Chapter 138: Which Floor?
Dazzling golden short hair, and those incredibly bright sapphire blue eyes even in the dark night, coupled with this reassuring aura that felt so familiar and that loud, boisterous voice. Even just hearing the sound, Kazumi immediately confirmed the true identity of the person before her.
Looking at Sato Shinichi, who emerged from the grass wearing a dark gray combat suit, Kazumi’s solemn expression inexplicably relaxed. The skull phantom on her wrist dimmed, and her outstretched right hand lowered.
“Kazumi!! What’s wrong with you!!”
As if seeing Kazumi sliding down the tree trunk she was leaning against, the boy’s previously excited expression immediately turned serious. He quickly walked to the girl’s side and reached out to support Kazumi’s arm.
“Hiss—”
Sato Shinichi’s clumsy movements seemed to have touched Kazumi’s wound. The girl’s gasp of cold air escaped her mouth, startling Sato Shinichi, who was supporting her, to quickly let go of his hands and look at Kazumi apologetically.
“Ka… Kazumi, I’m sorry, are… are you alright with your injuries now?”
The boy’s actions, as silly as ever, made Kazumi drop her last trace of wariness. After all, only her cheap boyfriend could make such pure, silly actions and reactions, right?
“I won’t die.”
Looking at the boy’s face so close to hers, Kazumi replied, but felt her tone was a bit too cold. She then asked again.
“Shinichi, how did you find me? Did something happen at the training ground? Do you know how long the rescue teachers will take to arrive?”
The string of questions from the girl caught Sato Shinichi by surprise. He stood thinking for a moment before taking out a small device from his pocket and handing it to the girl.
“It’s the latest tracking device, I specifically exchanged for it to prevent anything happening to you, Kazumi!”
“…….”
The boy’s smile was sunny and confident. The dark forest did not hide the boy’s ardor but rather made it even more dazzling. The boyish smile seemed to strike Kazumi directly in her heart, as if exchanging this broken thing for almost all of her exchange points was the most correct thing he had ever done.
Feeling her uncontrollably pounding heart speed up by a few beats, Kazumi shyly turned her head away. Her current reaction could only be attributed to the “pendulum effect.” After all, being rescued by “dog” like this in a moment of crisis, experiencing physical emotions was very normal.
However, she would not develop feelings for him because of this.
Absolutely not!!!
Looking at the grass beside her, Kazumi, feeling the flush on her face subside slightly, turned her head back and looked at the “dog” who was fiddling with a pile of bottles and jars.
“Shinichi… what are you…?”
Looking at the boy who pulled out a pile of things from somewhere, Kazumi asked Sato Shinichi somewhat shyly.
“This is ointment for treating lacerations, this is disinfectant alcohol, and this is splint for fixing the arm…”
The clueless boy thought the girl genuinely didn’t know what these things in his hands were and earnestly began to introduce them to Kazumi.
“……..”
Well, the best way to talk to a straight man is to say what you mean, otherwise you’ll be choked to death by their reactions.
Kazumi was accustomed to her extremely pure straight boyfriend’s behavior and said without anger.
“I’ve already done a simple treatment on my wounds, and there are no major problems for now. What’s more important now is what exactly happened in the training ground? And when will the rescue teachers arrive?”
“But your wounds are a very important matter!!”
Hearing Kazumi’s words, the boy subconsciously replied, but his stubborn gaze ultimately couldn’t overcome the girl’s death-dealing icy eyes. He shrank back his head in fear and said.
“The academy has already notified all students in the examination grounds to evacuate, saying that something very dangerous happened inside. Teacher Nozawa from the security department has sealed off the training grounds, but I was worried about you, Kazumi, so I came to find you.”
“You, you…”
Listening to the boy’s silly words, Kazumi was speechless for a moment. Perhaps only children of this age would value so-called feelings more than their own lives.
Such unconditional affection and sacrifice for someone they liked was so dazzling that it was hard to look at directly…
“Sigh, come closer.”
With a sigh, Kazumi pulled the “dog” a little closer to her, preventing their position from being exposed by his body, half of which was still in the bushes.
What else could be done now? Only a silly, honest person like “dog” would risk danger to come find her. Although she was genuinely moved, she couldn’t avoid the fact that their dangerous situation hadn’t changed. Instead, with Sato Shinichi’s arrival, they became a bigger target, and her own capability, which was originally her trump card, was really hard to display in front of him.
[If it really comes to that, if it’s “dog,” exposing my abilities should be fine, right?]
Looking at Sato Shinichi, who was sitting beside her meticulously treating her wounds, Kazumi herself didn’t realize that the girl’s usually cold eyes seemed to have melted, filling with a unique gentle feminine tenderness that she had never seen before.
Sato Shinichi came to find her, risking danger, and even if this silly behavior was completely unhelpful, Kazumi was unwilling to repay the boy’s sincere feelings with betrayal.
But the outcome of exposing her ability in front of the boy was uncertain. Even though Kazumi knew Sato Shinichi very well, she didn’t dare to gamble his feelings for her against his beliefs.
Kazumi knew how strong the conviction of a boy who lived in a hero family and strived to become a hero was, so she would not be surprised by any outcome.
[At worst, I’ll just go with Uncle Fukada!! There’s no reason for me to sell out someone who came to save me!!]
As if making up her mind, Kazumi clenched her fist heavily. However, this movement startled the boy, who was looking down and treating her wounds, causing him to stop. He was afraid he had accidentally caused the girl pain.
“Kazumi, what’s wrong? Did I accidentally hurt you?”
Looking at the girl beside him with loving eyes, Sato Shinichi asked anxiously. Only by truly touching the girl’s wounds could he know what kind of attack she had endured. Those wounds, which went deep into the bone, were as if they were on Sato Shinichi’s own body, causing a heart-wrenching pain.
But for this girl, for whom he couldn’t bear to see even a single scratch, all he could do now was to treat her wounds well and wait for rescue together.
“No, no.”
The boy before her was still in his silly state, with a look as if he was afraid of breaking the glass doll in his hand, which was somewhat amusing.
A smile inexplicably appeared on her lips, and Kazumi couldn’t help but speak to the stunned Sato Shinichi.
“Shinichi-kun.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re actually quite silly…”
…….
On the other side, in the forest near the central Black Tower, the blond young man in a dark gray combat suit stood still in front of a patch of forest, the positioning communicator in his hand flashing red.
The young man frowned, and his sapphire blue eyes were filled with worry. After carefully scanning the surrounding forest, he finally looked up at the faint mist that enveloped the forest and mumbled.
“Strange, Kazumi isn’t here?”
