Tia Astein.
Bell Lucas.
The two names met in the air. After a brief handshake, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.
Bell...
Tia repeated the name in her mind, the heat in her cheeks rising once more.
She quickly withdrew her hand as if burned, nervously tucking both hands behind her back and twisting her fingers.
“Um... Bell, don’t worry.” Tia’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. She didn’t dare look him in the eye, her gaze drifting aimlessly. “I... I will definitely keep your secret!”
Bell looked at the senior before him—impossibly voluptuous and impossibly naive—and felt much of his wariness fade.
This person should be useful.
No, they could cooperate.
He desperately needed an ally now—someone on the surface who could provide cover and support. Leovite was too strong, too mysterious, and completely uncontrollable. This Senior Tia seemed like a good candidate.
“Thank you, Senior Tia,” Bell thanked her sincerely again, maintaining a very humble posture.
“No... no need for thanks...” Tia felt a bit dizzy from his repeated use of “Senior,” feeling as light as air.
“Are you the instructor for the clinic, Senior?” Bell began to subtly probe for information.
“Huh? No, no!” Tia waved her hands frantically, her smooth chestnut hair swaying with her movements. “I’m just... just an assistant in the clinic, helping out. Since my Healing Magic is decent, the instructor occasionally lets me take the shift.”
She added sheepishly, “And... I can eat in peace here.”
Bell’s gaze swept over the cream cake on the table with only one bite taken, and he nodded understandingly.
“Your Healing Magic is very impressive, Senior.” Bell’s praise was perfectly timed. “It’s more powerful than any healing magic I’ve ever seen.”
This wasn’t a lie.
Aside from that monster Cecilia, Tia’s High-Level Healing Magic was indeed the most proficient and powerful he had witnessed.
“It’s... it’s nothing...” Tia was so embarrassed by the praise that she almost buried her head in her chest.
Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed, and her hands tightly gripped the hem of her uniform. She didn’t even dare look up at Bell.
“Bell...”
Her voice was tiny, filled with nerves and shyness.
“You... you’re a freshman, right? I... I think I saw you at the opening ceremony...”
Bell nodded. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
His eyes fell on the sleeping Lilian on the bed. Her pale face and the traces of blood at the corner of her mouth made his heart tighten.
“Senior Tia.”
Bell took a deep breath and looked directly into Tia’s eyes.
“Could I... trouble you to look after her more in the future?”
As soon as he finished, Tia’s face turned even redder.
“Eh? Ehhh?!”
She waved her hands frantically, her whole body practically steaming.
“What... what is this? Are you... entrusting your life to me?!”
Bell was stunned.
Entrusting his life?
He realized then that his words could easily be misinterpreted.
“No... that’s not what I meant!”
Bell explained quickly, his own face heating up.
“I mean, her health isn’t great, and she might come to the clinic often... If possible, I hope you can take care of her...”
“Oh, oh, oh!”
Tia finally sighed in relief, though the blush on her face didn’t fade in the slightest.
“You scared me... I thought...”
Her voice grew smaller until it was almost inaudible.
Bell didn’t respond.
He just took one more look at Lilian on the bed, then turned to leave.
“Bell!”
Tia suddenly called out to him.
Bell stopped and looked back.
Tia bit her lip, appearing to hesitate.
Finally, she mustered her courage and whispered:
“Um... if you run into any trouble, you can... you can come to me.”
Her voice was light, but every word was sincere.
“I... I might not be very strong, but... but I’ll do my best to help you!”
Looking at this overly kind senior, a wave of warmth rose in Bell’s heart.
He nodded and forced a faint smile.
“Thank you, Senior Tia.”
With that, he pushed the door open and walked out.
The clinic door closed softly behind him.
Bell stood in the corridor, looking up at the ceiling and letting out a long breath.
Lilian’s injuries were stable for now.
But that snapped fang would never grow back.
Cecilia.
Everything she did served as a reminder to Bell.
How terrifying she was.
How insane she was.
How... invincible she was.
Bell closed his eyes, and Cecilia’s pure, flawless face appeared in his mind, along with those bottomless eyes filled with morbid possessiveness.
No.
He couldn’t just give up.
He still had Leovite.
That man was currently the only existence capable of contending with Cecilia.
As long as he grasped that lifeline, there was still hope.
Bell opened his eyes and turned toward the dormitory.
However, after only a few steps, he saw a familiar figure walking toward him from the end of the hallway.
Red hair, a sunny smile.
It was Kyle.
“Bell!”
Kyle waved from a distance and ran over with large strides.
“I just heard you rushed into the clinic carrying an injured girl. You scared me to death! Are you okay?”
Bell’s heart tightened.
The news traveled that fast?
“I’m fine.”
Bell shook his head, his tone calm.
“It’s just... a friend got hurt, so I brought her for treatment.”
“A friend?”
Kyle blinked, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
“A girl?”
Bell didn’t answer.
He just looked at Kyle silently, his gaze carrying a hint of warning.
Sensing Bell’s resistance, Kyle scratched his head and gave a sheepish laugh.
“Alright, alright, I won’t ask.”
He walked up to Bell and patted his shoulder.
“But Bell, you’ve seemed under a lot of pressure lately.”
Kyle’s tone held a note of concern.
“If anything’s wrong, you can tell me. We’re friends, right?”
Friends.
Bell’s heart skipped a beat.
He looked up at Kyle’s sincere eyes.
This person truly considered him a friend.
But because of that, Bell couldn’t drag him into this mire.
Cecilia already had her eye on Kyle.
If he and Kyle got too close, she would definitely move against him.
He couldn’t let Kyle get involved.
Absolutely not.
“Kyle.”
Bell took a deep breath. His voice was calm, but he spoke each word with force.
“I told you before. Stay away from me.”
Kyle’s smile froze.
“Bell...”
“I don’t need friends.”
Bell interrupted him, turning away so he wouldn’t have to see Kyle’s expression.
“Don’t come looking for me anymore.”
With that, he strode toward the dormitory, leaving Kyle standing there alone.
Kyle watched Bell’s retreating back, the smile completely vanishing from his face.
He stood there in silence for a long time.
Finally, he sighed and muttered to himself:
“Bell... what on earth are you afraid of?”
...
Bell returned to his room, closed the door, and leaned against it, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor.
He hugged his knees and buried his head in his arms.
Kyle’s expression lingered in his mind.
That hurt, confused, and sad expression.
Bell closed his eyes and bit his lip hard.
I’m sorry.
But I can’t let you be harmed.
Just then, the air in the room suddenly grew stagnant.
A familiar scent of milk and blood quietly permeated the air.
Bell’s body stiffened instantly.
He snapped his head up and saw a figure standing silently in the corner of the room.
Cecilia.
When did she get in?!
“Brother.”
Cecilia tilted her head, an innocent smile on her face.
“Is Brother Kyle your friend?”
Bell’s heart stopped.
She heard.
She heard everything!
“Cecilia...”
Bell struggled to stand, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.
“You... what do you want?”
Cecilia didn’t answer.
She simply walked slowly to Bell, knelt down, and reached out to gently stroke his cheek.
“You’re so gentle with him, Brother.”
Her voice was light, like a feather landing on his heart.
“You’ve never even been that gentle with me.”
Bell’s throat felt blocked; he couldn’t say a single word.
Cecilia’s finger slid from his cheek to his lips.
“Brother said just now that he doesn’t need friends.”
She leaned in, her obsidian eyes reflecting Bell’s terrified face.
“Then... is the one you need... me?”
Her breath fanned over Bell’s face, carrying that cloying, sweet milky scent.
Bell trembled all over. He wanted to push her away, to flee, but his body refused to obey.
“Answer me.”
Cecilia’s voice carried a trace of an imperceptible tremor.
“The one you need... is me, right?”
Rate on N.U.
