Chapter 38: The First Letter (38)
Chapter 38: The First Letter (38)
Tens of thousands of people live within the Academy grounds. This includes not only the students but also the faculty, employees of the various businesses on campus, and a wide array of administrative and maintenance staff.
With so many people living in one place, the Academy was naturally always bustling. Moreover, more than half of the residents were youths in the prime of their lives. Surrounded by friends to meet, they were constantly out and about.
However, no matter how crowded the Academy might be, people couldn't be everywhere at once. The Academy was vast, and naturally, there were several secluded spots.
The Southern Forest, for instance, or the backyards of the old buildings located on the outskirts of the grounds were such places. These were areas students had little reason to visit, situated far from the Academy's central hub.
Over time, these spots had become meeting grounds for delinquents like Teahn’s gang. Consequently, ordinary students avoided them even more, until they became secret locations known only to those in the loop.
The place where I had called Seria was one of those spots.
Several old buildings stood along the path leading to the forest. They had once been used as research buildings, but as time passed, they had either been slated for reconstruction or the fields of study associated with them had become obsolete.
The Office of Academic Affairs seemed to be drafting plans to utilize these buildings somehow, but like most administrative processes, progress was sluggish. Thus, this area had become a place where students occasionally came to have private conversations.
It was a suitable place for Seria and me to talk. I stood in the clearing behind an old building, facing her.
She was hesitating, looking as if she didn't quite know how to act around me.
To her, I was her first friend. That meant she likely didn't know what to do when a friend was angry. A small sigh escaped my lips.
I wasn't actually that furious with Seria. If anything, I might have just needed an excuse to cool my head while I was feeling sensitive.
I suppose I should be the one to comfort her, I thought as I spoke.
"Seria, you've been following me since this morning, haven't you?"
At my remark, Seria’s body gave a visible flinch. Her gaze dropped to the floor. Her eyes were trembling piteously.
It was just as I said. Seria had been trailing me like a shadow ever since I got angry this morning.
It seemed she had even been loitering in front of the dormitory after I went inside, as she had immediately started following me again the moment I stepped out.
In truth, I had noticed her even before that. Though she tried to hide, my senses—which had become incredibly sharp lately—picked up her presence instantly.
It helped that she wasn't trying to completely erase her presence. If someone were to move around the Academy in broad daylight while perfectly concealing their presence, they would be looked at with suspicion anyway.
She had followed me for a long time. She clearly had something to say. I gazed at Seria quietly and asked in a low voice.
"Do you have something you want to say?"
Seria stole a glance at me, checking my mood, but when our eyes met, she looked down again in a startle.
I meant that it was fine for her to speak, but she seemed to think I was still angry.
This was troublesome. I had no choice but to figure out how to soothe her. If I waited for her to open her mouth on her own, we might be late for the next lecture.
So, I took a step toward her. Seria’s body jolted. Her flustered gaze turned toward me.
However, there was still a fair amount of distance between us. I stopped there and looked at her again.
It was a signal for her to say anything. If she didn't, I would simply close the distance myself. I could just comfort her then, but I wanted to hear what Seria wanted to say to me.
It was a valuable opportunity. I couldn't look after her forever just because of her social immaturity. She needed to grow in her own way.
Seria squeezed her eyes shut. A trembling voice leaked from her lips.
"S-S-S-S..."
'Sorry'? It seemed she was trying to apologize.
It wasn't a bad choice. Usually, offering an apology to an angry person without arguing over who's right or wrong helps dissolve lingering resentment.
Of course, there are people who, upon hearing an apology, get even angrier, insisting that the other person was indeed in the wrong. Such people are quite emotional, so it's better to wait longer before trying to mend the relationship—or just cut ties altogether.
Fortunately for Seria, I wasn't the type to hold a grudge for long. And above all, I felt that I was also in the wrong.
If I just accepted her apology and told her I was sorry too, we could reconcile. Then we could go back to training and chatting together like before.
It was perfect. I wore a satisfied smile at the blueprint of the future drawn in my mind.
Seria would learn from today as well—that friends might fight, but they become even closer by reconciling like this.
However, Seria’s next reaction went far beyond my imagination.
"S-Sorry, hic... I'm sorry, uugh, hic..."
Tears welled up in her eyes, which resembled aquamarine.
The falling tears struck the ground and shattered like broken jewels. I was so taken aback by her reaction that I couldn't say a word.
Is she crying?
Was this not the same Seria who possessed such fierce pride? Even if she harbored an inferiority complex toward her half-sister, the pride and haughtiness she held for herself were the real deal.
That was why she had challenged me to another duel after her defeat—to reclaim her pride.
This was only the second time I had seen her cry.
The last time I saw her being bullied, she had tried her best to wipe away her tears. She must have felt miserable and pathetic, yet she didn't want to show me that side of her.
But the tears falling today seemed far more numerous than the ones she shed that day.
It meant the emotional storm inside her was that intense. I stood there dazed, not knowing what to do, and could only stare at her blankly.
"I'm sorry, hic... I'm so sorry... P-Please... hic... forgive me..."
The wave of emotion soon spread from her eyes to her entire body. She trembled slightly. It was a piteous sight. I had no choice but to instinctively step closer to her.
The body sometimes conveys more than words. That was the case with Seria now. While her voice was thick with deep sorrow, her trembling body was saying much more.
Anxiety, nervousness, and fear.
The thought that the precious relationship she had worked so hard to build might crumble had turned this haughty, proud girl into someone groveling. I couldn't stand to see it.
Seria was bowing her head, offering her apology. I reached out and took one of her tightly clenched hands.
Startled, Seria lifted her head. Her tear-streaked eyes were fixed solely on me.
I let out a long sigh and wiped away her tears with my free hand. Words of mild reproach naturally escaped my mouth.
"...Are you a fool? This isn't something to cry about."
As I brushed my thumb across her eyes, Seria looked bewildered. After I wiped her eyes a few more times, the tears finally stopped.
Seria let out a dazed sound.
"I-Ian Sen-bae...?"
Her pronunciation slipped. But neither I nor Seria cared. Seria was staring at me with eyes so wide she looked like she might start hiccuping, and I was still flustered by her sudden outburst of tears.
I looked at her in silence for a moment, then scratched my head.
"I mean, why are you even crying? Over a little argument... How much more are you going to cry in the future if you're like this?"
"B-But, it was the first time Senior Ian got angry..."
Seria hesitated, lowering her gaze to the floor again. A faint trace of anxiety flickered in her eyes once more.
So that was why she was so anxious. At this rate, I wouldn't even be able to get angry at her. I let out a disbelieving laugh.
"So what if I get a little angry? I was just being sensitive then, Seria. I'm sorry."
At my smooth, natural apology, Seria lifted her head again to gauge my expression. Only after she seemed certain that my anger had vanished did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Nevertheless, a faint moisture remained in her eyes. She kept stealing glances at me.
"...Are you still anxious?"
Seria didn't answer my quiet question. However, her head bowing once more spoke for her heart.
Hmm, I hummed inwardly. I hadn't expected that getting angry once would lead to this.
I pondered for a moment before asking her gently.
"Then, what can I do for you?"
In truth, it was a somewhat cowardly question. A poor method of shifting the choice to the other person because I lacked the ability to resolve the situation myself.
But for now, this was the best option. I didn't know much about how to comfort a crying woman, and this was the first time in my life I had ever made a woman like Seria cry.
My only experience making a girl cry was making Celine cry a few times when we were children. I couldn't even begin to guess the exact reason why Seria had burst into tears.
Since I couldn't resolve the mystery of why she was so anxious, I didn't know how to soothe her either.
At my sudden question, Seria’s eyes widened for a moment, then her gaze drifted as if she were contemplating. Soon, her eyes took on a look of resolve.
Yet, the words seemed difficult to say, as her lips opened and closed several times. It was only after a bit more time had passed that she finally spoke.
And the words that came out of her mouth were...
"...P-Please hug me."
It was a request that so far exceeded my expectations that I was rendered speechless.
A sweet scent wafted from Seria’s skin. Her moist breath, her eyes still damp with tears, and her slightly flushed cheeks.
The flowing curves of her body stood out. It was the alluring silhouette that only a woman's body could possess. For a moment, my head felt hazy.
There was a strange charm to a crying woman—a magical pull that drew a man in, making him want to embrace her right then and there.
That was why I couldn't easily open my mouth. I simply stared at Seria for a long time as she looked up at me in silence.
Her beauty was almost criminal. Including those beautiful curves, it felt as if she had unconsciously mastered the art of enchanting a man.
When her soft breath tickled the tip of my nose, I finally snapped out of it. It felt like waking from a dream; my hazy mind sharpened as if splashed with cold water.
And with my barely recovered senses, the first thought that came to mind was this:
...This cheeky junior?