My body still hadn’t fully recovered.
So when she grabbed my hand that tightly, it was inevitable that it would hurt—if only a little.
"Ah—" I let out a quiet sound before I could stop myself.
Elena imdiately loosened her grip, almost throwing my hand away as if she’d just realized what she’d done.
"I-I’m sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn’t an to—are you okay?"
"I’m fine," I replied, forcing a small smile. "Really. Just... surprised."
She looked far more startled than I was. Her fingers hovered awkwardly in the air for a mont before she pulled them back to her chest, clutching them as if they no longer belonged to her.
Only then did I realize sothing.
Isn’t this the closest we’ve ever been?
That thought alone made my chest feel strangely tight.
Her face—so close I could clearly see the faint tremble in her lashes, the way her eyes widened ever so slightly as she tried to read my expression.
And my hand...
The warmth still lingered there, stubborn and vivid, as if her touch had branded itself into my skin.
Without thinking, I fidgeted with the fingers she’d been holding just monts ago, rubbing them together in a pointless attempt to dispel the sensation.
It didn’t work.
An odd silence settled between us. Not uncomfortable exactly—but heavy.
Was it because she touched ?
Or because this was the first ti we’d stood this close after so long?
For so reason, I couldn’t bring myself to et her eyes. I stared at the floor instead, suddenly finding the patterns in the stone tiles far more interesting than they had any right to be.
"...What are you two doing?"
Lina’s voice cut cleanly through the air.
I flinched and snapped back to my senses.
She was standing a short distance away, arms crossed, her gaze flicking between Elena and with clear suspicion. One eyebrow was raised, her expression sowhere between confusion and mild disbelief.
"N-nothing!" Elena answered far too quickly.
Her face flushed, and she imdiately took half a step back, putting a very noticeable amount of space between us.
I cleared my throat. "We were just talking."
"Talking," Lina repeated flatly.
Her eyes drifted—very deliberately—to my hand. Then to Elena’s. Then back to our faces.
"...Right."
For a brief mont, no one said anything.
Elena shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly unsure where to put her hands now. I straightened my posture, suddenly hyper-aware of how close we’d been standing just seconds ago.
Lina sighed and shook her head. "You two are acting weird."
"W-we are not," Elena protested, though her voice lacked conviction.
I glanced at Elena then—just for a second.
Our eyes t.
And almost imdiately, we both looked away again.
Yeah.
It definitely wasn’t just who’d been affected.
Elena’s face turned bright red in an instant.
"I–I’ll go get so water!"
She jumped to her feet so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the floor, then hurried out of the room as if she were fleeing, nearly tripping over herself on the way out. The door shut behind her with a soft thud.
"..."
An awkward silence settled over the room.
Then—
Lina’s lips slowly curled into sothing unmistakably mischievous.
"So," she said lightly, leaning forward, "are you two dating?"
"What? No," I replied without missing a beat. "Elena and I aren’t like that."
For starters, I already had Viola—my fiancée. And more importantly, I didn’t harbor those kinds of feelings for Elena in the first place.
"And there’s no possibility of that either," I added plainly.
There was no scenario where sothing romantic would happen between Elena and . I’d never once looked at her that way.
To , Elena was more like a celebrity.
Soone admirable. Soone you cheer for from afar.
I was just a fan who genuinely wanted her to find happiness. Nothing more, nothing less.
"...This guy, seriously," Lina muttered.
She frowned and shot a sharp glare, as if I’d just said sothing incredibly stupid.
What?
Why are you looking at like that?
"Sigh... never mind," she said, rubbing her temples as though she were exhausted.
No—wait. Hold on.
Why are you acting like I’m the problem here??
I could only stare at her in confusion as Lina looked back at with an expression full of disappointnt, like she’d just given up on sothing important.
I had no idea what I’d done wrong.
Not a clue.
*****
What am I supposed to do with this clueless kid?
I thought he was fairly perceptive—sharp, even. When it ca to handling incidents or reading tense situations, Louis was always a step ahead of everyone else.
But in this area?
Completely hopeless.
It was baffling. He could analyze people, predict outcos, and stay calm under pressure... yet sohow remained utterly blind to emotions directed at him.
Romantic ones, especially.
Could it be a defense chanism?
From my hundred years of experience, that was often the case.
n who were popular—truly popular—were sotis the least aware of it. As if their minds simply refused to acknowledge that kind of attention.
Usually, there was a reason. Trauma. Fear. Deep-rooted avoidance.
But Louis didn’t seem broken. He seed... normal.
And that was what made it strange.
Lina quietly watched him for a mont longer—his expression thoughtful, brows slightly furrowed, clearly unaware of the atmosphere around him. Then she let out a small, amused sigh and turned toward the door.
This was probably a good mont to leave.
After all, the air between the two of them had grown noticeably warm.
Slide.
"Oh? Are you leaving already?"
Elena looked genuinely surprised as Lina opened the door, her eyes widening slightly.
Seeing that reaction, Lina couldn’t resist.
She turned back with a playful smile, mischief flickering in her eyes. "I should go. I wouldn’t want to interrupt the mood."
"It’s not like that...!" Elena protested quickly.
Too quickly.
How adorable.
Elena’s cheeks flushed a soft red, and she fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, clearly flustered. Lina watched the scene with fond amusent.
She really was charming—even from a woman’s perspective.
Kind-hearted. Sincere. Pretty without trying.
The sort of girl people naturally gathered around, drawn in without realizing why.
If there were a story centered on this girl, Lina was certain it would be loved by many.
"Well then," Lina said lightly, stepping out, "I’ll leave you two to it."
"Ah—goodbye!" Elena said, still red-faced.
...Now if only that dense boy would realize what was right in front of him.
Elena fanned her flushed face, clearly trying to cool herself down.
Lina watched the scene with thinly veiled amusent.
Yes—this was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
Watching other people stumble their way through romance was far more entertaining than getting involved herself. The awkward glances, the sudden silences, the barely restrained emotions—it was all strangely endearing.
"Youth," Lina murmured with a satisfied smile. "Such wonderful youth."
Elena, unable to endure the situation any longer, hurried back into Louis’s room, her footsteps quick and uneven.
Lina’s smile lingered... but only for a mont.
Then, sothing else surfaced in her mind.
The gift Louis had received in the hospital room.
The bracelet.
Lisa’s bracelet.
Her gaze slowly lost its playful warmth as the mory beca clearer. That bracelet wasn’t just so random accessory. Lina knew that design all too well.
It was almost identical to the ones their mother used to make for them long ago.
Simple. Modest. But filled with aning.
A symbol of family. Of bonds that couldn’t be easily severed.
Because of that, Lina understood imdiately what such a gift represented—especially to her and Lisa.
That bracelet carried weight. Emotional weight.
Whether Lisa had been fully aware of that when she gave it to Louis... Lina couldn’t say for sure. Her sister wasn’t exactly the type to think ten steps ahead.
But one thing was clear.
Lisa definitely felt sothing toward Louis.
Maybe it wasn’t love. Not yet.
But affection? Attachnt? A quiet fondness she hadn’t realized herself?
That much was obvious.
Lina let out a small sigh and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms loosely across her chest.
"Well... I suppose it can’t be helped," she murmured.
She’d already heard the story countless tis. Lisa had retold it over and over, each ti with the sa unmistakable excitent—her voice growing livelier, her expressions softening in ways she probably didn’t even notice herself.
Louis this, Louis that.
At first, Lina had thought Lisa was simply overreacting. Being saved was a shock, sure, but the way Lisa spoke about it felt... excessive. Too vivid. Too personal.
But now, Lina understood why that unease had lingered in her chest.
Lisa didn’t realize it yet.
She didn’t understand what those feelings truly were.
Lina had lived long enough to recognize the signs. She had seen countless stories unfold—people eting by chance, bonds forming in monts of danger, emotions growing quietly before anyone dared give them a na.
So of those stories ended in laughter and warmth.
Others... didn’t.
"I just hope no one gets hurt," Lina whispered softly.
She gazed out the window, watching the sunlight spill across the courtyard below, students moving about unaware of the fragile threads tying their lives together.
An ending where everyone could smile.
An ending without regret.
That was all she wished for.
For Lisa.
For Louis.
For everyone she held dear.
Folding her hands together, Lina closed her eyes for a brief mont and offered a silent prayer—that this story, unlike so many others she’d witnessed, would not end in tragedy.
----
Author Note:
Thanks for reading
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