Emil's head flew back.
Malcolm realized it only after his wooden sword had already struck Emil on the side of the head.
'Huh…?'
Malcolm wore a dazed expression as he stared at the slowing scenery.
The flames of anger and displeasure that had flared up in his heart just moments ago instantly died down.
*Crash!* And by the time his heart had cooled and he could grasp the current situation, Emil's body, which had been suspended in the air, slammed into the ground with a loud thud.
"E-Emil! Are you alright?!"
Then, the Professor, who had been standing far away, rushed past Malcolm and ran over frantically. Following behind him, "Emil—!!" Mari, her face deathly pale, ran after him.
'What….'
Amidst all this, Malcolm continued to question in his mind.
'Why did Emil get hit by the wooden sword?'
Just a moment ago, Emil had clearly parried all of his sword attacks.
Although his face showed strain, he had clearly parried all of his attacks without a single opening.
It was a level that surprised even Malcolm, who had trained in swordsmanship since childhood.
That's why Malcolm swung with all his might. Even if Emil parried it, he swung a sword strong enough to inflict damage.
However, At that moment, for some reason, Emil's sharp defense crumbled. And Emil took that decisive blow directly to the head.
"Emil!! Emil!! Snap out of it!! Emil—!!"
"Damn it…! Blood…. Everyone, stand by!! I'll take Emil to the Priest-nim!!"
"Emil—!!"
Before he could get an answer to his questions, Malcolm snapped out of his daze at the sight of the Professor rushing out with Emil on his back and Mari frantically shouting Emil's name.
And then he faced it.
"..."
"..."
Mari's eyes, as she sat on the ground, staring at him.
"...N-No. Mari, this is."
Malcolm had spent a long time with her, but he had never seen Mari's eyes like that before. And it was also the first time such eyes were directed at him.
Because of that, "Ma-Mari…." Malcolm felt, for the first time, a strange crack forming in his relationship with Mari.
Mari was looking at him as an enemy now. She was looking at him, the one who had put Emil in such a state, with resentment.
Because Malcolm had always been by her side, It was the first time he stood on the opposite side of her, facing her raw resentment.
*Ache….*
His chest ached.
The person who had always taken his side throughout his life, Now looking at him as an enemy with those eyes. Malcolm felt more pain than any he had ever experienced.
***
*Rustle….*
"Mmm…."
I opened my eyes, feeling the soft texture of the bed.
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the ceiling I had seen several times before. It was the ceiling of the infirmary, where I had been cared for after being beaten by the male protagonists in previous timelines.
"Are you awake?"
I had only just opened my eyes, but someone, noticing I was awake, spoke to me.
I sat up and looked at the person who spoke.
"How long have I been asleep?"
The person was Lydia, the Priestess hired by Reville Academy to handle emergencies. She had been reading a book, holding a steaming cup of coffee, when she looked at me with a bewildered expression at my question.
"Hehe, the first thing you say after almost dying is 'How long have I been asleep?'… You speak like a mercenary who's been through hell and back. Or perhaps you don't remember?"
"No, I remember, but…"
*Almost died*….
Of course, I instinctively knew that Malcolm's blow was a critical one. But it wasn't fatal. It was dangerous enough to kill, but I staged this show specifically considering the presence of this skilled Priestess. And since I've died five times already, my body remembers the danger of death. But to Ms. Lydia, who doesn't know that, I must seem like an eccentric student.
"So, how long did I sleep?"
"Hmm… A little over an hour, I suppose?"
Immediately after Ms. Lydia answered, *Dong. Dong.* Just then, as if on cue, the bell signaling the end of classes echoed throughout the academy.
"Hehe, you slept for about 30 minutes. It's lunchtime now; do you want to lie down longer?"
"...Hmm."
I pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, then rest a bit longer and go back when you feel comfortable. All your injuries have been treated." Ms. Lydia explained that, then drew the curtain around the bed I was lying on.
After that, I lay comfortably on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
'…It's lunchtime, so they should be arriving soon.'
The reason I didn't leave was that there was someone I was waiting for.
That person was…
*Creak….*
"Oh my, what's wrong?"
"U-Um…! Is Emil alright?"
"Ah, a friend, I see. He's fine. He just woke up, so come on in."
"…Yes!"
Just then, the person I was waiting for immediately opened the infirmary door and entered. Then, the curtain swayed once, And Mari appeared, pushing through it.
"Emil…."
"Mari, what's wrong?" Then I feigned a surprised expression, greeting Mari as if I hadn't expected her to come.
***
Mari appeared restless throughout the rest of the class.
She hugged her knees, her face pale, and her body trembled.
"Mari… Emil will be alright."
Sierra, who was her partner, watched over Mari, patting her soothingly.
"B-But… Emil's head just now… What do I do?"
Mari no longer worried about Sierra discovering her feelings. She simply trembled with anxiety, openly revealing her concern for Emil.
At that very moment, the only impulse in her mind was to rush to Emil.
A short while later, the Professor returned from the infirmary and announced that Emil was safe. Only then could Mari finally calm her heart and feel relieved.
But that didn't make the urge to go to Emil disappear. On the contrary, the more relieved she felt, the more she wanted to see him safe and sound.
"Ah… Well, since there was an incident today, I'll end class here. Everyone, return to your classrooms and wait until class officially ends."
Just then, the Professor, considering the awkward situation, ended class early. Upon hearing his words, Mari immediately headed for the infirmary.
"Ma-Mari!"
She thought she heard Malcolm's voice from behind her, but Mari didn't even turn her head, simply continuing forward.
She wanted to see Emil.
She wanted to see him and truly calm her heart.
Because the image of him collapsed was still in her mind.
And then, *Dong. Dong.* *Creak….* Mari arrived at the infirmary almost simultaneously with the start of lunchtime.
"...Are you alright?"
"Yeah, the Priest-nim is really skilled, so I'm perfectly fine."
"That's a relief…."
Mari silently thanked Lydia, who had just left for lunch.
Thanks to her, Emil seemed safe and sound, without any issues.
"But that's surprising."
"...Huh? What is?"
Just then, Emil, sitting on the bed facing Mari, said with a shy smile.
"Well, I just didn't expect Mari to rush here so quickly."
"Ugh…"
Only then did Mari realize how she had been acting.
'I-I revealed too much…'
She felt heat rising to her face.
Her cheeks were probably visibly red, even to Emil.
Of course, putting aside the redness of her cheeks, Mari, with her head bowed and eyes trembling, looked like a shy girl to anyone.
'What should I do….'
Mari fell into momentary contemplation.
After confirming Emil's safety with her own eyes and calming her heart, her previous worry came to mind.
It was the relationship between Emil and Sierra.
"...Mari?"
Mari glanced at Emil, who was looking at her questioningly due to her silence.
What should she say to him?
…*It's natural to be worried?*
…*Malcolm did it, so I came to apologize?*
Both sounded strange.
The first sounded like she was pretending to be his lover, and the second made her sound like Malcolm's guardian.
"W-Well, that is…"
"Yes."
As she hesitated, Ultimately, Mari…
"E-Emil…"
"Yes?"
Chose to confront it directly.
"Do you… perhaps like Sierra?"
"..."
*Thump, thump.*
There was no turning back now.
'Ugh… I feel like I'm going crazy….'
Mari looked seriously at Emil, her face flushed.
To Emil's comment, 'I didn't expect you to rush here so quickly,' she had replied, 'Do you like Sierra?'
…This was practically a declaration that she cared about Emil.
That's why Mari grew even more nervous.
'…What if he says he doesn't like me? What if he says he actually likes Sierra? What if he asks why I'm asking?'
Unrealized possibilities flew like arrows into her mind, lodging themselves in her heart.
The more they did, the straighter Mari's back became, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
However, "Haha." To her tension, rendered meaningless, "What are you talking about? Sierra is just a friend." Emil replied nonchalantly.
"...A friend?"
"Yeah, is there anything else?"
"...R-Right."
She felt relieved.
Mari couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from gently turning up.
'Thank goodness….'
Perhaps she felt even more relieved than when she heard the news of Emil's safety.
And with that relief, she simultaneously realized.
"More importantly, it's lunchtime. Aren't you going to eat, Mari?"
"Huh? Oh… Yeah, I should go back and eat."
"Then, since you're already here, why don't we eat together?"
"Oh? Really?"
She wasn't just concerned about Emil.
'I really am…'
*Thump, thump.*
As their conversation continued normally due to Emil's natural reaction, Mari looked at Emil's smile, feeling her heart pound.
"Let's get up then."
"…So soon? Rest a bit more."
"No, seriously, I'm perfectly fine."
She couldn't take her eyes off him.
She wanted to keep seeing that smile.
From the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she fell asleep.
If possible, even in her dreams.
Even at this very moment, as she watched him.
Mari felt the desire to be with Emil.
'I really… Emil is…'
She couldn't pretend not to know this feeling now.
Even if it was a feeling she had never experienced before, her heart was clearly telling her the answer.
'I think I… like Emil….'
A different feeling from caring for her older brother.
A different feeling from relying on an old friend.
That affectionate feeling.
Mari clearly realized it at this very moment.
Because of that,
"E-Emil…!"
"Yes?"
While walking down the hallway together, Mari stopped for a moment and called out to Emil, who had walked ahead.
'It's scary…, but still….'
This feeling that she could no longer endure.
She confronted him with it honestly.
"Can you… give me p-private lessons?"
"Private lessons?"
"Yes! Separate from the study group…! A-And, the time doesn't matter… S-So… just the two of us… separately…"
She had made up her mind, but independently, her trembling heart made her trail off.
Her once confident gestures shrank, her fingers fidgeting.
She avoided Emil's gaze.
She felt like she would cry if he refused.
And then, "Okay. Is this for midterm exam prep? If I'm alright, I'll help you." "..." Emil's readily granted permission. At his gentle smile, *Thump.* Mari realized her feelings once more.
"Thank you…."
And she secretly hid her trembling emotions deep in her heart, Smiling tenderly at Emil.
Her heart, which had been trembling with worry and fear, now began to transform into happiness.
"Shall we go then? Where do you want to eat lunch?"
"Ah, the rooftop sounds good. …I wonder if it's open?"
"It's open. The rooftop management here is pretty shoddy."
"Hehe, right."
Again, Mari walked beside Emil as if nothing had happened, continuing their pleasant conversation as usual.
Meanwhile, In her heart, she made another resolution.
'If I get good grades on the midterm exams…'
It was another promise, distinct from the one she made with her older brother.
'I'll confess to Emil….'
Carrying that swelling heart, Mari walked beside Emil.