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Chapter 26
“Today’s training was already more than enough! I’m exhausted—I can’t go on! I used up every last bit of energy I had.”
Stefan struggled to shake Sasha’s hand off as he flailed around.
“Push harder. Squeeze out every drop of strength you’ve got, even the ones you don’t have!”
“I can’t! I can’t! I’ll die.”
“What did I say earlier? What’s our goal?”
When Stefan stayed silent, Sasha clenched her fist and pressed him again.
“Our goal is!!”
“First place…”
“Exactly! Our goal is first place! If we don’t train to the point of death, we won’t even get close to it!”
Sasha’s eyes burned with a blazing blue determination.
“Sasha, ease up. You’ll kill the kid at this rate,” Nathan said with a smirk. He tried to sound dissuasive, but his eyes were gleaming with amusement.
“Ease up? I don’t even have that word in my dictionary! The goal is nothing less than first place!”
“How could I possibly get first place? Look over there—monsters everywhere! How are we supposed to beat a perfect team like that? I’ll be happy just not getting expelled.”
Stefan pointed at Lionel’s group as he ranted, but unfortunately, Sasha wasn’t buying any of it.
“Unbelievable…! To say something so weak. Forget training, you need a mental overhaul. Come with me!”
“Argh! Adrian, help! She’s trying to kill me!”
Stefan looked desperately to Adrian for rescue, but all he got was a cold refusal.
“If you’re gonna do it, do it right. Grind him down from head to toe.”
With a scream, Stefan was dragged off by Sasha somewhere in the training grounds.
“Ah, youth. That’s what this is,” Nathan said with his arms crossed, watching Sasha and Stefan shrink into the distance with a pleased nod.
“This is the bare minimum. Otherwise I’ll just keel over and die.”
Stefan stuffed an entire roll of bread from the piled tray into his mouth, chewing furiously.
“S-Stefan. Your face looks half its size,” Jaeylin said worriedly.
“What? Really?” Stefan’s face fell. “It’s all because of our team leader! Puppy, I’m dying over here. Sasha made me run laps all over the grounds, driving me insane. Boo-hoo-hoo.”
He pretended to cry as he leaned his head against Adrian’s shoulder, but Adrian quickly pulled away before Stefan’s head even touched him, grimacing.
“Half your face? Looks the same to me.”
“No, no! I’ve lost so much weight. She made me do weird jumping drills, swing blades around, saying I should at least be able to defend myself in emergencies. Look here, look—blisters on my hands! What do I do? Wahh.”
Stefan opened his blistered palms for Jaeylin and Adrian to see.
Just then, noise erupted at the cafeteria entrance as Lionel, Sasha, and Nathan walked in.
The chattering students inside couldn’t help but glance at them.
As Sasha approached their table, Stefan quickly tried to hide behind Adrian. But his bright silver hair was impossible to conceal.
Sasha spotted him instantly.
“Stefan Panteago.”
Stefan flinched at the sound of his name.
Without a word, Sasha pointed two fingers at her own eyes, then jabbed them toward Stefan.
Every time she repeated the gesture, Stefan sank deeper into his chair.
Only after Sasha, Lionel, and Nathan left the cafeteria with their drinks did Stefan cautiously sit upright again.
Even as she left, Sasha didn’t forget to give Stefan one last warning look.
Stefan leaned toward Jaeylin and Adrian, whispering,
“See that? She’s totally stalking me, watching my every move. Don’t tell me… she’s a stalker?”
“You’re delusional. Just eat your bread,” Adrian said, tearing off a piece of bread and shoving it at him.
“No, no! Every night she messages me, asking if I’ve completed my training quota. If I lie, she knows immediately. If she’s not following me around, then how does she know?!”
Adrian stared at him quietly. Did Stefan really not understand? Didn’t he realize his thoughts were transparent, like a glass marble?
Stefan angrily tore into the bread Adrian gave him.
“It’s weird. So weird! Something’s definitely up. She’s watching me, no doubt.”
Adrian frowned at the sight of Stefan, his face smeared with cream as he spouted nonsense.
“What the hell? You’ve got it all over your mouth. Disgusting.”
When Adrian pulled out a handkerchief, Stefan’s eyes lit up and he pushed his chin forward.
“Wipe it clean for me.”
Adrian, looking disgusted, reluctantly scrubbed Stefan’s mouth roughly.
“Ahh! Ow! Treat me gently, like a porcelain doll!”
“Why should I? Are you insane?”
The more Stefan whined, the rougher Adrian became.
“Argh! You’re tearing up my lips!”
“God, you’re worse than a child.”
After roughly wiping away most of the cream, Adrian folded the handkerchief to put it away—but paused and offered it to Jaeylin instead.
Jaeylin blinked, wide-eyed in surprise.
“Wh-what?”
“You’ve got some too. Wipe it.”
“Th-thank you.”
She rubbed at her lips with the handkerchief, but the cream only smeared more.
“No, not there.”
Adrian pointed again, but Jaeylin kept wiping the wrong spot.
“Can’t even manage that? Hand it over.”
With a sigh, Adrian snatched the handkerchief back.
“Come here.”
As Jaeylin leaned closer, Adrian gently dabbed the cream from her lips. His sharp brows knit slightly in concentration.
“…Thanks.”
“Why is it that everyone around me needs babysitting?” Adrian muttered, shoving the handkerchief into his pocket.
“Hey! You wiped me so rough, but you’re all gentle with her! That’s discrimination!” Stefan puffed his cheeks in protest.
“Cut it out.”
“No way! Discrimination is wrong! Treat us equally!”
Grinding his teeth, Adrian closed his eyes for a moment.
“Do you want to die?”
As Stefan and Adrian bickered on, Jaeylin happily kept eating her bread.
Everything at the academy cafeteria tasted so good that she could never stop once she started.
A few crumbs fell onto her arm, making it itch. She brushed them off, but the itch spread instead. Soon her whole body tingled.
Stefan, still arguing, glanced at her face and froze.
“Huh? Puppy, what’s wrong with your face?”
“M-me? What about my face?”
Jaeylin touched her skin and felt a faint heat.
Suddenly, her throat tightened. She clutched her neck with both hands.
“Wh-what?”
Stefan shot up from his seat.
“Jaeylin! What’s wrong?”
“I—I can’t… breathe…”
Adrian checked the bread she’d been eating, his voice urgent.
“Do you… have a peanut allergy?”
“I-I don’t really kno—”
Her breathing grew more ragged, her vision tilting.
The last thing she saw was Stefan’s panicked face rushing toward her before everything went dark.
Birdsong tickled her ears. The sound grew clearer as Jaeylin slowly opened her eyes.
A ceiling glowed icy blue above her.
As she inhaled, the sharp sting of disinfectant filled her lungs.
“You didn’t even know you had a peanut allergy?”
Startled by the sudden voice, she turned her head. Adrian was sitting in a chair, arms crossed, leaning back at a slant.
Blinking, Jaeylin nodded.
“Y-yeah. I didn’t… know.”
“Pay more attention to your body. If you don’t, who’s going to take care of you?” Adrian grumbled, his voice edged with irritation.
“S-sorry. For bothering you.”
“You think I’m mad because you bothered me?”
He ran his hand roughly through his hair, then glanced at her.
“Anyway, peanuts that can’t eat peanuts. The tragedy of cannibalism or something, huh?”
‘I’m not a peanut,’ Jaeylin protested inwardly, lips pressed tight as she glared at him.
Feeling her gaze, Adrian raised one eyebrow.
“What. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I-I’m not a peanut.”
Fidgeting with her fingers, Jaeylin finally mustered the courage to object.
“Yeah right. Just look at your hair—it’s the exact color of a peanut shell.”
At his words, Jaeylin grabbed a strand of her own hair and stared at it.
He wasn’t wrong.
“Y-you’re right…”
Her easy acceptance made Adrian snort in amusement.
“Anyway, you’re awake, so I’m leaving. The nurse said there’s nothing serious. Stay here and rest a bit longer before going home. Don’t wander around pointlessly, got it?”
“Okay. I-I will.”
With his hands shoved in his pockets, Adrian headed for the door but turned back halfway.
“Oh, and text Stefan. He wanted to skip class and stay here, but I had to kick him out. He was really worried.”
“Alright. Th-thank you.”
