Behind Closed Doors
"Ah, it's Yujin."
I nodded as I realized the identity of the sudden visitor. Yes, it made sense for Yujin to come looking for me. His body had been sliced in half right before his eyes, and a sword had been driven through his heart. Even with Super Regeneration, it was only natural for him to be worried.
Wait, isn't this actually super dangerous?
I carefully took stock of my current situation.
I was completely naked, having stripped off all my clothes. My head was resting on Frey's lap, and I was in a scandalous posture, arching my back and sticking my rear high in the air like a cat. To make matters worse, my buttocks were a total mess, covered in bright red handprints.
My nose was flushed crimson, and fat tears welled in my eyes. My forehead and hair were drenched in a cold sweat.
He-he. If anyone saw this, they'd think Frey was abusing me.
Well, it was the truth. Lucia wasn't even being treated like a human being. Stripped bare, getting her bottom soundly thrashed, and barking like a dog...
...Wait. Is this actually a massive disaster?
If Yujin saw this scene, wouldn't it cause a huge misunderstanding? No, wait, is it even a misunderstanding? It's a fact that I was just abused.
"It's me, Yujin."
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking echoed once more.
Should I just keep my mouth shut? The door is locked, after all...
No, locking the door in itself looks incredibly suspicious. If he senses something is off and breaks the door down, there will be absolutely no saving this situation.
This is serious. This is an incredibly dire situation.
Yujin is going to find out. Of all people, Yujin!
Even as I agonized over whether I should put my clothes on right this second, I couldn't bring myself to make even the slightest movement.
I let out a small hiccup, clutching my stinging rear. A throbbing ache pulsed deep in my lower abdomen. Rubbing my pressed-together thighs, I desperately tried to hold back my groans.
Lucia is such a pervert...
Just the thought of being caught by someone else.
Just the thought of showing off such a depraved sight.
Just the thought of someone discovering the filthy, pathetic, true nature of Lucia.
Ironically, it only made me more aroused.
My heart was pounding so hard I felt like I was going to break into a silly grin.
Mmm, but this really isn't good. This could ruin the relationship between Yujin and Frey. That can't happen. Those two need to get close as soon as possible, or else I'll be in trouble. If some weird prejudice develops between them, it'll be a massive obstacle to their progress.
I lifted myself off Frey's lap to pick up the hospital gown strewn across the floor. My buttocks flared with a burning pain, making me hesitate as I reached for the clothes.
But then, Frey snatched the gown right out of my hand and tossed it under the bed.
I stared at her blankly, utterly dumbfounded. Frey simply pointed at the bed and spoke.
"Lie down."
She didn't make a sound, only mouthing the words, but I had no trouble understanding her.
Huh? Why? Lie down?
I didn't understand her reasoning, but I did as I was told. After all, Lucia is a dog right now. And a dog has to obey its master's commands, right?
Woof.
The unwelcome scent of chemicals made his nose sting.
Hospitals always had a distinct smell. The floors, the ceilings, the walls, the chairs in the patient rooms, the desks. Even the vending machines in the lounge. Every single corner was steeped in the faint aroma of antiseptics and medicine.
He had only just been discharged, and here he was, hospitalized again.
Yujin let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
By some stroke of absolute luck, he had escaped without any fatal injuries. Considering the monstrous strength of the Black Knight, it was nothing short of a miracle. But he was far from perfectly fine. Thus, Yujin found himself confined to a bed at the Academy Annex Hospital once more.
Though hidden beneath his hospital gown, the tightly wrapped bandages squeezed his torso, making it slightly difficult to move. Still, he was in much better shape than Leo. Leo was currently pinned to his bed with full-body fractures. It was a gruesome sight, but at least his life wasn't in danger. The word "miracle" truly was the only way to describe it. To survive that situation without dying was a feat in itself.
But they were the only lucky ones.
Yujin stopped in his tracks and looked out the hallway window.
The crimson sunset was bleeding deep into the earth. When that sun had been high in the sky, how many lives had vanished?
There were too many people he couldn't save. Too many people had been hurt. He had wanted to save everyone, but in the end, he had only managed to save those within his reach.
Yujin knew the limits of a human being. A human only has two hands, and two hands are all they can stretch out. You cannot hold everyone's hand. If you grasp one person's hand, you inevitably let go of another's.
The dying sunset dyed the world in a sticky, viscous red. Why did it look as though the blood spilled on the ground today was overflowing?
Letting out a deep sigh, Yujin pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples. After staring out the window for a long moment, Yujin resumed his walk toward his destination.
A private room located at the very end of the hallway. It was the same room Lucia had been hospitalized in last time, and the one she was using now.
"I hope she's okay..."
She probably was. Since she possessed Super Regeneration, any injury would heal in no time. But even when you know someone will be fine, it is human nature to worry. Moreover, the Black Knight's attacks had been laced with an ominous, highly unusual energy.
The image of Lucia's back as she was carried away in the arms of the Second Division's Vice-Captain suddenly flashed through his mind. He should have realized it sooner. He should have known Lucia was only acting like she was fine.
Yujin had been able to incinerate the curse by burning his entire body, but Lucia didn't have a method like that. He could do it for her, but then Lucia would end up burning along with it. Because he wielded fire, he knew firsthand just how horrific the pain of burning was. He could never let Lucia experience such gruesome agony. Never.
Before he knew it, Yujin arrived in front of the patient room. He cleared his throat. Taking a short, deep breath to steady his mind, he knocked on the door.
"Lucia, can I come in?"
It would be rude to open the door without permission, so he quietly waited for an answer. But no matter how long he waited, her voice did not come.
That's strange.
Tilting his head, Yujin knocked on the door once more.
"It's me, Yujin."
Knock, knock.
The clear sound of the knock echoed, but the result was the same. He wondered if she was out, but he could clearly sense a presence on the other side of the door. Had he gotten the wrong room? No, this was definitely Lucia's room. Then why wasn't she answering? Did something happen?
Just as Yujin placed his hand on the doorknob, gripped by an inexplicable sense of unease—
Click.
With a soft click, the door slid open.
"Aris...?"
The person who opened the door wasn't Lucia.
A girl with deep navy-blue hair looked up at Yujin with half-lidded eyes. He didn't ask the foolish question of why she was in Lucia's room. They were best friends, after all. She was likely here for the exact same reason as him. She had come to visit because she was worried about Lucia.
"Shh."
Aris placed her index finger over her lips. It was a gesture telling him to be quiet.
"Quietly. Lucia is sleeping. She seems very tired."
Yujin stared at Aris in surprise.
She wasn't stuttering.
Usually, Aris stuttered so severely that it was difficult to even communicate with her. But at some point, her personality, behavior, and even her way of speaking had suddenly changed, as if she had become an entirely different person. The fragile, timid girl who always shrank back was nowhere to be found.
Was this her true self? Had her weak demeanor up until now been nothing but an act?
Yujin recalled the usual Aris. It didn't seem like all of that could have been an act. She must have her own reasons. Yujin decided to leave it at that. Everyone had their own circumstances, and prying too deeply would be incredibly rude.
The inside of the patient room was pitch-black. The lights were off, and the curtains blocked out the sunset. Lucia was fast asleep on the bed. The blanket was pulled up to her chin, and she was breathing rhythmically. It had been an exhausting day, so it made sense that she had fallen asleep early.
In truth, Yujin wasn't in peak condition either. Fatigue had been steadily building up inside him; if he lay down on a bed right now, he would probably pass out instantly.
"...I guess I should come back tomorrow."
"Yeah, go back. Don't disturb her."
It was a shame he couldn't talk to Lucia, but today wasn't his only chance. Just as Aris said, he couldn't bring himself to disturb someone who was sleeping. Yujin was about to quietly step back, keeping his footsteps silent, when his eyes suddenly caught Aris's face.
Her face was flushed red. Her eyes were also slightly bloodshot, making her look somewhat unwell. Lucia wasn't the only person Yujin cared about. Aris was a girl he couldn't help but pay attention to in many ways.
The younger sister he couldn't protect. The girl who constantly reminded him of the only family member he had been forced to let go of. Even though he knew she was a completely different person with absolutely no relation to her, Yujin often saw overlaps of Yui in Aris. He knew he shouldn't do this, but the human heart rarely listens to reason.
"Are you okay? Your face is really flushed. Are you sick?" Yujin asked, his voice filled with deep concern.
Come to think of it, Aris had also been fighting on the front lines. Fortunately, she had no visible injuries and had only undergone a simple examination, but if some delayed issue had cropped up, it would be a disaster. Especially since that Black Knight used a bizarre curse that interfered with healing. If that had somehow had an adverse effect on Aris...
"I'm just tired. Don't make a fuss," Aris replied bluntly to Yujin's worried gaze.
"Go back. Don't wake Lucia up for no reason."
"But..."
"Go."
With those final words, Aris practically shoved the door shut in his face.
Yujin stood there, frozen in an awkward posture. Her complexion had looked really bad. Was she really just tired? Since she said she was fine, there wasn't much he could say, but...
She seemed kind of angry.
But why?
As Yujin pondered, he suddenly remembered the moment Aris had flown into a fierce rage. It was when that child in the white mask had dragged Lucia over, leaving her with horrific injuries. Aris's personality had completely shifted from that exact moment.
When his thoughts reached that point, Yujin couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
Ah, I see.
Aris was probably furious that Lucia had been hurt and was in pain. The reason she was staying in the room even though Lucia was asleep was out of sheer worry for her. Perhaps the reason she looked so flushed and exhausted was because her anxiety ran so deep.
Thinking of it that way, Aris's sharp, defensive attitude made perfect sense.
Yujin stared blankly at the closed door for a moment before turning his tired steps away. Failing to see Lucia and being harshly rejected by Aris only made him feel all the more exhausted.