Chapter 6 : The Good Room

After the bathroom incident,
I didn’t return to class.

Instead, I went to the infirmary.

The one place in this academy where I felt somewhat comfortable.

Nadia, upon seeing me, feigned a headache and scolded me.

“This isn’t your personal room.”
“Hee hee.”
“And what happened to you… hmm.”

She examined my appearance, then,
Wordlessly pointed to the back of the infirmary.

“Go clean yourself up.”

There was a bathroom with a shower inside the infirmary.

The mop water stench was unbearable.
I did as she said without complaint.

After washing up,
I found a set of folded clothes waiting for me, undoubtedly provided by Nadia.

They were a bit loose on my thin frame, but I wasn’t about to complain.

The moment I put them on, Nadia’s scent enveloped me.

As I sniffed the white shirt, she came over with a towel and began to dry my soaked hair.

“Hee…”
“You’re an expert at doing things I hate.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t play dumb.”

She wasn’t referring to the bullying.

Neither of us cared about that.

There weren’t many things I did that genuinely annoyed her.

Unless it involved visiting Charlotte, her sworn enemy, she rarely showed such displeasure.

I offered an excuse.

“You wouldn’t give me the medicine, so I had no choice.”
“Honestly, you have no shame.”
“Why?”
“Blaming me when you didn’t even ask.”

Because I knew she’d refuse.

How did our last encounter end?

After getting the injection, I’d become giddy and clung to her, saying, “Nadia, thank you, I like you, hug me,” shamelessly pressing my ugly face and body against hers.

I still remembered the icy contempt in her eyes as she looked down at me. And her muttered words, “I shouldn’t have given it to you in the first place.”

After that, how could I possibly ask her for more?

Even with my thick skin, I still had a shred of conscience.

“Sorry. Ah, right there. Feels good…”

I murmured, enjoying her fingers massaging my scalp as she dried my hair.

Maybe it was the lingering effects of the drugs, but I felt unusually sensitive.

“So, you went there?”
“Yes.”

To the gambling den.

“This morning?”
“No, last night…”
“Hmm. And you’re still in this state.”
“What state?”
“The state where you’ll cling to anyone for attention, begging to be loved. The state I absolutely loathe.”
“I won’t.”
“Good girl.”

Nadia said I was a good girl.
I suppressed a smile.

I thought I was sober, but apparently not.

She paused, then muttered, “Just how strong was that stuff?”

“It… felt good…”
“I can tell. You’re still practically euphoric.”
“Yes.”

She seemed annoyed.

It was rare to see her like this.

I wanted to tease her, mentioning the gambling den and subtly bringing up the owner’s name.

“Shar… Charlotte was nice to me.”
“…”
“And, what was it? I don’t remember clearly, but I said something like… Thank you, I really like it. Yeah.”

I must have gotten a little carried away.

The remaining drug amplified my emotions.

My words were rambling.

But Nadia seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

“I hugged her and said… I really like it. Maybe even… I love you? I don’t know.”
“…And?”
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I even compared you to her. I think I said… I like her way more than you.”
“Titania.”

Normally, she avoided using my name.

Just as I avoided using hers.

Her using my name meant
She was seriously angry.

And her gray eyes, usually filled with a strange contempt, now burned with raw emotion.

“Don’t push it.”
“Ah, well…”
“And stop pretending to be high. It’s annoying.”
“…”

Honestly,
I was surprised.

How?

My attempt to provoke her by feigning intoxication had been exposed. I froze, blinking in surprise.

Nadia scoffed.

“You think this is the first time I’ve seen you high?”
“…”
“When you are, your eyes… they’re brighter. Not dull and blank like now.”
“…”

I was speechless.

The drug had worn off a while ago.
Probably around the time I left the bathroom.

I couldn’t win.

Caught in my deception, I remained silent.
Nadia stopped drying my hair and put the towel away.

“If you were trying to annoy me, consider yourself successful.”
“Well…”
“Rest. I have something to do.”
“…”

Nadia left the infirmary.

Left alone,
I felt a chill.

Cold.

The strong, potent drug from last night had a powerful aftereffect.

The happiness it brought crashing down, leaving me in a pit of despair, was a feeling I’d never get used to.

I found a bed and lay down.

Pulling the covers over me, I curled up, waiting for time to pass.

The one good thing was that I hadn’t slept since yesterday.

My exhausted body craved rest.

The biting cold, the crippling helplessness,
Even the phantom pain of insects gnawing at my veins from the inside,
Couldn’t wake me as I drifted off.

I fell asleep.

…
…
…

I felt a strange sense of wonder.

It was a thought that arose just before I woke up, somewhere between sleep and consciousness.

When I forced myself to sleep like this, ignoring the drug’s aftereffects,
I almost always paid the price.

My body, cold as if frozen to death, became unresponsive,
Filling me with the terror that I’d never wake up again.

But this time was different.

Warm.
Unusually so.

As I opened my eyes,
I saw a blur of cherry-blossom pink.

“Tanya, are you awake?”
“…”

That gentle voice.

I tried to assess the situation.

My mind was still foggy with sleep, but it was definitely Lucia standing before me.

The girl I jokingly called the academy’s protagonist.

The strange thing was,
Her hand was intertwined with mine.

Our palms pressed together, our fingers laced,
The feeling of our skin touching, soft as silk.

As I stared at the sight of her healthy, white hand intertwined with my pale, sickly one,
Lucia spoke shyly.

“You… seemed a little cold…”
“…”

Was that normal?

Setting aside the question of how she could tell if a sleeping person was cold or not,

While she was undoubtedly the kindest person I’d ever met,
I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of suspicion.

The funny thing was,
Her method was surprisingly effective.

Warm and soft.
And kind.

This was a bit disgusting, even for me, but
I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand away.

Instead,
I voiced my question.

“How did you get here?”
“You didn’t come back to class. And you always come here.”
“…”

Her words, implying she knew my habits,
Probably sounded accusatory because of my twisted personality.

“Tanya, are you okay?”
“About what?”
“About… everything?”

What did “everything” mean?

As I stared at her,
Lucia smiled brightly, like an angel.

“About what the others are saying… and what happened today.”

She was vague, but I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Strangely, not for Lucia, but for Karen.

Wasn’t Karen the one who’d tried to prevent the nasty rumors about me from reaching Lucia’s ears?

It seemed her efforts were in vain.

I decided not to dwell on what Karen would say to me when she found out.

I was too preoccupied with the warmth emanating from Lucia’s hand.

As I unconsciously tightened my grip,
Lucia giggled, saying it tickled.

She met my gaze, then said,
“Tanya, you can go back to sleep.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll stay right here.”

Her words were like a spell, a magic charm.

My eyelids grew heavy the moment she spoke.

It had been so long since I’d fallen asleep without fearing the cold.
As I pondered that, I drifted off to sleep once more.