Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He didn’t turn on any candles or lights.

It might sound funny because it didn’t fit the place, but she couldn’t hear the sound of a fluorescent light switch being turned on. However, as soon as Weed answered, the darkness that was long before the sun rose gradually disappeared.

Soft light, like fireflies, illuminated the room.

The light was bright, so she could see Weed, who was barely far away. He had a cylindrical object, about a hand’s length, of unknown use. Hana just inferred that she had been stabbed and wounded with it.

Weed didn’t come close, but he didn’t run away either. One of his forearms was exposed, probably because the fabric on his sleeve had been torn to stop her bleeding.

He must have been startled by her scream.

Along with his long jade-blue hair that was disheveled, the golden eyes, which shone like beasts in the dark, gave the impression that they were wet. What was he trying to do by making such a good-natured impression?

“What the hell is going on?”

Hana said a little sharply. She didn’t feel good when she woke up, but this time the dream was wild, and all the more so because she was hurt as soon as she woke up.

Weed licked his lips a few times and tried to move his steps. Then, he stopped again and came closer to Hana, showing both palms.

“Th-that, that… I-I was going to draw some blood.”

“Draw blood…? You drawing blood? No, then you can wake me up during the day and ask?!”

She immediately understood what the cylindrical object Weed was holding and how she had been hurt by it.

The thing he was holding looked like a syringe that had been used centuries ago, but the size was terrifyingly large. Even the needle at the end was thick, so it seemed that if she were pierced by it, it would not be safe.

In fact, it looked as if the needle had just grazed her flesh.

“You screamed…”

“What? Me?”

“…I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Is that what the person who stands above the person sleeping in the middle of the night is supposed to say?”

“…I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to surprise you.”

Hana, forgetting that there was blood on her cheek, touched her forehead with her hand.

Even though she had no idea when she saw his face, his body was quite, quite strong. Thick forearms were visible behind the torn clothes. That forearm was the size of her own thigh, adding a little more exaggeration.

Even though he only apologized over and over again, it was too scary to encounter a stranger at night.

“Look. Who looks the most dangerous in this room right now? Carrying something like that in the middle of the night, my God, like this… This is what surprises me the most.”

“I am really sorry. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Weed continued to bow his head as if he had committed a mortal sin against her, who was flustered and uttered gibberish. His angelic face contorted as if he would cry at any moment. Not wanting to be angry with him or question him, she just sighed.

“Ha… Why do you need my blood? Were you thinking of doing it secretly? With that needle?”

“I tried not to leave any scars. I didn’t want you to see the scars.”

“No, how can that not hurt?!”

“That… could you show me your hand for a minute?”

Saying that, Weed first asked for permission with his eyes before he carefully grabbed her arm and unwrapped the cloth he had just wrapped around her hand.

“How is this…”

…How did the pain stop so quickly?

There was a smooth palm with no wounds or scars, only a spot of dried blood. If there’s a way to do this, he might be able to take it secretly while she was asleep.

Hana lost her words for a moment. It seemed that if she asked this now, she would not receive an answer she could understand right away. It seemed that the healing technology was extremely developed or some kind of magic.

However, she did not like this kind of consideration. She flipped her clean hands around and looked straight at Weed. Before she could speak, she let out another sigh.

“Ah, that’s fine. Hmm… it’s amazing. But, Weed…”

“Yes.”

“If possible, tell me this directly. I know it’s not bad intentions, but I hate snooping around like that. That’s what stalkers do.”

“Stalker?? What is that?”

“Stalker… That’s what we call criminals who chase after people and force only their own feelings even though the other person hates them.”

“Absolutely not! I didn’t want to do anything you would hate. I really just…”

“No, no. It’s not like that.”

Hana waved her hand.

She had no intention of blaming him or calling him a criminal. She fully understood that his intentions were not bad. In fact, if Weed had any intention of harming her, he would have done it long ago. And in a world like this, no one would know what happened to her.

Besides, she was sensitive to the stalker because she had been tormented by the stalker right before she came here and right after she had the dream about him.

She recalled the moment just before her accident and shuddered once with goosebumps. However, she was not someone to turn to the person who had saved her life and was doing her an undeserved favor.

“It’s not like that, the important thing is the intention. If Weed had asked for it, I would have been willing to endure it. I don’t know what kind of big deal you were trying to hide in the first place.”

Weed didn’t even make excuses anymore and kept his mouth shut. He kept lowering his head and making a pitiful face, so even though he had admitted his fault, she felt like he was scolding him.

Hana sighed once again.

“So I mean, it’s Weed’s fault for sneaking in like this. I mean, I was really surprised. I thought a real stalker had come in… so I was a bit sensitive. I’m sorry about that.”

Weed was choosing what to say while furrowing his forehead for a moment.

For a while, he gazed at the syringe he was holding and Hana’s arm, and he seemed to be thinking about something. If she got pricked by that needle, she thought that it would be quite painful, even if she was prepared right before she got poked.

“Hana, then, is white lying a crime in your world?”

‘…Does the communication work?’

It was a pretty silly question. Hana frowned as she was in trouble.

“Oh, it’s not like that…”

After all, just because the language worked didn’t mean they could communicate well. Judging from Weed’s consistently dignified attitude, he seemed to know that she was from a place of great integrity.

“A white lie is effective when you know the other person well. And Weed doesn’t know me well.”

“Yes…”

“I’m not the kind of person who needs that kind of goodwill. There is no need to deliberately lie to me. It’s better to know than to be comfortable not knowing, right?”

Seeing that he had a strangely downcast expression, Hana thought for some reason that she wanted to hand over Weed’s disheveled hair or stroke his head.

“And just lying is not a crime. What can be called a crime right now, would be to come to me in the middle of the night with a weapon or something like that. Even if this is Weed’s house…”

“Ah, the weapon… I understand now. I was arrogant.”

Weed was holding the syringe and still looking at it.

He was someone she had just met, but even so, she had a hard time connecting such a person to a crime. She honestly had never seen anyone look this good. Although it wasn’t just his looks, the way he treated her.

This time, too, he had no impression that he had done some malice. She felt sorry for him.

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