An Opening
It was already pitch-black because it was night, but the thick, overgrown bushes made it even darker. I had come to find Snaps, a fence who was particularly easy to deal with in the game. My purpose was to liquidate the goods I had obtained from Relial. Since they were stolen goods Relial had plundered, they were impossible to sell through normal channels. Snaps was leaning against his carriage, quietly watching me while puffing on a cigarette. We were currently in the final stage of our transaction. I opened the pouch Snaps had handed me to verify the amount.
"Mr. Snaps..."
"Huh?"
"This is... copper, not gold."
I pulled a coin from the copper-filled pouch and toyed with it right in front of Snaps's eyes. "Though I may be blind, fortunately, there is nothing wrong with my sense of touch. Gold has a much smoother surface than this."
"What kind of bullshit is that? That's gold, you blind bastard," Snaps barked back, holding his cigarette in his hand as he flared up in anger.
"Mr. Snaps, if you keep acting like this, I'll have to..." I placed my hand on the sword at my waist.
"Hah, go ahead and swing it. If I die by a blind man's sword, at least it'll be a funny way to go."
Shring! I drew my sword and executed a shallow upward slash. Instantly, the cigarette Snaps was smoking was cleanly sliced in half.
"..."
"Give it to me in gold. And add ten more gold coins for the trouble." I tossed the copper-filled pouch back to Snaps. He was merely a fence, not someone known for combat prowess. Snaps's eyes twitched. He quickly pulled a coin pouch from a storage compartment on the side of his carriage and threw it at me.
Thud. Catching the pouch, I pulled out a coin, felt its texture, and nodded. Then, I began tossing the pouch up and catching it repeatedly. "Where is the other ten gold?"
"Ah, damn it, seriously!" Snaps cursed under his breath, pulled a smaller pouch from his breast pocket, and threw it at me.
Bam! He kicked his carriage hard in frustration, then climbed up onto the driver's seat. Having secured all the money pouches, I watched Snaps depart.
"They really love to scam a poor blind man."
It wasn't just Snaps, either. Whenever I stopped by a regular general store and tried to buy something by feeling it with my hands, there were plenty of malicious merchants who would quote a price far higher than the actual tag. Was my first impression the problem?
"Is it my clothes?" I looked down to check my appearance. Well, every time I left the academy, I wrapped myself in a massive robe like a vagrant, so it made sense. This transaction had earned me seventy gold. With this, I had enough to cover the cost of the monster byproducts needed for the Yodo.
"Was it five hundred gold that I had to pay the blacksmith to craft the Yodo?" Assuming I bought the byproducts as planned, I would only have about twenty gold left in my pocket... It was nowhere near enough.
"I need to find a way to make some money somehow."
Fortunately, the meeting spot was near the academy, so I was able to return quickly. Before entering through the side path, I changed into the uniform I had hidden nearby beforehand. Then, I slipped quietly through the shortcut and headed toward the dormitory.
Deep night had already fallen over Innocence Academy. The scenery wasn't unfamiliar; it was a sight I had seen several times now. While there were still a few people wandering around, I wouldn't look too suspicious to them since I had already changed back into my uniform—provided they didn't find it too strange for a blind man to be walking alone.
On my way back, I scaled the dormitory wall with practiced ease. Even the guards rarely patrolled at this hour.
"What's the point of a wall anyway?" Especially when every single student here could infuse their body with mana and leap over it effortlessly.
Just as I was about to enter the dormitory through the back door, a swift figure lunged at me from the darkness.
Thump! I didn't bother dodging. It was a person. Looking down, I saw her collapsed against my chest. Her platinum-blonde hair, glowing faintly under the moonlight, filled my vision.
"Why is she here?" A thick scent was wafting off her. It was a sticky, heavy smell—one I had likely smelled before.
"Blood...?" I quietly called out the name of the silent girl.
"Eisel...?" I shook her shoulders gently, but there was no response. I shook her harder, but she still didn't react. Holding her shoulders, I lifted her head slightly to check her face. She was already unconscious.
"What on earth is going on?"
A room neatly organized with luxurious interior decor befitting a student of Class A. Covered by a neatly laid blanket, she finally opened her eyes.
"Ze... to...?"
"You're awake."
"Where is...?"
"It's my room."
"Your room...?" Eisel hid beneath the blanket, as if trying to process the situation in her head. Only a few strands of her hair peeked out from under the covers. Then, from beneath the blanket, she asked in a trembling, flustered voice:
"B-But... why... why don't I have... any clothes on...?"
"Well, that's because..." My hesitation was more than enough to throw Eisel into a panic.
"..." Thump! Thump! "Yes...?" Eisel, still under the blanket, pounded the innocent bed as she demanded an answer.
"Yeees...?" She sounded on the verge of tears, her voice cracking. ...I should probably stop teasing her.
"It seemed like you suddenly decided to strip your clothes off while you were lying down. Thanks to that, I got hit by your flying clothes while sitting nearby."
At my response, the blanket-bound Eisel suddenly went quiet. Then, she slowly poked her head out. "...Then where are my clothes?"
"Right... here." I handed her clothes, which I had neatly folded, to her under the blanket. Of course, her clothes were heavily stained with dried blood. I had tried to wash them a bit, but as they say, blood is thicker than water; the dried blood refused to wash out.
"..." Silence fell over Eisel as she took the clothes from me. She must have noticed the blood on them.
"Are you... not going to ask me anything...?"
"Didn't you say that everyone has at least one secret they want to keep hidden?"
"..."
"I'll give you some other clothes. Fortunately, I have a spare set. They're men's clothes, so they might be big, but... why don't you try these on?" Saying so, I offered Eisel a spare set of clothes from the corner.
Eisel took my clothes and suddenly began rustling around under the blanket. She was probably changing underneath it. Even though she knew I was blind, I suppose she still didn't want to expose her bare skin in front of a man. Well, I'd probably do the same if I were in her shoes.
The rustling sounds from the blanket ceased, and Eisel's face popped out. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she really had been on the verge of tears earlier. I had teased her too much.
"I'm sorry... I don't remember much of last night..."
"It doesn't matter. I'm fine."
When Eisel had collapsed onto me in front of the boys' dormitory last night, her clothes had been drenched in blood. Deciding it would be too risky to carry her all the way to her own room in that state, I had hurriedly brought her to mine. Fortunately, once I turned on the lights and checked, I confirmed it wasn't her own blood. But blood was still blood. Blood that had splattered from someone else's body. I knew the meaning of that blood better than anyone.
Above all, her body had been burning up like fire. Fortunately, her fever went down quickly once I laid her on the bed, but she must have pushed herself to her absolute limits. Still, I couldn't understand why she had gone so far. My mind was filled with questions, but I chose not to ask. She had shown me the same consideration before. Besides, I knew very well that even if I asked, she wouldn't give me an answer.
Eisel gently slipped out of bed and lowered her legs to the floor. My clothes were far too big for her. They were so oversized that they were practically slipping off her shoulders.
"...Do the clothes fit well?"
"Yes, this is fine. It should be enough... to get back to my dormitory."
"That's a relief, then."
No matter how I looked at it, they seemed to be slipping off... Should I give her something else? Or should I quickly run outside and find some women's clothes somewhere? All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind as I watched her, but she soon stood up from the bed. Standing up, she looked around the room.
"I have to keep it organized... so it's easier to remember where everything is." I answered Eisel's question. Though the main reason was simply that I rarely spent time in here.
"...Thank you, anyway."
"It's nothing."
We didn't share much conversation after that. Having finished looking around my room, she gathered her clothes and headed toward the door.
"Um... please forget about today..." Eisel said, poking her head through the gap in the door before closing it.
"Well, if you say so."
I felt a bit sorry for her, but this was a memory that would be hard to forget. Having said her piece, Eisel closed the door and left. However, the question of why she was pushing herself so hard remained unresolved. In fact, now that she was gone, my doubts only deepened. This Eisel, who was starkly different from the one I knew in the game, constantly made me feel a sense of urgency. With things like this happening, there was no way I could avoid worrying about her.
I knew why she had come back covered in blood. It was undoubtedly related to her impending death.
"Hmm..." Even though I was already trying my best to grow stronger as quickly as possible, I couldn't shake the constant feeling that this level of strength was still not enough. Come to think of it...
"Why did she come looking for me at the boys' dormitory when she was on the verge of losing consciousness...?"