Chapter 6. The Day of the First Snow (9)

The infirmary was filled with such a strong medicinal smell it made my head ache. I crinkled my nose slightly and limped toward the nurse.

Wearing a white coat, the nurse took one look at my appearance and couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“Did you get into a fight?”

“No.”

Judging by how violently her pupils shook as she asked, I must’ve looked like I’d been through a war. Honestly, with blood gushing from my nose, dirt all over my clothes, and my leg bleeding, anyone would’ve assumed I’d taken on seventeen people at once. Well… I did fall pretty hard, ha ha…

“Thanks, Dia. You can head back now.”

“Eh, but I want to stay with you.”

“No, you’ve got morning training today, remember?”

I barely managed to send off Dia, who was acting like a clingy child. After that, I slumped down into a chair in front of the nurse who was busy preparing medicine.

“All right, injured student. Hold this to your nose, and stick out your leg for me.”

I used the tissue the nurse handed me to plug my nose.

As for sticking out my leg—well, even though it’s kinda embarrassing to show my leg like that to a man, screw it. I was in pain, and I just wanted it to stop.

So without hesitation, I held out my leg.

“Then why’d you run away from them?”

The nurse’s question was casual, but I felt like it hit me hard in the chest.

I opened my mouth to answer but quickly closed it again. Why did I run away?

Because he makes my heart race? Because I’m too conscious of him now? Because every time I see his face, I remember that kiss, and I feel like I’m going to explode?

…Yeah, that’s probably it.

“I guess I was scared.”

It was such a small, quiet confession that it barely felt like I’d spoken it aloud. But the nurse heard.

“Scared of what?”

I stared down at the floor.

“Of liking someone this much.”

“If you don’t dislike him, then why did you avoid him?”

“That’s…”

I couldn’t answer right away.

Why had I been avoiding Kyle?

It wasn’t because I didn’t like him.

It was just that being around him made me so nervous, my heart fluttered too much.

His perfect and beautiful face made it hard to breathe—

That’s why I avoided him.

Yeah, it’s all because of that face.

“…Because he’s too handsome?”

“Hm?”

The nurse responded indifferently to my answer and returned to focusing on the treatment.

I also turned my eyes toward the open window to cool down my muddled thoughts.

A cold winter breeze brushed across my cheek.

***

After the treatment was over, I lay on the bed for a while, blinking. Blink, blink.

I’d planned to use the excuse of being hurt to skip classes all day and just sleep,

but when I closed my eyes, I couldn’t fall asleep. I was just bored.

I turned my head toward the window.

It was still wide open.

Seriously, the school nurse has no sense.

Leaving the window open like that when there’s a patient here?

A strong gust of wind blew in.

Shivering from the cold, I pulled the blanket up to my chin and peeked outside for a while.

After last night’s first snow, a fair amount had accumulated.

Looking at the pure white snow resting like cotton on the tree branches,

I absentmindedly muttered,

“Ah, I want to go outside.”

It was winter, but the sunlight was bright—the exact kind of weather I liked.

On days like this, you had to at least go out for a walk.

It felt like such a waste to just lie around like this.

And when I think of something, I have to act on it.

Without hesitation, I shot up from the bed.

“Ugh, that stings.”

As soon as I moved, pain shot through my leg like crazy.

The bandaged knee felt suffocating.

The nosebleed had stopped long ago, but the wound on my leg didn’t seem like it would heal anytime soon.

The nurse had insisted that if a scar remained, I should get magical treatment.

His expression had been so serious that I couldn’t help but nod.

I endured the pain radiating from my leg and left the infirmary.

Morning classes were probably in progress by now,

so I mulled over how I could skip class so thoroughly that it’d be worth bragging about.

For now, I decided to go visit the Magic Department for the first time in a while.

If I got caught, I’d get scolded like hell and probably have to write a reflection letter,

but I had agility on my side, so I headed toward the Magic Department without hesitation.

“Hmph.”

There was a shortcut from the infirmary to the Magic Department.

It was a secluded path, thick with forest and a rather eerie atmosphere,

but it saved time, so I took the shortcut.

And that’s when I happened to run into Aren.

“Whoa!”

While walking through the gloomy forest, I got a weird feeling and glanced back,

only to almost trip.

Luckily, there was something like a wall in front of me, so I didn’t fall.

As I braced my hand against the solid wall, a voice came from above my head.

“Radel?”

“Gasp—Aren, is that you?”

I thought it was a wall, but it turned out to be Aren.

Whoa, why is your body built like that? I seriously thought you were a wall.

As of today, I’m discarding the stereotype that mages don’t work out.

But… where my hand is right now is kind of awkward.

“Oh my, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

“Yeah, it’s an outdoor lesson.”

I subtly removed my hand from where it had been resting on Aren’s chest.

He didn’t seem to mind, but I was flustered, so I quickly hid my hand behind my back and avoided his gaze.

“What are you doing here, Radel?”

“Oh, I was just bored and came by to look around!”

I answered brightly and confidently, and Aren let out a hearty laugh.

Somehow, just seeing Aren’s face—after what felt like a long time—was comforting all on its own.

“…What happened to your leg?”

“Oh, well, I tripped… and it turned out worse than I expected.”

Now that I thought about it, the way I fell must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

Face and knees first? I’m just glad Kyle didn’t see it from the front.

If he had, I probably would’ve died of embarrassment!

“Oof, that must’ve hurt…”

Aren furrowed his brows and looked worriedly at my leg.

I smiled brightly and told him I was fine.

I didn’t want to make him worry over nothing.

“Your leg must hurt. Should we go sit under that tree over there?”

Without even waiting for my answer, Aren naturally took my hand and gently led me along.

In the middle of the forest filled with thick trees, there was a clear lake, and near that lake stood a massive tree that, strangely enough, was always in bloom. Even in the middle of winter like this, the tree was covered in flowers, and seeing such a magical sight lifted my spirits.

“Here, lie down.”

Underneath the tree where petals gently fluttered down, Aren plopped down on the ground. Then, with his legs neatly together, he patted his lap with his hands. Gasp—did he mean for me to lie there?

“You’re offering me your lap as a pillow?”

“Yes, go ahead and lie down as much as you like.”

Um, Aren… isn’t something a little off here?

Normally it’s the other way around, right?

In dramas or shoujo manga, it’s the heroine who gives the lap pillow. Not always, but that’s how I usually pictured it.

Well, Aren is pretty enough to pass as a girl, but still—this is kind of embarrassing.

“Then, excuse me.”

Embarrassed or not, there was no way I was passing up this opportunity.

When else would I get the chance to rest my head on the lap of the future Tower Master?

Without hesitation, I leaned my head on Aren’s lap.

‘Hmm, a little uncomfortable.’

His thighs were firmer than expected.

They kind of felt like a stone pillow—but I couldn’t complain when he was offering it so kindly.

“Aren, doesn’t your leg hurt? Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m sturdy, so don’t worry about me.”

Aren smiled softly. Even from below, his face was so dazzling that it was overwhelming. I stared for too long, and my eyes started to hurt, so I just closed them. Strangely, it was warm under the tree, and the cold wind didn’t blow at all. Could Aren have used magic? It was a pretty plausible guess.

In such a pleasant environment, sleep always came first. The sleep that hadn’t come in the infirmary bed was now slowly creeping in.

“You can sleep a bit,”

Aren said gently, probably because I looked drowsy.

I had fallen asleep in front of him in the library last time, so I swore I wouldn’t sleep again this time. I shook my head firmly.

“Mm… no. I won’t fall asleep…”

…Three seconds later, I fell asleep.

***

“She’s asleep,”

Aren looked down lovingly at the girl sleeping on his lap.

She always seemed so defenseless when sleeping, as if it was perfectly comfortable for her, which annoyed him just a little.

“If I kissed her now, would she not notice?”

Or would she wake up like a princess in a fairy tale, cheeks blooming a soft pink?

Aren, filled with a small sense of curiosity, leaned closer to Radel’s face.

He could now clearly see her red, enchanting lips.

“Freeze.”

Aren, who had been about to attempt a kiss under the excuse of curiosity, was stopped by someone’s voice. It was Dia, a well-known girl in the swordsmanship club. Just like last time—was interrupting others her hobby or something? Aren looked at Dia with displeasure.

“I don’t know what you two are doing, but hand Radel over right now!”

“Sure, here you go.”

Seeing Aren calmly lift Radel and hand her over into her arms, Dia was taken aback. She felt a bit deflated by how easily he complied. She had been ready to fight for Radel if needed…

“What the—this is so anticlimactic…”

“I don’t like wasting energy on pointless fights.”

Aren disliked expending effort on unnecessary things. And since he had planned to take Radel back to the infirmary anyway, he had no reason to refuse.

“Still, it’s a shame. I was curious what she felt like.”

“You…!”

As Dia ground her teeth and prepared to lunge at him, Aren snapped his fingers with a ‘snap!’ and teleported them both to the infirmary.

More than unnecessary fights, Aren hated noise. That made Dia a rather troublesome person to deal with. As he leisurely headed back toward the professor, he thought:

‘Hmph, but still… what a shame.’

He was curious about the sensation of lips that had almost touched. Somehow, it felt like Dia had ruined the once-in-a-lifetime chance of a kiss, and Aren pouted slightly. That girl really is a pain.

***

‘Huh? Where am I?’

A strong smell of medicine filled the air. It seemed I’d been moved back to the infirmary. Wondering if Aren had brought me here after I’d dozed off, I looked around—only to find someone unexpected.

“You’re awake.”

Dia gently brushed my hair aside. I didn’t know why she was here, but somehow, it made me feel at ease. Dia, brushing my fluttering hair to one side, spoke firmly.

“Radel, you know… You really shouldn’t trust people so easily.”

“Huh?”

She sounded like she was telling a child, “Don’t go with strangers even if they offer you candy,” and I tilted my head in confusion.

“I think I’m pretty cautious though…”

“No, you’re way too defenseless. You were asleep next to Aren just now.”

“Wait—did you bring me here, Dia?”

“Of course I did. Aren’s dangerous, so I brought you to the infirmary myself.”

So it wasn’t Aren who brought me here—it was Dia. For a moment, I imagined her carrying me in a princess-style hold. Oh my, she probably feels sturdier than most men!

‘Wait, but why is Aren dangerous?’

Her words left me with a question. Dangerous Aren? Our sweet Aren? I thought of his always gentle smile and asked with doubt.

“Why is Aren dangerous?”

“Well, it’s just… um, you know, that kind of thing!”

Dia trailed off awkwardly, unable to explain further. I was a little surprised—this was the first time I’d ever seen her so flustered. Just what had Aren done to make her act like this?

“All men are wolves. No matter how kind they seem, you can’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, sister.”

She was dependable and trustworthy like a big sister. She was actually a year older than me, so it didn’t feel wrong to call her that. Dia’s face lit up when I called her “sister.”

“Oh my, ‘sister’… I kind of like the sound of that.”

“Really? Should I keep calling you that?”

“No, it makes me feel distant. Just call me the usual way.”

While we were chatting about silly things, Dia’s gaze suddenly sharpened. I was amazed at how quickly her eyes could change like that, and just as I was marveling over it, both her hands grabbed my shoulders.

“Alright, now tell me the truth.”

“W-What?”

The infirmary had suddenly turned into an interrogation room. I’d noticed this before, but it seemed like students at this academy had a knack for shifting the atmosphere in an instant. Dia looked at me seriously, and I swallowed hard.

“What happened between you two?”

“Who…?”

“Radel, don’t play dumb. Obviously, I’m talking about Kailon.”

It finally came out. Honestly, I had made it pretty obvious. It would’ve been stranger if Dia hadn’t noticed how I was avoiding Kyle. I decided it would be best to just tell her.

“Kyle kissed me.”

Instead of keeping it bottled up, I decided to just say it outright. I said it plainly and truthfully, and Dia’s eyes widened in shock as she suddenly stood up.

“That thieving bastard—knew it! I knew he’d pull something like this eventually!”

Her face turned red with anger, and she looked like she was about to storm out and pick a fight with Kyle. I quickly grabbed her sleeve in a panic. After a long round of persuading, she finally plopped back down in her seat, fuming.

“I told you, didn’t I? Men are wolves. Especially Kailon—he’s a real wolf, so be careful. He’s dangerous, so avoid him like before!”

“Mm, but…”

Earlier, seeing Kyle so restless because he couldn’t come near me really tugged at my heart. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and yet I was avoiding him like this—I realized that wasn’t fair. That’s why I decided to slowly start approaching him again.

It’s still embarrassing to face him directly, but I should try. After all, it’s not like Kyle confessed to me. He just kissed me, that’s all.

Yeah, I can still stay friends with him.

What scared me was the thought that our relationship might change. I was afraid that if we became a couple and then broke up, things would become awkward between us.

It might be an unnecessary worry, but since I lack the courage, I decided to maintain this friendship for now.

“Radel, from now on, trust me. I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

“Mmh, thank you.”

While I was lost in thought, Dia reached out her hand to me. She held both my hands tightly and then said something that sounded suspiciously like a proposal. She wasn’t actually proposing to me, right? Her expression was serious, but the meaning behind her words seemed different.

For now, I need to focus on staying close friends with Dia first. If I keep staring blankly at how cool and reliable she is, I might really fall for her. If Dia were a guy, I probably would’ve fallen head over heels by now. Dia truly had a captivating charm.

“Or maybe we should live together? That way, I could always see you.”

“Dia, that totally sounds like a confession.”

The look in Dia’s eyes as she suggested living together was burning way too intensely. She didn’t really mean it… right? The truth that my heart fluttered just a little hearing her say that—well, that’s a secret.