Three Seconds

……That's a relief.

"Alright. Then let's move straight into practical training. Reciting theory all day won't do us any good."

"Ha……? Here? Right now?"

"Yes. It isn't difficult. I'm going to 'lightly' provoke you, Miss Ruby."

"……What?"

Ruby's eyes sharpened in an instant.

As if my proposal were beneath contempt, she let out a hollow laugh.

"That's hilarious…… Hey. You're standing within punching distance right now, you know that? You got two lives or something?"

"Whoa, whoa—calm down. That is the training. When I provoke you, instead of reflexively driving your fist into me, you count exactly three seconds."

I raised my index finger and smiled at her with easy confidence.

"One second, breathe in. Two seconds, hold. Three seconds, breathe out. Just that. Got it?"

"Haa……. You really make people do the weirdest crap."

Ruby nodded, however reluctantly.

Arms crossed, standing at a slant with that cocky posture—she looked every bit the arrogant beast daring me to try my little tricks.

Fine. Then let's test the beast's patience.

I rose from my seat and approached her slowly—very, very leisurely.

Then, without warning, I reached out and flicked her smooth forehead with a sharp thwip.

"Ow……! What the hell?"

"What a splendid forehead you have. Spacious enough to open a soccer field on it."

She flinched.

In that instant, a deep furrow carved itself between Ruby's brows.

Inside her crimson pupils, flames roared to life.

Wooooom—!

The air itself screamed.

Scarlet mana rose like heat haze, condensing into her fist with enough force to blow my jaw clean off.

A murderous aura so vicious it stung the skin.

"You little—you bastard……!"

"Stop! Three seconds!"

I shouted urgently.

Ruby's fist froze a mere centimeter from my nose, trembling violently.

The heat packed into that fist was hot enough to singe my eyelashes.

"I told you! If you hit me here, you're a coward. You'll have lost to yourself."

"You son of a—uuuugh!"

Unable to contain her fury at my taunt, her fist convulsed as if seizing.

"Count! One!"

"Uuuuugh……!"

"Two!"

"Hoo…… kh, hoo……."

"Three!"

Ruby dragged in a ragged breath.

Her face flushed red like a volcano on the verge of eruption, blue veins standing out along her neck.

And yet, astonishingly, that destructive fist remained suspended in empty air and went no further.

She squeezed her eyes shut, bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood, and expelled a long, shuddering breath.

"……Hoo."

Just like that, the killing intent crushing the space around us drained away like a receding tide.

I asked carefully, but with conviction.

"……Well? Manageable enough?"

Ruby slowly opened her eyes.

Irritation still clung to her in thick layers, but it was no longer the gaze of a madwoman who'd lost all reason and gone berserk.

"……You call that manageable? I feel disgusting."

"Of course you do. You held your anger in."

"I feel so stifled I could lose my mind. I want to grab you by the collar right this second……."

Instead of my collar, she pounded her own chest with both fists.

Then she stared down at her hands.

Her perfectly intact hands—not a single scorch mark on them.

"……But."

"Yes."

"……It didn't come out."

"What didn't?"

"The fire. Normally I'd have already burned your hair off by now."

She clenched and unclenched her fist, muttering to herself.

Even she seemed unable to believe it.

Suppressing a momentary impulse and controlling the situation—that unfamiliar sensation.

For someone who'd only ever known how to rampage, it must have been a brand-new kind of achievement.

I grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

"See? You can do it."

"……."

"You're not an uncontrollable monster, Miss Ruby. You were just a reckless coachman who never learned how to stop."

At my words, Ruby's expression went blank.

Not a monster.

Those words seemed to touch something deep in her chest.

She quietly averted her gaze and grumbled through a reddening face.

"……What kind of dumb metaphor is that. Reckless coachman, my ass. Reckless coachman."

"Haha—but you didn't cause an accident, did you? Excellent work. A perfect hundred."

"……Hmph. Don't treat me like a kid."

She snapped the words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out, but she couldn't quite hide the faint twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Weak to praise, huh. Noted.

Zzzt.

A ringing filled my ears again, and the color of her aura shifted before my eyes.

The murky tangle of yellow and red had transformed into a clear, transparent orange.

The color of favor and relief.

"……That's enough."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ruby suddenly stood, speaking in a low voice.

"……We're done for today."

"Already? You could keep going."

"Ha? Shut up. Holding back once was more than enough. If we do more, I might actually explode."

She spun on her heel, but her departing footsteps looked far lighter than when she'd come in.

Hand on the doorknob, she hesitated a moment, then tossed the words over her shoulder without turning around.

"……And."

"Yes?"

"……That patch from earlier. Change it one more time before you sleep. It's elven-made, so the medicine's strong—leave it on too long and it'll wreck your skin."

Without waiting for my reply, she yanked the door open and fled as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if escaping.

Click.

The sound of the door closing was unusually quiet.

"……Huh."

I stared blankly at the closed door, then let out a helpless laugh.

Change it so it doesn't wreck your skin, huh.

……The thought was oddly ticklish, and I found myself smiling.

"Anyway…… that was a success."

I sank deep into the sofa.

As the tension drained away, the pain I'd forgotten came flooding back.

But it wasn't an unpleasant kind of pain.

A translucent system window floated before my eyes.

Confirming it, I rested a hand on my throbbing lower back.

"……Still. Lending out my back was worth it."

The cool heat of the medicated patch against my spine.

And the faint warmth Ruby had left behind.

Somehow, I had a feeling I'd sleep soundly tonight.

Chirp, chirp.

Dazzling morning sunlight poured in through the vast floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lazy motes of dust drifted through the pristine air of the suite.

"……Mm."

The touch of bedding so plush it threatened to swallow me whole.

The moment I opened my eyes, I checked my lower back out of habit.

"Alright, up we—huh?"

I sat up, twisted left and right, bent forward.

The back that had been wrenched out of place by Ruby's killing intent yesterday was, impossibly, perfectly fine.

"Whoa. This stuff is insane."

Whether it was the power of the elven medicated patch or pure placebo, the throbbing ache was gone, leaving only a cool, refreshing sensation where the patch had been.

In high spirits, I climbed out of bed and threw on a shower robe.

Opening the bedroom door into the living room, the suite's signature mellow aroma of freshly ground coffee tickled my nose.

"……Oh. You're up?"

On the living room sofa, in the spot that caught the most sunlight, sat Ruby.

Her crimson hair still damp, as if she'd just finished washing.

A towel slung carelessly around her neck, she was flipping through a fashion magazine.

She glanced at me, then hastily hid her face behind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the magazine—looking thoroughly suspicious.

"Huh? What's this, first thing in the morning?"

Normally she'd still be dead asleep until the sun was high overhead.

But I didn't let it show, offering a small smile instead.

"Well, good morning. You're up early."

"……Whatever. My eyes just opened."

Ruby answered listlessly, turning a page.

But I saw it. She was holding the magazine upside down.

……Is she even reading the words?

She wasn't an idiot—so why was she doing that?

I swallowed a snort of laughter and approached the living room table.

A room service cart had already arrived.

Delicious smells wafted from between the silver cloche lids.

However.

"……What is this?"

I couldn't believe my eyes.

In front of Ruby sat a light salad and a single slice of toast. In front of what was presumably my seat sat something enormous.

Glossy, sauce-lacquered grilled eel.

And not just any eel—a premium eel rice bowl of extra-large proportions, completely burying the rice beneath it.

Far too serious a dish for breakfast, and more than anything, a deeply meaningful menu choice.

"Eel first thing in the morning. I didn't realize your tastes ran so…… rustic, Miss Ruby."

At my words, Ruby slammed the magazine shut and shot to her feet.

"Ah—no! Don't get the wrong idea!"

She pointed at me like she was accusing a criminal.

Her face flushed red as a perfectly ripe apple in an instant.

"I ordered it for myself! Me! I've been feeling low on energy lately!"

"Ah, so you ordered it for yourself? Then please, dig in. I'll just have some of the salad."

"Ah—no! Once it got here the smell was kinda off!"

Ruby stammered, tripping over her own words.

"Th-that's right! The chef accidentally made a double portion. Be a waste to throw it out…… and you get penalized if you leave leftovers, right?"

She casually—very casually—nudged the cart in my direction.

The silver tray slid toward me with a soft clatter.

"……So just eat the damn thing. You're a patient. You need to eat well if you want to recover fast."

"Patient? I'm completely fine."

"Shut up! Eat what you're given!"

So she was fretting about it after all…….

Her "tiger energy" had already fixed me up, but still.

I chuckled and sat down.

"Thank you."

"H-hmph…… wh-who said I prepared this for you?"

She pouted and whipped her head away.

But her consideration didn't stop at the food.

Beside the eel rice bowl, a cup of coffee prepared exactly the way I always drank it—two sugars—was still gently steaming, and the fork and knife had even been angled for a right-handed person.

She always acted like she couldn't care less about me.

Had she been watching everything from behind the scenes?

I pretended not to notice and theatrically rubbed my lower back.

"Well, my back has been a bit stiff thanks to you yesterday, Miss Ruby. A man's waist is his life, after all."

"Kh—!"

Ruby, mid-sip of water, choked and erupted into a coughing fit.

"Cough, cough……! Ha!? Hey! D-don't say crap like that! Someone's gonna get the wrong idea!"

"The wrong idea? I was just talking about post-training aftereffects."

"Aaaagh! I don't know, I can't hear you!"

Ruby clamped both hands over her ears and buried herself deep in the sofa.

But the tips of her ears and the nape of her neck, flushed scarlet, remained fully visible.

The snarling beast from yesterday was nowhere to be found—only a girl flustered and embarrassed by her own reactions remained.

Of course, the fact that she was three hundred and seventy years old was a secret.

In any case, I sat in my chair and looked down at the neatly arranged meal.

The sweet-and-savory aroma of the sauce stirred my appetite.

"Thanks for the meal. Wouldn't want to get penalized for leftovers."

I scooped up a generous spoonful and put it in my mouth.

The tender eel flesh melted gently across my tongue.

This was definitely not standard room service quality.

Had Ruby put in a special request somewhere?

Crude as her methods were, the fact that she'd prepared all this for me was surprisingly touching.

I could feel her peeking at me over the top of her magazine, stealing glances as I ate with gusto.

Whenever our eyes nearly met, she'd startle and pretend to look out the window, then turn back to check how much I'd eaten.

……Cute.

A smile kept tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Yesterday's brutal training session hadn't been a waste of time after all.

Was she feeling guilt right now? Gratitude?

I couldn't say for certain, but what Psychological Insight let me feel was that the color of her aura looked different.

A transparent orange.

The color of favor and gratitude.

The exact same color I'd seen last night.

"Miss Ruby."

"……What. Is it bad?"

She snapped the question out, but her voice carried a faint edge of tension.

I set down my spoon and grinned.

"No. It's the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. I can feel the energy surging through me."

"……Hmph. Overdramatic much."

Ruby snorted, but the corners of her mouth danced in a twitch she couldn't suppress.

She cleared her throat a few times, then murmured softly.

"……That's a relief."

It was a very small voice—but a gentle one.

I pretended not to hear and continued my meal in high spirits.

Before long, just as I was nearly finishing the bowl—

Ding.

The system updated once more.

The system window floated before my eyes.

The blue text felt unusually warm today.

I took a sip of coffee and gazed out the window.

The clear, open sky looked exactly like Ruby's heart right now.

Breakfast in the suite was far more peaceful—and far sweeter—than I'd expected.

Somehow, I had a feeling that something even better was going to happen today.