Chapter 287
“Ah, seriously, how annoying…”
The murmured words weren’t mine.
At first, I thought I misheard. But when I turned my head in surprise, I saw Shana sitting some distance away, looking at us as she spoke.
“Can you stop being so over-the-top? It’s hard to tell if this is a battlefield or someone’s honeymoon.”
“…”
“How would Espers, whose bodies are practically weapons, understand? We Guides start to feel hot and sweaty and get fevers just from walking a little outside the Center.”
Shana openly mocked Claude. His red eyes turned icy cold as he looked at her.
“…You.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. It’s just that I broke a sweat from exercising for the first time in a while. It’s all because of you, Lord Claude.”
I hurriedly interjected. Claude wasn’t the kind of superior who tolerated insubordination from his subordinates.
“…Me?”
Luckily, Claude raised his eyebrows and turned his gaze back to me.
“Since you keep carrying me around and not letting me go outside, I get hot and sweaty from just a little walking. Normal people need to exercise regularly to stay healthy.”
“…Really?”
“I’m telling you.”
“If you’re struggling, I can carry you…”
“Oh, what are you talking about? I need this kind of exercise. Come on, let’s go. Break time is over.”
It was a flimsy excuse, but fortunately, Claude believed it. He hadn’t seen me exercising much, and he had always treated me as fragile, so he seemed to think it was plausible.
After sending Claude away, I glanced at Shana.
She looked back at me with a disgruntled face before turning her head away sharply.
Normally, I would find her annoying and irritating no matter what, but… the situation was different this time.
…What’s this? Did she actually help me?
***
But even after finishing all the tasks and returning to the temporary quarters, there was still a problem.
Perhaps because of the strain on my sick body, my condition worsened, and I really started to run a high fever.
Even if he didn’t notice while we were walking, there was no way he wouldn’t notice if my body was hot even while resting.
So, by the time we were supposed to go to bed, I dropped a bombshell.
“Um, I’d like to sleep with Shana tonight.”
“…What?”
Claude looked incredulous.
Of course, Shana’s reaction was even stronger.
“What? No way! Why should I…?”
Ignoring Shana’s protests, I shamelessly continued.
“Sometimes, we need some girl time, especially between Guides. Besides, after walking together today, I feel a sense of camaraderie with her. Whether we like it or not, we’ll be together for a while, so it’s better to clear the air, don’t you think?”
I stubbornly insisted, linking my arm with Shana’s. She shuddered and tried to shake me off, waving her arm vigorously.
The shaking made my head throb and feel dizzy, but I kept my eyes tightly shut and endured it.
Claude’s expression turned serious.
“Rose, if it’s because I made some mistake again…”
After being silent for a while, Claude finally spoke, pressing his fingers to his temple.
Given his serious expression, I wondered what he was going to say. It seemed he misunderstood, thinking that I wanted to sleep separately because I was upset with him for some unknown reason.
I quickly shook my head vigorously.
“It’s not that! Lord Claude, you have to leave early tomorrow morning. You’ll get a much better night’s sleep if I’m not there…”
Even I knew how flimsy my excuse was, and he let out a short laugh.
“What are you talking about? If you weren’t there at all, maybe, but if possible, of course, I’d sleep better holding you.”
Cough, COUGH.
The Espers behind us, who had been watching us with rolling eyes, cleared their throats awkwardly.
They tried hard to pretend they didn’t hear, but Oscar openly pretended to gag.
It was a bit embarrassing… but I decided to continue my excuse.
“It’s just that… I want to get a good night’s sleep too.”
“What?”
“When you keep holding and touching me… I can’t sleep well. Tomorrow’s schedule is going to be tough, so I want to get a good rest.”
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