The Heat of Early Morning
Early morning. Yujin woke up out of sheer habit. Checking the clock hanging on the hospital wall, it was exactly 5:00 AM. His usual wake-up time.
Normally, he would have immediately made his bed and started his morning training, but right now, he was a patient in a hospital bed. Yujin lightly lifted his hospital gown and looked down at his bandage-wrapped torso. He was recovering quickly, but pushing himself would only reopen the wounds that had finally begun to close. He had to take it easy until he was fully healed. Naturally, training was out of the question. For Yujin, this reality felt incredibly foreign.
Ever since awakening as a supernatural user, he hadn't skipped a single day of training. Rain or shine, feeling good or bad, special occasion or not—Yujin's flame had never once gone out. But now, he had no choice. Just yesterday, he had tried to sneak in a quick workout, only to receive a lengthy scolding from the nurse. Yujin let out a deep sigh. His body was practically itching to move. He wanted nothing more than to push himself to his absolute physical limits and sweat it all out. But he had to endure. They said he could be discharged within a week, so he resolved to sit tight until then.
'If I can't move my body...' Yujin sat cross-legged on the bed. It was his physical body that needed rest, not his mind. He closed his eyes. Only darkness met his gaze. Yujin pulled up his memories of the past battle, painting them onto the dark canvas of his mind. The high-ranking monster. The Sun Sword. The roaring thunder. For his first real battle, he had done well. No, he had done exceptionally well. A first-year student who had been at the academy for barely a month had fought a high-ranking monster—and in a life-or-death battle, no less. He had gained rare experience and grown leaps and bounds in the process. Yet, Yujin's mind was far from at peace.
'It was sloppy. Probably due to my lack of experience. I made wrong judgments, and my reactions were too slow. I just got lucky. That's the only way to put it.' Yujin surviving was a miracle. He had been blessed with sheer luck. In his fight against the high-ranking monster, Yujin had come close to dying more times than he could count. His adaptability to sudden changes was sluggish. He had made wrong calls repeatedly—blocking attacks he could have dodged, and trying to dodge attacks that were impossible to avoid. If Assistant Homeroom Teacher Siul hadn't been there, he wouldn't have tasted victory; he would likely be a cold corpse by now.
'...And strictly speaking, did I even win?' He had let his guard down, thinking it was over, and almost paid the ultimate price. If it weren't for Lucia... he would have died. In the end, the one who subjugated the high-ranking monster was the Captain of the 2nd Division. Yujin had done nothing but watch.
'That strike...' Lightning. A thunderous slash that had cleaved the high-ranking monster in two in a single instant. Restraining the power without overdoing it, compressing it while maintaining perfect stability. The moment he witnessed it, Yujin had felt an indescribable shock. It was the perfected form of his Sun Sword. Though the shape was slightly different and the elements varied, it was a one-hit-kill technique that stripped away all the unnecessary fluff from Yujin's incomplete ultimate art, leaving only what was essential.
'Can I replicate it now?' He knew his shortcomings. He understood what had been excessive. But could he actually do it? Yujin couldn't answer that question. He wouldn't know until he tried. Every fiber of his being wanted to bolt out of the hospital room and test it immediately, but he forced himself to hold back. The Sun Sword put far too much strain on the body. If he used it in his current state, his hospital stay would only be extended. If he couldn't physically practice, he would engrave it into his mind. Yujin began his mental visualization.
Compress the fire. Spin it repeatedly, then compress it again. Use the sword as an axis to create a miniature sun. Yujin extended his arm slightly and clenched his fist. A tiny, candle-like flame flickered at his fingertips. Meanwhile, he recalled the very first time he had used the Sun Sword, comparing his past self to his present self. Because it was his first time executing the theoretically designed ultimate art, his compression and rotation had been clumsy. He had accidentally lost control of the power and burned his own hand. Now, he wouldn't make such a foolish mistake.
'Because Lucia said she'd bite me if I burned myself again...' He nodded along to the stray thought before suddenly flinching, his shoulders jerking in surprise. What on earth am I thinking? She obviously meant it as a warning to be careful, not that she would literally bite him. His face flushed red as he buried his head in his hands. The thought he had just conjured up felt incredibly embarrassing and ticklish. He shook his head to clear his mind and tried to focus on his mental training again, but for some reason, the distracting thoughts refused to leave.
That soft, squishy sensation. The pink tongue wrapping gently around his finger. His hand should have been much hotter, yet the inside of Lucia's mouth had felt warmer still. Her cascading, beautiful golden hair. Her sweet breath. Those eyes looking up at him while she held his finger in her mouth. Yujin gasped. The petite girl refused to leave his mind. Her mischievous smile. The way she had playfully pretended to bite with her tiny hands. Yujin massaged his face, pressing firmly on his cheeks in an attempt to shake off the stray thoughts. This was no time to be daydreaming. While the memories of the battle were still fresh, he needed to review and refine his techniques.
'...She was so soft.' But once the thoughts took root, they wouldn't easily subside. Lucia's hands were as white as porcelain, incredibly soft, and small. Actually, it wasn't just her hands. Compared to Yujin, her height and build were entirely petite. It was only natural, given their different genders. There were biological differences between men and women, after all. He recalled her smelling nice, too. She didn't seem to wear perfume, so it must have been her natural scent—mixed with the smell of sweat and dirt from the battlefield. Was that how all girls were? Yujin pondered the question, but no answer came. Ever since becoming a supernatural user, he had focused solely on training, leaving him completely ignorant about the opposite sex.
'Lucia.' What kind of person was she? Honestly, he didn't really know. It made sense, considering they had barely interacted before the practical training. They were in the same class, but being classmates didn't mean they were close. If anything, Yujin had paid a bit of attention to Lucia even before the training, but it wasn't out of interest in Lucia herself. It was merely a byproduct of his concern for Aris, the girl who was always with her. A girl who resembled his deceased sister, and the classmate who was close to her. To Yujin, Lucia had been nothing more than that.
He let out a heavy sigh from the depths of his lungs. His mind was a tangled mess. Since this was his first time experiencing such emotions, he found it difficult to define what they even were. However, one thing was certain. He wanted to see Lucia again. He wanted to know... a little more about her.
'I can't focus.' In the end, Yujin gave up on his mental training. He tried to steel his mind, but Lucia's face kept popping up. He knew she was admitted to the same hospital. ...Would it be okay if I visited her? Yujin opened his closed eyes. He must have been meditating for quite some time, as bright morning light was streaming through the window. As Yujin turned his head to check the clock, his eyes met a cascade of golden hair.
"Lucia...?" Yujin wondered if he was seeing things. Of course, it wasn't a hallucination or an illusion. The girl standing before him was the real Lucia. Why was she here?
"Ah, ahaha... Morning." Lucia, who had been halfway out of her seat, sat back down on the chair. She waved her hand, her eyes curving into a smile. "Sorry. You looked so focused, did I interrupt you?"
Yujin's brain worked faster than ever before. He quickly pieced together what had just happened. "No. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I just had some things to think about..." When on earth had she arrived? He had been so deeply engrossed in his meditation that he hadn't even noticed someone entering. Seeing how she had just been about to get up from her chair, she had probably been waiting quietly so as not to disturb him, only to get tired and decide to leave.
"Don't worry. I only just got here myself," Lucia said, as if reading his mind. Yujin felt a brief wave of relief, but then his earlobes suddenly burned hot. I didn't make any weird faces while meditating, did I? He stole a cautious glance at Lucia. Fortunately, it seemed no such disaster had occurred. He couldn't detect any sign of discomfort or awkwardness from her.
'Wait, isn't Lucia's face... really red?' Not only was it flushed, but she was also sweating. She looked as if she were suffering from a high fever, prompting Yujin to speak up out of concern. "Um, you're sweating a lot. Are your wounds still bothering you?"
"Mmh, I'm fine. My wounds are completely healed. Want to see?" "Huh? Ah, no! It's fine!" Lucia casually grabbed the hem of her hospital gown. As she began to lift it without a shred of hesitation, a panicked Yujin grabbed her wrist to stop her. His eyes briefly darted to her slender, toned waist, but he quickly looked away.
Lucia looked at Yujin in confusion. Then, a moment later, her face flushed bright red. She seemed to have finally realized what she had been about to do. "M-My wounds are healed, but... I guess you could say I'm not fully recovered... which is why I haven't been discharged yet," she mumbled in a tiny, crawling voice. Her awkward smile made her look somewhat unwell. If she were perfectly fine, she would have been discharged already. Given her ability, it couldn't be due to physical wounds. In that case... was it indeed the side effects of overusing her supernatural ability?
Supernatural abilities were powered by the mind. The more one used them, the more mental strength was consumed, and overusing them could lead to severe psychological issues. In the worst-case scenarios, a user could end up completely brain-dead. Of course, such extreme outcomes were rare. Usually, it just resulted in someone being dazed and having their judgment clouded, much like Lucia right now. Yujin, too, had occasionally pushed his supernatural power past its limits during intense training, leaving his mind completely foggy.
Lucia's injuries had been fatal. Even with her Super Regeneration, recovering from them must have drained an immense amount of physical and mental energy, which explained her current disoriented state. Perhaps she was staying in the hospital just to let her mind stabilize. Reaching this conclusion, Yujin suddenly realized he was still holding Lucia's wrist and quickly let go. The hem of her hospital gown fell back down, concealing her midriff once more. It had looked so soft. The brief glimpse of Lucia's smooth, toned stomach made him instinctively want to reach out and touch it.
'Are you insane?!' Yujin was appalled by his own thoughts. What did I just think? Touch it? Lucia's stomach? ...I must have overused my supernatural ability too. I'm completely out of my mind.
"Yujin, how are you feeling? Are you okay?" Yujin's inner turmoil only deepened at Lucia's question. He realized why she had come to see him. She had visited him this early in the morning out of pure concern, yet what kind of eyes was he looking at her with? Yujin wanted nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into. But there was no such thing in a hospital room, and now was the time to answer her.
"Luckily, I wasn't too badly hurt. I'm recovering fast, too... I heard I should be able to get discharged within a week." "Mmh, that's a relief. Honestly, I was so worried. I kept thinking, what if you were seriously hurt?" At her warm smile, Yujin felt even more pathetic. There wasn't a shred of pretense in her words. She was genuinely, purely worried about his well-being.
Come to think of it, Lucia had always been like this. On the bus, when everyone else was too terrified to even breathe, she was the first to step forward. Even when she was brutally tortured by Astaroth, she had prioritized Yujin and Angelica over herself. And she had thrown her own body in the way of the high-ranking monster's surprise attack to save him. There was no hypocrisy or pretense in her actions. It was a sacrifice that could only be made by someone who truly cared for others.
"U-Um... Lucia." Yujin hesitated, the words catching in his throat. He had wanted to say this ever since she saved him, but now that the moment was here, he struggled to find the courage. "...Thank you." "Hmm?" "Back then, I had let my guard down. I was so drunk on the achievement of defeating a high-ranking monster that I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. It was entirely my mistake. If only I had noticed the anomaly sooner..."
He barely managed to squeeze the words out. He felt deeply ashamed for having harbored such impure thoughts about her, even for a brief moment. He had excuses, of course. Yujin was a guy, and a hot-blooded seventeen-year-old teenager at that. It wasn't unusual to have stray thoughts when facing a beautiful girl like Lucia. But Yujin despised the idea of making pathetic excuses. No matter the reason, it was an undeniable fact that he had directed shameful thoughts toward such a pure-hearted person.
"If you hadn't saved me, I definitely would have died there. Thank you. And... I'm sorry. Because of me, you had to go through all that pain..." And so, he spoke with absolute sincerity. He bowed his head, expressing his deepest gratitude for her saving his life. If she hadn't been there, he wouldn't be here now. He would have been pierced by the high-ranking monster's claws, reduced to a cold corpse.
"Hmm... Well, in that case," Lucia said, scratching her cheek. "Since we've saved each other once, does that mean the favor is canceled out?" "Ah... Oh, yeah. I guess so?" It made perfect sense. Lucia's offer to grant him a wish was a reward for saving her. Since she had saved him in return, there was no longer any reason for her to grant it.
When Lucia had first offered to grant him a wish, his face had grown so hot that he had practically run away. What on earth had she been thinking? Saying she would grant any request... did she really mean anything? Such thoughts had sprouted like weeds in his mind, making it hard to keep his composure. He hadn't planned on using it anyway, so it wasn't a loss. Yujin nodded, convincing himself of that. ...Though, well, he did feel a tiny bit disappointed.
"But I still owe you one more debt," Lucia said then. Yujin looked at her, utterly confused. "A debt? To me?" "Yep." He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. What kind of help had he ever given her? They hadn't interacted at all before the practical training. Ignoring Yujin's confusion entirely, a gentle smile played on Lucia's lips.
"So, in other words, the wish is still valid." Her small hand reached out and clasped Yujin's. It was incredibly soft. So soft that he feared it might break if he squeezed too hard. "What kind of wish do you want to make?" Anything is fine. I'll gladly follow any order. As she added those words with a bright, sunny smile, Yujin couldn't muster a single reply. All that escaped his throat was a breathless gasp. His face burned as if it had been set ablaze. His heart began to race, pounding wildly against his ribs.
'I... see...' Yujin desperately tried to regain his composure. The reason Lucia was saying this... was undoubtedly to ease his guilt. She must have felt bad seeing him blame himself, so she was comforting him by claiming she owed him another debt. She was trying to tell him, I owe you, so you don't need to feel burdened or guilty about me saving you. She really was an incredibly kind girl.
"You don't have to tell me right now. You can save it. Just let me know whenever you think of a wish, okay? I'm the type who absolutely has to repay my debts." Releasing his hand, Lucia stepped back. Yujin instinctively reached out to grab her hand again, only to freeze as he realized what he was doing. What is wrong with me today? His racing heart showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, it was pounding even harder.
Yujin looked at Lucia with trembling eyes. She didn't turn away, maintaining her warm smile. She was a kind girl. A brave person. From the very moment she stepped forward to protect everyone, Yujin had admired her. He admired her unyielding spirit. This burning feeling in his chest right now... was admiration, wasn't it?
"But..." Lucia fanned her face with her hand. Not stopping there, she grabbed the collar of her shirt and shook it. "It's kind of hot in here. I'm sweating a lot." Ah. Realizing the reason, Yujin shut his mouth. It was undoubtedly because of him. When his emotions flared, his supernatural ability was affected. The hospital room had likely heated up from the ambient warmth his body was emitting.
"Yujin." Her sweat-dampened hair clung to her shoulders. Through the fluttering fabric of her loose top, her collarbones were fully exposed. Her bra strap had slipped slightly, offering a fleeting glimpse of her firm cleavage. The sheen of sweat coating her skin made her look indescribably sensual. Every time her shirt billowed, her midriff peeked out—her navel glistening with sweat, her slender waist tapering down to her hips in a tantalizing curve. "Could I have some water?"
It took Yujin a beat to process her words. Staring blankly at her, he finally managed to stammer out a response. "...Water? Oh, sure..." The water dispenser was in the center of the ward. Yujin uncrossed his legs to get out of bed. But he couldn't stand up. If the only reason was that his legs were asleep from sitting cross-legged for too long, his internal alarm bells wouldn't have been ringing so frantically.
'W-What do I do...?' He couldn't let her see. He absolutely could not let Lucia see this. Yujin clenched his teeth at the distinct sensation in his lower half, his pupils trembling wildly. He stole a quick glance at Lucia. Fortunately, she seemed completely oblivious. Moving only his upper body, he reached for the water bottle on the folding table beside his bed. Yujin casually held it out to her. That was a close call. It was a blessing the bottle had been within arm's reach, otherwise... Wait, hold on. That was the water bottle he had been using. If Lucia drank from it... 'An indirect... kiss?'
Perhaps because his hand shook at the absurd thought, the water bottle slipped from Yujin's grasp. The water splashed out in an instant, soaking Lucia's hospital gown. The already thin fabric clung tightly to her skin the moment it got wet, laying bare the contours of her body. It was far more eye-catching than the brief, teasing glimpses of skin from before. Yujin could practically hear a loud *pop* echoing inside his brain.
"Ah... I-I'm so sorry!" "No, it's fine. It was my fault." Showing no sign of annoyance, Lucia actually laughed, saying it felt refreshing. Standing up from her chair, she said, "It's nice and cool, but I might catch a cold like this. I'll go change my clothes." "Y-Yeah..." "I hope I didn't disturb your rest too much by dropping in so suddenly. Get some sleep, okay? Don't push yourself."
Lucia grabbed some tissues, wiped up the water spilled on the chair and floor, and waved goodbye as she left the room. Yujin stared blankly after her, giving a weak wave in return. Steam had practically been venting from his head for a while now. Even after she left, Yujin kept his eyes glued to the door, until he suddenly felt a gaze on him and turned his head. From the opposite bed, Leo was glaring at Yujin with a grumpy expression. When had he woken up? Ah, right, it was about time to wake up anyway.
"W-When did you wake up?" "Right around the time you splashed water on her." Thank goodness he didn't see everything from the start. Just as Yujin let out a sigh of relief, Leo's next words made him choke. "Are you two dating?" "Pfft—!" Afterward, Yujin desperately tried to explain that it wasn't like that, but Leo didn't look convinced in the slightest. We're really not...