During the group battle, Erika seemed to be struggling for a moment, but there were no significant visible injuries.
If you think about it differently, the several fights she had faced against me until now must have been overwhelming for her.
And as a result, the regeneration and recovery stats combined perfectly, likely enough to increase her combat stats.
Therefore, I judged that now was the timing she could handle my magic power. However, the aftereffects of the battle and my blood suction would soon kick in.
Even while I was lost in such calm thoughts, she was struggling while holding the girl in her arms.
“Yes, yes. It’s over. Please come to the abandoned building. We have a patient.”
Perhaps Erika projected her younger sister onto the girl she was holding. It might be a thought without much meaning.
However, it was entirely different from how she had treated the hostages she had encountered thus far. Simply because she was a pitiable girl, simply because she was in pain, she showed different behavior.
Is something precious to Erika something like that? I had given up, but she had protected it.
And that would likely become the driving force that could make Erika confront me in the future.
There will come a time when we meet again.
Including that younger sister.
After hanging up, Erika ran out of the abandoned building, looking a mix of emotions. I wanted to speak to her, but I felt like it would only make her angrier, which scared me a bit.
But it seems my mouth was disconnected from my self.
“You don’t need to worry that much. It’s not a serious injury…”
“Did you not hear what I said? Shut up.”
“I’m sorry.”
Well, that girl had done nothing wrong; she only trembled and stabbed me. Right?
But then she got caught up in my love struggle with Erika, got choked, and had her side burst in the explosion… That would hurt a bit.
When Erika caught sight of me smiling faintly, she let out a sigh and bit her lip.
“You…”
“Yeah?”
“You… I will definitely kill you.”
That’s a good mindset.
But it’s too soon to say that.
“As soon as we get to the Association…”
“No.”
“…What did you say?”
“I said no.”
Her gaze turned cold.
“You don’t get to choose.”
“I’m the one who gets to choose.”
“Hah.”
Erika brushed her hair back once. In the distance, a black van was approaching.
“You need to receive treatment right now. I think it’s amazing that you’re even standing. Your arm isn’t even attached yet.”
“What gives you the right to say that to me…?”
The van crashed onto the dirt road and arrived in front of us.
Erika stopped her speech and handed the girl to the woman in the car.
“It’s urgent. Please start treatment as soon as you arrive. I’ll stay behind.”
The woman looked back and forth between me and Erika in the brief moment of silence.
Yeah, you think so too, right? This doesn’t make sense.
“Hah, but Erika…”
“Please. I will go shortly.”
“…Okay.”
I wish someone would have persuaded her instead.
The car stepped back onto the road, making noise as it moved away.
The wind blew and our hair fluttered. Left alone in front of the collapsed building, she and I exchanged glances after a brief stillness.
“Take it out.”
“Take out what?”
“What do you mean, what? The weapon. That disgusting knife.”
Hah, I couldn’t hold back a small sigh.
I tried to treat it so carefully, going to meet Erika directly each time, talking to her and treating her.
And for a while longer, I would have to pay more attention to her health.
“…”
Honestly, I understood in a corner of my heart.
She has something I can’t have.
It’s strange that she keeps moving her body, standing by the edge of a continuous struggle.
But what lies ahead is reality.
I can’t help but worry.
She’s the only one. You are the one I’m starting to fall for.
I don’t know if this feeling is love. I don’t even know if it’s admiration.
But what I can say is that I’m sincere about wanting the best for you.
So, I couldn’t help but let out another sigh.
To you, who is pointing a sword at me.
“Why are you just standing there? Are you scared? Why not try putting on that smile you always wear?”
“Erika.”
“It’s nice to see your lovely face in a mess. And now it will be even more so.”
The knife curved toward me. I bent my body to dodge and lightly pushed her with the knife.
And then came the following dying gasp. Twisting and confusion, the aftermath of emotions and the trembling air.
“Ugh, ah, huuagh.”
Coughing up blood, Erika collapsed to the floor, losing her light in her eyes, and only an expression filled with questions remained.
“Wha- What is this…?”
Gradually, her voice sank, and her eyes closed as if to look at me.
“You should know. You overdid it too much since morning. You went for a group purification without even healing your arm.”
It’s not just the aftereffects of blood suction. It was also due to the fact that she had been pushing her body hard recently.
“You don’t need to worry that much. Just close your eyes for a moment, and you’ll be in the hospital.”
“…What the hell are you…?”
To her, desperately trying to cling to consciousness, it might have been a cruel thing to say, but soon after, the eyes that were looking at me gently closed.
“Will it, will it be a distance?”
[A little more walking should make it just right.]
Honestly, holding the princess is hurting my arms. I should carry her on my back.
It was cozy. It was peaceful.
It felt really good.
The hospital room was clean and serene.
Maybe my house should be decorated like this too.
Erika’s general treatment was finished. Exceptionally, they were currently finishing up on the sutures.
The magic circle wrapped around her arm emitted a refreshing tone as it sank into her skin. It was more than just close contact; it melted in.
The blue light blended together and condensed in a circular shape in the sutured area before scattering into the air and disappearing.
It was done.
It would be completely healed in a few hours.
[You worked hard.]
“Thank you.”
[…It’s about this girl.]
That’s true.
I didn’t do anything.
While I was sipping coffee from a paper cup, Erika opened her eyes with a groan.
“Hello again. We meet again.”
A brief silence.
“…Hah.”
Erika, mashing the blanket with one hand after washing her face, leaned back against the wall with a tired smile.
After a moment of stillness returned, I opened my mouth cautiously.
“The treatment went well. The severed suturing was also completed. In just a few hours…”
“What on earth is going on?”
Fatigue reflected in her eyes.
“What is the situation? Why did I wake up here again?”
“Your health wasn’t good…”
“Not that.”
A sigh.
After a few seconds of silence, her red lips opened again.
“You are a villain, and I have been opposing you until now. I cursed, slandered, and pointed a knife at you.”
“You did.”
“And what of it? Do you not understand the relationship between us? What is this, what’s happening right now… Hah.”
I tilted my head.
I put the paper cup back to my lips. It was vending machine coffee, so I wasn’t sure if it tasted good.
“Why are you saving me? Why treat me and why are you being so kind to me? An ordinary person wouldn’t do that.”
“Do you think I’m an ordinary person?”
“No, ha. Sure, that’s right. You are not an ordinary person. You’re trash. A beast that kills people without mercy.”
That kind of girl.
“I could have already died several times over. Sure, saying this to your face is something, but you are stronger than me. You have been. Every fight should have ended with my death, right?”
In a typical situation, with a typical villain and a typical hero, if justice were such. If the world were such.
A natural sequence and a predetermined result.
It was clear that Erika’s death would end the relationship between her and me.
And I thought so too.
I thought so.
“What is this? Just be honest. You’re just toying with me, right? Just a plaything that’s fun to play with.”
“Erika.”
“Then I’ll accept it. After playing along, I’ll crush you.”
I put down the paper cup and let out a small breath. The emptiness and exhaustion layered over her as she looked at me.
She was still beautiful. She was beautiful in any form.
If I could have you forever, if I could have the righteous and compassionate you, how wonderful would that be?
“I’m just trying to grant your wish.”
Really.
“What does that mean…?”
“I will help you.”
Seeing her look baffled, I smiled gently.
“So you can kill me.”
I forcibly pulled Bloody out of my pocket, which had been peeking out.
I grabbed Erika’s hand and placed it on it.
[Wait a second, Orly!?]
It must feel good since it was soft.
[Don’t touch it! What, what’s going on? Why won’t my body move?! Gyaaaah!]
“I will commit more killings in the future, and you will have to investigate each time.”
“…”
“It will be overwhelming just to find me. Let alone having to kill me.”
Erika’s hand fumbled over Bloody. It seems holding it tightly is a preference.
“So, I will always be by your side. That means I’ll join you in battle.”
It feels like a proposal. Of course, that isn’t bad.
But it might not be pleasant for someone in the position of having a terminal lover.
“…Why, why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
Standing up in front of her, who had lost her words, I emptied the paper cup. The sound of the chair scraping broke the stillness of the quiet room.
“But that’s not possible right now.”
[Wait! Take me with you!]
“For a while, your body won’t be able to keep up. You need to rest.”
Bloody that had torn free flowed into my coat pocket. It seemed like it was pricking at me.
“For several days, you will spend your time resting with me, checking if there’s anything wrong with your body.”
“What could possibly be wrong with my body… Ah.”
Remembered it?
I drank your blood a lot.
“You have no right to refuse. You must stay with me.”
It might be selfish. But it didn’t matter.
It’s a necessary process.
Before long, I would roll her around again. Severely, beyond endurance.
So some middle break would be needed.
“Do you have any favorite cafes?”
To her, still looking at me with her expression unsoftened, I smiled gently.
