Chapter 24: Inevitably, the Heroine

I Hate the Club (5)

"...Are you okay?"

I managed to open my mouth with difficulty when I finally came to my senses. Even if the rain was soaking Aisha's shoulder, she was a girl, and I was a boy. She might feel uncomfortable with our bodies so close, and I wondered if she was forcing herself. The thought brought a wave of guilt.

Was she acting out of kindness, feeling sorry for me even though she was uncomfortable? If that was the case...

"It's better than getting wet, right? I gave you an umbrella, you shouldn't get wet."

Thankfully, Aisha smiled slightly and said she was fine. There wasn't a trace of discomfort in her clear smile, and my face felt like it was about to explode. I covered my face with my hands and managed to reply.

"Y-yeah, ha... if you say so."

Don't show it, don't show it. I muttered to myself, trying to figure out how to act in this situation. If I showed Aisha that I liked her, how would she react? Honestly, I didn't think it would be a good reaction. We hadn't known each other for very long, and we weren't even really friends yet. If I confessed out of the blue in this situation, it wouldn't just end with awkwardness.

I peeked at Aisha's face through the gaps in my fingers. I was momentarily distracted by her sharp nose and the red lips below, but then I saw the scar on her neck again.

Every time I saw it, my heart ached. It was a wound that could have been fatal if it had been just a little deeper. Yet she didn't seem to care about it at all, which made the people watching her even more anxious.

"Is your scar okay?"

"...Oh, the one on my neck? It's just a small cut."

"...Did you get home okay?"

"You took me home, why are you suddenly asking?"

"...Just curious."

Come to think of it, I did take her home. But I was still worried. What if Hera Carmen was at home? What if there was poison in the food? What if someone had broken in through the window? My mind was filled with such ominous thoughts, and I couldn't relax.

I knew she was good at using her Ability, and that she was much stronger than me, but even a superhuman could be brought down by poison.

...Maybe I should try her food first from now on. But I shook my head, realizing that the thought was bordering on obsession. What was I even thinking? I hadn't been this preoccupied before, but it seemed like my symptoms were getting worse since I became aware of my feelings.

#

I became even more on edge as I entered the school. I hadn't been saying anything, but how many guys had been looking at Aisha? Even as I walked up the stairs to the classroom, countless eyes were on her. Some of them were directed at me, but that didn't matter.

It was always uncomfortable to be the target of so many eyes. She had a blank expression, as if she didn't care, but if she was aware of it inside—I knew how uncomfortable and exhausting it could be, so I shielded her with my body without her noticing.

So that the attention would be solely on me.

When I entered the classroom, Aisha was greeted by a green-haired girl. Something on top of her head was constantly twitching, and she stuck close to Aisha, rubbing her face against her.

...Her name was Frey, I think.

She was like a fox. Aisha's only, or perhaps one of her only two friends, including me. She was always stuck to Aisha, but I remembered her because she sometimes gave me subtle glances when Aisha wasn't looking.

The emotion in those glances was a mixture of joy at her victory and something that looked down on me. But even so, I thought she was a good person. She was genuinely sad about Aisha's troubles, genuinely angry, and genuinely empathetic. There was no reason to twist her intentions and dislike her, so I was content with just knowing her name.

"Ugh—Frey, I'm dizzy. Stop it."

"It's all Aisha's fault. Why do you make people worry?"

I didn't particularly like the way she was shaking Aisha's body like a toy, but the person in question seemed fine, so should I just let it go? As I was wondering about this, a voice came from behind.

"U-um, excuse me?"

I turned around and saw a female student, her face flushed as she glanced at me. She looked like she had something to say.

"What?"

I had seen that expression countless times, so I didn't feel anything anymore. Just, oh, okay. A dry emotion. The corners of my lips drooped, and the burning feeling cooled down. A dry answer came out of my mouth, and the female student looked at me, startled.

I wish she would just say what she wanted quickly.

I stared at her with that intention, and the female student lowered her gaze and opened her mouth.

"Umm... Professor Veronica called for you..."

"Okay."

"Ah, she said Aisha should come too."

Aisha too? I was momentarily puzzled, but I nodded, assuming it was about the practical exam. I turned back to Aisha, leaving the female student, who seemed to have something more to say, behind.

"Aisha, the professor called for you."

"She called for you and me, right?"

"Yeah."

'You and me.' That phrase kept popping up in my head, but I snapped out of it when Aisha stared at me, wondering why I wasn't following.

#

Professor Veronica was an unusual person. Was it even possible for one person to show so many different sides? Well, my father was like that too.

...A club.

It was a topic I had thought about once or twice before. Clubs were quite important for a smooth start as a hero. Each club had a different curriculum tailored to its specific characteristics, and students participated in activities and training accordingly. The club Veronica was talking about seemed to be much more rigorous than other clubs.

"Edwin Carmen was in our club too!"

My father was in that club too? The moment I heard that, the heart that had been stirring even for a moment solidified like a rock in its place. I wouldn't walk the same path as him. From that moment on, Veronica's club was already excluded.

Tap, tap.

I hurriedly got up from my seat at Aisha's touch on my back. Was it a signal to leave? I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't even realize how much time had passed. I made an excuse that it was almost lunchtime and slipped out, and Aisha sighed.

It must have been hard for her. She had been answering all the questions while I was just sitting there. Feeling sorry, I opened my mouth, but Aisha smiled and said it was okay.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"It's nothing, I just didn't expect the conversation to go on for so long."

"...By the way, about meeting tomorrow..."

"She'll probably try to force us to join the club then."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at those words. I had no intention of joining, even if she tried to force me. But what if Aisha was thinking of joining that club? What should I do? Would I just have to watch her go out alone to participate in activities?

"Have you thought about which club you want to join?"

"...No, I've never really been interested in clubs."

In the first place, the decision to enter the academy was almost an impulsive plan, so there was no way I would have done any detailed research.

"Hey—you!"

I was about to ask if she was going to join that club, but the person who shouted and approached us suddenly hugged Aisha and started crying bitterly.

"...Reisha?"

Reisha. My eyes widened at that word. Reisha, wasn't that name and appearance strangely similar to someone I knew? I felt a sense of déjà vu and kept staring at her. But if she was really the person I was thinking of, why was she at the academy?

But I couldn't ask someone who was crying so bitterly what her identity was, so all I could do was silently wait for Aisha to comfort her.

"So, it's about the club..."

What she said was simple. She had a club, but it was in danger of disappearing because it didn't have enough members. So, she wanted us to join. When I heard what kind of club it was, I couldn't help but chuckle.

A magic club. What student would want to join such a club? Aisha seemed to think so too, as she looked at Reisha with a troubled expression. It was actually amazing that such a club was only one member short. After listening to her complaints for a few more minutes, Aisha finally sent Reisha away and sighed deeply.

It wasn't easy to comfort someone, I thought, but I asked the question I hadn't been able to ask earlier.

"Are you going to join a club?"

Hmm. Aisha rolled her eyes for a moment as if she was thinking about something, then turned her gaze to me.

"Are you going to?"

Was she going to join if I did? I wondered and stared at her, and Aisha carefully opened her mouth.

"...Why?"

Was I staring too intently? But if she was asking if I was going to join a club, the answer was already decided. Leaving Aisha alone was too dangerous, no matter how I looked at it.

"If you do, I'll do it too."

"Really? What if I don't?"

"...I won't then."

Even if I excluded Aisha, it didn't seem like there would be much point unless I joined Veronica's club. There was no reason to join another club when there was such an overwhelmingly powerful club that a top hero had joined. I had no intention of joining Veronica's club in the first place, so if Aisha didn't have any thoughts about it, I didn't need to think about it anymore either.

"Still... I should think about it for now. I've received several offers."

"...But I don't really want to join the one Professor Veronica recommended."

"I'm not too keen on that one either, I don't like things that are too strict."

"...That's a relief."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

I smiled unconsciously when I heard that she wasn't going to join Veronica's club. It was a relief.

#

Time had already reached the tail end of lunch. The academy's cafeteria was a little bland, but it was highly regarded for the fact that there was no limit to the amount you could eat. But as I was eating, I felt a strange gaze directed at me, and when I looked up, Aisha was looking at me with a fed-up expression.

"Are you going to eat all that?"

"I eat a little more than usual."

How many times had I gone back for seconds now, about six times? I would have eaten more if it were a normal day, but I was just eating enough to not be too hungry because time was running out. As I was scooping up a few more spoonfuls, I suddenly saw Aisha getting up from her seat.

"Where are you going?"

I can't leave her alone, my instincts, something inside me was constantly shouting. Hera Carmen was also a student at this academy. If they happened to meet, there was no telling what might happen. They had already encountered each other once on the rooftop.

"I'm going ahead, class starts in five minutes."

"...I'll eat quickly. Let's go together."

I couldn't leave her alone. I ate as quickly as possible, and Aisha looked at me with a somewhat blank expression. Eventually, she realized that the mountain of bones piled on my tray and scratched her head. I don't even eat that much.

"...Sigh."

I didn't like the walk back to the classroom. There were even more people than before, and I wondered why they weren't in the classroom even though class was about to start. While grumbling about the situation, I shielded Aisha from view with my body so she wouldn't notice.

In the midst of all this, I tried to match my pace to hers. Left foot, right foot. It was just a simple repetition, but my face flushed for no reason as the steps became synchronized. It's just me liking her for now, but I wondered if the day would come when we would like each other.

As I thought that, the faint anxiety in my heart seemed to grow even larger. As long as I was attending the academy, I couldn't be sure that I was safe from Hera Carmen's attacks. It wasn't that I didn't think Aisha could handle such a thing, but what if she encountered an opponent with poor compatibility?

...Perhaps it would escalate to the worst-case scenario I could imagine.

I couldn't let that happen. I turned my gaze to Aisha, and that feeling grew even stronger. The thought of her face twisting in pain, and eventually becoming expressionless and coldly indifferent, sent shivers down my spine. I had to... protect her.

Thinking that, I carefully opened my mouth.

"...From now on, stay with me."

A questioning gaze returned, and the faint displeasure mixed in with it delivered a pain to my chest as if it were being pierced by an awl.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You got hurt, because of me."

Aisha was hurt because of me. Thinking that, I couldn't bring myself to look Aisha in the eye. I couldn't face her red eyes because of the guilt that washed over me, and the anxiety I felt for her.

"...I'm anxious."

Suddenly, my true feelings leaked out of my mouth. I was anxious. I was afraid that I would lose another precious person, that she would disappear from my side one day like that teacher, like my childhood friend, just because she was close to me. Even my mother, who always supported me, eventually disappeared.

"I'm afraid that someone else will get hurt because of me. I'm afraid that you'll get hurt when I'm not around."

I regretted and regretted. If I had been there when those people were hurt and died, I could have prevented it. But I couldn't, and that's why I blamed myself. I didn't want that to happen this time.

Thud-

A soft hand touched my cheek, and at the same time, my face was pulled closer, and I met her eyes again. While falling for her unwavering eyes once more, I blamed myself for putting her in danger.

"Xenon, trust me."

"...But."

"Xenon."

She smiled brightly. A warm breath tickled my nose, and the lips that had smiled whispered again.

"Because we're friends, trust me."

Drip-

Without realizing it, a stream of tears flowed from my eyes. I stared blankly at Aisha's smile, not even properly grasping what these complex emotions I was feeling were.

The word "friend," which defined our relationship, pierced my heart, and strangely, I felt relieved.

Friend,

It wasn't my favorite kind of relationship, but for now... it was enough.

Previous|Next