A Gift of Pain
...Yes, I know. Thinking about it logically, this is the normal way to react. Right? I only laughed it off because I'm Lucia, but for any ordinary person, it would have been a lifelong trauma.
Getting slapped until my pale cheeks were a swollen mess, having my teeth pulled out one by one with pliers... That alone is more than enough to cross the line, but she even pinned me down, crushed me under her weight, and choked me. Until I wet myself and blacked out.
She had inflicted that kind of violence on someone who had readily stepped forward to help. No matter how much the other party consented, it was violence that went far beyond any reasonable limit. Under the pretext of awakening the sleeping Aris inside, Frey had brutally abused me.
If she had done that to anyone else, she wouldn't have a leg to stand on even if she got sued. It was a reward for Lucia, sure, but for a normal person, it was a straight-up punishment. It was a horrific act of violence and abuse that would have left deep emotional scars for a lifetime.
So, it made sense that Frey was apologizing. If anything, my assumption that she had come to abuse me again was the real mistake. Coming all the way to my hospital room just to beat up Lucia to relieve stress? Isn't that a bit too delusional? Is Lucia an idiot or something?
It's easy to forget because of her sadistic nature, but Frey is Aris too. Aris is sweet. She's a princess straight out of a fairy tale. As Aris's other half, Frey's core nature has no choice but to be good as well.
She had been swallowed by a momentary impulse in Aris's absence and committed those acts, but once she regained her composure, she must have regretted it. I know. Yes, I know that. I know, but...
'And here I trusted her... I believed she would be different from Yujin...!' I trusted Frey! How cruel. She betrayed me. She betrayed my heart!
Why on earth did she act so mysteriously and fuel my misunderstanding? Why did she lock the door? Why did she ask if I was scared? What was with leaning in so close like she was about to kiss me? After setting such a heavy, intense mood, the best thing she can say is "I'm sorry"?
"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. You can hate me. But I'm the only one who did wrong, so... please don't hate Aris."
A sigh of pure disappointment threatened to escape my lips, but I forced it down. Well, what can you do? It's just like what happened with Yujin. No, it's exactly the same. I got my hopes up all on my own, and then got disappointed all on my own.
Frey came to apologize for her past misdeeds. The one who blew it out of proportion and overinterpreted it was none other than me. In the end, the one at fault isn't Frey, but Lucia. Though leading me on like that was a tiny bit malicious of her!
I gently pushed away Frey's hands resting on my shoulders. With my freed arms, I suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. Her petite frame fit perfectly in my embrace, snug as a doll. A lovely scent drifted from her silky, navy-blue hair.
"I told you, I don't hate you, Frey. I like you."
Of course. How could I ever hate her? Asking me to hate Frey, who gifted me such a blissful time—I could never do that.
"You don't have to blame yourself. I said it earlier today, right? Aris is my most precious friend. And you're Aris too, aren't you, Frey? That means you're also my most precious friend. I want to keep getting along with you in the future. So it's okay. I really don't mind at all."
These weren't empty words just to comfort her. I really, truly didn't mind. In fact, I loved it, you know?
"There's no need to ask for my forgiveness. How can I forgive you when I never hated you in the first place?"
"...You're way too nice for your own good."
"He-het, thank you."
"It's not a compliment."
"Thank you!"
"I said it's not a compliment!"
I pretended not to hear her heavy, loaded sigh. Keeping Frey wrapped in my arms, I rubbed my cheek against her head. I had done this to Aris before, but it was my first time doing it to Frey. As expected, even if the personalities are different, the body is the same. Small. Soft. Squishy.
"...Thank you."
Frey spoke in a barely audible whisper. It was so quiet that I wouldn't have caught it if I hadn't been paying close attention. I couldn't hold back the smile creeping onto my lips. Hugging her even tighter, I stroked her hair. Yes, so cute. Our Frey. Good job. You gathered your courage and apologized. She really is a lovely girl. I can totally see why Yujin fell for her. What a good girl. Truly a good girl.
Naturally, a good girl deserves a reward, right? And since she also committed the 'crime'—if you can even call it that—of disappointing me... Alright, I'll give her a mix of reward and punishment to balance things out.
"Hey, Frey."
I gently pulled her back from my chest. Perhaps she had expected me to hold her a little longer, because she wore a slight pout. But at my next words, all the color drained from her cute face, leaving her pale.
"Do you like hitting people, Frey?"
"W-What...?"
Frey's eyes filled with sheer bewilderment. She gasped, holding her breath as her pupils trembled. It was a much bigger reaction than I expected. I thought she would just twitch an eyebrow at most.
"Sadism... is that what it's called? I read in a book once that it's a preference where someone derives pleasure from hurting others."
"Lu-Lucia..."
"You're a sadist, aren't you, Frey?"
"You... what... suddenly..."
Frey stammered incoherently. She hadn't made a face like this even when fighting named monsters. She looked far more shocked by my few words right now than she had been by the Black Knight's strikes.
"I've been thinking about it. The things you did to me."
Every time I recalled them, the lingering throb made me feel so good. It made my lower abdomen run so hot that I even tried choking myself in front of a mirror. But it didn't feel nearly as good as when Frey did it.
"For actions meant to awaken Aris, they were far too emotional. They were impulsive, and it felt like your sole purpose was simply to make me suffer."
"..."
Frey looked up at me, trembling like a leaf. Was she really that shocked to have her sadism exposed? Honestly, after doing all those things, it would be weirder if I didn't know. Even if I hadn't read the 'novel', I would have figured it out instantly.
"Slapping my cheeks, pulling out my teeth, choking me... making me wet myself to humiliate me..."
"..."
I grabbed the shoulders of Frey, who was slowly backing away. Just a moment ago, she was the one holding me, but in an instant, the tables had turned. Looking down at her as she shook pitifully, I gave a bitter smile.
"I saw it, you know. The way you smiled while choking me. You had this expression like you were having the absolute time of your life."
"..."
"You enjoyed watching me suffer, didn't you?"
If I said "I'm disappointed in you" here, just like I did with Yujin, how would Frey react? Would she decide she had nothing left to hide, stop holding back, and start beating me? Would she sever my limbs with her heat rays so I couldn't resist? Would she push me down, choke me, and toy with me while I squirmed like a caterpillar?
Every single option sounded absolutely thrilling, but if things went that way, the relationship between Frey and Aris would fall apart. I didn't want that. I wanted Aris and Frey to keep getting along. They are one person, sisters, and family. Family should live in harmony.
"Frey."
I called her name. I caressed her cheek as she struggled to meet my eyes. After gently playing with it, I suddenly pinched and pulled. Her cheek, soft as a rice cake, stretched out satisfyingly. Utterly cowed, Frey barely managed to look up at me.
"I don't care what kind of preferences you have, Frey."
That was a lie. I actually cared a lot. A girl who loves dominating others? That is literally the absolute best, isn't it?
"There's something I want to ask of you. Will you listen?"
Since I teased her a bit, it's time to give her a reward. Or wait, is this actually a reward for me? Fufu, who cares? Good girls deserve rewards. And Lucia is a very good girl too, you know?
"I realized something from this incident."
Her hair had gotten messy from all the hugging and stroking. Smiling warmly, I ran my fingers through her navy-blue hair. I couldn't tidy it up perfectly without a comb, but I managed to smooth it down somewhat.
"That I'm really weak."
"...Lucia, you're not weak."
"No, I am. I couldn't do anything on my own."
It was the truth. Yujin and Frey had done almost all the heavy lifting in defeating the monsters. At best, all I did was hold down the Black Knight for a brief moment. While that was a decent contribution in its own right, objectively speaking, I was weak. Far weaker than Yujin and Frey. The growth rate of those two was just too fast. At this rate, I wouldn't even qualify to be grouped in the same Golden Generation.
To keep up with the two of them, who were growing at a pace vastly superior to the original 'novel', Lucia had to push forward even faster than her novel counterpart.
"I don't want to be a burden. I want to become strong like you guys."
"...Are you asking me to help you train?"
"Yeah, exactly."
I gently took hold of Frey's wrist. Lucia's hands could by no means be called large, yet her small, delicate wrist fit entirely within my single grasp. Slowly, I raised my hand. Frey's hand, held by mine, rose along with it. It would have been effortless for her to shake me off, but she let herself be guided without resistance.
"Frey, please."
I brought our hands up over my shoulders. Frey's hand, guided by my grip, came to rest against my neck. If she applied even a fraction of her strength to her fingertips, she would easily be able to choke me.
"Beat me up."
"...Huh?"
A dumbfounded gasp escaped Frey's lips. Her eyes went wide as saucers. Her wrist trembled. She stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
"What on earth... are you talking about..."
"Well, you see... my Supernatural Ability is Super Regeneration, right?"
"What does that have to do with hitting you... Wait, don't tell me...?"
"Supernatural Abilities grow the more you use them. It's just like any other part of the human body. Just as muscles get tougher the more you train them, you have to actively use a Supernatural Ability to develop it."
"For someone with regeneration to grow their ability..."
"To train Super Regeneration, I have to get hurt first."
Of course, that wasn't the only way to train it. If I achieved mental growth, I could evolve my Super Regeneration without having to get hurt. Just like Yujin did. But a breakthrough like that doesn't just happen overnight, does it? If it were that easy, the world would be crawling with ability users on Yujin's level. So, I'm going to train the honest way. I'll take it step by step without relying on miraculous shortcuts.
...Well, that was mostly an excuse. Training Super Regeneration was just a side benefit. My true motive lay elsewhere. I was giving Frey a legal, all-access pass to inflict violence on me. A special discount service! Look, a brand-new Lucia punching bag is right here. Would you like to try it out? If you like it, you can even keep it forever.
"I know. It's a bit of a weird request, right? I'm sorry. But you're the only one I can ask this of, Frey."
"..."
Frey looked back and forth between her hand resting on my neck and my face. What kind of emotions were swirling in her heterochromatic eyes? My Supernatural Ability isn't mind-reading, so I couldn't know for sure. But I could make a pretty good guess from her gaze.
"If you want to refuse, that's fine too. Don't feel pressured."
A strange, eerie gleam flickered in her trembling eyes. Bit by bit, I felt strength returning to her fingertips. Along with it, a slow, tightening pressure began to squeeze my throat.
"...You're going to regret this. I'm not a nice person. Do you even realize who you're asking this of?"
My body shivered with anticipation. I wanted to answer her question, but I held back, fearing a sloppy, degenerate giggle might slip out. I let all the tension drain from my body. I slid down, letting myself sink onto the bedsheets. Frey's hand remained on my neck. No, she was gripping it now. As I fell backward, Frey naturally ended up straddling me. The memory of that day in the dormitory flashed through my mind. It had been just like this. The location had changed, but that look in her eyes was exactly the same.
"..."
Frey exhaled a hot breath. It was dark, yet carried a strange, simmering heat. After staring down at me in silence for what felt like an eternity...
"Ugh..."
...she began to choke me. Her palm, slick with sweat, clung damply to my neck. My hands shook as I clawed at the bedsheets. I couldn't breathe. Only ragged, animalistic gasps managed to escape my throat. The pressure on my blood vessels cut off the flow to my brain. Dizziness washed over me, and my vision began to dim.
"Ha..."
A faint chuckle slipped through Frey's lips. I decided to smile back. Eu-he. This is the absolute best.