Chapter 50
Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Admission
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Scardi calmed her fluttering heart and forced her eyes shut.
Just like girls too excited to sleep the night before a picnic,
Scardi tossed and turned for hours before finally drifting off.
Slowly, without rushing,
without impatience,
Scardi opened Crow's heart bit by bit each day.
There was no need to hurry. She could take her time and proceed carefully. In the end, he was the desperate one.
All she had to do was give his back a gentle nudge.
This place was filled with nothing but stupid, low-class bitches anyway. It wouldn't be hard for Scardi to win Crow's trust and affection.
Letting Creep mess with him could even be called a form of insurance.
As long as she didn't prod at his exceptional spirit, he wouldn't have accepted her help so easily.
That's the kind of man Crow was.
A man like a rose that grew thorns to avoid being broken easily.
That's why Scardi couldn't help but want to snap the stem and drown in its scent. The thought crossed her mind now and then.
She wanted to set everything aside, embrace Crow, and devour all of him. Even if it meant surrendering to the temptation of fleeting pleasure, the fruit she gained would surely be sweet and ecstatic.
But Scardi was a woman who could patiently endure for a greater reward. She could bury her emotional impulses and hasty greed.
In the end, only she would possess him.
No one else could have Crow. Even if he showed weakness, he never truly broke. If you tried to crush him with force, he would always raise his head again.
So,
she just needed to hold out a little longer.
The memory of that first brief encounter in the shower was still vivid before her eyes. If she held out just a bit more, true love would come, and after that, she could indulge in physical love to her heart's content.
She just had to endure until then. Love always required waiting, and she could wait as long as needed. Ruining things came from the frail impatience of the human mind.
Even if variables arose, she could crush them one by one. It didn't matter how much Creep or Orca schemed. The other riffraff weren't even worth mentioning.
In the end, she would win,
and Crow would come to love her.
...The one thing that worried her,
was undoubtedly that pink-haired girl who had trailed after Crow.
There were quite a few suspicious aspects to Crow being framed. In truth, Justice stood to gain the most from sending him to prison, but precisely because of that, Scardi suspected Lily instead.
In Scardi's view,
Justice lacked the boldness to orchestrate something like this.
No matter how obsessed she was with justice and good deeds, no matter how deranged a [Hero Excellency] she was, willing to sacrifice someone for the greater good.
"..."
Scardi's body stiffened as she tossed in her sleepless vigil. She blinked carefully and quietly, gazing upward.
An annoying premonition washed over her.
It looked like she'd have to toss and turn a bit more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The moment she opened her eyes in the morning, Scardi headed straight for the showers. Naturally, as she went, her gaze drifted to the far corner where Crow lay.
Crow was curled up, facing the wall. Even from a distance, she could easily see his body trembling.
So she quickened her pace, washed her face, brushed her teeth. She didn't forget to shampoo her hair. Then she applied some light skincare and lotion for her skin, checked once more for any eye gunk or debris...
"Any patients last night? Patients."
She went through roll call just like that.
Of course, she ignored the guards' perfunctory questions.
Even as her eyes naturally faced forward,
she stole glances at Crow again and again.
He was barely standing for roll call,
"Kuhk..."
but the moment it ended, he collapsed onto his sheet, gasping raggedly. A cocktail of symptoms tormented him like he was dying.
Thud, thud—
Scardi approached such a Crow. She toweled her hair roughly as she walked. A few water droplets fell to the floor, but not enough to drip steadily.
By the time roll call was over, it had mostly dried, leaving only a pleasant shampoo scent. She walked up naturally and voiced her worried inner thoughts.
"Crow, how's your body feeling?"
Everything else might be a lie. But her concern for him was genuine.
"...What's wrong? Does it hurt a lot? Look at me."
Today, as always, she wiped away his cold sweat and fussed over him. Pity and a protective urge welled up from the depths of her heart.
"Rin! Call the guards again. He's burning up. This is too much."
Fever, she said. Crow's forehead was scorching hot, like a normal person with a high fever. Surely Crow himself was aware of his condition?
"Ah, no. It's nothing."
Yet Crow grabbed Scardi's wrist. His grip was quite weak. He seemed utterly drained.
"It's fine. Don't call them..."
Crow wouldn't get help from the prison staff. Orca must have decided on his punishment.
Scardi had a vague idea already. Still, to let him know how worried she was, she told him once more.
"Forget it and listen to me. This won't do. It's dangerous. Look at your condition."
"I'm really fine. Fine..."
Admirably, Crow endured all this suffering alone. A sacrificial spirit to avoid offending the correctional officer.
His body and mind couldn't hold together properly, yet Crow hadn't crumbled. He was still pushing his will through.
It was beautiful. Scardi felt an emotion too deep for words.
"...I see."
"Ci, cigarettes. Just give me a few..."
This was a hero.
Someone who knew how to sacrifice, even at the cost of his own body.
"Sure, smoke."
Scardi stroked Crow's hair soothingly as she handed him a cigarette. Of course, unlike the ones she smoked, this would worsen his symptoms a bit more.
Addiction symptoms were manifesting in his body. Having lost his recovery ability, he no longer had resistance to anesthetics or drugs like before.
"Let's go to your room."
"No need..."
"No. To your room. I'll bring food. If they catch you like this, it'll be trouble. Smoke quietly in my room."
So she helped him a little more. Like a prince carrying a princess, she scooped Crow into her arms and crossed through Wing C.
Crow squirmed, expressing his refusal, but eventually accepted her help and let his body go limp.
He needed the cigarette. Scardi's cigarette to calm his body. A bit harsh and acrid, but it brought temporary relief.
Crow lay on Scardi's bed, where her scent still lingered, and smoked. Though he'd only learned recently, he could easily chain three or four now.
His trembling fingertips,
and the heavy dark circles under his eyes suited him and the cigarette perfectly. Matching his haggard, ruined look, the cigarette tip glowed especially bright.
"Does smoking help at all?"
Scardi didn't sit on her own bed. She leaned against the front wall, standing as she looked down at Crow.
Crow coughed a few residual times before answering.
"Much better."
"Good."
The special cigarettes Scardi prepared had a strong stimulant effect. Even without recovery ability, Crow was still Crow, so she provided ones tailored to him.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Between us."
"...Yeah. I'll rely on you from now on too."
Even when she tossed in a few more subtle lines, Crow just nodded silently. It seemed a sturdy lifeline called Scardi had already firmly taken root in his heart.
Scardi suppressed the smile that bloomed involuntarily and forced her gaze away from Crow. Her face felt like it was flushing red. She needed to calm down.
But then, a strange commotion came from outside. Through the thick glass window, she could see the outside, and quite a crowd had gathered in the scene beyond.
"..."
Scardi uncrossed her arms and stood straight on both legs. An uneasy feeling crept in.
"What's up?"
Crow asked. Having just reflected on his gratitude toward Scardi, he lifted his head at the faint presence and bustle from outside, propping himself up.
Scardi feigned calm. Things were progressing faster than she'd anticipated. According to her intel, it should have taken at least two more days.
"...Lily?"
Hugging cheap bedding,
wearing an ill-fitting orange prison jumpsuit,
a familiar face boldly pushed through the crowd of inmates and strode forward.
"Oppa..."
Scardi felt a familiar sensation.
This time too,
that girl,
ignored Scardi right beside her and spoke only looking toward Crow.
"I'm sorry. I tried to do well, but..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Chapter 3 - Premonition
End.