Chapter 22: An Icy Thaw, A Burning Desire

“…Anyway, please try not to overdo it for a while. I would be quite sad to see Sian here again.”

“Ahaha…I understand.”

“About three weeks…no. Since you’re a Stigmata user, just be careful for about a week. You can spar…but don’t overdo it.”

“Yes.”

The bodies of Stigmata users were much stronger and had much higher recovery rates than those who did not have Stigmata.

Stigmata were blessings bestowed by the stars. They were fundamentally different from other mages who borrowed and traded the power of the stars.

“Still, it’s a relief. The midterm exams are in two weeks, so I can push myself a little then…oof?!”

Thump- a neat sound, along with Claudia’s knuckle landing on my head. The pain came a beat later.

“Ugh…”

In the game, Claudia didn’t appear as a combat character. If the academy’s nurse had to participate in battle, it meant that the academy’s very survival was at risk.

So, maybe I hadn’t thought deeply about Claudia’s combat prowess.

Because of that, I was forced to grab my head, letting out a foolish groan, having deliberately taken the knuckle strike.

“Isn’t it a bit too bold to say that you’ll come back injured again, Sian?”

“Ugh…but something might happen during the midterm exams…”

I wasn’t saying anything wrong.

The first midterm exam at the academy was always a perfect time for a terrorist attack.

After all, the academy was a place where the children of various noble families, the future heads of merchant guilds, and promising talents from all over the world gathered.

Even if they failed hundreds of times, if they succeeded in a terrorist attack just once, the return would be enormous.

“Even my Stigmata’s ability isn’t omnipotent. I can heal minor injuries in an instant, but for more serious injuries, I can only speed up the recovery.”

However, Sian seemed like a clueless child to Claudia, who didn’t know that fact. A child who was too eager and ended up getting hurt all the time.

Claudia let out a faint sigh and placed her hand on Sian’s forehead, healing the reddened area.

“Anyway, take care of your body. I don’t mind this incident, but I’d be a little sad if we met frequently in the infirmary.”

“Yes…”

Claudia’s lecture continued for a while, and I listened to her words quietly, feeling sorry.

This [Arcana Academy] was never a peaceful world. Basically, since this world was originally a game, various events were bound to happen.

Unless this was still a game world and the enemies were on the other side of the screen. Since it had become reality, there was no way to prevent the events that would happen at the academy without getting hurt at all.

“So, I promise. I’ll take care of my body from now on.”

“Yes…”

Therefore, my voice answering Claudia’s words was low. Basically, I wasn’t a good liar.

Claudia, who was looking at me, still seemed to not believe me.

But since she couldn’t keep me here forever, Claudia sighed and sent me away.

“Anyway, be careful.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I came out to the hallway, I touched my still throbbing forehead and walked quickly.

I had intended to come back soon, but because I had talked a lot with Claudia, I had already been sitting for 30 minutes.

“The two of them…well, they’ll be fine.”

Both Regina and Yelena are not bad people.

In the first place, if they were characters with strange personalities, they wouldn’t have been able to appear in the original game.

“So…Sian…there’s no need to…”

“…Okay, so…”

Yes. As I expected, Yelena and Regina seemed to have become close quickly. I could hear them talking to each other.

I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but if they were friends talking, the topic would be mostly similar.

“So, together with Sian…”

“Huh?”

As soon as I opened the door, I heard the timid voice of a girl. However, for some reason, I felt like I heard my name.

Wondering what they were talking about, I killed my presence and hugged Regina from behind.

“Did you call me?”

“Kyaa?!”

The moment I hugged Regina, the girl in my arms flinched. Regina, who screamed cutely and cowered, looked up at me with teary eyes.

Regina’s ruby-red eyes trembled. Vitality returned to her eyes, and my figure was reflected in them.

That cute appearance of Regina made me burst into laughter, and I sat between the two.

“Ugh, ah…Sian, it was you…”

“Ah, Sian?”

Flinch.

Yelena, who seemed surprised, quickly regained her usual expressionless face. And a faint smile appeared on her lips.

I wonder why Yelena was surprised along with Regina, who I had startled. With that question in mind, I carefully asked.

“But…what were the two of you talking about earlier? I thought I heard my name mentioned a few times.”

“Ah, um…well, you see…?”

Regina stuttered as usual at my question. I hugged her in my arms, stroked her head, and looked at Yelena.

Was it just my imagination that Yelena’s gaze, looking at me and Regina, was sharp?

“Well, we weren’t talking about anything special. Just how we met you, and a simple self-introduction?”

“Oh.”

Well, if it’s friends meeting for the first time, there wouldn’t be much to talk about.

Moreover, if it was two girls whose relationships were completely shattered, the easiest topic to bring up would be about me.

Nodding to myself, I faced Yelena. A silver eye that seemed to have something to say.

“Why?”

“If you’re with her, do you feel good?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes. It feels like I’m holding a big doll when I hug Regina like this. Regina is cute, you know. She’s also pretty, and she has a kind of atmosphere that makes you want to take care of her?”

“Heee…?”

Regina, who was quietly nestled in my arms and suddenly bombarded with praise, let out a cute sound, “Hic,” and trembled.

She was a girl who had never heard sincere praise in the endlessly repeating time.

The praises of parents, students, and teachers that were repeated every playthrough had been heard so much that she had memorized the patterns.

So, the praise, which was new to the girl who was worn out and had forgotten everything, came as a fresh stimulus.

“Ugh, Regina?”

“Ugh…”

“She seems to have broken down after hearing your words.”

I carefully placed Regina, who was struggling in my arms, next to me and answered Yelena’s question.

“Sian, do you like being like that?”

“Yeah. Somehow, it feels comfortable when I’m hugging Regina. Eh?!”

Then, Yelena suddenly drew closer. The beautifully sculpted face of a beautiful girl frowned slightly.

Yelena stopped after approaching close enough for our breaths to touch. A sweet shampoo scent, unfitting for her cold impression, tickled the tip of my nose. Beautifully crafted jewel-like eyes stared at me right in front of me.

“Hmm…I see.”

“W-wait a minute?”

From some point on, the distance between Yelena and me seemed to have decreased a lot.

When Yelena blushed and was embarrassed by simple contact, but now she approached me without hesitation.

The problem was, perhaps, that I wasn’t as used to Yelena’s beauty as she was.

That indifferent expression of such a beautiful girl was fatal to me, who lacked resistance to girls. I swallowed hard and froze, unable to move.

Yelena, who had quietly scanned my body, quietly approached my back and wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Hngh…?!”

Feeling Yelena’s assertive lump of fat on my back and Yelena’s breath around my neck, I let out a foolish groan without realizing it.

It had become a similar appearance to when I was hugging Regina. However, this time, the difference was that I was the one being hugged.

“Hmm…it’s true, what you said, Sian.”

Regina leaned her chin on my head and continued to speak in an indifferent yet soft voice.

“Being like this somehow feels comfortable.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

I let out an awkward laugh and closed my eyes tightly, leaning my body into Yelena’s arms for a while.

It was embarrassing, but it wasn’t bad, so I couldn’t help it. If it weren’t for this, when would I ever be hugged by Yelena?

“Can we stay like this a little longer?”

Yelena spoke as if she didn’t have any particular thoughts. I couldn’t refuse the request of a beautiful girl leaning on me.

“Ah, yes!”

Originally, I had things I wanted to do with Yelena and Regina, but now I didn’t have any of those thoughts. I just wanted to enjoy this moment.

The sound of my heart beating from embarrassment was felt so loudly. I was worried if Yelena would hear this sound, and we sat in the hospital room for a while.