<Episode 21>
Herwin chuckled at Lucia's kitten-like face and raised his upper body.
"Keugh...!"
"Don't get up, just lie down. You have bruises all over your body, so it'll hurt."
"Ah, no wonder... it kept hurting."
Despite Lucia's dissuasion, Herwin stubbornly sat up.
"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I made a sandwich..."
Leaving Lucia, who was taking out the sandwich, behind, Herwin looked around as if searching for something.
"...Lucia."
"Yes?"
"Where's Arista?"
"Arista? Why Arista?"
It was a little strange that he was looking for Arista as soon as he woke up. Lucia looked at Herwin, who seemed different than usual, and then realized something.
"Ah! Did Arista save you? Arista is in the infirmary too. She hasn't regained consciousness yet, though."
Herwin's brow furrowed. Lucia thought he was worried about Arista and quickly added.
"Don't worry too much. Arista doesn't have any injuries except for some fatigue. She'll regain consciousness soon like you..."
Before Lucia could finish speaking, her blue eyes widened. It was because Herwin was trying to get out of bed.
Lucia didn't even notice the sandwich falling to the floor and quickly got up.
"Herwin! I told you not to get up yet!"
"...I have to go to Arista."
"What? Where are you going in this condition? You have a cast on your ankle, so you can't walk properly."
"Lucia, please support me."
"No, I can't. You just woke up, how can you..."
"Please."
Lucia, who was about to refuse firmly, lost her words at the sight of his red eyes filled with determination. She could see Herwin's sincerity beyond his eyes.
Lucia eventually sighed and supported Herwin.
"This is the only time. Promise me you'll just look at Arista's face and lie down again right away."
"Okay, I will."
Because of the height difference of at least 20cm, it looked more like Lucia was being held by Herwin rather than supporting him, but Lucia did her best to support him.
Fortunately, Arista's bed wasn't far away.
"Oh? Lucia, Herwin."
Arista, who they thought was sleeping, greeted them sitting up. Lucia was startled and said.
"Arista! You're awake! When did you wake up?"
"Just now. Is this the infirmary?"
"Yes, we moved you to the infirmary right after you collapsed. How's your body? Does anything hurt..."
As Lucia was about to check Arista's condition, the hand placed on her left shoulder tightened.
Feeling Herwin's grip, Lucia turned her head.
"Lucia, I'm sorry, but can I talk to Arista alone for a moment?"
"Huh...?"
"I have something to talk about."
Lucia felt an invisible wall from Herwin, who was looking at Arista without even looking at her.
Lucia was startled and stepped back.
"O-okay. I'll leave you alone..."
"Thank you."
Herwin put up a screen next to the bed so that no one could see them.
Throb-
Anxiety that she had never felt before crept up and began to take over Lucia's heart.
'What if Herwin likes Arista...'
Why did Bianca's words come to mind now?
Lucia couldn't understand the reason.
* * *
Time passed, and two weeks had already passed since the day Herwin and Arista went missing.
For a few days after the two went missing, the entire school was noisy, but as time passed, the children's interest scattered elsewhere. Now, no one cared about Herwin and Arista except for the people around them.
Arista returned to her daily life as soon as she regained consciousness.
She didn't need to be in the infirmary because she had no injuries other than some bruises and fatigue.
On the other hand, Herwin couldn't leave the infirmary for a week due to bruises all over his body, a fractured ankle, and some concussion symptoms.
Thanks to this, Lucia volunteered to take care of Herwin every day, and her friends, including Brian, Ethan, Christine, and Bianca, often came to visit.
Lucas, who heard the news, also came to visit.
Herwin looked the same as before he was injured.
Looking at this alone, he was just injured and no different from before. However, Lucia noticed that Herwin reacted differently only to a specific person.
"You're still wearing a cast. How long do you have to wear it?"
About a week after leaving the infirmary, Arista approached Herwin.
His right foot was still wrapped in bandages.
"I have to wear it for another week."
Herwin, who would have answered curtly if Ethan or Brian had asked, smiled softly.
Before he went missing, Herwin was definitely close enough to joke around with Arista, but that was just a joke between close friends.
The smile he was giving now was an expression that would only be shown to someone more than a friend.
Watching the affectionate two, Lucia felt impatient without realizing it.
Even though it was a light greeting to exchange regards, she didn't like him talking to Arista.
'Definitely... it wasn't like this before.'
Before, when Bianca or others tried to pair Herwin and Arista together, she didn't show any interest.
She just thought that people who liked gossip were creating strange rumors.
But now, she was starting to feel a little uneasy that their rumors might be true.
"So, can you use Aura properly now?"
"I'm trying, but it's not working as I thought. But since I've released Aura once, I'll be able to use it freely soon."
"Oh, I definitely thought I'd be able to use Aura first... I have to catch up with you as soon as I get better."
It was a regretful tone, but the emotion in it was close to affection.
Lucia knew that Herwin didn't show affection to just anyone, so she unknowingly grabbed the hem of her skirt tightly.
"Lucia, are you okay?"
Lucia, who was lost in deep thought as her thoughts went on and on, suddenly raised her head.
Before she knew it, Arista and Herwin were looking at her with worried expressions.
"Uh, uh?"
Lucia stuttered, embarrassed without realizing it.
"No, you don't look good. Are you sick somewhere?"
"I was fine until just now."
A large, rough palm covered Lucia's white forehead.
Herwin put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
His very trivial action lifted Lucia's mood, which had hit rock bottom, even a little.
"...You have a slight fever?"
"What? Really? Is your cold not completely gone?"
"No, my cold is almost gone. I think it's just because it's hot."
Even though Lucia waved her hand with a forced smile, the two didn't seem to be relieved at all.
The hand that had been on her forehead fell. Lucia was secretly disappointed that Herwin's hand was moving away, but suddenly her face was pulled by something.
Soon, she met Herwin's red eyes. Before she could understand what was happening, a slightly cold sensation touched her forehead.
"See, you have a fever."
"Ah, no, I'm okay..."
Herwin put his forehead against hers this time, not his hand.
Lucia couldn't see Herwin's face, which was right in front of her.
Lucia squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull away from Herwin's grasp.
Fortunately, he didn't hold her any longer. Lucia felt her face heat up.
She wondered if it was flushed red enough for others to notice.
"Herwin, be good to Lucia. She took such good care of you even though she had a cold."
"I know. I told her she didn't have to go this far when she wasn't feeling well, but she doesn't listen to me."
Herwin said with a faint sigh and a weak voice to Arista, who tapped him and said.
It felt like he was annoyed, and her heart tightened.
"Lucia, I'm just wearing a cast, but I don't have much pain. So, you don't have to take care of me anymore. Take care of your own body first."
"Yeah, that's right. Even if you're childhood friends, aren't you taking care of him too much? It's not like he's a child, he'll take care of his own things."
Arista gave strength to Herwin's words.
Lucia forcibly managed her expression, which seemed like it was about to collapse. Usually, she would have been able to laugh it off without much thought, but she couldn't do that today.
'He's saying this much, so you can't possibly not understand, right? He's saying you're annoying. He's annoyed that you're butting in without any sense when he wants to be alone with her. Stop pretending you don't know and face reality.'
Negative thoughts popped up in one corner of her head.
She knew in her head that it was just her imagination, but she couldn't accept it in her heart.
She had never felt this way before.
Her insides were bubbling like lava, making her nauseous, she wanted to get angry because she was annoyed, and she was frustrated because she couldn't control her emotions as she pleased.
And above all, she felt that Arista, who was sincerely worried about her, was being fake, and she was starting to hate her more and more.
She thought she had been dealing with the women who approached Herwin wisely while being jealous. She thought she could endure that much jealousy any number of times.
But all of that was just arrogance.
The jealousy she had experienced so far didn't even include the 'j' of jealousy.
A finely trembling breath flowed thinly from Lucia's mouth.
"Lucia, your complexion is getting worse..."
Thwack-
As Arista was about to reach out to Lucia, Lucia unknowingly slapped her hand away with a hardened expression.
The atmosphere instantly cooled down.
Lucia's expression hardened for a moment, but she soon realized her mistake and her complexion turned pale.
"Ah, I'm, I'm sorry... Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Huh? Uh, uh... I'm not hurt."
"I guess I'm tired and sensitive. I'm really sorry..."
Lucia drooped her gentle eyes. Arista, who was flustered, soon smiled so that Lucia wouldn't be embarrassed.
"I'm okay, so don't apologize. It can happen."
"........."
Herwin, who was standing next to Arista with a smile, looked at Lucia with a serious expression.
Before being someone she had a crush on, he was her childhood friend, so she became anxious that Herwin might have noticed her true feelings.
'I, I don't want to...'
She didn't want to show him her ugly heart.
"Luci..."
"Lucia!"
Just as Herwin was about to call Lucia, someone called Lucia from behind.
"Bianca."
"Lucia, the professor is calling you."
Bianca suddenly intervened and grabbed Lucia's hand. Lucia, who was flustered, realized that she was sending her a signal.
"Uh, uh... I have to go if the professor is calling me."
Lucia quickly got up. She hurriedly left the spot with Bianca and turned around to see Herwin staring at her intently.
Feeling guilty for no reason, Lucia avoided his gaze and quickly turned her head.
After getting out of the classroom and walking down the hallway for a while, Lucia opened her mouth.
"...Bianca, thank you."
"I just made something up because you looked troubled. Something definitely happened, right?"
Lucia couldn't answer Bianca's words.
Bianca snorted at her dark expression.
"I told you what. I told you to be careful of Princess Lydia, right?"
"........."
Lucia, who would have told her not to say such things in the past, couldn't say anything this time.
Bianca, seeing her expression as if she was about to cry at any moment, hurriedly dragged Lucia to a secluded place.
