Chapter 127: Living Together (2)

The dormitory in Building A was reserved for only the children of the Empire’s noble houses, the Holy Empire’s high-ranking clergy, and the Republic’s richest conglomerate families. I had come here a few times before to meet Iris, but no matter how many times I saw it, the dormitory always overwhelmed me with its grandeur and magnificence. At this point, it was not even a dorm; it was basically a hotel.

Clicking my tongue in disbelief, I circled past the massive fountain standing proudly within the dormitory grounds.

“Hoo!”

After staring at the building for a while in hesitation, I finally forced myself to take a step forward.

At the entrance, Yurina, who had been waiting for me, beamed and waved energetically. “Ah, Dale! I heard you only got suspended in the end?”

“Yeah. Thanks for writing that petition for me.”

She folded her arms and scolded me. “Good grief! Do you even know how shocked I was when I first heard about it?”

I looked at her and asked, “But really, are you okay?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“I mean…” I glanced at the pendant hanging from Yurina’s neck and continued, “We’ll be living together until the break.”

Yurina’s cheeks flushed slightly as she scratched at them. “Ah, r-right.”

Please, don’t make that face while you’re in your male form, I said internally.

She continued, “Still, it’s only for a week! And there’s a spare room anyway, so it’ll be fine!”

“Well, if you’re fine with it.”

Suppressing a chuckle, I followed her into her room. It was my first time seeing Yurina’s room, and to my surprise, it was tidy. There was even a living room, where a neatly arranged sofa and table sat beneath the warm ivory glow of the lights. A faint fragrance lingered in the air.

“So, how is it?” she asked.

“Looks good. Really clean.”

A little sheepish and excited grin appeared on her face. “Hehe! That’s a relief.”

Then I heard her mutter in a very low voice, “Good thing I cleaned beforehand.”

She then asked, “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Then wait a second. I’ll whip something up.”

She headed for the kitchen, wearing a spotless apron she had probably gotten from somewhere.

I tilted my head at her words. “You cook?”

Even in my past life, I had never once seen Yuren cook.

She replied, “Uh, w-well, a little?”

However, her awkward smile and averted eyes betrayed her.

I asked, “A little?”

Before I could say more, she shoved me out of the kitchen. “A-anyway! Just sit on the sofa and wait!”

I sat down obediently and waited for the food to be ready. Soon, the sound of something sizzling filled the air, followed by Yurina’s voice.

“U-uhhh? Is the heat too high?

“Kyaaah! I spilled the oil!

“Shrimp, do I just toss them in with the shells?

“Wait, which one’s the salt again?”

Each phrase made me more uneasy.

Ten minutes later, I stared at the charred lump on the table. “What is this?”

“T-that’s… gambas. Sort of,” she replied.

I was speechless.

Her face fell into despair. “Ugh, sorry! I heard it was an easy dish for beginners, so I thought I’d try.”

Well, it was no wonder the dish turned out like that. Even if her family had lost some wealth, Yurina had grown up in one of the Empire’s most prestigious houses. Naturally, she had never cooked before.

“You could’ve just asked me to cook,” I said.

“It’s just… Iris often makes you lunch boxes, right?” She fiddled with her fingers and muttered in a small voice, “So, I wanted to make you something too.”

I couldn’t say anything. That was dangerous. If she had been in her true form, Yurina instead of Yuren, my heart could have wavered.

After a moment, I said, “Then how about this? Next time, I’ll teach you, and we can cook together.”

“Huh? R-really?”

“Yeah. We’ve got a whole week together, after all.”

Realizing again that we would be living under the same roof, Yurina coughed awkwardly and turned her head. “A-ah, right.”

In the end, the two of us filled our stomachs with nothing but baguette bread, originally meant as a side for the gambas, before sitting together on the sofa to talk about our week ahead.

She said, “There are two rooms, but only one bathroom. You can shower first, and I’ll go after.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey, Dale.”

“Yeah?”

She carefully said, “That whole story about you bringing in a magic device that exploded and set the dorm on fire.”

“Uh, yeah?”

She firmly locked her eyes onto mine. “That was a lie, wasn’t it? A cadet who was nearby said the first flames were ashen-gray, then vanished all at once.”

I stayed silent.

“That’s the same flame that appears when you use your power, isn’t it?”

I lowered my head and quietly admitted it. “Yeah.”

To be precise, it wasn’t just my power; it was the Primordial Flame.

“I knew it. So, the fire started because you were training with that flame in your room.”

“It was my mistake.”

I had let my guard down. The Primordial Flame had never once run wild before.

“Why did you push yourself that hard?” she asked.

“That’s…”

“Was it because of the Archbishop of Madness?”

I kept my mouth shut. Her words had struck home. Yes, I had other reasons for forcing myself to master the Primordial Flame, but if I said my encounter with the Archbishop of Madness wasn’t one of them, I would be lying.

Yurina’s face stiffened as she read the truth in my expression. “It was indeed because of that.”

She lifted her gaze slightly, recalling that day. “When we faced him, I couldn’t do anything.”

A space drenched in red slime, and the figure of a boy striding forward, wreathed in a blood-colored aura—the suffocating pressure of the overwhelming miasma had made Yurina freeze in place, unable even to draw her sword.

I tried to comfort her. “Well, that can’t be helped. A cadet who hasn’t even graduated yet could never hope to face an Archbishop.”

“Hm! But if you put it that way, you’re still just a cadet too, aren’t you?”

I was unable to find a proper report. “That’s…”

Yurina gave me a faint smile and unclasped the pendant from her neck. Her radiant golden hair shimmered, then gently faded into soft silver, accompanied by a pale blue glow.

Returning to her true form, she quietly took my hand and said, “I’ll become stronger.”

Her voice carried firm resolve. “I’ll grow strong enough. Next time, I’ll be the one to protect you, Dale, so that you won’t ever have to bear everything on your own again.”

Her words stole mine away for a moment. That unwavering gaze fixed on me, and it was the very same eyes I had seen throughout my past life—eyes that never wavered before fear, eyes that did not tremble before terror, and eyes that refused to dim, even against despair. They were filled with nothing but courage.

A soft laugh slipped through my lips. “Ah!Haha.”

The future kept changing, and nothing was certain, but still, some things never changed.

Yes. That’s right. That’s who you always were. Then, and even now. Maybe I’ve been in too much of a rush.

Ever since that encounter with the Archbishop of Madness, I had been pushing myself recklessly, crushed by the pressure that I had to get stronger as soon as possible. That recklessness was what led to the rampage of the Primordial Flame.

I tightened my grip around her hand and said with all sincerity, “Thank you.”

Yurina’s face flushed red. “Uh!”

Suddenly, a silver light burst out from her chest.

“Huh? What’s going on?” I asked.

Brilliant silver radiance spilled out from her body. I recognized it instantly. It was the same aura that appeared whenever she invoked the Blessing of Moonlight.

She shook her head quickly, flustered, as if she hadn’t meant to activate it at all. “Wha— Ah, no! This isn’t… um. W-wait a second!”

Yurina jumped to her feet and darted into her room. About five minutes later, the door opened again, and she stepped out, looking exhausted.

“Phew! Okay, it’s fine now,” she said.

“Why did the blessing activate all of a sudden?” I asked.

She turned her face away, hiding behind a forced cough. “Eh? Oh, um, ahem! Don’t worry about it, Dale.”

I didn’t press her further. Instead, I offered her my hand. “Well, anyway. For the next week, I’ll be counting on you.”

She glanced at it, then hesitated before gently pulling it upward, placing it on her head. I could tell she wanted me to pat her again. With a wry smile, I ruffled her hair.

A small, shy grin spread across her lips. “I’ll be counting on you too, Dale.”

***

After that, we spent time training together at the training ground, then shared dinner. This time, I did the cooking. When the day finally ended, I laid out a mattress in the room she used as her closet and stretched out on it.

It had turned out smoother than I thought. “Whew!”

I had worried that living under the same roof as a grown man and woman, even for just a week, could cause some awkwardness between Yurina and me. Thankfully, the first day had passed without any real trouble.

Having two rooms helped a lot. If this had been a cramped one-room dorm like the ones in Building C, avoiding constantly running into each other would’ve been impossible. But Building A was spacious, with two bedrooms and even a living room in each dorm, which meant fewer chances of uncomfortable encounters.

With conditions like this, living together for a week wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, the vacation would arrive in a week, and we could stay outside the academy anyway.

“Vacation, huh.”

In my past life, I had always stayed at the academy during breaks, taking on odd jobs just to cover living expenses. This time, though, there was no need.

I should ask Iris and Berald what their plans are, I thought.

If possible, I wanted to use this break as an opportunity to help Iris, Yurina, and Berald grow stronger. With that thought, I shut off my Hero Watch.

I lay back on the mattress and stretched out. “Guess I should get some sleep.”

Even though it was just a mat on the floor, Yurina had found a really good one. It was actually more comfortable than the old bed I had been using.

I was just about to drift off when the door opened softly. Turning my head, I saw Yurina in her pajamas, standing hesitantly at the entrance.

“Um, Dale,” she said.

“What is it?”

“C-could I… sleep with you tonight? Just for today?”

Her words struck me like a thunderbolt, jolting me upright on the mat. “What? That’s… probably not a good idea.”

“I-it’s fine! I promise I won’t do anything weird!”

That’s not the problem here! I screamed internally.

She continued, “Seriously! It will just be holding hands! I’ll only hold your hand while I sleep!”

“No, wait a minute now.”

How could she even say something like that with a straight face?

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