The Day After Discharge
The day after he was discharged from the hospital, Yujin walked down the familiar path to school. Perhaps because the academy grounds were so vast, the distance from the dormitory to the main building was quite far. Although he had plenty of time before classes started, Yujin found himself quickening his pace.
Was it because he had woken up at dawn to work up a sweat training, followed by a hot shower? For some reason, his body felt slightly flushed. His heart was pounding, as if his excitement hadn't quite cooled down yet.
He had completed the Sun Sword. It was a technique that had been riddled with flaws, but taking the lessons from that day to heart, he had rebuilt it from the ground up. Now, he could cast it much more efficiently with far less energy, and its destructive power had increased exponentially. He was certain that the horde of monsters he had failed to wipe out during its first trial could now be annihilated in a single strike.
'It's still impossible for me to use it as naturally as breathing, like that person did, but...'
The Second Division Commander had used that technique with utter nonchalance. To him, it wasn't some ultimate secret art like it was for Yujin; it felt like just one of many basic skills in his arsenal. Indeed, it was no different than casually drawing and swinging a sword. It was a basic attack.
'My ultimate technique is nothing more than a cheap trick to someone of that caliber. I still have a long way to go. I can't let myself get arrogant just because I've made some progress.'
Even as he scolded himself, he couldn't help the light, buoyant feeling in his chest. Yujin gradually picked up his pace. He wanted to reach the main building as soon as possible. To be honest, he had been so excited for today that he barely slept last night, which had caused him to oversleep by ten minutes this morning.
Why was he so eager to get to school? Yujin questioned himself, but the mystery only deepened. Even when he was hospitalized at the Academy Annex Hospital, he had desperately wanted to be discharged as quickly as possible. At the time, he thought it was solely to train his Sun Sword, but why did he still feel this exact same restlessness now that he had achieved satisfactory results?
After mulling it over repeatedly, he tentatively concluded that he simply wanted to show off his completed secret art. After all, a finishing move was a boy's ultimate romance. A one-hit-kill secret technique—it was only natural to want to brag about possessing such a thing.
He should hurry to school and brag to Leo... Ah, right, Leo was still hospitalized. How could he forget?
Then maybe Arin... No, Arin secretly envied high-output destructive power. Showing off an ultimate technique of extreme firepower to her would just be rubbing salt in the wound.
Then what about Soo... Come to think of it, he wasn't very close with the vice president.
Aris? They had barely spoken a few times. He had just been unilaterally worrying about her.
Anastasia? Honestly, he had no idea what went on inside her head.
"..."
Yujin was left speechless by his own shallow social circle. Come to think of it, he had never been particularly sociable. He rarely approached others first, and unless someone reached out to him, a connection was never made.
Looking back, it was inevitable. From the day Yui died until now, Yujin had lived solely for his training. The reason he had achieved such high heights compared to his peers was because he had fanatically poured almost all of his time into training, which naturally left his personal relationships neglected.
The only reason he had become close with Leo and Arin was because they had approached him first. In other words, excluding those two, he didn't have anyone he could truly call a friend. Of course, he exchanged casual greetings with his classmates, but if asked if they were close... well, not really.
'I don't think I used to be like this before...'
Yujin sighed and trudged along, though his pace remained brisk. Even as he felt a wave of self-deprecation over his poor social skills, he was still rushing to school. Why? Why was he so full of anticipation when there was no one in particular to show off his secret art to? He tilted his head, lost in thought.
Suppressing his fluttering heart, he racked his brain, and a pair of pink eyes suddenly drifted into his mind.
'...Lucia.'
Just thinking about her made his chest ache with a strange, tingling sensation. Her silky, beautiful golden hair. The gentle curve of her eyes. Her straight, elegant nose. Her rose-red lips. Her soft, pale skin.
Ah, so that was it. It seemed he had wanted to show off his secret art to her. The mere thought of her made his heart thud wildly against his ribs.
Come to think of it, Lucia was the very first person to witness his Sun Sword. Back then, he had been clumsy and ended up burning his own hand, but now he had perfected the technique, making it completely safe while vastly increasing its power. Yes, that was it. Lucia had worried so much about his burned hand. To cool down the searing heat, she had used her mouth to... *Ahem*, anyway. He wanted to show her so she wouldn't worry anymore. He wanted to prove that he would never do something as foolish as injuring himself with his own technique again. He wanted to reassure her.
Class 1-A. He paused for a moment in front of the familiar nameplate. He had only been hospitalized for a few days, yet everything felt strangely fresh. It was like the feeling he had when he first entered the academy and stood before the classroom door. His pounding heart demanded more oxygen. Taking a deep breath to fill his lungs with fresh air, Yujin swallowed hard and slid the classroom door open.
It was still early, so there weren't many students in the classroom. Everyone's eyes turned toward Yujin as he opened the door. Out of all the gazes landing on him, Yujin focused his consciousness on just one. The face of the girl he had pictured in his mind over and over again was right there.
It was the same gaze that had periodically popped up to disrupt his focus whenever he simulated the field training in his head. In an instant, Yujin lost his words. Why? He really didn't know. Just looking at her made his mouth go completely dry.
"Hi, Yujin."
Fortunately—or was it?—she was the one to approach him first. Pushing aside the thought of 'I wanted to greet her first...' Yujin awkwardly raised his hand.
"Ah, hi. Lucia."
"You've been discharged! How is your body? Are you okay now?"
"Thanks for worrying. All my injuries have healed, and I'm completely fine."
"Mm, that's a relief."
"..."
It was a pure, refreshing smile. Once again, Yujin found himself tongue-tied. Didn't you come here to brag about completing your secret art? Didn't you want to reassure her that you won't get hurt anymore? Then why can't you say a single word?
"You don't look too good. Are you still in pain somewhere?"
"Ah, no! I'm fine. I told you, I'm completely back to normal."
"Really? Your face looks a bit red, though...?"
Lucia reached out with a worried expression, pressing the back of her hand against Yujin's forehead. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Your head is so hot! Do you have a fever? Are you okay? Should I take you to the infirmary?"
Yujin could only part his lips soundlessly at the sensation on his forehead. He felt it every time, but her hand was incredibly soft—so soft that he instinctively wanted to grasp it.
"N-No, it's nothing to worry about. I was training my ability intensely since dawn, so my body is just still warm. The heat hasn't fully dissipated yet."
"I see. Well, that's a relief then."
His response had been delayed because he was too focused on the back of her hand, but fortunately, Lucia didn't seem to find it odd. She pulled her hand away from his forehead and let her gaze wander over him. After scanning Yujin to make sure he really wasn't hurting anywhere, Lucia smiled warmly.
"Training since dawn... You're really diligent, Yujin."
"Uh, yeah..."
It wasn't anything particularly special. Every student at the academy earnestly honed themselves and trained their abilities. Once they graduated, they would become active heroes fighting on the front lines. It was only natural to build up one's strength while still protected under the status of a student.
While there were occasionally lazy students, whenever he woke up at dawn to run laps around the training grounds, he always saw other students doing the same every single day. There were first-years, second-years, and third-years alike. Regardless of their class, everyone started their day diligently in the early hours of the morning. So he didn't think it was anything worthy of praise...
"Yeah, it's cool. I should follow your example."
...On second thought, maybe it was okay to accept the praise. Just because others did it too didn't mean his steady, hard work was trivial.
Yujin was only human, and dragging himself out of bed before sunrise was always a massive chore. Although it had become a habit after repeating it daily for years, there were still times when he wanted to pull the warm blanket over his head and go back to sleep. Every time, he had forced himself up. The first step was always the hardest. If he skipped dawn training even once, it would make it that much easier to skip it again.
Come to think of it, that's true. It feels a bit sudden, but I really have worked incredibly hard up until now.
"I've been getting a bit lazy lately... Alright, time to turn over a new leaf and find my original drive again."
Lucia said, lightly slapping her own cheeks. Then, as if suddenly remembering, she quickly stepped aside.
"Ah, sorry. I kept you standing at the door. Come on in."
As she stepped back, Yujin felt a strange pang of regret and found it hard to move his feet. He wanted to talk to her a little longer. That was because... uh, well... ah, because he wanted to tell her that he had completed the Sun Sword. Yes, that was definitely why.
But when he actually tried to say it, the words caught in his throat. He hadn't realized it while walking to school, but a high school boy bragging to a girl about creating his own ultimate move... wasn't that incredibly childish? If it were Leo, it would be fine, but to Lucia... it felt too immature.
If she laughed and said, 'Eh? A finishing move? Isn't that something out of a cartoon?' he would want to stick his head in a hole and die.
"...?"
Lucia tilted her head in confusion. Watching Yujin hesitate and hover instead of walking past after she had cleared the way, she placed an index finger on her chin, lost in thought. Then, letting out a soft "Ah!" she clapped her hands together.
"Heh, I see."
"W-What do you see?"
Had she somehow read his mind? Yujin swallowed hard, suddenly tense. He really didn't want to look childish in front of her.
"It's because of that, right? You must have had plenty of time to think while you were in the hospital."
Lucia took a step closer. Clasping her hands behind her back, she tilted her head up to look at Yujin. Her innocent eyes sparkled brightly.
"You've decided on your wish, haven't you?"
"...Huh?"
Lucia stood on her tiptoes. There was a decent height difference between them, so she had to stretch to reach his ear. She whispered softly, ensuring the other students of Class 1-A wouldn't overhear. Every time she spoke, her ticklish breath brushed against Yujin's ear.
"What is it? Tell me. I told you I'd grant anything. You don't have to feel pressured."
Ah, the wish. Yujin's face flushed hot. It felt as if a Supernatural Ability was burning his face, turning him beet-red from his chin to the crown of his head. Had he forgotten about it? Of course not. It was just that the more he thought about it, the more bizarre and inappropriate his thoughts became, so he had simply been trying to ignore it.
She wasn't joking? Seriously? She was really, truly going to grant him a wish? It wasn't just something she said to comfort him, but a genuine promise?
Her breath brushed against the back of his ear and his neck. It was so warm and ticklish that a shiver ran down his spine. Lucia's face was far too close. Although it was early and not many students had arrived yet, there were still a few in the classroom. To keep them from overhearing, she had no choice but to press herself close.
Thump. With every beat, his pulse raced frantically. His body felt so hot, as if all the blood in his veins had been replaced with fire. The pink eyes shimmering right before him curved into a gentle crescent. It was a smile that seemed to say she would accept absolutely anything, no matter what the wish was.
Yujin clenched his fists in an attempt to regain his composure. But it was useless. Her breath, her scent—everything sent the heart of a hot-blooded teenage boy into a wild, uncontrollable frenzy.
"Is it a wish that's hard to say out loud? Or do you just not want to say it here?"
Lucia looked around the room and nodded. They weren't the only ones in the classroom. He probably didn't want to say it in a public place—that was how she seemed to interpret his silence.
"Then tell me later. Promise?"
"...Alright."
Yujin barely managed to squeeze out an answer. Slashing away the delusions and thoughts sprouting wildly in his mind with an imaginary Sun Sword, Yujin rubbed his still-tingling ear.
...Lucia definitely didn't know anything about boys. Seriously.