I fell asleep, and now consciousness gradually returned.

“…”

How many hours had passed?

The lights were off, so the infirmary was still dark.

But judging by the sunlight filtering through the blinds covering the window and touching my closed eyes, it seemed the sun hadn’t set yet.

Moreover, I could still hear bustling sounds from outside this infirmary, which was quite well soundproofed for patients’ comfort, further confirming this.

…Did I only sleep for a short while?

Yet for such a short rest, my mind feels surprisingly refreshed?

Still with my eyes closed.

I slowly observed my body’s condition.

Despite falling asleep in a somewhat awkward position, my body wasn’t stiff at all—rather, it felt light and refreshed.

It felt as if I’d slept comfortably in a bed for several hours.

How did my body recover so quickly in such a short time?

The special ability of rapid regeneration helps with wounds but doesn’t do much for fatigue recovery.

As questions about my surprisingly recovered state began to pile up.

*Smooch*

I felt something incredibly soft, moist, and warm touch my forehead.

This sensation, a perfect balance of softness and firmness, was clearly different from what one would feel against a bed sheet.

…Wait.

I fell asleep with my head bowed forward.

As time passed, I should have felt my forehead gradually pressing against the bed sheet.

But instead, I briefly felt a soft touch on my forehead.

And why did I feel a comforting softness supporting the back of my head, which should have felt empty?

Feeling puzzled and needing to confirm the situation, I slowly opened my eyelids.

I immediately recognized the source of the softness supporting the back of my head.

“…!!”

As I gradually opened my eyes, I saw Shizu’s face with a very surprised expression.

“…You’re… awake?”

I could see Shizu’s entire face strangely flushed as she spoke in a flustered voice.

Only then did I realize that my body wasn’t sitting in the chair with my forehead pressed against the bed sheet.

Instead, I was lying in a rather comfortable position using her thigh as a pillow.

My mind, still hazy from just waking up.

As I confirmed where my body was resting.

“…!!”

The haziness vanished like smoke, and my eyes naturally widened.

#

As my mind snapped to full alertness, the first emotion I felt was guilt.

It was guilt stemming from the reasonable concern that Shizu, who should have been sleeping much longer than me, had woken up before me, making me wonder if I had disturbed her rest.

And ironically, the next emotion I felt was comfort.

The sensation of her thigh supporting the back of my head, which had just guided me into sleep, was so comfortable that I couldn’t help but feel it.

But while that might be acceptable when unconscious.

Now that I had regained consciousness and my head was still resting on her thigh.

The emotion that followed comfort and stirred my heart was…

“…Hmm.”

Embarrassment that made it difficult to even speak properly.

And that embarrassment commanded me to take action to escape the current situation.

So I immediately acted.

First…

*Turn*

I gently turned my face away from her thigh that I had been using as a pillow, moving away from her influence.

Then I extracted my body from the bed in a way that avoided any unnecessary contact with her.

After raising my body, I bowed my head deeply.

And with as much sincerity as I could put into my voice.

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized to her with genuine remorse.

“For making you unable to get the proper sleep you needed because of me.”

I provided an appropriate reason for my apology.

She needed to rest even a minute or second longer to heal the wounds she received while fighting against the Black Obsidian Palace’s elite.

I worried that a mere verbal apology wouldn’t be enough.

*Stroke*

But when Shizu gently stroked my head, I slowly looked up.

“…I’m sorry for waking you.”

For some reason, Shizu, her face still bright red as if on fire, was apologizing to me.

Strange.

I should be the one apologizing more.

What reason does she have to apologize to me?

The persistent question filled my mind.

But rather than wasting time resolving such trivial questions.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.”

What matters more is apologizing to her once more.

[Yes, yes. Apologize earnestly. That young lady did nothing wrong. Tsk, tsk.]

….

Just like before I fell asleep.

Why is Fafnir suddenly picking a fight?

He’s saying perfectly reasonable things.

But somehow, continuing to hear it doesn’t make me feel good.

Why is that?

[You always act so sharp, but you were quite defenseless when sleeping. Your fault is quite significant.]

Fafnir’s voice echoed in my head again.

It seems he observed something I couldn’t see while I was asleep and unresponsive to external stimuli.

Of course, I can’t judge based on this alone.

I needed to connect it with Shizu’s reaction—still waving her hands with an unabated blush—to make a proper inference.

“…”

I tried to use my sluggish brain during the gap created while exchanging apologies with her.

But how could I reach a conclusion?

One thing that bothered me was just before my foggy mind fully awakened.

The warm, soft sensation I felt on my forehead might be connected to…

…Huh?

Come to think of it.

That sensation on my forehead.

It was very similar to what I felt on the morning after I took care of her all day when she fell asleep drunk on the first evening of the subjugation festival.

The first time we shared warmth.

Unconsciously, I reached for my forehead where I had felt that sensation.

Shizu’s eyes widened even more as she looked at me.

“…Uh…uhh…”

Her already frantic hand-waving became even faster and more chaotic.

It almost seemed like a desperate struggle to blur my vision with her waving hands to hide herself.

But such desperate struggling couldn’t last long.

“…Shizu?”

Even through my confused vision from her hand-waving, I could see that Shizu couldn’t hide her blushing face from me.

Finally realizing that hand-waving wasn’t enough, Shizu covered her entire face with both hands.

“…”

And not satisfied with just that, she buried her face in the bed and maintained silence.

Without needing to ask anything more, I could immediately infer the identity of the sensation I felt on my forehead from her behavior.

Instead of adding words that would only increase her embarrassment.

“…Shizu.”

I gently called her name with a voice filled with unmistakable warmth.

“…Cal.”

And on her forehead, which she had slightly exposed with her still-flushed face.

*Smooch*

I did exactly the same thing she had done for me.

Perhaps thanks to her face being flushed with embarrassment.

The forehead I felt through my lips was both soft and very warm.

Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be time to savor that sensation.

As soon as our lips and forehead met, she immediately bowed her head.

“Ugh…urk…aah…”

I needed to comfort her as she showed a reaction on a completely different level from what I had shown earlier, almost losing her senses.

[…Are you two really just a couple who kissed recently?]

I didn’t even have time to respond to Fafnir’s surprised comment.

And so, the day marking the end of the subjugation festival was racing toward its conclusion.