A Heart-Pounding Summer Vacation of Boiling Desire

The ceiling was unfamiliar.

I'd seen that line countless times in games and novels. Every single time, I'd thought it was such a cliché. But now that I'd closed my eyes in Aileen's room and woken up somewhere completely strange, all I could feel was pure bewilderment. Where the hell am I?

It really was a realistic reaction, I thought with a mental nod as I tried to sit up.

"……?"

What the—why can't I move?

Only then did I frantically check what kind of state my body was in.

Bandages. Bandages. Bandages. Bandages.

My entire body except for my eyes, nose, and mouth was wrapped tightly in white bandages. Not only that, they seemed to be secured with metal rods or something, because no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't move at all. My strength wouldn't even come properly. All I could do was blink.

"………Hah."

From the circumstances, it looked like I'd been moved from Aileen's room to some kind of hospital. Had using that damn occupational skill a few times really put me in this condition? They must have been determined to slap me with a penalty.

"Sigh."

My neck wouldn't move easily either, so no matter where I looked, all I could see was the ceiling and part of the wall. There wasn't even a nurse call button in sight. I was just about to start yelling when—

"You're awake? Fortune teller bastard."

"……Liu?"

"You can't even see me, but you knew right away. This Great Wealthy Person is impressed."

That rude ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way of talking could only belong to one person—Liu Yen. ……If I said that out loud, I'd probably get punched, so I kept quiet.

Ah, no. I needed to ask.

"Where are we?"

"Where? A hospital, obviously."

"What happened?"

"Hmm, first I need to make sure you understand this."

Rustle.

Something moved beside me, and suddenly Liu's face popped into view right above mine. Whoa!

While I was still startled by the sudden ambush, her red eyes met mine. Her long black hair cascaded over my face as she leaned in closer with a completely deadpan expression.

……This is incredibly intense.

"It's the sixth day."

"……Pardon?"

"You've been unconscious for six days. Got it?"

What the hell? So I'd been out for six whole days??

"Uh…… really?"

"Would I lie about something like that? The academy's already done for the semester. We've got three months of summer vacation ahead."

"……Good grief."

Time had just been deleted from my life. Was this a bug?

"You were carried out of that blonde girl's room by the Saintess. You were rushed straight to the hospital—your condition was critical."

"Uh…… um……."

"Your internal organs were shaken up, muscles torn, nerves burned to a crisp. Understand? If the Saintess hadn't been by your side, you'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life."

"Ah, yes."

"It's a good thing that hospital was one I invested in, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they contacted me immediately. Otherwise who knows what would've happened? Oh, and that vicious ability user and the violent princess have quite the network too. The moment they saw your condition, they started gathering doctors from all over the world."

"………."

"That meddlesome Lucas, His Highness the Prince, and even that stoic hero helped out. You really should consider yourself lucky."

Yes, I understand perfectly. So this is when the affection system actually shines! ……And I also learned that the side effects of my occupational skill were far more serious than I'd thought.

I should limit it to once a day from now on.

Well, the Saintess and Aileen were special cases anyway. What were the chances I'd need to use it multiple times again?

………Ah. The Saintess and Aileen.

"Liu? Where is Aileen?"

"……You mean that rowdy blonde brawler?"

Her wording seems a bit harsh? But her expression is terrifying, so I'd better keep my mouth shut.

"Uh, yes. How is Aileen……."

"………Hey. Did you not hear what I just said?"

"L-Liu?"

"You're the one who's injured. You're the one who became a complete wreck and nearly died. So why the hell are you asking about that bitch? Are you crazy? And right in front of me, no less?"

"No, that's not……."

"That girl just cried and wailed pathetically before leaving. Satisfied? ……How can this bastard not even say thank you to the person who's been taking care of him for days……."

"Um, Liu?"

"What now!!"

"Thank you. I owe you my life, Liu."

"………Hmph."

Clueless bastard.

After muttering that, Liu finally lifted her face, which had been uncomfortably close. Then she fiddled with something, and the bed began to rise, lifting my upper body along with it.

"Oh……."

Sitting up like this felt much more comfortable. Not only that, but Liu personally unwrapped the bandages wound tightly around my neck. My neck cracked satisfyingly as it finally regained its full range of motion.

Ahh, now I feel alive again.

While stretching my neck, I looked around and confirmed that this was definitely a hospital room. It was quite spacious, with my bed against the wall, surrounded by various medical devices and IV drips. There were other beds and sofas as well. And when I looked at where Liu had been, I noticed another bed placed almost flush against mine.

……Huh? Right next to mine?

"Liu? Don't tell me you've been sleeping right beside me……."

"What about it?"

"Um………."

"Watching over and caring for a patient is the duty and role I've taken upon myself as their caregiver. I attached the beds simply to monitor you better. There's no other reason. You didn't have any weird thoughts, did you? That would be very problematic at this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stage. I attached the extra bed in case you had a sudden seizure during the night. There are absolutely no other intentions. Understood?"

"……Yes."

Why is she suddenly talking so fast? I couldn't catch half of what she said.

Still, since she'd apparently been taking care of me for several days, it would be rude to misunderstand. I decided to drop any unnecessary suspicions and just ask what I was curious about.

"Liu? You mentioned the semester's already over, right?"

"Hm? That's right."

"Then what about my attendance……?"

Would it all be marked as absences? My grades were already in the gutter after officially placing dead last in the Great Lake exam. If my attendance got wrecked too, I was truly finished. I needed to be in the top five of the entire school! Even if first semester was a lost cause, I had to raise my grades in the second semester at least……!

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. Instructor Charles Teddybear took care of it nicely."

"Instructor Charles…… did?"

"Yeah. He covered for you, saying your absences were his fault…… which brings me to something else."

"Yes?"

"……What exactly happened to you?"

Liu looked at me with an unusually worried gaze.

………Hmm. What should I say?

The reason I'd ended up like this was because I'd used my occupational skill multiple times. The reason I'd used it multiple times was because of the Saintess and Aileen. Obviously I couldn't talk about either of them.

As I hesitated, Liu seemed to take my silence as an answer. Her face twisted.

"……So you can't tell me?"

"It's not that……."

"Not that? What the hell do you mean, not that? This is ridiculous. I even saved your life, and you can't even tell me how you ended up like this?"

"…………."

"Damn fortune teller bastard."

"……I'm sorry."

"………That's what I was going to say originally."

"……?"

Huh?

"The you I've been watching is a total mixed-up mess of a guy."

"M-mixed-up……."

"Lucas's meddling, the princess's recklessness, Lane's pickiness, that hero's concept-obsessed personality, and even someone with a temper as bad as mine. You're just a jumbled-up mixture of all of it."

"………."

"……Why are you making that face? Anyway, because you're that kind of guy, I figured you wouldn't answer. If it was something I needed to know, you would've dragged me into it already, right?"

"Um………."

"So I was pissed as hell. I was even grumbling that when you woke up, I'd bill you for medical expenses without insurance."

"………."

Wow, that's actually the scariest part. ……Wait, did I even have insurance?

"But you know, the longer you stayed unconscious, the more my thoughts changed."

"…………"

"I got anxious, irritated for no reason, and couldn't stop thinking about you. This Great Wealthy Person, of all people. Does it make any sense that I'd be this worked up over one pathetic fortune teller bastard?"

"………Um."

"Don't answer. I wasn't asking for one. Anyway, that's how it was."

"……."

"It's obviously related to that brawler girl somehow…… but I've decided not to ask for details."

……But you just did ask. Or not? Since she wasn't actually looking for an answer, maybe it didn't count as asking? More importantly, the fact that she'd decided not to ask meant……

Did Liu just let go of her suspicion?

Was that…… even possible?

If my memory was correct, Liu's paranoia could only be treated after a specific character event—and even then, only for the player. For Liu to just let something like this slide……

"……You're not suspicious?"

"Wow, you're really asking me that straight to my face. You really are a crazy bastard."

"…………."

"Yeah, that's right, you idiot. You're such a pathetic loser that I've decided not to suspect you. Happy now?"

It felt like I'd just gotten verbally shredded, but…… anyway, this was an incredible achievement. To think I'd escaped Liu Yen's paranoia. The only people who received that kind of treatment from her were either completely powerless individuals who couldn't possibly harm her, or people whose lives she already held in her grasp. This made me the first case where I'd proven my own worth and yet still wasn't under her control!

"Thank you, Liu. As expected, we're the best of friends!"

"……Friends, huh."

"Liu?"

"It's nothing. More importantly, we'll be arriving soon, so get some more sleep."

"Hm? Arriving?"

This is a hospital in a floating city, where could we possibly be arriving—

Before I could ask, Liu fiddled with the IV line connected to my chest.

……Huh.

I suddenly felt incredibly sleepy. Was this a sedative?

My eyelids grew heavy, and an overwhelming drowsiness crashed over me. It didn't seem like resisting would do any good, so I was about to just accept it as Liu had suggested when—

……What the hell is this place. Another private jet?

"H……ere……."

"Hm? I told you, it's a hospital. More precisely, a medical aircraft. My personal jet number six."

"………Amazing……."

"……Sleep well, fortune teller bastard."

My consciousness…… was fading…………

Swish. Swish.

The sight of him sleeping peacefully like a baby. She'd been watching it for three days straight now, but she never grew tired of it.

Well, once I put him in the village, I'll be able to see this every day for the rest of our lives. Can't get sick of it this early.

Kidnapping him from the floating city's hospital had been worth it after all.

When the surveillance agent she'd assigned to him had sent the report, her heart had nearly stopped. She didn't know what had happened inside Charles Teddybear's house, but the moment she heard the Saintess had carried out a mangled Namgung Min, she'd immediately contacted every hospital she had connections with.

Fortunately, the Saintess had taken him to one of the hospitals Liu had reached out to, allowing her to see him.

……It had been horrifying.

As expected, keeping him inside my display case is the safest option.

The moment she saw the unconscious Namgung Min, Liu had immediately begun making plans. Since she'd already clashed with that vicious ability user and the violent princess not long ago, it was obvious they would make their move too. First, she gathered her forces to treat Namgung Min, then moved the moment the academy's semester ended.

She'd hired a massive number of people to physically block the ability user and the princess, using that window to spirit Namgung Min away.

Seizing the initiative was the right call.

When they'd left the airport, she'd spotted the Arthur family's private jet and the imperial family's medical aircraft as well.

Since they'd already pulled that dirty stunt of following her during their date(?) last time, those girls had no right to complain.

And so, for three days they'd flown around in the private jet, refueling at various airports and changing locations. Three days in the hospital, three days on the jet—he really had been unconscious for six days.

"………."

Liu continued stroking Namgung Min.

What emotion was contained in that touch?

What exactly am I feeling toward him?

Love? Affection? Obsession? Possessiveness?

She'd told the princess it was possessiveness, but was that truly it?

It wasn't like anything particularly dramatic had happened. This fortune teller hadn't even saved her in some cool, heroic way.

I just keep looking at him.

Her suspicion had only been the trigger. At some point, she'd genuinely started looking forward to meeting him. The way he smiled when they talked, the pleasant physical contact, that charisma that made her feel like she could trust and follow him, and his extraordinary abilities.

Even his appearance, which had once seemed like that of a mere pretty boy, was starting to look increasingly charming.

This ticklish feeling. This unknown emotion.

She'd thought it was possessiveness, but it felt crucially different somehow. Liu was confused.

"………You said we're friends?"

Still.

There was one thing she was absolutely certain of.

"……Definitely not friends."

This feeling, this sensation…… was absolutely not 'friendship.' She had an instinctive certainty about that.

But Namgung Min called her his friend. He said he wanted to be friends. He thought of her that way.

"………."

The fact that it felt so unbearably unpleasant made Liu grit her teeth, in complete contrast to her gentle touch.

Right after that, an announcement came from the cockpit.

"……Those clueless bitches."

It seemed more unpleasant things were about to pile up.

Liu spat out a low curse.