"…Ow… that hurt less than I expected… huh? CARLOTTA?!"

My hand was squeezing her right boob!

…Whoa, super soft… and kinda warm too…

Oh god. NO! Focus, dumbass! Now she’s definitely gonna kill me over this.

I can’t believe this is how it all ends. After so much suffering, surviving protagonist events, death routes, and psycho nobles… my end was gonna come from some mysterious slip.

And God only knows how the hell I even fell.

Mom, dad, little sis, Dana… I tried! Here I come, God!

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to feel a blood projectile tear straight through my stomach.

But nothing happened.

…Huh?

Did I already die?

Because I didn’t feel pain. No new holes in my body. No exploding organs. Nothing.

Carefully, I opened one eye.

Carlotta was still lying on the floor with me on top of her.

"…Agh… g-get off me already, you bargain-bin idiot… I mean… dear friend…"

…Yep. She’s definitely gonna murder me.

Still, something felt weird.

Carlotta had both arms covering her face, almost like she was trying to hide. And her voice… sounded strange. Weaker than usual.

"As if my day wasn’t already horrible enough… Just move already!"

"Y-YES! Right away!"

I jumped off her like a cat getting thrown into ice water.

My instincts screamed one thing.

RUN!

So I obeyed.

I spun around and bolted down the hallway before the lunatic decided to open another hole in my body with her blood magic.

But then…

Something didn’t add up.

Escaping felt way too easy.

Y’know, I was expecting the usual stuff: screaming, blood attacks, aristocratic insults, the whole package. But nothing happened.

I glanced back over my shoulder, expecting to see her raising a hand while yelling at me.

Instead, Carlotta barely managed to turn slightly on the floor.

She tried to stand.

Failed.

And collapsed again.

One hand pressed against her stomach while she kept her head lowered. Her other arm trembled slightly as she tried to support herself.

That was… weird.

Really weird.

I didn’t know her that well, but even I knew one thing: Carlotta would never allow herself to look weak in front of other people.

Especially not in the middle of a hallway full of students.

Something smells fishy here. Plus… she looks like she’s in a lot of pain…

So then… why…?

A small crowd started gathering around her.

They didn’t actually look worried.

More like curious.

And kinda… entertained?

They just stared.

Like vultures.

Some whispered to each other. Others even smiled.

…What the hell is wrong with these people?

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Look, yeah. Carlotta was an unbearable bitch. A psycho obsessed with ruining my life. Etcetera.

But this?

This was different.

It was obvious something was wrong with her.

Come on, help her!

And yet nobody moved.

Those damn NPCs just kept staring, some of them even mocking her while whispering to each other.

What a bunch of assholes! Bet they wouldn’t have the balls to act like that if Carlotta were at full strength!

Instead of standing, Carlotta remained curled up on the floor, though it was obvious she was trying not to collapse completely.

Suddenly, the faces of those students began twisting in front of my eyes.

Like shadows.

Weirdo.

Disgusting.

Creepy stalker.

Freaking deviant.

No.

No, no, no.

Why was I remembering that now?

My chest tightened painfully.

Ah… sh*t.

Damn trauma.

I lowered my gaze for a second.

Dana never would’ve left someone alone like that.

Even if she hated them.

I let out a long sigh.

"…Ah, crap. I hate this stupid soft heart of mine…"

Carlotta might’ve been a psycho villain who probably wanted to see me buried six feet underground.

But nobody deserved to be left alone like that while getting humiliated.

So I took a deep breath.

And charged back in.

CHAAARGE!!

"Alright, idiots. Show’s over. Beat it!"

I shoulder-checked one of the students who was too busy staring to react.

Several stepped back in surprise.

Others looked ready to complain.

But I didn’t care.

They weren’t villains. I doubt they could hurt the protagonist… right?

So they weren’t that scary… probably.

I even had to yell at a couple people who’d pulled out their Jade Tablets to take pictures.

Freaking sickos.

Once I finally cleared the area, I crouched in front of Carlotta.

"I swear… I’ll remember your faces… bastards… sons of…"

Damn.

She’s really pissed.

Well, honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything else.

Actually… I kinda support her on this one.

Hope she gets proper revenge on all those bullies.

Anyway, that’s her business.

Right now, I’ve got my own problem.

"Alright, crazy girl. Up you go. We’re heading to the infirmary."

"Mngh… Nen…"

A small whimper slipped from her lips when I slid one arm under her legs and another behind her back.

Surprisingly…

She was light.

Way too light for someone with such gi-

NO.

Don’t think about that.

"You could at least call me by my name. I’m helping you here, y’know?"

I tried joking around a little.

Didn’t work.

Carlotta covered her face even more with her arms.

"Let me go…"

She squirmed in my arms, almost slipping free.

Luckily, I reacted fast and tightened my hold on her.

God.

This woman was ridiculously prideful.

"Oh please, girlie, don’t be so difficult. I’m helping you. I know, I know, you don’t like me and all that, but tell me… what’s better? Staying here on the floor while everyone stares at you, or swallowing your pride and letting a friend help?"

A few seconds of silence passed where I was genuinely terrified she’d use her hands to strangle me.

Then…

"…Fine."

"That’s a weird way to say ‘thank you, sweet Kathryn, for saving me.’"

Carlotta stayed silent.

Then, almost whispering:

"…Thank you…"

…Good enough for me.

Off to the infirmary we go!

---

The trip to the infirmary was absurdly quiet.

And it was killing me.

I really didn’t think our relationship had reached the level of “comfortable shared silence.”

We were more at the level of: “I’ll murder you the second I get the chance.”

Better say something!

“Uh… so… that was quite a hit we took, huh? Good thing I had… uh… a pretty good cushion…?”

… Why did I say that?

And why did I say it LIKE A QUESTION?

I remember my mom once told me that if you want a joke to land, you can’t sound unsure of what you’re saying… damn it. I suck at breaking the ice.

Besides, what the hell did I mean by “good cushion”!?

My mind instantly replayed the soft, warm sensation that had absorbed most of the impact from my fall.

NO.

Don’t think about that, Julia.

What are you? Some hormonal teenager?

… No, wait.

Seriously, what is wrong with me?

I’d noticed it a couple of times already, but ever since I arrived in this new world, my mind feels a little… different.

Like I keep noticing things I normally wouldn’t have paid attention to… this much.

“Mnhg…”

Carlotta answered my nonsense with a strange little groan.

I think she’s complaining about how terrible I am at conversation.

“… Yeah, I’m not good at breaking the ice. Sorry.”

“Avoid people…”

“Huh?”

I blinked for a moment.

Then I understood.

Honestly, I deserve praise for this one. I immediately got what she meant.

She probably didn’t want anyone seeing her like this, especially not being carried by me.

That, at least, I could do.

“Oh! Got it.”

I immediately changed direction, taking a much longer and far emptier corridor.

“Alright, I got you, gir— W-What are you doing?”

I felt something wrapping around my neck.

Carlotta had lifted one of her arms and was now clinging to me.

Her face ended up near my shoulder.

Way too close.

“Ah…”

“What the hell!?”

Then she let out a slow, heavy breath against my neck.

An electric shiver ran across my skin.

“H-Hey… are you seriously okay? You’re… well… weirder than usual right now. And honestly, if I’m saying that, then it’s really bad.”

“Mmm.”

Again!?

Again with that tiny sound while pressing herself tighter against me.

The heat of her body seeped through the fabric of our uniforms.

Clearly transmitting the warmth of her soft chest.

NO.

DON’T GO THERE, BRAIN.

“OKAY! I am not into all this flirting-with-friends stuff! Actually, I didn’t even know you did this kind of thing! And I don’t even think we’re close enough to act like this! What is wrong with you?”

Seriously.

What the hell?

This woman had spent days trying to ruin my existence, and now she was acting like an affection-starved cat.

“Aghm. Shut up. I’m not doing anything. Just move faster. NOW.”

… I want to cry.

I do not understand this insanely bipolar woman.

---