The Definition of Best Friends
He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was absolutely certain: Lucia was angry. Why? How? Over what? Yujin desperately racked his freezing brain, but no clear answer came to mind. He could only vaguely guess that his request was the trigger.
Lucia was a kind girl. She was a brave soul who never hesitated to sacrifice herself for others. Hadn't she been the very first to step forward when everyone else was paralyzed with fear? Even in the face of absolute doom, she always put others before herself. If someone like her was expressing anger, it had to be his fault.
"Um... I-I'm sorry. Was that offensive? Bringing something like that up out of nowhere..."
"Exactly. It's offensive. Extremely offensive."
Lucia spoke firmly, her brow furrowing in genuine displeasure. It was the first time Yujin had ever seen her display such overtly negative emotions. Actually, come to think of it, almost everything about her was a first. Yujin didn't really know Lucia. That was why, in a situation like this, he had absolutely no idea what to say.
Which part of his words had rubbed her the wrong way? Yujin hung his head, unable to meet her eyes. He hadn't meant for this to happen. He had absolutely no intention of upsetting her. He had simply wanted to know more about her. He wanted to get a little closer to her. But had his approach been entirely wrong?
Yes, perhaps his words had sounded strange to her. Suddenly asking to be friends might have triggered her guard. After all, they weren't of the same gender—he was a boy, and she was a girl. Yujin cursed his own lack of social skills. Hadn't he just ruined everything? Lucia had been the one to approach him first, and he had only succeeded in making her uncomfortable. How was he supposed to apologize? How could he fix this, and how could they make up? He didn't know. He didn't know anything. His eyes grew hot, and a sudden, pathetic urge to cry welled up inside him.
"Yujin." Just then, a warm hand touched his shoulder. Her voice was still low, but she didn't sound angry anymore. If anything, she sounded downcast.
"Aren't we already friends?"
"...Huh?" Yujin looked up, utterly dazed. A sullen-faced Lucia was letting out a soft sigh.
"That's so mean. Was I the only one who thought we were friends? I guess you didn't think of me that way at all, Yujin..."
"Ah? No, that's not it...!" It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck his brain. Could the reason Lucia was upset be...!
"To you, I guess I was just another classmate..."
"No! I-I just...! I wanted to get closer to you...!" His thoughts were racing too fast for his mouth to keep up. Yujin panicked as his words tangled on his tongue, bitterly lamenting his own clumsiness.
Of course she would be upset. If someone you already considered a friend suddenly asked you to "be friends," it implied they hadn't viewed you as one until that very moment. Even if that wasn't the intention, it was bound to be interpreted that way. It was only natural to feel hurt and offended. If he had known, he would have thought it through before speaking. He had let his eagerness get the better of him, completely failing to consider her feelings. But there was still a chance. Now that he understood why she was upset and recognized his mistake, he could fix this. Yujin clenched his teeth. He bowed his head, preparing to offer a sincere apology, when—
"Pfft, just kidding." Suddenly, she burst into laughter.
Yujin froze. His tensed body nearly gave out, almost causing him to tumble forward. His brain couldn't keep up with the whiplash of the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"Sorry, sorry. Your reaction was just too funny to resist," Lucia said with a sweet, melodious smile. Only then did Yujin finally grasp the situation. ...A joke. It was all a joke? A wave of intense embarrassment rushed over him, closely trailing his relief. I got that worked up over a simple joke? While he was glad she wasn't actually mad, his face burned with humiliation. He wanted to hang his head again, though for an entirely different reason this time.
Lucia wore a smug, playful grin, clearly satisfied with how easily she had fooled him. The icy demeanor from moments ago had vanished like a lie, allowing Yujin to breathe a sigh of relief.
"..." But his relief was short-lived. A subtle sense of unease tickled his chest—a lingering discomfort that was hard to put into words. Lucia was definitely smiling, yet the smile felt somewhat unnatural. Perhaps that was why Yujin's voice trembled slightly when he finally spoke.
"...No, you're right. Come to think of it, we... we were already friends."
"Exactly. What else would we be if not friends?"
"..." Yujin didn't possess the ability to read minds just by looking at someone's face. There might be supernatural ability users out there with telepathy, but Yujin wasn't one of them. Thus, he couldn't be sure. A vague, lingering doubt bubbled up from beneath the surface of his thoughts. ...What if it wasn't entirely a joke? No, it was a joke, but what if there was a grain of truth to it? If nine out of ten parts were a lie, perhaps that remaining one part was real. If that was the case—
"Too bad, but you can't change your wish now. Just like spilled water can't be gathered back up, I've officially accepted your wish to 'be friends.'" Yujin's train of thought was cut short. Lucia spoke with a gentle, crescent-eyed smile.
"But since we're already friends, I'll just modify the wish a little bit. That's fine, right?"
"I mean, sure... but how are you going to modify it?"
"It's simple." Lucia took her hand off Yujin's shoulder. Just as Yujin felt a quiet pang of disappointment at the loss of her touch, her next action froze him in place like a finely crafted stone statue.
Lucia's hand slid over Yujin's. Her fair, smooth fingers slipped between his rough, calloused ones, gently interlocking them. Pulling their clasped hands up to her chest, she declared brightly:
"Be my best friend."
"...?!"
"That's my modification. Just being regular friends is a bit disappointing, don't you think? We've saved each other's lives, after all. The only reason we're both standing here safe and sound is because we had each other. In other words, we owe each other our lives. Calling us 'ordinary friends' just doesn't do it justice."
Boom. Yujin heard an explosion that no one else could. Lucia certainly wouldn't have heard it, because the sound had detonated deep within his own chest. Something was wrong. His heart actually ached. Thump. Thump. Thump. The deafening beat of his heart rang in his ears like tinnitus. Was this arrhythmia? If so, thank goodness he was a supernatural ability user. He had never heard of a supernatural user dying of heart disease.
What was a "best friend" anyway? What did that even mean? Was it something you ate? Did Lucia want to eat him? Or did she want to be eaten by him? Was he going crazy? What on earth was he thinking? Had he completely lost his mind? A best friend. Right, a best friend meant a close friend. A bestie. A bosom buddy. Yes, a friend as close as family.
"What do you think? Are you okay with just being ordinary friends with me, Yujin?"
"...No." Finally, he understood a little of why Lucia had been upset. Her downcast words hadn't been a complete joke. She had been genuinely disappointed. To hear someone she already considered a friend ask to "be friends" must have made her feel lonely, as if she were the only one who valued their bond. She had let a bit of that hurt slip, but when he panicked like an idiot, she had brushed it off as a joke to spare his feelings. She was being considerate of him.
Yujin felt utterly pathetic. If he were alone, he would have slapped himself across the face to wake up. He didn't want to settle for being "just" friends with Lucia. Yet, lacking the courage to say so, he had compromised, retreated, and made that foolish request. Lucia was saying the very words he had wanted to say all along.
"I want to have a deeper relationship with you too, Lucia. More than just ordinary friends."
"Hehe, I'm so glad. We were thinking the same thing!"
"I still don't know you very well. So, I want to start learning about you from now on."
"Yeah, I'll tell you everything." Maybe he should have done this from the very beginning. If he had just taken one more step forward, if he had summoned just a shred of courage, he wouldn't have disappointed her.
"Because we're best friends."
"...Yeah." Even if they called themselves best friends, the truth was that Yujin and Lucia weren't actually that close yet. But Yujin didn't care. They could just become close starting now. If she was willing to call him her best friend, he would do everything he could to become worthy of the title. Yujin made a silent vow. And one day, perhaps, a relationship even deeper than best friends—
"Yujin, can you turn around for a second?"
"Huh? Like this?" At Lucia's request, Yujin shifted awkwardly. Their interlocked fingers slipped apart. Lingering on the warmth and sensation left on his fingertips, Yujin turned around. Since he was sitting on the bed mattress rather than a chair, turning around meant he had to bring his feet up onto the bed. He slipped off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the mattress. But why does she want me to turn around all of a sudden? He was curious, but she surely had a reason. With his back to her, Yujin turned his head slightly. He opened his lips to ask, "Is this okay?"
"...?!" But what actually escaped his mouth was a silent scream. Giving a literal demonstration of a voiceless outcry, Yujin's teeth clattered together.
"L-Lucia?!"
"Stay still. Keep your back straight. There, good boy."
Without warning, Lucia wrapped her arms around him from behind. A soft, yielding sensation pressed firmly against his back. He could feel her body heat radiating through the thin fabric of her school blouse. A sweet fragrance drifted into Yujin's nose. It wasn't perfume, but a pure, natural scent. It smelled like ripe fruit. How could a person's natural scent be so sweet? Logically, it made no sense, but reality offered no room for argument.
Lucia clung to Yujin's back as if hanging onto him. It felt inappropriate to think about, but Lucia's chest was by no means small. While not as voluptuous as Angelica's, it possessed an undeniable presence. With Lucia pressing against him without a single millimeter of space between them, her breasts naturally flattened against his back. The unbelievable, supple elasticity was transmitted directly to his skin. Yujin's mind began to spin. But his ordeal was far from over. In fact, it was only just beginning.
"I'm going to massage your stomach. Stimulating this area will help with your indigestion."
Lucia's palms began to knead Yujin's abdominal muscles. She pressed down firmly, like a cat kneading a soft blanket. With every movement, her body shifted, her slender, toned stomach and compressed chest rubbing against his back.
"How is it? Feeling any better?"
"..." Her hot breath tickled the back of his ear. The overwhelming tactile sensation was impossible to ignore through their thin uniforms. Her sweet scent acted like alcohol, intoxicating his senses. Any logical question—like whether a stomach massage actually required hugging someone from behind—had completely evaporated from Yujin's mind. He was a teenage boy. Though he had lived a highly disciplined, almost ascetic life compared to his peers, he wasn't immune to natural desires. Moreover, he was at an age of rapid growth, when such urges were at their peak. Just like that time in the hospital...
A burning heat pooled in Yujin's lower body. It throbbed hotly in tandem with every press of Lucia's hands on his abdomen. His breathing grew ragged. Lust slowly began to encroach upon his mind, chipping away at his reason as primal instincts reared their head.
Rub, rub. Knead, knead. Lucia was entirely focused on massaging Yujin's stomach. With every press, her chest shifted and reshaped against his back. Finally, the last thread of Yujin's sanity snapped.
Crunch! Yujin bit down hard on his own tongue. The metallic taste of blood instantly flooded his mouth. His tongue was slightly torn, but it didn't matter. Even if it were completely severed, the school nurse would probably be able to reattach it. Swallowing the pooling blood, Yujin closed his eyes.
Lucia is doing this out of pure, innocent kindness. It's wrong to look at her with such dirty thoughts. He couldn't bear to show such a pathetic, shameful display to Yui, who was watching over him from heaven. It was an exercise in extreme endurance and ultimate mental fortitude, though there was no one around to praise him for it. If he had simply told her to stop, the torture would have ended, but he no longer had the mental capacity to think of that. Whether he truly lacked the capacity or simply chose not to was a secret only Yujin would ever know.
In the end, Yujin stopped thinking altogether inside his blissful hell. In the quiet infirmary, only the occasional soft, strained breaths of Lucia as she massaged Yujin's stomach echoed through the room.