Clingy Nights and Cloudy Eyes
Vivian woke up late into the night.
The moment she fell asleep, I'd gone out to grab various medicines in case she caught a cold, along with some rice porridge just in case, then sat by her bedside.
Her unusually pale complexion stirred an inexplicable guilt in me.
I gently brushed aside her disheveled hair and stayed right there by her side.
I didn't want her wandering off again in search of me if she woke up while I was gone...
"Dojun..."
"You're awake?"
"Yeah..."
Vivian struggled to prop herself up, her body still unsteady.
It was heartbreaking to see her wobbling like that; she clearly wasn't fully recovered yet.
Once she managed to sit up with effort, she looked around, searching for something.
"Looking for something?"
"That... shiny thing..."
Come to think of it, Thousand Changes was nowhere in sight.
She always carried it around...
I focused my mind and summoned a portion of Thousand Changes that I'd lent to Vivian, holding it out to her.
But Vivian ignored the Thousand Changes in my hand entirely, staring only at me.
"Vivian?"
She plunged straight into my arms with a soft thud.
She didn't even glance at the Thousand Changes I was holding.
"Vivian? What's wrong?"
"Warm..."
With those words, she drifted back to sleep.
Her expression looked much more at peace now.
I laid her back down on the bed and spread out a blanket on the floor.
No matter what, I couldn't share a bed with her now that she'd grown.
These were spare bedding I'd prepared just in case, but I hadn't expected to use them like this.
I checked on Vivian sleeping peacefully in bed one more time, then closed my eyes.
A strange sensation in my arms made me open them again.
When I lifted the blanket, there she was—Vivian, who had definitely been asleep in bed, now curled up in my embrace.
Startled by the sudden chill from the blanket lifting, she squirmed and burrowed deeper into me.
"Vivian? Wanna wake up?"
"No... don't wanna..."
It had been a while since I'd heard Vivian say she hated something.
A novel experience.
But more pressing was why she was sleeping here in the first place.
She'd fallen asleep again in the meantime...
Still, she might get cold, so I draped the blanket back over us.
Vivian didn't stir again until a few hours later.
Now I was sitting on the bed, facing her.
Having slept the whole day, she didn't look too bad—actually, quite recovered.
I'd mustered up the atmosphere to talk, but I had no idea what to say.
After agonizing over my words for a while, I finally spoke.
"Sorry, Vivian. But why were you outside?"
"It was bedtime, but Dojun wasn't back... so I went looking, but the door was locked, and it wouldn't open no matter what."
Yeah, that makes sense.
Dorm doors only open with a smartwatch or password.
I should've given her the password thinking this might happen.
My mistake.
"Sorry... I should've told you if you were sleeping outside. I didn't say anything."
"Yeah. It's okay. I'm here now."
With that, she leaned into me.
Her actions were the same as always, but her grown body made it hard to get used to.
I couldn't exactly push her away, so I let her be and said,
"But I definitely laid you down in bed—why'd you come down here?"
"Woke up... and Dojun was gone."
What does that have to do with anything?
The conversation wasn't connecting.
I'd try talking a bit more.
She might not have understood before, but now that she'd grown, Vivian was a little...
"Vivian. You've grown now, so maybe it's time we slept separately?"
"No."
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"No. Or does Dojun... hate me now?"
Her expression clouded over.
She must think I said that because I didn't like her anymore.
I wrapped my arms around Vivian, who was leaning against me.
Her slender body fit perfectly in my embrace.
Seemingly pleased, she went completely limp, entrusting herself to me.
"Warm... nice..."
Maybe it's still okay for now?
She's still young, and we have plenty of time.
She'll get used to it eventually.
────◆────◇────◆────
The same path can look entirely different depending on who you're walking it with.
Right now, Vivian and I were strolling down the road I'd taken when I was dragged to the station.
I hadn't noticed before, but near the station, besides the cadet cafeteria run by Prism, there were a few external restaurants.
Being inside Prism made it feel novel, I hadn't spent my cadet stipend much except that one outing, so I had some spare cash, and it was the weekend with time to kill—so I ventured out a bit farther.
I also wanted to let Vivian see more of the outside world.
"How's it feel being out here?"
"..."
But Vivian seemed to think differently.
As time passed, she spoke less and less, until now she was completely silent, lips pressed tight.
At first, she'd looked around with interest, even gasping in awe, so I'd thought it was fine—but it was still too much for her.
Now she was totally withdrawn, clutching my collar tightly and staring only at my face.
"Should we just head home?"
"Yeah..."
Disappointing, but what could I do?
She'd get used to it little by little, and improve someday.
As I headed back to the dorms to soothe my regret, I ran into a familiar face.
"Ah, Dojun! Perfect timing. I got lost, where exactly—"
Latynia approached with a cheerful smile but suddenly froze.
Then she started alternating glances between me and Vivian.
What's up with her?
"Latynia? What's wrong?"
"Um... what exactly is your relationship with the person next to you?"
Vivian had completely hidden behind me now.
She was trembling like something terrified her, so I took her hand, and the shaking eased.
Latynia watched the scene with a blank expression.
"Ha... haha..."
Latynia let out a hollow laugh and started backing away.
Her eyes were vacant; if I left her like this, some misunderstanding was bound to happen.
I called out to stop her retreating figure.
"Hey, calm down first."
"I'm perfectly fine right now."
No, she clearly wasn't.
"This isn't a great spot to keep talking. Let's move somewhere quiet."
Holding Vivian's hand, I nudged Latynia's back.
She trudged ahead, pushed along without resistance.
We entered a café—the same one where I'd consulted with Instructor Nephrian before.
It had partitioned booths.
I seated Latynia on the opposite side and sat with Vivian across from her.
After staring back and forth between us, Latynia steeled herself and spoke.
"So... what exactly is your relationship with her...?"
"Ah, this is Vivian. I found her at the Magic Auxiliary Material Market and brought her along."
"What's the Magic Auxiliary Material Market?"
I guess I had to start from the beginning.
I explained everything from how I met Vivian to everything that had happened up to now, step by step.
As the story progressed, Latynia's expressions shifted constantly, and by the end, Her face was filled with emotion.
"Dojun... to go that far for someone you just met..."
Her sparkling eyes were a bit overwhelming.
Did she really understand what I told her?
"I haven't even solved it yet—what good does that do?"
"But you looked into it all because of Vivian, right? And you said you wanted to learn magic for her sake too?"
"Well, yeah."
"Just like I thought—classic Dojun."
Latynia leaned toward us.
The closer she got, the tighter Vivian gripped my collar.
"Hey, Latynia?"
"Yes?"
"Vivian's scared—can you stop coming closer?"
"I can't believe..."
Latynia sank again.
Was "scared" such a shock?
"I told you—she's averse to mana. It might get better with time."
"Oh, right, you did say that. I thought..."
Latynia returned to her seat with an embarrassed look.
Come to think of it, there was more I needed to check with her.
I focused my mind and looked at Vivian.
Mana was still creeping up faintly around her heart.
That would need fixing someday too...
Then I turned my gaze to Latynia.
There was definitely something there.
Something hazy in her eyes became even clearer—a vague shape...
It sharpened before suddenly vanishing from view.
"Latynia?"
"W-why?"
"Why'd you close your eyes?"
"I-I just..."
Latynia squeezed her eyes shut.
Gotcha.
The problem was whether I could fix it.
And what I'd do after fixing it.
Suppose I resolved whatever was possessing Latynia.
What then?
Her weird behavior might stop, she might snap out of it and return to the Rasertia Kingdom.
And if I got a reward for restoring the princess to normal...
Worth it?
Not bad—actually, pretty good.
But what nagged at me was what Ji-ah had said.
Ruphus had claimed Latynia wasn't serious.
But Ji-ah insisted she was.
Maybe Ji-ah didn't know about Latynia's condition.
Still, it bothered me.
"I won't mess around anymore, so open your eyes."
"For real?"
"Yeah. You don't trust me?"
"I do! Eek!"
Latynia jumped when she saw my face right in front of hers.
Yep, Latynia's the easiest to tease.
Her reactions are priceless.
"You said you wouldn't tease!"
"Do I look like I'm teasing right now?"
I approached with a serious face, and her expression turned dreamy.
She fluttered her eyes shut and tilted her head forward...
Thwack!
"Eek..."
I flicked her forehead.
Latynia clutched it, face crumpling as she leaned back.
"You always just tease me..."
"Sorry. For real this time... pfft!"
"Jeez..."
As we bickered, Vivian tugged at my collar.
Turning around, I saw her eyes closed, head tilted forward.
"What?"
"Me too."
...Do what?
She must've been jealous of our playful exchange.
But how could I flick such a fragile little thing?
She looked like she'd break if I even touched her.
I figured she'd give up soon, but she stubbornly kept her eyes shut.
No choice.
Mwah.
"Hehe."
I planted a light kiss on her forehead.
Pleased, she rubbed the spot where my lips had touched and pulled back.
Hm, adorable.
"Hey... aren't you treating us way differently?"
I ignored Latynia's grumbling.
If she's jealous, she can be Vivian.