Chapter 62: Admiration Cannot Be Stopped!
“What is this place…?”
“Ah, you’re awake, Lecty. Good morning.”
“Hugh…?”
Just waking up, Lecty looked dazed. Her amethyst-colored eyes were fixed on me, and I felt a bit nervous under her intense gaze.
“I was participating in the Mock Group Battle and treating everyone who got injured…”
“You overused your Skill and collapsed. This is the Academy Infirmary.”
“The Infirmary… oh!”
It seemed her consciousness was clearing, and she was recalling the events leading up to her fainting. Lecty hurriedly tried to sit up, but she almost fell out of bed, so I instinctively caught her.
“What about Brown? How is Brown’s injury?!”
“Calm down, Lecty. Brown is fine. Your Skill healed him completely. He regained consciousness first and has already returned to the classroom.”
“I see… That’s a relief…”
She must have felt a deep sense of relief. Lecty let out a big sigh, relaxing her tense body and leaning against me as I held her.
“Um, Lecty…?”
“…Huh?”
Here I was, holding Lecty, and she was leaning against me. To anyone watching, we must have looked like a couple having a secret rendezvous in the infirmary. If someone were to witness this, I could only imagine the misunderstandings that would arise…
“Ah, oh no! I didn’t mean to—!”
“Calm down, Lecty. For now, you’re okay, so just take your time getting back to bed.”
“Y-yes…”
I managed to soothe Lecty, who was still on the verge of falling out of bed, and guided her to sit back down properly. Once I confirmed she was settled, I stepped back, and she pulled the blanket up to hide her flushed face.
“I-I’m so sorry, Hugh! I shouldn’t have clung to you like that!”
“No, it’s not something to apologize for. I was the one who caught you, so it’s not like I minded, right?”
“Th-that’s not true!”
“O-oh, is that so?”
She denied it with such fervor that I wondered if I had overthought things. In my previous life, and even before coming to the Royal Academy, I had no opportunities to interact with girls my age… I still wasn’t quite sure how to navigate this situation.
“Um, Hugh. What about everyone else…?”
“Rouge and the others went back to the classroom already.”
“I see…”
Lecty fell silent, still hiding half her face under the blanket, lost in thought.
I considered suggesting we head back to the classroom if she seemed well enough, but then I remembered how Lily had tried to keep me behind for some reason. That thought lingered in my mind, so I sat back down in the chair where I had been reading the Sacred Scripture earlier.
After a brief wait, Lecty finally mustered her courage, threw off the blanket, and firmly clasped her hands in front of her chest.
“I admire you, Hugh!”
“Admiration…?”
Does that mean she likes me or something…?
“Ah, um, when I say admiration, I don’t mean it in a weird way! I want to be like you, and I respect you!”
Oh, so that’s what she meant… Recently, with Rouge and Lily showing me affection, I had gotten a bit carried away. Jumping to conclusions isn’t good. I should reflect on that…
“(W-well, it’s not like I don’t have those feelings, but…)”
Lecty mumbled something under her breath. If I had been using the «Ninja» Skill, I might have caught it, but since I was still in the «Swordsmanship» Skill, I couldn’t quite hear her clearly.
“Um, I appreciate your feelings. But have I really done anything to deserve admiration or respect?”
I didn’t really have any specific memories that came to mind, so I asked her directly, even though I felt bad about it. Lecty’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she let out a soft laugh.
“You helped Lily, didn’t you?”
“Ah, ah…”
It wasn’t that I had forgotten, but I was surprised that she connected it to this.
“I’m friends with Lily, but when she was in trouble, I couldn’t do anything. She acted brave in front of me, but I could tell she was really struggling… I noticed, but I couldn’t help her…”
Lily probably didn’t want to worry Lecty. However, Lecty seemed to have picked up on Lily’s subtle changes and felt guilty for not being able to do anything for her.
“I was really glad when Lily’s problem was resolved and she became cheerful again. But I also wondered if it was really okay to just be glad about it. I kept thinking that maybe I could have done something too. Then I heard from Lily that you helped her, and I thought I wanted to be like you.”
“I didn’t do anything that great. I told Lily the same thing, but it was someone else who paved the way for her rescue.”
I only connected Lily and Prince Lucas; I didn’t directly save her. Of course, my actions were motivated by a desire to help Lily, but…
“That’s not true! Lily was really grateful to you! Even if you don’t think it was a big deal, Lily was saved by you! Being too humble is disrespectful to Lily!”
“O-oh, sorry…”
Lecty puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, looking quite displeased.
I never expected to be scolded by Lecty. Now that I think about it, Princess Lucretia had also been exasperated with me before. I guess my tendency to be overly humble is a strange habit that has stuck with me since my previous life…
“It’s not just about Lily. You protected me from Idiot, pretended to be my boyfriend… You were the first to try to help Brown. Seeing you take action for someone else made me want to be someone who could help others too.”
“I see… So that’s why you were so determined to treat everyone in class earlier.”
“…Yes. I’m not sure if I did it well, though…”
“I think you can be confident about that.”
Brown’s injury was one that normally wouldn’t survive. The fact that he had no lingering pain or aftereffects was remarkable. The injuries of the others were also ones that only Lecty could have healed.
“R-really? Ehehe…”
Lecty smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed.
I had noticed she was more proactive than usual, but I never considered that it might be inspired by me. I didn’t think of myself as someone worthy of admiration from Lecty, but it probably wasn’t right to tell her that.
What I should express is my determination.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but… I’ll do my best so that you can continue to admire me, Lecty.”
“I-I will too! I’ll work even harder!”
We both declared our intentions to do our best, and it was so amusing that we couldn’t help but burst into laughter together.
Author’s Comment:
Thank you for reading this far! Your support through comments and follows always motivates me to keep writing. I hope you found it even a little interesting!