The Cupid of Love
Lately, I've run into a bit of a dilemma. It's a problem that seems trivial on the surface, yet is actually quite massive. Aris has changed. It seems the recent incident left her deeply traumatized. From my neck getting cleanly sliced open right before her eyes, to Frey brutally beating me to a pulp—it was more than enough to leave a lasting scar on Aris's fragile heart.
Honestly, Aris didn't do anything wrong. Astaroth was like a natural disaster that an unawakened Aris couldn't possibly handle, and while Frey is Aris's other half, she is still a completely separate personality. I suppose if you overthink it, you could end up feeling a sense of guilt. But even so, Aris is blameless. She was the victim, never the perpetrator. She's just too nice, too innocent for her own good. That's her greatest strength, but at the same time, it can be her fatal flaw. I'm worried sick about her.
Aris isn't reading books anymore. This is the same girl who used to devour over twenty volumes in a day or two. She used to spend almost her entire day reading, but now she's keeping her distance from books. She doesn't go to the library. She doesn't borrow books, nor does she buy new ones. Just how traumatizing was that day's incident to her?
But it's not like she's locked herself in her room, wallowing in depression. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Aris has started training. Just like the other academy students, she heads to the training grounds after class instead of the library. It's the model behavior of an academy student, really. After all, what they teach at the academy is how to fight monsters. What awaits them after graduation is an endless cycle of combat. Supernatural ability users carry a heavy burden—the duty and mission to protect humanity from interdimensional monsters. Every student is passionate about honing their abilities.
But Aris was never like that. She was only forced to enroll in the academy because she was a supernatural ability user; she never liked fighting. No, "not liking" it was an understatement—she absolutely detested it. As a child, Aris had been abused by her stepmother. While her father was still healthy, the stepmother put on the act of a kind, loving mother, but the moment her father fell into a coma due to certain circumstances, she immediately showed her true colors. What the stepmother loved wasn't Aris's father, but his wealth. To her, Aris was nothing more than an annoying obstacle.
That cruel abuse slowly but surely broke Aris's mind. Her severe stuttering and the birth of her alternate personality, Frey, were all painful scars left behind by that domestic abuse. That was why Aris hated violence. She detested hurting others to the point of having near-panic attacks. She had experienced it all firsthand—she knew exactly how agonizing violence and abuse could be.
Aris's supernatural ability is her heat ray—a power purely focused on destruction. Yet, she had never trained her ability. She had never even exercised. The only reason her physical stamina and stats were at the absolute bottom of Class A was because she had never put in a single shred of effort. To put it another way, Aris was a supernatural ability user who could rival the rest of the Golden Generation without trying. Her innate potential surpassed even Yujin's. Although Yujin is the protagonist and thus packed with all sorts of absurd, rule-breaking plot armor, if we're talking about pure, raw talent, Aris was the greatest genius of this entire generation.
And now, that very same Aris has seriously begun training her power. She cast aside her beloved books and started moving her body. She drenches her clothes in sweat, occasionally gets hurt and bleeds, and even though she looks like she's on the verge of tears from the sheer exhaustion, she never utters a single word of complaint. ...Well, it's not exactly a strange development. Even in the novel, once the early chapters passed, she overcame her own weakness and began training in earnest. It's a bit early, but Aris's change was always a predetermined path. She's the main heroine, after all. She couldn't stay fragile forever. As the protagonist grows, the heroine must grow alongside him. Yes, that's true, but...
'Something... something is wrong...' Why is the motivation for her growth me? Huh? That's weird. Originally, it was her pure desire to be of help to Yujin that drove Aris to change. But no matter how hard I look, Yujin has absolutely nothing to do with this. The sole cause of everything is Lucia. Is this really okay...? Is this... actually fine...? It's already been over a month since we entered the academy, right? Yet there's still zero chemistry or connection between those two. Even during the field training, there was absolutely no progress in Yujin and Aris's relationship...
This is bad. Those two have to fall in love. Aris needs to support Yujin so he doesn't falter or break down. Love is a magnificent emotion. At the very least, here in Dawn Swordsman, it literally worked miracles. The only reason Yujin was able to become the savior of the world was thanks to his love for Aris, and Aris's love for Yujin gave him the courage to keep going. Up until now, I optimistically assumed they'd be fine since they're the destined protagonist and main heroine, but seeing Aris change like this is making me anxious. We've already drifted far from the 'original' plot, and now even Aris is changing. And for a reason that has absolutely nothing to do with Yujin, of all things.
...This won't do. I can't just stand by and watch anymore. Come to think of it, the reason Aris and Yujin's relationship got so tangled up in the first place is because I unintentionally interfered with their first meeting, right? I should have just let Aris trip while carrying those books, but because I helped her carry them, I completely eliminated Yujin's reason to help her. That wiped out their point of contact, and Aris ended up focusing on me instead of Yujin. Yes, if nothing else, I am definitely the culprit behind this. Which means cleaning up this mess is my responsibility too.
I've made up my mind. I'm going to play matchmaker for Yujin and Aris. They're destined to be lovers anyway. I'll just support them from the sidelines so they can smoothly start dating. In other words, a Cupid! Lucia is going to be the Cupid of love! Alright, leave it to me! I'll make absolutely sure they become a lovey-dovey, sweet-as-sugar couple!
The morning sunlight pouring through the window woke me up. A soft, rhythmic breathing echoed in my ears. I felt a cozy warmth in my arms. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I let out a massive yawn. Aris was fast asleep, dead to the world, clinging tightly to my waist. I gently brushed away the navy-blue hair covering her face and pressed my lips to her forehead. Carefully, so as not to wake her, I pried her hands from my waist. I slid my pillow into her arms instead and slipped out of bed.
Ever since the day after I was discharged from the hospital, Aris had refused to leave my side. Starting from the night she stood hesitantly at my door, clutching her pillow, she made it a rule to sleep in my dormitory room every single night. This was actually one of the main reasons I decided to actively play matchmaker for Yujin and Aris. Aris was relying on me far too much. She was directing all the interest and affection she should have had for Yujin toward me instead. Because she visited at all hours of the day, my personal time had completely vanished. Previously, she would lock herself in her room to read, but now that she wasn't reading, she knocked on my door the moment she had any free time.
It's not that I dislike it. Aris is cute, adorable, and just downright precious. If I followed my heart, I'd scoop her up in my arms, pamper her to death, and ruffle her hair endlessly. But here's the thing. Ever since Aris started this borderline obsessive attachment, I've had absolutely zero time to self-harm. This is a serious problem. Extremely serious. It's so serious that it's causing a tectonic shift in Lucia's daily routine.
Just the other day, right as I was tying a rope into an Evans knot and trying to hang it from the ceiling, Aris knocked on the door, causing me to startle and tumble off the chair. Another time, I was in the middle of pinning my left hand to the desk with a nail when she knocked again, forcing me to yank it out in a panic. I barely managed to trick her by dousing myself in perfume to cover up the smell of blood and throwing the windows wide open, but... honestly, it's getting a bit inconvenient. I can't even enjoy my hobbies in peace anymore!
I can't even dream of locking myself in the bathroom to meticulously slice off my own limbs like I used to. Cleaning up takes way too much time, and if Aris visits during the process, it'll be a total disaster. She might literally foam at the mouth and faint. Huh? You're asking why I don't just turn her away? That she'd leave quietly if I just told her to go back? How could I possibly reject her?! She looks up at me with those big, sparkling, puppy-dog eyes! Anyone who could say no to that gaze must have a heart made of scrap metal. They probably have iced coffee flowing through their veins instead of blood! Aris is a baby. She's a precious baby who has only been alive for about 204 months. I have to protect her.
I pulled the blanket up to Aris's chest so she wouldn't catch a cold, then headed to the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, I let it drench my hair and took a quick shower. The lingering drowsiness washed away down the drain. My drug withdrawal symptoms had completely vanished since the day I was discharged. I thought they would last for a few days, but surprisingly, they cleared up almost instantly. Could it be related to why I can't remember what happened that afternoon very well? Frey seemed to know something, but she was too preoccupied with her own issues to tell me. Even if I wanted to ask, I couldn't, because Frey hadn't shown herself since. She hadn't taken control of the body's surface at all. It was as if she couldn't muster the courage to face me.
Well, she must have been incredibly bewildered and shocked. After all, she had shattered Aris's friend's teeth to that extent and choked her. She had even made me wet myself. She wouldn't have a single excuse even if she had a hundred mouths. Her heart must be burning with guilt right now. Fearing it might place a burden on Aris, I didn't ask her about Frey. I decided to leave her be until Frey could make up her own mind. Steel your resolve to apologize quickly, Frey. And then, let's continue what we were doing back then. I'm really, really looking forward to it.
"G-Good m-morning..."
When I stepped out after my shower, Aris was already awake. She greeted me with a bright smile despite her stutter. Ah, so cute. Seriously, who would ever look at her and think she's an academy student? At best, she looks like a middle schooler. If you look closer, she has a baby face that could pass for an elementary schooler. Aris tidied up the bed and toddled over to me. Her eyes were still half-closed, clearly still half-asleep. I quickly caught her as she tripped over her own feet and almost fell. Aris buried her face in my chest and giggled softly. Yeah, Aris really is adorable. Honestly, I'd love to just keep her by my side and live together forever. Well, unfortunately, that's not an option. Aris has her destined soulmate, Yujin, after all!