Don't Forget, But Get Used to It
It didn't take long for my body—Appleton's friend—to fully recover. Thanks to Rabin's ability, I was able to shake off the bed and get up in no time, but my control over my power just wouldn't listen.
"Want to try one more time?"
"Yes."
Following Victor's instruction, I fired a lightning strike toward the target.
Cracklet!
The electricity hummed with a deeper blue than usual. The pinpoint accuracy I usually prided myself on was nowhere to be found. The lightning struck slightly off-target, scorching the surrounding area pitch-black.
For some unknown reason, my power had grown stronger. Was it harder to control because the destructive force had increased? Things that used to be second nature now refused to obey.
"Hmm..." Victor observed my power and nodded. "Nothing's wrong. You're just growing."
Was it really okay? If it started bursting out wildly based on my emotions like before, I would end up hurting the people around me. Filled with worry, I looked down at my hands. My small fingers wiggled, sparking with blue electricity.
Crackle!
The sparks colliding and vanishing into thin air were still fierce.
"Keep practicing." Victor placed his hand on my head, ruffling my hair as he stroked it. Lately, he kept touching my head, which often left my hair a messy nest. But it didn't feel bad.
I took a step back and smoothed down my hair. Victor glanced at me, cleared his throat softly, and turned away.
Daily life returned. Everyone acted so normally that the events of that day felt almost like a dream.
I thought of the person who had always occupied a corner of the training ground. I didn't know his name, but he was a teammate who had always sweated and trained hard. That spot was now empty. It was hollow, casting a cold, desolate air over the space.
Yet, no one here cast a single glance toward it. Without a word, they let him fade into oblivion.
Our line of work was incredibly dangerous. A life could be lost anytime, anywhere. So, we had to get used to this reality.
As I stared blankly at the empty spot in the training ground, Victor spoke.
He said it as if he were all too familiar with such occurrences.
At first, I couldn't agree with him. I had asked him if he would act the same way if the ones who hadn't returned this time were me, Shine, Rain, or Amy. Victor hadn't answered. He had simply kept his mouth shut in silence.
People remembered the fallen in their own ways. On my way back to the dormitory after changing my clothes, I spotted a small flower placed in front of a door. I knew instantly whose room it was. I walked over and crouched down before the flower.
As I stared blankly at the flower, someone burst out of the room directly opposite the empty one. He was speaking on the phone with a frantic expression.
"I'll be right there!"
It seemed he had just been assigned a mission. Brushing my fingers against the flower, I walked past him and returned to the room I shared with Shine and Amy.
Shine still had some training time left, so I needed to finish showering before she returned. If I dawdled, I would undoubtedly end up in the bathroom with her.
It wasn't that I minded bathing together, but her hands, lathering me up with bubbles and tickling my body, were just too overwhelming.
I washed myself under the warm stream of water. I stood there blankly, letting the water hit me until my snow-white skin flushed a soft pink. A smile bloomed at the pleasant sensation.
"Jeff!"
Right then, Shine's voice echoed from outside the bathroom. I quickly finished up, wrapped myself in a bathrobe, and slipped out.
"Ah! I told you we should wash together." Shine looked deeply disappointed at the sight of me. But it was already too late. My body was squeaky clean, so there was no need for me to step back into the bathroom.
"Too slow." I dodged Shine as she lunged at me and pattered over to the refrigerator. Since I hadn't dried my hair properly, water trickled down and dripped onto the floor, but it was fine. It would dry anyway.
"Jeff, if you don't dry your hair properly, Amy's going to scold you."
"It's fine!"
Answering Shine, I pulled a cold bottle of milk from the fridge and took a sip. I was supposed to drink the green juice too, but I figured it would be better to bring it to Appleton later. Rather than me drinking it, it made more sense for the frail Appleton to have it. Shine seemed to have the same idea, as she hadn't touched her portion of the green juice either.
Tomorrow was a school day. All I had to do was wake up early tomorrow morning, pour the green juice from the fridge into a water bottle, and I'd be set. It was a truly perfect plan.
Sipping my milk, I blankly watched Shine's silhouette as she entered the bathroom and began to wash. Though the translucent glass door was fogged up, I could see her blurry shadow moving slightly. Inside there, a snow-white girl must be washing her body with warm water, right?
Get a grip. I shook my head to dispel the useless thoughts. My heavily soaked hair whipped around, spraying water everywhere, but it was fine. It would dry anyway.
As I sat in front of the bathroom sipping my milk, Shine opened the door. She walked out confidently, drying her dripping hair with a towel. A faint mist of steam rose from her body. After drying her own hair, she sat down on the floor and patted the space in front of her.
"Come here, Jeff."
I obediently went over and sat down. As I sat with my back to her, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
"I told you, Amy will scold you if you don't dry it properly."
"Yeah, yeah."
More nagging. Giving a half-hearted reply to her scolding, I closed my eyes comfortably. She began to dry my hair with the towel. Unlike my rough, careless rubbing, her touch felt remarkably like Amy's gentle hands. I could feel her small hands working diligently. It felt so good that a smile wouldn't leave my face.
My body, leaning further and further back, suddenly tipped over. Feeling my head land against Shine's soft belly, I looked up at her face. Her eyes were wide with slight surprise as she looked down at me. Shine's small lips parted slightly.
"I'm not done drying it yet."
"I want to stop."
"Do you want to get scolded by Amy?"
"What's the big deal? I can just ask Rain to dry it for me."
"Hmph..."
Shine pouted in dissatisfaction at my reply. When I giggled at her expression, she threw the damp towel right over my face.
After a peaceful day, Shine, Rain, and I stood before the portal once again with our backpacks slung over our shoulders.
"You'll have a safe trip today too, right?" Amy asked from behind us, her face etched with worry. I waved to let her know she didn't need to worry.
"We'll be back!"
Holding hands with Shine and Rain, I stepped through the portal. As I staggered slightly from the familiar dizziness, Shine caught me and helped me stand straight.
"Welcome~" a familiar voice called out. But it wasn't the voice I had expected. I shook my head and looked ahead. Standing there was Carmel, not Shandroi, who usually waited for us.
"Carmel?"
"Hello, Senior Rain."
"Yeah. Why are you here?"
"Lord Shandroi couldn't make it today due to an appointment with Lord Ferman."
Surprised by Carmel's words, I asked, "With my grandfather?"
"Yes." Carmel nodded and turned to lead us out of the room. Glancing back slightly to make sure we were following, he continued, "He didn't mention what the appointment was about, but seeing as they've been talking for this long, it must be a very important matter. That's why I came instead."
"I see."
I nodded, thinking of Grandfather Ferman. He was always so busy. I wished he would at least send a text message; it made me feel a little left out. I toyed with my phone and let out a sigh.
"Do you miss Grandfather that much?"
"Yeah. Plus, we get to eat tons of delicious food when he's around." Answering Shine, I adjusted my backpack. It was stuffed to the brim today because I had prepared a mountain of gifts for Appleton.
"This is today's class schedule. If there's anything you don't like, please let me know immediately." Carmel handed us a sheet of paper with the schedule and headed off. Since class was starting soon, he was probably going to prepare.
I walked down the familiar hallway, approached the window, and looked outside. Thwack! Thwack! I spotted Felix practicing out there as usual. To be training at such an early hour—he really was an impressive kid. I thought about waving, but I pulled my hand back, not wanting to interrupt his practice.
"Why do you keep trying to acknowledge him?"
"Huh?" As I turned away from the window to head to the classroom, Shine spoke.
"Him, I mean."
"Just because. He's cute."
"What?" Shine's face contorted in sheer disgust at my answer. "That thing?"
"Yeah."
I answered her casually. Did she really not find it cute when he looked at us with sparkling eyes, calling us "fairies"? He felt just like a golden retriever, so I didn't find him off-putting at all.
"Jeff, you shouldn't do that."
"Why?"
"Don't call him cute. He's creepy."
"What?" This time, I was the one asking. Calling a young child creepy seemed a bit harsh.
I looked out the window once more. Felix was practicing diligently. He was... he... wait.
"Is he?"
For some reason, I started to feel a bit repulsed. It felt like sticky sweat would rub off on me if I got too close, and the boy's sparkling eyes as he called us "fairies" suddenly started to feel a little creepy.
"See?" Shine said, pulling my hand as she led me toward the classroom.
"Do you think so too, Rain?" No matter how I thought about it, it was bizarre. My impression of someone had flipped in an instant. I had thought he was a bit overwhelming, but not to this extent. From a distance, I used to look at him like a puppy. But Rain nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I dislike him a bit."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He might look like that now, but later he'll grow super, super tall, grow a beard, and get hairy legs..."
Rain worked her little mouth diligently, explaining to me how boys transform into creepy creatures. I listened to her explanation blankly as we walked to the classroom. Shine nodded along in agreement at intervals.
The moment we stepped into the classroom, all the surrounding noise instantly died down. It felt as if someone had suddenly muted a video, which made me chuckle.
"Appleton!" I spotted Appleton sitting all by herself in the middle of the classroom and waved happily. Unlike before, she was alone. And she looked a bit lonely.
Startled by my voice, she sprang up. Her twin tails perked up like rabbit ears. In an instant, we rushed over and sat beside her.
Noticing Appleton's uncomfortable expression, I asked, "Hey, Appleton, is someone bullying you?"
"N-No!" Her twin tails perked up once more.
"Are they the ones bullying you?" I pointed at the kids who were staring at Appleton with strange looks. The moment my finger singled them out, they scattered in all directions with horrified expressions.
Poor Appleton... Left all alone because of bullies... I recalled the plot of a comic book Rain had shown me. It was about a frail protagonist being ostracized at school. Clutching my aching chest, I pulled Appleton's gift out of my bag.
"Here. This is your present." What I had prepared this time was a very special food. Something she could eat right away: a dried giant monkey tail.
She accepted my gift with trembling eyes. I hoped she would like it. With that wish in mind, I gave her a bright smile, and Appleton began to smile back, drooling slightly. Was she really that happy?
I patted the seat next to me, coaxing the standing Appleton to sit down. I tore open the packaging of the dried giant monkey tail I had placed in her hands and held it up to her mouth.
"Say ah~"
"A-Ahhh..."
She nibbled on the monkey tail as if it were delicious. Was it so tasty that it brought tears to her eyes? A tiny tear rolled down Appleton's cheek.