"Come on, Liyn... keep fighting..."
As she ran, Liyn kept repeating those words in her mind. She had no idea how many times she had circled the field. Sweat drenched her temples, her breathing grew heavier, and her body began to sway.
With faltering steps, she finally made her way to the wooden bench at the edge of the field. She slowly collapsed onto it, bending over while holding onto her knees.
"It's only been an hour... but it feels like a whole day..." she muttered, her breath coming in gasps. She opened her small backpack, taking out the bread and water bottle she had brought with her.
"Alright, take a short break..."
As he reached for the bottle, he noticed his hand was shaking violently. The wound on his finger, covered in a bandage, stung as it rubbed against the surface. But instead of feeling annoyed, he smiled.
Slowly, he raised his right hand toward the rising sunlight. His gaze fixed on his trembling hand—bones, muscles, wounds—all clearly illuminated by the sun. The soft light illuminated part of his face, creating a beautiful silhouette... yet also cutting silently.
"This is what I call... struggle," he whispered barely audibly.
Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching him from afar.
Footsteps approached slowly. A warm hand touched the back of his hand. Liyn startled, quickly pulling his hand away and hiding it in his pants pocket.
"Is this wound... from your training?"
Leith's voice sounded flat as usual, calm yet piercing. Liyn turned quickly, a bit nervous.
"Um… I think, hehe…" she answered hesitantly, awkwardly.
Leith said nothing more. He sat beside Liyn, took the water bottle from her hand, opened it calmly, then handed it back. At the same time, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her without saying much.
"You're really careless," he said softly, without a judgmental tone.
Liyn took the bottle slowly, still holding the handkerchief that had just been given to her. She fell silent, her eyes staring blankly ahead. That small act of kindness felt foreign—so simple, yet warming. She couldn't remember the last time someone had treated her like that.
She couldn't remember when... she herself had forgotten when she last allowed herself to feel worthy of being pampered.
"Senpai... thank you," Liyn's voice was soft, like a whisper that almost faded away with the morning breeze. There was a tremor there—a tremor of shyness, gratitude, and something new, something Liyn herself hadn't dared to name yet.
Leith looked at her for a moment. His gentle eyes seemed to penetrate deep inside.
"Are you used to this?"
Liyn blinked. "Used to... what?"
"Training like this. Studying until late at night. Waking up this early just to keep forcing your body to move."
Leith's gaze fell on Liyn's hand, wrapped in a bandage. "Where did you practice hitting?"
Liyn tensed. Her heart leaped suddenly. "This... I fell earlier. On the field," she answered quickly. A nervous laugh floated out. "Maybe I was just clumsy, hehe..."
A lie. And she knew Leith must have noticed it. But the man didn't respond to the lie, didn't judge, didn't ask anymore. He just stayed silent... and slowly bit his own index finger until a drop of blood appeared.
Then, with a nearly inaudible movement, he reached out his hand toward Liyn.
"Drink it… Liyn."
Liyn's heart felt like it was being pulled out of her chest. Her breath caught. She stared at Leith's finger in confusion, fear, and… trembling. But something inside her stirred. Slowly, she grasped Leith's hand, her hands so small in that gentle embrace, then hesitantly touched the finger to her lips.
She sucked on the tip of the finger, tasting the salty, warm blood.
As warm as someone who cares.
Her body began to feel lighter. Her wounds healed. But her heartbeat—no.
Thud… thud… thud… thud…
The sound filled her ears.
Thud… thud… thud…
As if echoing from the depths of her own soul.
Liyn quickly pulled her hand away, panicking, but Leith held her back. Calmly, he examined Liyn's wounds, removing the bandages one by one.
"You, huh... not even a day healed, and you're already wounded again." Leith's voice sounded slightly amused. His smile appeared for the first time that day—warm, light... intoxicating.
Liyn's gaze fell on Leith's lips. And that's when reality hit her hard.
"Wait... he bit his finger... I also... drank his blood... and his saliva... so that means—"
Her eyes widened.
"A KISS?! An indirect kiss?! AAAAA!!"
Her mind was in chaos. She felt like she wanted to sink into the ground. But she tried to stay calm—or at least not faint.
"Hehe... I'm sorry, Senpai. I must be such a bother..." she said softly, looking down.
'But... if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. I... will probably be bothering you a lot, so I want to help too.'
Leith stared at the sky for a moment, as if thinking. "There is one thing. And maybe only you can do it."
Liyn looked at him hopefully. "What is it?"
"I want to read all the books your mother left behind. And... teach me about science."
For a moment, time stood still. Liyn was frozen.
Mother...
Suddenly, she remembered her promise—the promise she had broken the previous afternoon.
"I'm sorry… so sorry! I… I forgot about our promise yesterday! I'm so stupid—even though Senpai has been so kind to me…"
She bowed repeatedly. Guilt washed over her face. Leith chuckled softly.
"Don't worry. I know you must be tired. Don't feel awkward around me."
Liyn smiled again, small and full of emotion. But her eyes... still couldn't meet his directly.
"Thank you, Senpai..." she said again, sincerely and warmly.
The sound of the big clock suddenly echoed from the top of the main building.
Deng... deng... deng...
Six times.
"Eh?! It's already six o'clock?!" Liyn was startled, quickly gathering her things.
"Senpai, I'll be going now! I haven't prepared for school yet," she said quickly. She stood up, waved her hand, and began running away. "Thank you for everything!"
Leith waved slowly, silently watching her leave. The girl ran like morning light—soft, warm, and a little hard to reach.
Liyn, on the other hand, kept running while clutching her still-pounding chest.
But one question lingered in her heart...
"Why... is Senpai so kind to me?"
—
Upon arriving in class, Myra was already waiting with a teasing smile.
"Heyyy, Liyn~ come on, be honest with me~"
Her tone was like a cheesy song made on the spot, light but full of hidden meaning.
"Be honest about what? I'm not hiding anything," Liyn replied quickly, a bit sharply. She placed her bag on the desk and began reaching for a book.
"Huu~ ignored again, huh? This is the fate of a loyal friend," Myra whined, feigning sadness, then without permission pulled the book from Liyn's hand.
"Hey! That's my book!" Liyn glared at Myra. Not angrily, but clearly… annoyed.
Myra just chuckled. 'Do you want to know more about Mr. Leith?' she teased, raising her eyebrows mischievously. 'It's such a shame to waste a guy like him~'
Liyn sighed deeply, then crossed her arms over her chest.
"Get those random thoughts out of your head. I don't like him, period."
"Are you sure about that~?" Myra raised her eyebrows even higher, her mischievous expression turning into a challenging one.
Liyn fell silent. Her eyes stared blankly for a few seconds, then... she gave in.
"...Alright. I want to know. But remember, this is because you insisted."
Myra burst into a small, triumphant laugh. "Wow~ you gave in so fast, Miss Arrogant." She then sat cross-legged on her chair, ready to tell her story.
"Alright, listen up... This is an old story, but it's really interesting."