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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
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89. You Said I Could
***
*Slide.*
As she slowly leaned into him, Glaecia had been curious for the past few days.
'What does it feel like to hug a friend?'
In the past, there were times when she couldn't understand others by watching them. And among those, she especially couldn't grasp what it meant to hug a friend.
People who embraced each other when they were happy or sad. Or even for no particular reason at all. The other person wasn't even family, yet they allowed their bodies to be held so easily.
Watching them, she had found it so fascinating.
When they freely offered their embrace or allowed themselves to be hugged by another. What kind of feeling did they get that made people act like that...?
She had only ever felt that way with her sister. In fact, the feeling of being hugged by her sister was always warm and cozy, so it was simply pleasant.
Because she could feel the warmth of family.
That's why she was curious.
Others experienced something she hadn't, so easily, and she wondered if it held such significance.
And now, she was finally putting it into practice.
Leaning gently into Han Cheon-seong's embrace, her feelings were very... strange.
"…Glaecia?"
Even Han Cheon-seong's voice, now sounding a little louder, felt different from usual.
"Han Cheon-seong. You said I could."
Nevertheless, she didn't hesitate in her reply.
She had asked Han Cheon-seong before acting, and he had clearly told her it was okay.
Moreover, they had exchanged words about being friends several times. So, it was no different from her repeatedly asking for his consent.
"No, I definitely did say that... but."
Despite his flustered voice, she focused on the feeling of this moment as she leaned into his embrace.
It was obvious, but the feeling of being held by Han Cheon-seong now was different from being hugged by her sister.
Very much... different.
'Is this what it feels like to hug between friends?'
It was different from what she had imagined. A very different feeling.
She didn't feel comfortable.
It wasn't warm or cozy like her sister's embrace. Rather, she felt a strange sensation that made her a little more tense.
And at the same time, a peculiar, indescribable feeling, as if a corner of her chest was tingling.
Wondering if it was because she was leaning awkwardly, she raised both hands, just as she would when hugging her sister.
*Slide!*
Rather than just leaning, she hugged Han Cheon-seong more firmly.
"Wh-what?! Glaecia?"
She could sense his panic in his voice, but she was already acting, so she couldn't stop. She felt she needed to get a proper result from this.
She wanted to properly understand why friends embraced each other.
"…Something's strange."
But with a still-confused mind, she expressed her thoughts directly.
"Why are you... suddenly doing this?"
"There's no big reason. I've just seen friends hug like this in various situations. When they're really happy or sad, or even for no reason at all... And now that I'm hugging you myself, it feels very different from what I imagined."
Even as she spoke, she felt a little embarrassed.
She knew that hugging between friends was an expression of affection.
But even so…
'Do friends just casually do things that give this strange feeling?'
Even now, her feelings were simply strange.
Rather than the vague sense of happiness she felt when hugging her sister, she was a little flustered. Now that she was hugging him, there was definitely a different aspect compared to just observing from the outside.
"…How should I put it, you're quite solid."
As she spoke, it was truly so.
Han Cheon-seong's body, despite appearing to have a lean physique and carrying a rather heavy spear, didn't give the impression of being muscular like other close-combat students.
"S-solid?"
"I just said your body is solid."
As she said that, she slowly lifted her head from his embrace.
Whenever she lifted her head while being hugged, her sister had always looked at her with a bright smile.
Now, even that was different.
"..."
As she met the gaze of Han Cheon-seong, who was completely different from her sister, and looked at him so close that she could feel his breath, he felt different from before.
"…!"
The moment their eyes met, his black eyes wandered frantically, his cheeks were flushed red, and his lips constantly hesitated…
"Han Cheon-seong. Is my action that surprising?"
"Of course it's... surprising. Anyone would be surprised if someone acted like this so suddenly."
Even as he replied, he couldn't meet her gaze. She could somewhat understand his reaction.
'Well, then.'
If Han Cheon-seong had done the same thing to her, wouldn't she have been flustered too?
But as she thought that, it felt a little strange.
"Han Cheon-seong. That's why I told you beforehand. I said I would do something that friends could do, and you clearly agreed to my words."
Strictly speaking, she hadn't acted suddenly at all.
She had said she would do it in advance, and Han Cheon-seong had clearly replied, 'You can.'
"..."
Han Cheon-seong, who had no reply to her words, finally met her eyes.
He blinked blankly, his eyes taking in hers, as if he had heard something completely unexpected.
'…Isn't this something friends do?'
So she unconsciously started thinking again. Hugging was something friends could do, and she had seen it quite often.
It was a sign of affection. She thought it was a way to express fondness and physical contact because they were close.
But for Han Cheon-seong, it seemed like an astonishingly big action. As she thought about it, she, too, suddenly felt awkward about the situation.
"Since you're so flustered like this. Then... I'll stop here."
Slowly, she released the strength from the hands that were holding Han Cheon-seong.
As she released her arms from around his waist and pulled away... she vaguely sensed something.
That Han Cheon-seong's body had been stiff the entire time she was leaning on him.
...As she became conscious of that for no reason, and pulled away.
"Hoo..."
Only then did she see Han Cheon-seong let out a deep sigh.
"…Don't sigh in front of people."
"Right. Sorry…"
His voice, as he looked at her, sounded completely drained, but a small laugh escaped her, and she still paid attention to him.
Han Cheon-seong, as expected, didn't reject her.
Even when she performed an action she believed was only for friends, he simply accepted it. Although he seemed flustered and awkward, he didn't show any signs of refusing or rejecting her.
"We really are friends, aren't we?"
So she could say that again.
Although it definitely felt very different from the hugs she imagined having with friends, she could still clearly feel that she and Han Cheon-seong were indeed friends.
"Glaecia. Are we really... friends, right?"
The moment Han Cheon-seong replied with a strange expression, she naturally repeated herself.
"Yes. Because we're friends, I could act like that just now, couldn't I?"
***
*Click.*
With the sound of footsteps, her distinct blue hair gradually moved out of his sight.
Night had deepened, and he was now parting ways with Glaecia.
His emotions continued to churn intensely.
*Stop.*
Glaecia, who was walking away, suddenly stopped and turned her body towards him.
*Slide.* Just like last time, she turned and waved her hand, and even as he absentmindedly waved back at Glaecia... he found his lips hesitating again.
He truly felt like he had become a strange person.
Glaecia had acted like that towards him, and then she treated him as usual, so he didn't know how he was supposed to take it.
Really.
'Friends, she said….'
Glaecia suddenly hugging him. And then, the moment she hugged him even tighter, with a little more force, it all came back vividly.
Even now, it felt as if her traces remained on his body.
He couldn't describe how flustered he had been at that moment.
It was the most surprising thing that had happened to him since falling into this world.
Glaecia, who had been waving at him, headed towards the dormitory with a small smile, and even as he slowly lowered his waving hand, another sigh escaped him.
"Are we really friends…."
He mumbled, and a hollow laugh escaped him.
When had his understanding of friendship changed so much? He had been truly grateful the moment Glaecia called him her first friend, but…
Now, it was being received with a completely different feeling.
She had hugged him and leaned into his embrace because he was her first friend. Ridiculously, he felt relieved that he was Glaecia's 'first.'
'If it had been someone else, not me….'
Wouldn't they have tried to take advantage of Glaecia? Countless unpleasant thoughts instantly surfaced.
Purity definitely had its pros and cons. And Glaecia's purity, as he saw it, had peculiar aspects that made merely calling it "pure" insufficient.
Thinking about it, he unconsciously shook his head.
"I need to do better from now on."
Even now, a strange warmth seemed to linger throughout his body.
The sensation of a soft female body. Naturally, his own body had warmed up because of it.
Moreover, Glaecia had a good figure, so the softness he felt when she hugged him was…
"..."
As he thought, he bit his lip tightly.
He shook his head and composed himself.
"Right, we're... friends."
He didn't want to needlessly feel other emotions for her on his own.
So, he had to stop these thoughts here and now.
*Thud.*
He, too, walked towards the dormitory, but his heart continued to waver.
...
*Click.*
As he closed the door and entered his room, he slowly began to take off his cadet uniform.
*Rustle.*
As he hung his removed cadet uniform on the hanger, it felt like another day had somehow ended.
He didn't know how the day had passed, but looking back, so many things had happened.
He had woken up to find Millia and Adelia in the infirmary, then trained to find clues about his skill, had various conversations in Kalli's office, and finally, met with Glaecia…
His day felt as if it wasn't just 24 hours.
It felt like at least 48 hours had passed. This was clearly due to his relationships with various people, making it ambiguous for him to manage them as he wished.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing."
Still, he sometimes wondered if it was truly alright.
Becoming close with various people was good. However, everyone he associated with was attractive, and he now clearly felt worried that he might get swept away by fleeting emotions.
What if he ended up giving his heart to someone…
'If only I could control my feelings.'
Then he could maintain good relationships with everyone. He just found himself ridiculous for constantly wavering.
He slowly shook his head, then picked up a fresh white towel.
*Click.*
As he stepped into the shower room and turned the mana stone,
*Whoosh—*
He surrendered his body to the warm stream of water, letting various thoughts wash away.
Now, he had to think about tomorrow.
Because he needed to meet Karita and check her condition more thoroughly.
"Still... it'll be fine, right?"
He felt it would be good enough if he could just talk to her, like on Thursday, nothing more.
Because if she became just a little more emotionally stable, he could consider his job done.
...Clues for his skill were one thing, but above all, Karita's emotional stability. That was an absolute prerequisite.
"I need to make Karita feel even a little less negative emotion."