Chapter 64

EP.64 The End of Vacation - 1

Her eyes blinked.

Aria's blue eyes and Leo's red eyes blinked in the same rhythm.

If there was a difference, it was that Aria's face, which she had tried to uncover, was incredibly red, while Leo, who had almost been exposed, showed an unexpectedly calm expression.

"...Um, could you please step back and turn around for a moment?"

"...Huh?! Ah...!!"

She quickly removed her hands from her waist and turned around. Her flushed face was drenched with cold sweat.

"...The clothes... are here."

Meanwhile, Leo had been changing clothes behind her. The rustling sound that continued to be heard made Aria's nerves stand on end.

She was tempted to turn around, but I'll spare the details.

"...Are you... done?"

Aria, whose eyes were tightly shut due to various impulses and dark thoughts, slowly opened them.

"Yes, I'm all changed."

When she turned around, Leo was standing there, having changed his pants and underwear. On the side, neatly folded, were the coffee-stained pants and underwear.

Unfortunately, the underwear was under the pants, so even with her enhanced eyesight, she couldn't see it.

"Miss."

Leo was looking at her. In fact, he was practically glaring.

Of course, it was understandable.

Imagine someone pulling down your pants while you're lying in a hospital bed.

Worse, it was someone of the opposite sex, and although he hadn't been caught, he had tried to peek at Leo's most precious and sensitive parts.

"...That... I mean...! I didn't mean to...!"

"It's fine."

"...Eh...?!"

What did he mean by "it's fine"?

Did he mean he forgave her for trying to undress him, or that it was okay for Aria to see such parts?

"There were no burns. The coffee was lukewarm, so I survived."

"...Ah... I'm relieved..."

It was embarrassing for several reasons. She had harbored such illusions, but more than that, remembering that the coffee was lukewarm was the most embarrassing.

"I understand you were flustered, but next time, please call a nurse. It would be helpful if you really got burned."

Leo's understanding and empathy were truly commendable, but she couldn't bring herself to say "I understand."

'...All the nurses here are women...'

Aria's jealousy was burning fiercely. Even for medical purposes, she was full of complaints about changing clothes.

"...How's your body?"

"I feel completely recovered after a good rest. I could be discharged right away."

"Still, rest a bit. And actually, I was angry too."

To say you won't die and then get struck by lightning directly—there's no bigger lie than that.

"I'm somewhat resistant to electricity, so I'm fine."

"...But you couldn't move a finger after that?"

Indeed, there was no excuse for that. If Rios hadn't come, and if Aria hadn't given him a potion...

The scene at that moment flashed through her mind.

Her face suddenly flushed, and she couldn't meet Leo's eyes.

The strange feeling of having her chest tickled by a feather, being in the same room with him was unbearable.

"...Um... Miss... back then..."

Just as she was about to ask about that time,

Knock knock

Someone knocked on the door of the hospital room. Leo, eager to escape the awkward situation, answered.

"Come in."

"...Ah... Excuse me..."

The person who entered was unexpected.

"...Um... Hello...?"

Irina Ritei

The woman who had been threatened by Jihard and the girl who had pretended to go on a date with Leo.

"A, Irina-san."

"...You remember me?"

"Of course. It's hard to forget."

Leo smiled slightly, and the tense Irina relaxed a bit.

'...That woman... What does she think she's doing here...!?'

But Aria, standing beside him, glared with anger and hatred.

That detestable woman had the opportunity to have a cozy meal with Leo and even survived.

She couldn't hold back her anger.

"...Um... I have something to say..."

Irina glanced at Aria. Even a glance showed the hostility in her eyes.

"Miss, could you please wait outside for a moment?"

"...Why."

She was genuinely angry. Come to think of it, she had felt the same way when they had eaten together last time.

Leo couldn't understand what he saw in that woman. Her face wasn't as good as his, and her figure and skills were far inferior.

'...Could it be her hairstyle?'

Come to think of it, Rios had mentioned something like that in a romance novel before. Men's preferences can vary based on women's hairstyles.

'...I thought he was just being silly back then...'

Otherwise, there was no way he would lose to such an insignificant woman. The only thing she had going for her was that ponytail.

"Miss?"

"...I'll go out first."

But this was something she could easily make up for. So she would let him have this one. Besides, Leo didn't really care about such things.

"...Phew... Huh..."

But she didn't say she wouldn't eavesdrop. Her ears, wrapped in aura, could clearly hear sounds beyond the door and walls.

"Are you... feeling better?"

"Thanks to Miss Aria. I was lucky."

The young lady made a victory pose with her fist. Indeed, he was her knight.

"...That's..."

Whoosh!

Just as she focused more on the conversation, a breath of air blew past her ear.

"Ah!!"

Instinctively, Aria threw a punch in the direction of the breeze.

Thud!

"Oof...!"

She punched Rios, who had blown the breath of air into her ear.

"Rios!?"

"...Brother?"

"Hello, sister...!? I came to see how you were doing, but... my nose seems to be blocked again...?"

Rios, whose cold had slightly improved, had come to visit. If his fist hadn't hit his face, he probably wouldn't have made that sniffling sound.

Holding his nose, which had somehow not broken, Rios waved. The mask covering his mouth and nose seemed to have acted as a cushion.

"Are you okay? Rios?"

Amelie quickly removed Rios' mask. The inside was already covered in blood.

"...S...Sorry."

Aria apologized immediately upon seeing it.

"...Wait, why is there blood but no bruise?"

Rios' face was clean except for the blood. It was as if he hadn't received any impact from the punch.

"Ah, this is just a nosebleed. It happens sometimes when I get excited."

Originally, he had blocked the punch with a barrier. The nosebleed was caused by his own excitement.

"Come on, is that important? What's important now is this."

Rios carved a small magic circle on the door and activated it with his hand.

[Telepathy]

-[So, what do you want to say?]

This way, the voices inside the room were transmitted to Rios' group through telepathy.

"...What...? This is...?"

"This is an application of telepathy. I'm transmitting the sound waves inside the room through the magic circle on the door and making them audible through telepathy."

Think of it as a lower-level version of the telepathy magic that Leo had modified when they obtained the Sage's Legacy.

"Is it okay to do this...?"

"It's fine. Our Leo is so principled!"

"...I'm talking about privacy..."

"Wait a moment. I can't hear the conversation."

"...Ah... Yes..."

The siblings seemed to be in sync at such times, ignoring the conversation. Amelie, too, was now focused on the conversation inside the room.

-[...That's...]

After hesitating for a moment, Irina spoke again.

-[...Please contact me later...!]

-[...This is...]

The sound of a note being passed, though the inside was not visible, it was clear what was being given.

-[It's... my contact information...! Even if it's later... please...!]

After a moment of embarrassment, she ran out of the room. She probably felt too embarrassed to stay.

Click!

-[Wait a moment.]

Judging from the situation, Leo had stopped Irina. Aria's lips turned blue as she imagined a scene from a movie.

-[But I... can't stay here any longer...]

-[Ah, take this with you before you go.]

Naturally, a fist was given. What could that woman have that he would give her? She could do better than that woman!

-[...What? Why...]

-[Take it back. I have no intention of contacting you.]

An unexpected twist, and everyone, including Irina inside the room, was momentarily speechless.

-[...What... why...?]

-[I don't like you.]

The blunt remarks continued, and the verbal assassination began.

-[If you had any sense or decency, wouldn't you apologize first? Who do you think I'm in this state because of?]

In fact, Leo's hospitalization was partly due to the battle with Jihard, and one of the reasons for that battle was Irina.

-[T...That... I didn't... do it for fun...!]

-[Ah, I see. You wanted to survive too. So you sold human lives to Main, right?]

A very kind voice with unkind content.

-[You seem to be misunderstanding. I helped you back then because you were a victim too. I had no personal favor or connection to you from the start.]

Rios, who had been munching on popcorn, and Amelie, who had been trying to stop him, were now eating concentrated caffeine and popcorn together.

-[But if you just give me your contact information without an apology, what am I supposed to do? If I hadn't noticed and died there, were you planning to leave your contact information at my funeral?]

The scathing remarks, and the most terrifying thing about them was that they were all logical and based on facts.

-[Just go. While I'm in a good mood.]

Leo exuded a killing aura. Even without using telepathy, the cold air could be felt outside the room.

-[...If Miss had been scarred, you would have had to meet me, even if you didn't like it.]

Saying this, Leo hid his killing aura.

-[Go. Don't do this again.]

With those kind words, the conversation ended. As the sound of Irina's footsteps was heard, Aria's group stepped aside.

Irina's face was paler than when she had seen Jihard.

Seeing her, Aria's group entered the room with satisfaction.

"Ow~! How's your body?!"

"I'm fine. How about your cold?"

"I'm fine. I always recover from a cold after reading a romance novel."

And what she had just seen was almost a masterpiece from a full-length romance novel.

"Of course~ Aria treated me with so much love, it would be strange if I didn't get better."

At this, both Aria and Leo blushed. They both seemed to vividly remember the taste of the potion and the feeling of their lips.

"...T...That's not it...! I helped because Leo was in danger...! Don't make it sound like that, Leo...!"

Aria thought Leo would echo her, as he often did.

"...T...That's so...?"

But Leo's face was unusually red.

"...Leo?"

"...S...Sorry. I know you didn't mean it that way... but... this is... my first time...! I'm a bit... aware of it...!"

The embarrassed confession of a young boy, and with those words, Rios had the opportunity to accumulate a year's worth of romance.

"It's okay~! It was probably Aria's first time too."

"Do you have to say it like that?"

Everyone's attention was on Aria. They all seemed to think it was her first kiss.

"...T...That... in a certain sense..."

But Aria hesitated, unable to give a clear answer.

After all, Aria had a clear memory of her first kiss. The beautiful scene and sensation of the kiss in her dream were vividly remembered in reality.

"...Brother, don't tell me...?"

"No...! It's not like that...! I mean...!"

The cold, disappointed looks from everyone around her were a form of non-verbal communication.

"...Leo...! I mean...!"

"It's okay. Miss."

Leonardo smiled.

His smile exuded a fresh and invigorating aura.

"Shall we take a walk? I want to see the 'Pasture of Truth and Fact' again."

Of course, it was a smile that concealed a fresh and invigorating killing aura.

That day, Aria truly understood what fear was.

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