Surgingly Rising Power (2)
"I guess clothes really don't mean anything to him...?"
I muttered to myself, looking at the pile of clothes I had pulled out of the closet, tried on, and then discarded on the floor.
Even if Eisel's encounter with him was outdoors, my situation was different. This was a cozy, intimate time with Zeto inside my room—essentially, a date for just the two of us.
'Right, let's worry about the clothes next time...'
I stared at a pair of shorts so brief they made it look like I wasn't wearing pants at all, before quickly turning my head away.
Besides, clothes didn't matter to Zeto anyway.
I quickly tidied up the clothes and moved to the kitchen.
As I made the final preparations so I could start cooking at any moment, my mind drifted back to what had happened in the forest earlier.
I had been deep in the woods, agonizing over how to phrase my invitation to dinner.
'Of all times, I never expected Zeto to show up right then...'
Even looking back now, it was a dizzying moment.
Right in the middle of practicing my lines, imagining he was standing in front of me, he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
With Zeto's sharp hearing... there was a very high chance he had heard every single word of my embarrassing babble.
"Sigh... I must be out of my mind... What do I do..."
Reaching that conclusion, I stopped prepping the ingredients and stomped my feet in frustration.
'I'm looking forward to your cooking. Should I come to your room then, Miss Yuri?'
Well, even though we had somehow moved past it... there was absolutely no romance in how it happened.
None at all.
I should have been showing off my charms to the fullest, but instead, I had only shown him my most pathetic side.
"Whew... But at least I have the food..."
Squatting on the kitchen floor, I took a deep breath and stood back up.
By the way, when would Zeto arrive?
He had said he would find his way, but we hadn't set a specific time.
When I had asked how he would find my room, Zeto had casually replied that he would manage somehow using his Qi Sensing.
He claimed he could distinguish who was inside which room. The more I learned about his Qi Sensing, the more astonishing it seemed.
So, even though it was arguably the most important detail, Zeto had brushed it off so easily that I had just let it slide as well.
Even as the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness blanketed the surroundings, Zeto had yet to show up.
While the delay gave me plenty of time to prepare, I was starting to grow anxious.
The thought of seeing him soon made my heart race, and the ticking of the clock—which I usually ignored—felt like a constant pressure.
'Was eating in my room too much of a stretch...?'
I was deeply worried that Zeto might have been caught by the guards while trying to sneak into the dormitory.
Having finished all the cooking preparations, I sat on the bed with my legs pulled close, deciding to wait quietly for Zeto.
Had I ever waited for someone this anxiously in my entire life?
Zeto was the first.
And yet, I still wondered if this could truly be called love.
It wasn't that I disliked him, but was it right for my feelings toward him to shift so suddenly?
Having met almost by chance, he had naturally seeped into my life.
In all the time I spent with him, I had never felt uncomfortable around him even once.
I was confused about whether it was because he couldn't see my appearance—which other men obsessed over—or if it was simply because he was 'Zeto.'
It was deeply ironic that his misfortune was the very source of my comfort.
But lately, I had been thinking that even if Zeto could see, he wouldn't have made me feel uncomfortable.
I doubted I would have sensed any ulterior motives from him.
It was just an intuitive feeling.
In fact, what if he weren't blind...?
Would he have approached me more proactively?
Would he have looked at me as a woman, rather than just a friend?
...It was a foolish thought.
"Phew..."
I let the air out of my puffed cheeks and hugged my knees. It was at that moment—
Knock, knock.
A soft knock echoed through the room.
The moment I heard it, I scrambled off the bed and rushed to open the door.
Click.
Even as I unlocked it, I felt a flicker of doubt.
I worried whether Zeto had managed to make it here safely without any trouble.
Soon, the door swung fully open, and the figure standing outside slowly came into view.
A snow-white blindfold... jet-black hair...
There was no need to look further. It was Zeto.
He had found his way perfectly.
The moment I recognized him, the corners of my mouth curled upward.
"..."
I was about to call out his name in delight, but Zeto quickly raised his index finger to his lips, gesturing for me to be quiet.
Right. Zeto was a man, and this was the girls' dormitory.
He had sneaked in, after all.
I quietly ushered Zeto inside and quickly shut the door behind him.
"...I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I thought it would be best to wait until a time when the hallways are mostly empty."
Zeto spoke first, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"O-Oh, I wasn't really waiting. I was actually just sleeping...?"
Embarrassed by his soft voice and sweet words, absolute nonsense tumbled out of my mouth.
It was a 'habit' I had developed recently whenever Zeto made me flustered.
"Haha, for someone who was sleeping, you opened the door incredibly fast."
"That's... M-More importantly, how did you get here? You didn't get caught on the way, did you?"
"Hmm... I wasn't caught. I was hiding in the shadows."
"The shadows...?"
At my questioning look, Zeto shrugged.
...Well, I suppose he meant he moved stealthily.
For a swordsman, Zeto was using expressions that sounded like they belonged to an Eastern 'ninja.'
"Well then, excuse me."
With that, Zeto stepped fully into my room.
"So this is Miss Yuri's room. It's my first time in a girl's room..."
Zeto walked in, leaned his sword against a corner of the wall, and then stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, facing me as if waiting for something.
"...Ah, would you like to sit on the bed?"
Feeling a bit flustered by his awkwardness, I quickly guided him.
Even though Zeto was the guest, the realization that I was now completely alone with him in this relatively small room made it hard to keep my composure.
Plop.
Sitting down on the bed, Zeto spoke up.
"I was surprised when you mentioned cooking so suddenly. I didn't know you knew how to cook, Miss Yuri."
"Ahem, cough... Cooking is nothing special."
I cleared my throat and bluffed in response to his question.
...There was no need to let him know I had been practicing all day.
Heading straight to the kitchen counter, I began preparing the dish.
As I worked, I glanced back to look at Zeto. He was sitting quietly on the bed.
As always, Zeto exuded an atmosphere that looked like a painting. He was merely sitting on the bed, yet he blended beautifully with the dark night scenery reflected in the window behind him.
I wanted to strike up a conversation, but it wasn't easy. Being alone with him in this room made us feel like a married couple, which only made me more embarrassed.
Tearing my eyes away from Zeto, I focused on the cooking once more.
The meal was finished in no time.
I had already prepped most of it, and having repeated the process so many times, my hands moved on instinct.
As the dish neared completion, Zeto's voice drifted over from across the room.
"...It smells wonderful. Is it... a meat dish?"
Zeto asked, tilting his head up and sniffing the air.
"Yes. Since you've been bleeding so often lately and your body seems weak... I specially prepared a restorative dish passed down in my family."
There was no need to tell him what kind of meat it was.
I figured it was better if he didn't know.
"A restorative dish of the Clementine family. I wonder if it's alright for an outsider like me to eat something so precious..."
"Pfft, don't worry. This is probably the first time we've served it to an outsider, but... well, I got my father's permission."
"From the Patriarch?"
"Yes, via letter... My father even provided the ingredients."
Answering Zeto's question, I carefully plated the food into a bowl.
"Zeto, it's ready..."
I called out to him as I set the bowl on the table.
He rose from the bed, walked over, and sat down at the table.
Though there were two of us, there was only one bowl and one set of utensils.
Looking at Zeto, who sat at the table tilting his head, I spoke up.
"T-This might be a bit tricky to eat because of the bones, so I was thinking of helping you..."
"I said, using a knife to debone the meat."
"It's fine. I'm already grateful enough that you cooked for me."
Zeto waved his hands in refusal, but my hands didn't stop.
"For someone with such a weakened body... Just sit still and eat."
Zeto chuckled softly at my words and gave up his resistance.
'This is strictly for Zeto's sake because of his blindness. It's absolutely not to satisfy my own selfish desires...'
Repeating that thought like a mantra, I slowly brought a fork with a piece of meat to his lips.
"Say 'ah'..."
Following my instruction, Zeto opened his mouth.
The meat slipped into his mouth, and he closed his lips immediately.
After Zeto thoroughly chewed and swallowed the meat, I asked him tentatively,
"How is it...?"
When I had tasted it midway, there hadn't been any major issues.
Even when I fed it to Lucia when she woke up this morning, her eyes had gone wide as she said it was good... so it should be fine, right? Still, everyone's tastes were different.
I couldn't let my guard down.
But contrary to my worries, Zeto tilted his head, a pleasant surprise in his voice.
"You're actually a great cook, Miss Yuri...?"
"Is it delicious...?"
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say a skilled chef made this."
Hearing his words, I wanted to jump for joy inside.
The pride of knowing my efforts hadn't been in vain.
The sense of achievement from serving him the meal exactly as planned.
And above all, the fact that I had brought a smile to his face entirely through my own efforts meant the world to me.
"Ah."
I brought another piece of meat to his lips.
"..."
Resting my chin in my hand, I watched Zeto chew, the corners of my mouth twitching upward.
'...He's cute.'
Seeing Zeto follow my instructions so obediently felt so different from his usual self, and it was incredibly endearing.
I had never cared much for cute things, but sometimes, this wasn't so bad.
'It really feels like we're a married couple...'
Though I had never been married, surely this qualified as a special date.
Just as I was lost in those thoughts, bringing another piece of meat toward him—
"It feels like I'm the only one eating..."
Zeto suddenly caught my hand and gently took the fork from my grasp.
"I made this food for you, so why shouldn't you be the only one eating?"
"...Food always tastes better when shared. I might not be able to aim perfectly, but... Miss Yuri, say 'ah' too."
Zeto said, holding the fork near my face.
It seemed he had been bothered by the fact that I wasn't eating anything myself.
"..."
Caught completely off guard by the sudden reversal of roles, I sat there, utterly flustered.
Zeto remained still, holding the meat out and waiting for me.
'Having someone feed you... is incredibly embarrassing...'
Squeezing my eyes shut, I took the meat into my mouth.
Only the sound of my chewing echoed in the quiet room. For some reason, it made me feel even more self-conscious.
Once I finally swallowed the meat, Zeto smiled and asked,
"How is it? Delicious, right?"
"......Yes."
I whispered my reply, unable to lift my head for a long while as my face burned bright red.