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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
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***
The next day was Saturday.
It was already past morning, nearing lunchtime. As I headed to the cafe, our meeting spot, my whole body felt stiff.
"Even after sleeping so much," I muttered. "It doesn't feel like I slept at all."
My steps felt heavy even as I spoke.
Since it was the weekend, I woke up quite late compared to usual. I must have slept for nearly ten hours.
Yet, the accumulated fatigue in my body didn't feel completely gone.
I'd felt my body was overexerted yesterday, but the after-effects seemed even more pronounced today.
'This isn't good.'
I couldn't afford to be negligent when dealing with Kalite today.
Still, my limbs felt heavy. It was as if my body was pleading with me, indicating that a brief rest wasn't enough for recovery.
That I needed more rest...
A sigh escaped me naturally as I felt a sense of urgency.
"Just hold on a little longer..."
I muttered, a small wish in my voice, lightly patting my cheek.
Moreover, I couldn't meet Kalite in this state of mind.
With such an ambivalent mindset, I might make a mistake with her. As someone who needed to take care of Kalite, I absolutely couldn't show any weakness.
With that resolve, I opened the door to the cafe that had appeared before me.
Jingle.
Along with the faint jingle of a bell, I saw countless cadets filling the cafe, as was typical for a weekend.
Despite it being a cafe supposedly only accessible to cadets who enrolled this year, it was packed to the brim, as if bursting with people.
Footsteps.
As I walked between the tables, I naturally glanced around.
'Where could Kalite be?'
It didn't take long for me to spot her.
She simply stood out.
It was truly... strange how someone alone stood out more than a group of people. Perhaps it was just me, but finding Kalite was incredibly easy.
Glancing. Peeking.
The people around her were staring at Kalite with curious expressions, keeping their distance, which seemed to draw even more attention to her.
Footsteps.
As I approached Kalite, the gazes of those people felt bothersome.
'It seems they're looking at her that way because of her aura.'
Even so, did they really have to keep peeking at her like that?
Kalite, looking miserable, had her head bowed, staring at the table as if burdened by their stares... It made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
While it was true that Kalite had a peculiar aura, there were circumstances behind it.
"Kalite."
I called her name and naturally took the seat opposite her. Kalite, looking dazed, lifted her head.
"...Han Cheonsung."
And as soon as she saw me, she called my name, and I flinched for a moment even as our eyes met.
'She looks even worse.'
Kalite looked to be in worse condition now than when I'd encountered her two days ago.
Her gloomy complexion marred her appearance, and her completely sunken expression and lifeless eyes made her seem even darker.
"So, have you ordered?"
Despite that, I spoke to her calmly.
"No... not yet."
"Really? Then I'll order. Kalite, what kind of dessert do you like?"
Last time, being our first meeting, we awkwardly drank kiwi lattes, but today, for our second meeting, I spoke to her a little more warmly.
"...Anything."
Despite her continuous reply in a subdued voice, I swallowed a sigh internally and picked up the menu lying on the table.
I opened the menu and presented it to her, making it easy to see.
"Not 'anything.' Let's look through the menu a bit more before ordering. I like apple pie, do you have any favorite fruits? Their fruit desserts here are quite good, so you can look forward to them."
I forced myself to speak brightly.
Even though my own physical condition wasn't great, I couldn't let Kalite's gloominess drag down the atmosphere. Rather, the darker she became, the more brightly I needed to speak and lead the mood.
...
Even as I continued to speak, Kalite simply stared blankly.
She wasn't even looking at the menu I'd presented so nicely. Instead, she kept her gaze on me, her lips hesitant.
...Even as I faced her, I couldn't fully understand why she was like that.
'Is she really struggling that much?'
Compared to my current physical fatigue, Kalite seemed to be suffering from a chronic mental illness. One that had persisted for years, even without a clear cause, inflicting damage.
So, I didn't rush Kalite, who was gazing back at me blankly.
I knew from experience that when one lacked peace of mind, as she did now, they needed someone to wait patiently by their side.
As I met her gaze without looking away, Kalite spoke very cautiously.
"Then I'll have the apple pie too..."
"Really? Your dessert preferences seem similar to mine. What about drinks?"
As I responded with a smile, Kalite finally shifted her gaze to the menu.
I flipped through the menu and pointed to the drinks category, and Kalite blinked subtly.
"I'll have a strawberry latte."
"Then I'll have a strawberry latte too. I'll go order right away."
As soon as we decided on the menu, I stood up again. I was planning to go order right away, but then.
"Han Cheonsung."
"Why?"
At the unexpected call, I looked at her, wondering if she had another order.
"...Come with me."
As Kalite rose to follow me, I simply accepted it.
As we walked to the counter, our footsteps echoing differently, I mentally reviewed what I needed to do today.
'I should talk to her in the cafe, then maybe go to a park or walk around various places to help Kalite cheer up.'
Until 9 PM tonight, when I had training with Kali, I planned to fully accommodate Kalite.
"You... are you really okay?"
"Okay with what? What do you mean?"
At her words, I turned my head, and Kalite, who had been staring at me curiously, shook her head.
"No, it's nothing."
I wondered what she meant, but then I simply finished ordering at the counter.
After a short wait, I returned to our table with a tray holding our ordered desserts and drinks.
Clink.
I first handed Kalite the apple pie from the tray, then took my own.
I picked up my strawberry latte and was about to take a sip when.
Even at that moment, I felt an intense gaze.
In fact, even when I went to order, while ordering, and now, sitting together at the table, I continuously felt eyes on me.
While other cadets were also looking at me, the primary source of the gaze was Kalite.
'Does she have something to say?'
As I thought that and met her gaze, Kalite immediately averted her eyes and picked up her strawberry latte, even that action felt strangely peculiar.
'She doesn't seem to feel repulsed by me.'
Kalite's demeanor felt peculiar even compared to two days ago.
"Kalite, are you still feeling a bit anxious?"
"Now... I'm much better."
"So, you were anxious before this, then."
"Yes. But... this level of anxiety is quite normal for me now."
She gently detached the straw and replied, and for a moment, I pondered how to respond.
I knew Kalite was struggling mentally right now.
But the way to help her immediately was unclear. She was trying to dismiss her struggles as normal, but I couldn't treat her as if nothing was wrong.
Still, I wondered if I should simply accept it lightly, or if I should show more concern. It was a needless dilemma.
But after a brief moment of deliberation, I opened my mouth.
"Even if it's normal, it's still difficult, isn't it?"
And the answer I chose was one that showed a little more concern.
That didn't mean I should treat her lightly, either. I couldn't claim to know how hard it was for her.
...
Kalite paused for a moment, and I calmly began to cut the apple pie into smaller pieces with a knife.
With a fork.
I speared a small piece of the apple pie with my fork and took a bite. The rich flavor of the fruit from the crust naturally brought a smile to my face.
"It's delicious."
"...Delicious?"
"Yeah. It's really good."
Still, I didn't intend to treat Kalite too seriously. While I was certainly aware of her condition, I planned to treat her as normally as possible.
At the very least, I intended to extend my hand first, so she could treat me as comfortably as she would a fellow classmate.
A gentle scrape.
Afterward, I saw Kalite pick up her knife.
Then, just as I had, she cut a piece of apple pie and brought it to her mouth. After tasting it, she nodded.
"...It's good."
"Right? The desserts here are quite tasty."
As we continued our conversation, I felt more at ease than when I had first seen Kalite today.
The more we talked, the slightly brighter Kalite's expression became.
'She's willing to talk to me.'
It wasn't that difficult to find common ground with her. So, I could easily adjust myself to her.
More than anything, the fact that Kalite wasn't rejecting conversation with me was significant.
...
The time continued with us exchanging light conversation and savoring the apple pie.
A gentle scrape.
I was about to bring the last piece of apple pie to my mouth when.
"Han Cheonsung."
At the unexpected call, I responded immediately.
"Yes, Kalite."
"...How can you treat me so normally?"
At her words, I lowered the apple pie I was about to put into my mouth.
Her eyes, even blurring slightly, questioned me, and her expression seemed incredibly serious.
...
Her light reddish eyes, tinged with a faint red, gazed at me through her subtly disheveled light blue hair.
As I gently set down my fork, I found myself giving a slightly different answer.
"Kalite, is the way I treat you strange?"
"To be honest, yes. Even cadets in my own class don't try to approach me. But you, from a different class, approached me the first time you saw me. Even after thinking about it for two days, I still don't know why. Why you're so kind to me, and why you're meeting me like this now... everything."
Kalite, speaking calmly, didn't hide her anxiously trembling eyes.
And her gaze seemed to be seeking a proper answer.
...
'It makes sense.'
Kalite's words made sense. But the words themselves sounded strange. As if there had to be a specific reason for me to approach Kalite and be kind to her like this.
In fact, there was a reason I was spending time with Kalite now.
—Because I couldn't just let someone die before my eyes.
That reason was essentially the sole reason I was meeting Kalite, but I couldn't reveal it directly.
"Is it... difficult to answer?"
But as Kalite's eyes trembled greatly, as if she'd interpreted my hesitation differently, I stopped thinking and opened my mouth.
"Because I want to, because I care about you."
I blurted out an answer that sounded like something I'd heard someone else say. Coincidentally, in that moment, those were the only words that came to mind.
...!
Even as I saw Kalite's eyes widen, I belatedly realized I'd made a mistake, but it was too late to take it back.
"Is that not enough of an answer?"
So, I pressed on.
'Even if it leads to a misunderstanding, I can't help it.'
Even if I seemed strange to her like this, I needed to create a reason for my persistence.
I couldn't tell her she was going to die next week, and simply meeting her out of concern would also seem strange. For now, that was the only reason Kalite might accept.
...
Watching Kalite avoid my gaze and hesitate with her lips, I swallowed a sigh internally.
It seemed I had caused a serious misunderstanding.
'I can't help it.'
Even so, I found myself glancing around unnecessarily.
Surely, I wouldn't run into Kali again like last time, something so absurd, I thought, when.
"...Ah."
I saw Luna, looking at me with a surprised expression.
...And Luna being in the cafe meant Millia was somewhere nearby.