“Speaking of which,” the President asked with concern, “Tina, Sathya told me you were sick. Are you feeling better now?”
Just as Tina was about to say something, Sathya pulled her back and answered for her. “She's not doing very well and needs to rest. If possible, please make sure to protect her during this operation.”
“I'll definitely do that~” Lavertis placed a hand over her heart and looked at the adorable Tina. The beaming smile on her face practically screamed, How could I possibly fail to protect such a cute girl?
Then, Krulu stepped forward.
“Good afternoon, President of Leaflight.”
“Y-You are...?!”
Lavertis adored Sathya and Tina, but her delicate frame trembled upon seeing Krulu. To her, this high-and-mighty noble lady was the type who looked down on commoner students like them. Consequently, the moment she saw Krulu, she bristled like a hissing kitten.
Krulu paid no mind to her reaction and greeted her anyway.
“We're teammates now. Please look after me.”
“Who wants to look after you? I'm only willing to be in the same group as you for Sathya's sake.”
“There's no need to be so angry, Madam President. Lady Krulu is actually a good person.” At this moment, Velrose also stepped forward and joined their circle. Her mouth curved into a gentle smile, making her look as though she weren't merely speaking, but bringing with her a pleasant, soothing breeze.
Throughout this entire exchange, Tina did not participate in their conversation at all. She was lost in thought.
Her relationship with Sathya seemed to have changed.
Sathya's magic core could not be analyzed.
Tina wanted to pin most of her hopes on the ruins in the White Dusk Forest.
That way, even if they found nothing else, Sathya could still absorb the forest's power of chaos.
After being dragged to class by Sathya and then forced to go eat with her, Tina knew she had to slip away.
Taking advantage of the moment Sathya and the others were chatting, Tina stepped out, only to find herself surrounded by a crowd of students.
They were still convinced that Tina was the one who had ruined the Principal.
“Tell us, what did you do to Principal Ulrich?”
“You devil.”
“As expected of a lowborn coward from that tiny convent.”
Tina merely glanced at them, and the insults instantly died on their lips.
She tried to walk past them, but someone blocked her path.
It was a girl whose eyes practically overflowed with rage.
“I curse you! I hope the person you love dies with you!”
Tina had not intended to respond, but hearing those words made her heart clench.
She clamped her hand around the girl's neck like a vice, lifting her slightly, and said expressionlessly, “Apologize.”
“Aaargh! You... cough... you... devil!”
“Apologize.”
Tina simply repeated the word, but she quickly realized the girl had no intention of apologizing.
As a Class A student herself, her pride would not be so easily trampled.
And all Tina could rely on was her physical strength.
“cough, cough, cough...”
The girl's face quickly changed color from the lack of oxygen, and her struggles began to weaken.
【Master Host, kill her. She is just a brainwashed fool.】
The corner of Tina's mouth twitched slightly. She simply found the System annoying. Did she really need it to teach her something so simple?
The surrounding students had initially thought their leader would handle Tina and teach her a lesson about how cruel student conflicts could be.
But their leader had been grabbed right by the throat and couldn't even break free!
Seeing this, several male students rushed forward and pulled the girl away.
“We'll apologize! An apology is fine, right?!”
“We're sorry!”
The students blocking Tina's way scrambled off in embarrassment, but they still muttered “this freak” as they left.
“She really is a devil! How can the academy have someone like that...”
Tina did not pursue them. Leaning against the wall, she muttered to herself.
“Little Ya, I won't let anything happen to you.”
Once she restored Sathya's magic core, on the day she succeeded, she would tell Sathya all of her love, everything about herself. She would hold Sathya's hand, kiss her forehead, and talk to her about all her thoughts and feelings from those seventy-odd years. She would recount everything she had seen and thought, telling her that her past self had long since lost any sense of hatred, and that she only wanted to be with Sathya, forever...
And then, they would find a quiet place far from the mortal world, or perhaps the highest level of the Church, the pinnacle of humanity, or even among the magical beasts... anywhere would do, as long as she could talk about love and the future with her.
It would all be hers.
But all of this was witnessed by Sathya. Looking at Tina, who was smiling coldly to herself, a look of worry flickered across her face.
“Sister Tina, where are you going?”
Just as Tina was about to leave, Sathya grabbed her hand.
Though her grip was light, Tina could not break free.
She turned her head and feigned ignorance. “I'm going back to the dormitory.”
“No. We set out tomorrow, so we have to prepare today. Everyone has their part to do.”
“Why?”
“Let's pretend to be girlfriends. It seems those people don't know about our relationship, so they want to bully you.”
“We'll talk about that later. I don't need that kind of relationship.”
But Sathya simply refused to let go of her hand. It was as if no matter where Tina ran off to, Sathya would be displeased, insisting on staying by her side.
Thinking back, ever since they walked back from the mountain yesterday, Sathya had been using the excuse of “you're sick” to constantly hold her hand. Except for when they slept, they were together the entire time. Even when she woke up in the morning, Sathya was the one who called her.
The dormitory door really needed to be fixed.
“Sister Tina, I told you, right? There's a thing called the 'Demon King' targeting you now. She is extremely, extremely dangerous, maybe a magical beast... You know I already defeated a magical beast to rescue Velrose.”
“Mm.”
Tina nodded.
To be honest, she didn't really want to move around too much either, because the curse on her neck was still bothering her.
It was hot, burning...
While it wasn't excruciating, it felt somewhat like menstrual cramps.
Uncomfortable.
She usually didn't pay it much mind, but having Sathya by her side made it much better.
Perhaps Sathya really wanted her company. When Sathya was in a good mood, the curse eased significantly.
Furthermore, hearing Sathya say this let her know that the plan was proceeding smoothly, which lessened her inner anxiety.
“Fine.”
Tina finally nodded, yielding to her.
“Hehe, I knew Sister Tina was still docile.”
Sathya smiled warmly, like a blooming white morning glory.
But... “docile”?
Wasn't that a word used to describe a pet?
Rate on N.U.
