Cupid's Miscalculation
Around the time Lucia was gifting Yujin a blissful hell to celebrate their newly minted best-friendship, a small girl was crouching beneath the window of the infirmary that led to the hallway.
She clutched her silk-blue hair tightly, shivering all over. When she slowly raised her head, a fierce heat surged within her ruby-red right eye.
"N-ngh..."
Her emotions were spiraling out of control, causing her supernatural ability to leak out of its own accord. Aris blinked rapidly, suppressing the heat. Straightening her hunched back, she peeked over the window sill.
No matter how many times she looked, the scene inside remained unchanged.
The darkened infirmary. A male student sitting on the bed. And a female student hugging him from behind.
To anyone looking, they seemed like a pair of sweethearts.
Aris's face crumpled into a tearful grimace. She wanted to know more about the different sides of Lucia, but she had never wanted this.
Just a moment ago, at Arin's request, Aris had finished carrying some school supplies to the classroom and immediately headed to the infirmary. She had intended to wait quietly for Lucia to return, but an inexplicable sense of dread had kept her from sitting still.
The scene from this morning was still vividly burned into her mind.
The two of them, chatting so familiarly. Lucia had even whispered in his ear with a bright, radiant smile.
When on earth had they gotten so close?
Aris was always by Lucia's side. That was why she knew. Yujin and Lucia were in the same class, so they might exchange a few words here and there, but they were by no means close friends.
She didn't like him. This person named Yujin. She really, truly didn't like him.
She knew he wasn't a bad person. She had received his quiet consideration before, and she had even harbored a small, quiet fondness for him. Having heard about his incredible exploits during the field training, she had even admired him in secret.
But she still didn't like him. Ever since she saw them together this morning, she felt nothing but wariness toward Yujin.
No, to be precise, it wasn't mere wariness. It was fear.
Aris had become afraid of Yujin. Even she didn't know why.
He's a good person, so why am I afraid of him? Is he pretending to be nice, just like Mother did? Am I instinctively sensing that and staying on guard?
An urgent premonition told her that those two must not be left alone together.
If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have gone instead of Lucia. But Aris was still terrible at expressing her own desires. Whenever someone made a request, she would stammer and hesitate before ultimately giving in.
Aris had practically run to the infirmary. But before opening the door, she had peeked through the window, and she had almost screamed.
Lucia was hugging Yujin.
The strength drained from her legs, and she collapsed right there on the floor.
Aris covered her forehead with trembling hands.
She was used to Lucia's hugs. She loved that warm, cozy sensation so much that she would throw herself into Lucia's arms at every opportunity. And every time she did, Lucia would laugh happily and hold her close, sometimes even initiating the embrace herself.
...She's never done that for anyone else.
Lucia only hugged her. She had never done it for Arin or Anastasia, whom she had grown close to after the field training.
Though Aris sometimes worried she was being too spoiled, she loved how unconditionally Lucia accepted her, so she kept seeking those hugs. It made her feel like she was someone truly special to her.
Every time she surrendered herself to Lucia's embrace, every time Lucia's scent lingered on her skin, Aris was filled to the brim with satisfaction and happiness.
Because that was a place permitted only to her. It was proof, as clear as day, of how precious she was to Lucia.
I hate this.
But it had been stolen.
The person currently wrapped in Lucia's arms was not her.
What was their relationship? Were they lovers? Were they dating? Why? How? They weren't even close. They hadn't even spoken to each other until a few days ago.
So how did they suddenly become so intimate? What was the reason? What triggered it? What was going to happen now?
If those two started dating, what about her? Would she be pushed away from Lucia?
"Friend" versus "Lover." Which one was more precious?
It probably depended on the person, but Aris believed the latter was far more valuable. That was how it always was in books. She had read countless romance novels where characters sacrificed everything for their lovers.
She knew fiction and reality were different, but her thoughts kept drifting in that direction anyway. After all, fiction was modeled after reality.
She's mine...
Only now did Aris realize the true reason behind her fear of Yujin.
She was terrified of having Lucia stolen from her. She was afraid that someone more precious than her would appear in Lucia's life.
Arin and Anastasia were at least girls, but Yujin was a boy. On top of that, he was handsome, kind-hearted, and exceptionally talented.
Compared to him, what was she?
It wasn't even a competition. Anyone could see that Yujin was the superior person.
Aris closed her eyes, sinking deep into her thoughts.
She imagined it.
Lucia standing beside Yujin.
The two of them walking hand-in-hand.
Whispering sweet nothings and sharing a kiss.
"..."
She hated it.
She hated it so much she wanted to vaporize the entire infirmary with her heat rays this very instant.
Perhaps because my stomach-massaging efforts had paid off, Yujin recovered in no time. He probably would have gotten better on his own eventually, but surely my assistance helped him recover a bit faster, right?
He-he, it was a pretty decent deed. I should do it again if something similar happens next time. Yujin didn't seem to hate it, either.
Though it wasn't the reward I had hoped for, today still yielded some excellent results. I now had a solid excuse to act close to Yujin. Even if he complained about me meddling too much, I could shut him down with a single phrase: "Because we're besties!"
This would be incredibly useful for actively supporting Yujin and Aris's romantic endeavors in the future.
To be honest, their romance in the "original novel" was painfully sluggish. They clearly had feelings for each other, but they were too busy hiding them, terrified of rejection or embarrassment. As a result, they kept spinning their wheels without ever realizing how the other felt.
Yujin, in particular, constantly agonized over whether his feelings for Aris were truly love.
Am I just viewing her as a replacement for Yui? Am I seeing Yui in her instead of Aris herself? Is this emotion not love, but lingering regret for my deceased sister?
Well, those kinds of worries.
He only realizes his feelings are genuine love toward the very end of the novel, but until then, he remains completely lost, unable to comprehend his own emotions. Meanwhile, he ended up having chemistry with other heroines, which deeply hurt Aris's feelings.
What a bad boy. How dare he look elsewhere when he has Aris.
I don't completely misunderstand where he's coming from, though. The trigger for his interest in Aris was indeed her resemblance to Yui.
But that was merely the trigger. His affection for Aris was entirely genuine. Yet, because he couldn't understand his own heart and kept wavering, the two of them constantly missed their timing.
Idiot. Blockhead. Dummy.
But everything will be fine now. Because I, Lucia, will be here to support them!
With the Demons already running amok, we don't have the luxury of waiting around for them to slowly figure things out. If we can just clear up their misunderstandings, they'll be dating in no time. Yep, easy peasy.
Besides, Aris's gaze was already quite unusual.
A smile naturally crept onto my face as I recalled the afternoon class.
Aris had been staring blankly at Yujin. She was watching him so intently that I half-expected heat rays to shoot out of her eyes. During class, during breaks, and even after school, she kept casting glances in his direction.
While she didn't look particularly friendly, she wouldn't behave like that if she had zero interest. She used to stare at him during lunch too, but suddenly her gaze had become much more blatant.
Did some event happen to spark her interest in Yujin while I wasn't looking?
Whatever the case, this is a great development. Aris taking an interest in Yujin, that is.
It was easy for Yujin to fall for Aris, but creating the opposite scenario was always the hard part. If I tried to force them together, it would probably backfire with someone like Aris. I had been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do, so I never expected Aris to show interest in Yujin first.
Yep, as expected of the main heroine.
In that case, my job is simple. I just need to stick them together so they can get close quickly, block any external interference, and set them straight whenever they misunderstand each other.
Alright, Cupid Lucia! I'll do my best!
For now, I should head home with Aris today and rub my cheeks all over hers. Once she starts dating Yujin, our time together will plummet. It's a loss if I don't enjoy our constant attachment while I still can. Since I haven't been able to self-harm lately, I'll have to satisfy my soul with this instead.
...But thinking about it, it is a little bittersweet.
Once Aris starts dating Yujin, she'll naturally drift away from me, won't she? After all, Yujin will become more precious to her than I am.
Even though that's what I want and what I'm working toward, I can't help but feel a tiny bit sad. Is this what parents feel like? A child cannot remain a child forever... When the time comes, you have to give them a gentle push so they can spread their wings and fly...
Well, let's look on the bright side. Even if Aris and Yujin become lovers, it won't change the fact that we're close friends.
In fact, we might even become closer in another sense.
Yujin and Aris are both broad-minded enough to accept Lucia's "special tastes." They might be flustered and reject it at first, but in the end, they'll have no choice but to accept it, right?
I didn't earmark them as my master candidates for nothing. Especially since Aris has Frey lurking inside her...
"He-he, I can't wait."
Yujin and Aris becoming a couple.
And the two of them "owning" me.
Wouldn't that be a happy ending where absolutely everyone is happy?