Chapter 28

Upon arriving in town, I finally got a sigh from the organization's terminal and my private terminal back.

As soon as we got to town, Sigh went somewhere, and I was left in the organization's parking lot.

I decided to start by reading the accumulated emails.

The emails piled up in the organization's terminal were mostly from Roll.

'Where are you?'

'Not coming?'

'I'm hungry'

'Finished my homework. Want to help?'

'Bored'

'Ignoring me?'

'Heard from the old man that you're training with Sigh'

'Was your terminal taken away?'

These were the only eight emails from Roll.

I received this many in the first three days, but after that, no more emails came.

There were a few more emails from Black Dog and Smoke, but only for the first week.

It seems that the news of my abduction by Sigh took about a week to spread.

There were quite a few emails accumulated in my private terminal.

Invitations to hang out from friends like Genki, Ohashi, and Rin, and worried emails from my parents.

And an email from Roll, who was registered in Shinjo, asking, 'Was this terminal taken away too?'

However, the emails from my parents and friends stopped on a certain day.

When I checked the sending history, I realized that a message saying, 'I'm going on a journey to improve myself during the summer break. Don't look for me,' had been sent to everyone who had sent me worried emails.

This was the work of Sigh's sister.

That person, taking people's phones without permission...

Well, it's better than being left alone, I guess.

More than that, the reply from my parents was quite harsh.

'Got it. You're at that age, huh?' What does that mean? Don't just accept it.

Well, it's fine.

At least they seem to be okay, which is a relief. But that's strange, too.

Anyway, the top priority is Roll.

I need to go and apologize to Roll.

It seems she understands that my terminal was taken, and she might not even be angry.

But an apology is necessary.

It's a problem that I haven't visited her once. And the summer break is almost over in three days. I need to get Roll to help me with my homework.

By the way, is Roll's injury healed?

Anyway, I need to go see her.

---

When I first went to the hospital room, Roll wasn't there.

According to Senyaku, who I happened to run into, Roll had been discharged three days ago after fully recovering.

Hearing this, I headed to Roll's room.

My ability is off. The off state is very comfortable, so I think it was a good idea to get it.

The difference is clear when you can switch between on and off.

It makes sense that ability users who don't have ON-OFF die young.

When I arrived at Roll's room, I knocked first.

I knocked on the door twice and waited for Roll's response.

"Who is it? Sigh?"

The voice from the other side of the door came back quickly.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm back."

"It's open. Come in."

When she said that, I opened the door and entered the room.

The room had been slightly rearranged, and the room that used to look like a girl's room had become a bit more sterile.

Roll was sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"It's been a while, buddy."

Roll said this without even looking at me.

The word "buddy" was laced with sarcasm and emphasis.

I stood there, feeling an odd pressure.

I immediately realized that Roll was in a bad mood.

"...Your injury is healed, right?"

I opened my mouth.

My voice might have been a little tense. To build a foundation for my apology, I tried to start a conversation.

"Yes, I was fully healed three days ago."

"I'm sorry I couldn't visit..."

I apologized sincerely, but the words that came back from Roll were a bit unusual.

"It's not your fault, Sigh. You were just taken away.

Besides, I don't care."

It's a lie. She does care.

Somehow, I feel a distance between us.

I realized this after just a few words.

The situation seems more serious than I thought.

"Sorry."

"I don't care."

A moment of silence.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, I opened my mouth again.

"...I'll make it up to you someday."

"That's why I said, I don't care!"

Roll stood up and raised her voice.

For the first time, Roll met my eyes.

The anger in her eyes.

I confirmed it again.

The situation is much more serious than I thought.

I never imagined Roll would be this angry. This is the first time I've seen her like this.

But why?

Was it such a big mistake for me to leave Roll alone for a month?

...I took it lightly, but maybe it was a big shock to Roll.

After standing there for a while, avoiding Roll's intense gaze, Roll eventually sat back down in her chair.

"...Sorry. I lost it.

Still, you look like you've been through a lot with Sigh.

Your face and aura are different.

You're not the same person..."

Roll said this and lowered her head.

This is not good.

Panicking, I tried to smooth things over by scratching my head.

"It's not like that.

But I do feel a bit stronger."

"...I'll see for myself.

Sorry, Sigh, but go home today. I'm not feeling well."

"Roll, how can I make it up to you?"

After hesitating a bit, my words reignited Roll's anger.

"I'm not... angry!

Fine, Sigh. Let's go to the training room. I'll see how much you've improved."

---

I was facing Roll in the training room.

Roll had changed into a tracksuit that looked easy to move in and was doing some light warm-up exercises in front of me.

"I'll explain the rules."

"Okay."

"No weapons, no abilities. No attacks to vital points.

The first one to go down loses."

"Got it."

We were about to have a mock battle.

Roll was going to see how much I had improved.

Even if she had other intentions, I wanted her to see my growth. It might calm her anger.

I nodded and did some light stretches.

"Then, come at me from anywhere."

When she said that, I closed the distance in an instant.

My target was Roll's temple.

We had agreed on five vital points in total.

Eyes, nose, chin, solar plexus, and throat.

Attacks to any other part were allowed.

This wasn't the first time I had a mock battle with Roll. We used to do it a lot before I went to train.

At first, I hesitated to attack Roll, but I soon realized I couldn't even land a hit, and understood that hesitation was pointless.

But how about now?

I stepped to Roll's left side and swung my fist from behind her field of vision.

However, Roll's quick reflexes easily surpassed mine, and she dodged my attack as she stepped in.

I deflected Roll's straight punch with my right hand and blocked her follow-up attack with a kick as I stepped back.

Then, maintaining a certain distance, I waited for Roll's move.

Roll responded to my attack and countered.

Maybe I should go on the defensive.

"...What kind of training did you do?"

In the tense atmosphere, Roll spoke.

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again.

This is a mock battle, after all.

If you have time to talk, look for an opening. That's what Sigh taught me.

"..."

"...So you even learned that, huh?"

Roll said this and looked down.

What? She's full of openings.

Thinking this, I tried to close the distance, but suddenly Roll's aura changed.

Zuzu, cat ears sprouted from her head, and a tail appeared from the gap in her tracksuit.

"...!?"

She didn't turn off her ability!?

I immediately activated my ability.

This is bad.

But my judgment was a bit late, and Roll was already attacking me.

Her reflexes are incredible. Too fast.

But I can still see it...!

I rolled to avoid it, stood up quickly, but couldn't keep up with Roll's speed as she turned around and was caught by the neck and slammed against the training room wall.

"Kah...!"

The claws digging in.

I was being lifted up, my weight increasing in Roll's hands.

I added my weight to Roll's hands with both hands and managed to breathe.

This is serious, Roll.

Looking down at Roll with a twisted expression, Roll was glaring at me, biting her lip.

"You...! You...! You're my partner...!"

"...!"

As she tightened her grip, I started to lose consciousness.

I closed my eyes.

...Why is she so angry?

If that's the case, I have my reasons too.

Anger started to rise as I was being attacked one-sidedly.

I feel bad about it, but if she had told Sigh or the Boss, it would have been different.

I was taken away by Sigh on the Boss's orders, not because I left Roll on my own.

That doesn't mean I'm blaming Sigh or the Boss.

The training with Sigh was necessary for me.

Is it my fault?

The cause of everything is that I injured Roll, so I was prepared for some teasing or a bit of punishment, but this is too much.

I don't deserve to be this angry.

Even if the cause is me, I don't have the responsibility for this matter.

I can't just stand here and take Roll's anger.

I bit my lip to regain consciousness and kicked Roll's side hard.

However, it was seen through by Roll, who caught my kick with her left hand.

Now, the hand that was choking me was only Roll's right hand. I managed to pull her hand away and bit her.

"Ah...!"

Roll quickly pulled her hand back and stepped away.

I fell to the ground, gasping for breath and rubbing my neck.

The scratches from her claws left several wounds. They stung.

Cat scratches tend to leave marks.

Thanks a lot, Roll.

"Ha, ha... Hey...!"

Still out of breath, I said this and glared sharply at Roll.

Roll seemed to have come to her senses and shuddered.

The cat ears drooped.

"...I... I got stronger for you!"

I intended to hit her with various logical arguments, but I ended up saying this.

The training with Sigh was intense, and I even joked a bit, but I had always been worried about injuring Roll.

That was the reason I decided to get serious about getting stronger.

There was no lie in that.

"It's not... not that, Sigh..."

"Not? I apologized sincerely! If you can't forgive me, just say so!

I don't want to hear lies like 'I don't care'!"

"You...!"

"Roll, you used to... understand me more...! Why...?"

"That's..."

"Enough!"

I stepped in front of Roll and looked down at her, who was a bit shorter than me.

"W-What... Do you think you can beat me...?"

Then, in front of Roll, I knelt down and did a deep bow.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me! It's my fault for not understanding your feelings!

But let's make up!"

After thinking about it, it seemed that the situation wouldn't be resolved unless I apologized.

I felt it was pointless to get angry at Roll.

Actually, seeing Roll come to her senses, the anger that had exploded in me suddenly cooled down.

"Eh? W-What...?"

I kept my head down and waited silently for Roll's words.

At that moment.

"Pu, kuku. Puahaha! Ahahaha! What's that, Sigh-kun!"

A voice came from the observation room.

Turning around, I saw a woman with brown hair standing there.

She was about the same age as Sigh.

I hadn't noticed her because I was focused on Roll. The training room is soundproof, so that might be why.

"Execution...! How did you get here!"

This is Execution.

I thought she would be closer in age since she seemed to be close to Roll.

"Master key.

Did you forget who's in charge of the mission office, observation tower, and monitoring room?

No, no! But you're doing something interesting!

What happened? A fight? I've been watching from the beginning, so I have a pretty good idea!

But you two! Fighting is bad!

Come to the observation room! I, Execution, will judge for you!"

---

"Judgment!

Roll! Guilty!

Sigh! Guilty!

Therefore, I order you two to make up!"

We were brought back to the observation room and were facing each other, playing along with Execution's farce.

Roll had a sullen look, and I was looking in a different direction, keeping quiet.

"Come on, both of you, put your hands out.

Let's shake hands to make up."

Execution forced our hands together, and I was made to shake hands with Roll.

Roll's hand was warm.

Her cat ears were still up, and even in this situation, she was cute as ever.

As I was admiring her cat ears, Execution suddenly pushed us together from behind.

"Let's hug to make up!"

"Whoa!"

"Wh-What...!"

As a result, we ended up in a hugging position.

I tried to pull away from Roll, but Execution was holding us with a stronger force than I expected.

Roll was surprisingly still.

Roll's heart was beating a little faster. I heard her take a deep breath and swallow once.

"..."

"..."

After a while, Execution nodded in satisfaction and left the observation room, the door closing with a thud.

Even after Execution left, we remained stuck together.

It was just a matter of timing, I guess.

Maybe we just missed the moment to pull away.

While still stuck together, Roll was the first to speak.

"...I'm sorry, Sigh. It was my fault.

I know you're not to blame, but I just don't like it.

We're partners, and it felt unfair that only Sigh got to go..."

"I'm sorry for making you feel bad."

"...No. I was being selfish, too. I'm sorry."

Then we finally pulled away.

We both felt a bit embarrassed and looked away.

Roll's heartbeat was quite audible, so I turned off my ability.

Considering Roll's pride, the apology... or rather, the confession of her feelings, probably took a lot of courage.

"...So, we're making up, then?"

"Yes... At least let's go back to the room and disinfect that wound."

---

Back in the room, I took off my top and sat on the bed while Roll looked at my wound.

Roll had a bottle of antiseptic and a gauze pad from the first aid kit in one hand and was kneeling to look at my wound.

"The wound is pretty bad..."

She muttered this and stared at my wound for a while.

While waiting for her to treat it, Roll suddenly... licked my wound.

"What, what are you doing...!"

Startled, Roll quickly backed away.

"N-No! I just... I just did it!"

"Just? What do you mean!"

"I have a habit of licking wounds!"

Because she's a cat? Is that it?

---

After the fight, I feel like I understand Roll a little better.