CH 40

The Smile Bomb

After a while, there was a knock at the door.

She thought that it might be Cody, but to her surprise, the visitor was Seiryuu.

“Seiryuu.”

“I heard at breakfast that you were down with a fever. Are you okay now?”

“I’m happy. Zechs was with me earlier, but I was feeling a little lonely because he left.”

Seiryuu hesitantly entered the room. Even though it was his day off, he was dressed neatly, and his black hair was tied up flawlessly.

“How are you feeling? I heard you weren’t feeling well since yesterday…..”

“I’m fine. I don’t want to miss class, so hopefully, I’ll be better by the end of the day.”

“I see, but don’t overdo it.”

Sitting on the round chair beside the bed, Seiryuu smiled faintly. His soft, narrow black eyes conveyed a sense of exertion.

“I’ve brought you some fruit-infused water. It’s chilled, would you like some?”

Seiryuu took out a transparent bottle out of nowhere. The condensation formed large water droplets, and it seemed to be very chilled.

“Thank you! I’d like some.”

When she got up and tried to prepare some glasses, he refused, telling her to stay in bed. Sheila felt embarrassed, but directed him to the location of the glasses on the shelf.

The sight of someone other than herself moving around the room made her feel somewhat strange. He could easily reach the high cupboards without using a stand.

Seiryuu prepared a glass of apple fruit water. The slight sweetness was soothing to her aching throat.

“――It’s delicious! I was just thinking that water hurts my throat. But I feel bad that you went to the trouble of bringing me fruit water.”

“Don’t worry about it. As long as you’re fine, that’s all that matters.”

Her cheeks relaxed at the powerful words. The care was so different from that of Zechs that it warmed her heart.

However, there was one thing that was strange to Sheila.

“By the way, Seiryuu, why are you looking that way?”

For some reason, Seiryuu was unnaturally turning his head away from her while sitting in the round chair.

She felt like the only time she’d met his eyes was when he smiled at her. There was nothing of interest in the direction he was looking, so maybe he didn’t want to make eye contact.

Sheila’s expression clouded, wondering if she had done something to offend him.

“….. Are you mad at me?”

“No, not at all.”

“Then, please turn around.”

He stubbornly refused to look at her when she asked him to do so.

“Seiryuu.”

“I’m sorry, but you… sick in bed….”

Seiryuu’s face contorted in distress.

The moment their eyes met, he regretted that he shouldn’t have come to visit her.

Up close, Sheila’s white cheeks were flushed red, and her rose-colored hair was moist with sweat. Her lips, which were reddish as she breathed shallowly, reminded Seiryuu of the time he had encountered her in the bathhouse. To put it bluntly, he was at a loss for where to put his eyes.

Unaware of this, Sheila gazed sadly at Seiryuu.

“Why are you avoiding me? Even though I’m being ignored by my classmates on the same course, if even Seiryuu hates me.…”

“No, it’s impossible for me to hate you! Rather, I―”

A flustered Seiryuu raised his head and objected. At a very close distance, their eyes met clearly. The deep, luminous black meets the pale, shimmering yellow light.

In an instant, Seiryuu’s face turned red. The normalcy he had been chanting in his mind collapsed.

“Seiryuu?”

“Sorry!”

Seiryu stood up suddenly, knocking over the round chair with a clatter, and ran to the door as if to escape.

Sheila could do nothing but see Seiryuu running away at a terrifying speed, dumbfounded.

As she wondered if something about her had offended him, she heard someone at the open door.

“What in the world is going on? What’s with all the racket?”

Muttering in displeasure and staring off into the distance with light blue eyes was Regress, his pink-blonde curls swaying.

“Regress-senpai.”

“What’s the matter with Seiryuu Mifune? He was shouting, ‘My worldly desires have not been erased!’”

“Huh? No, I have no idea….”

What happened, Sheila would like to know too.

With a snort, Regress entered the room. He glanced at the surprised Sheila and held out the flowers he was holding.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well. This is for you.”

Shown near the side was a bouquet of roses in a strange shade of purple and pink. The pinks were tinged with orange, making them as beautiful as a sunset sky.

Sheila raised herself up a little and leaned against the back of the bed.

“Beautiful…. I’ve never seen such beautiful roses before.”

She reached out and gently touched it with her fingertips. The petals were so delicate that she felt as if she might break them if she touched them forcefully, and they felt cool and smooth.

Sheila’s reaction made Regress smile with satisfaction.

“That’s right. This is a special rose produced by our Olbrandt family through selective breeding, and it’s called “Akanezora”. It’s rare and difficult to obtain even in the noble world.”

“Is it okay for me to receive something that amazing?”

When she was in the village, she used to pick flowers from the fields and decorated them.

Sheila didn’t have any experience buying flowers, so she didn’t know what the market price was, but wouldn’t it be expensive if it was rare? She felt somewhat intimidated.

Regress suddenly lifted his eyebrows, and his tone became rough.

“This is an experiment, so to speak, to see if the common people can appreciate the quality of this rose. I didn’t prepare it just for you!”

Regress, his cheeks flushed, turned away.

Sheila accepted his words obediently.

“Is that so? Then I was lucky. Thank you, Regress-senpai.”

As she smiled, Regress averted his gaze more and more. Then he stood up and looked around, holding up a bouquet of flowers.

“I’m going to put the roses properly. Is there no servant here?”

“No, commoners don’t have servants. Please give it to me. I will put them in a vase.”

Regress quickly stopped Sheila as she was about to get off the bed.

“I can’t do that to a person who’s sick in bed. Don’t worry, I can do this much.”

Although he struggled, he replaced the flowers in the vase. When she casually showed him how to do it, he would reply, “I know that much.”

The roses on the windowsill were looking good, and Regress looked on with pride.

Then he sat back down again and crossed his arms in a pompous manner.

“So, how are you doing? Feel a little better?”

“Thanks to you, it’s not that bad. I’m just taking a break to properly rest.”

“You’re still red, though. You should be sleeping, don’t mind me.”

She was a little light-headed, so Sheila decided to lie down.

“Oh, by the way, I wanted to apologize properly to you once. I’m sorry that my presence has delayed the classes.”

Each time she was harassed, Claushezade was forced to interrupt class. Sheila felt guilty about this, as it shortened the time they had to learn.

“You don’t need to apologize. What’s bad is those idiots who turn their malice on people who entered the special course with their ability.”

Regress shook his head and spoke clearly. That came as a surprise to Sheila.

There were some nobles who have never had any bad feelings for Sheila herself, but turned their irritation toward her because of the lack of progress in the class.

Since Regress seemed to dislike Sheila as well, she would have thought he would be in a similar state of mind, even if he didn’t participate in the harassment.

However, he gave Sheila a concerned look.

“…. You’re the one who has endured so well. If there’s nothing you can do about all this, maybe the people harassing you will eventually start to dwindle down on their own?”

Sheila thought of Dilliam’s face. It might not work out that well, but hopefully, things would change as Regress said.

His light-colored eyes held a sincere light.

“It wasn’t pleasant to watch, but I couldn’t help you easily. If you don’t get over this with your own strength, it will be the same thing over and over again….. So, I’m sorry.”

“….”

What he added in a low voice was certainly an apology. Sheila rolled her eyes this time.

Being protected was an easy and comfortable way out.

But if we didn’t silence those around us with our abilities, there would be no fundamental solution. The seeds of discontent would not disappear. Was that why he chose to remain silent?

Many people, including Zechs, were concerned about Sheila’s situation. She was warmed by that fact; it was very reassuring.

“….. That’s not something you should apologize for. Thank you, Regress-senpai.”

“It’s nothing! I just can’t stand cowardice!”

“Even so, I’m glad.”

A smile naturally broke out from within her.

Regress stared at her smile as if a bud was slowly blooming. She was more beautiful than any rare rose―

“Aaahhhh!!”

The blood-curdling thought came to mind, and Regress turned bright red. With a burst of energy, he ran out of the room.

Sheila couldn’t help but be stunned by the sudden eccentricity.

“….. Why? And by the way, everyone, who’s going to close the door…..?”

After Zechs, Seiryuu and Regress rushed out with ghastly expressions, rumors spread around the dormitory that there might be hazardous materials in this room.