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When I was younger, I caught a cold. Before I was kidnapped by the Black Moon and became an assassin, I was living a peaceful life as Zeno Frentz.

Of course, there were times during my Assassin Guild days when I also caught colds. However, if someone got sick with a cold or any minor ailment there, it was just a matter of luck from the Guild Master’s perspective; if I didn’t die, that was a blessing, but if I did, I would just be discarded like anyone else. They wouldn’t even prescribe medicine for a cold; instead, I had to participate in survival games through training and competitions even in that condition.

Later, once I showed a bit of talent, my treatment improved quite a bit, but by then, I had already grown somewhat cocky and managed things on my own, so there was no need to discuss it further.

But earlier, during my days as Zeno Frentz, I was incredibly fragile, both physically and mentally. Whenever I caught a cold and was bedridden, my parents or the other attendants would scold me about spreading germs, but I would stubbornly shake my head and lean on my sister, who would tightly hold my hand and sit by my bedside all day. I acted like a spoiled child.

Even when I was sweating and shivering with body aches, I found her hand to be the most reassuring thing. Of course, the next day, when I recovered from my cold, it would be my sister who caught it, lying down while I held her hand tightly. Then she would smile at me bashfully, sweating just like I had the day before.

At that time, there was a girl who played with us. To be precise, she was my sister’s friend, but to me, she felt like an older sister. Our families were closely acquainted, and I remember visiting her house with my father and vice versa.

On the day the girl came to visit, I just so happened to have caught a terrible cold. When she arrived and didn’t find my sister and me there to greet her as usual, she entered my room with a suspicious look on her face. I still remember how funny her expression was at that moment.

Seeing my sister still holding my hand, she went to the other side and grabbed my other hand. I wasn’t quite at the age of embarrassment, but had I been slightly older, I probably would have pulled away out of shyness. Instead, I wanted to act even more like a spoiled child.

The problem was that the next day, due to the particularly bad cold, I was still moaning and groaning, and two more patients had been added. I also remember the troubled expression on my father’s face as he looked at the three little ones sprawled out together, holding hands, while an uncle was chuckling and playfully patting my father’s back.

My memory is pretty sharp, or maybe it’s sealed away and hasn’t faded at all; I vividly recall every expression.

The name of the girl who played with us was definitely…

“Yuli noona….”

Yeah. Even back then, Yuli noona was holding onto my left hand tightly.

But I can no longer return to those innocent times. My right hand is no longer held; Elysia noona is gone. My poor sister passed away at a young age due to the invasion of the demonic race. I’m the only one left in my family, struggling to survive like this. That’s why these memories are even more cherished.

Still, I won’t be defeated. I won’t despair. I won’t give up.

Because I have new friends now. Selian is there, Yuli is there, Anne is there, everyone is there. Each and every person I’ve formed bonds with has become precious to me. Comparing them is quite absurd, but now, I can’t measure who is more precious between Elysia noona and my friends. Elysia noona is precious, but my friends are equally important to me.

Even if I long for the past, I won’t let it consume me. So, I shall move forward.

Elysia noona, Yuli noona, I’m sure they would feel proud to see how I am now. Absolutely.

…?

Yuli noona…? But, Yuli is Yuli, isn’t she?

*

“Ugh…”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been sweating so much. Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, I got up from my spot. After feeling a cold coming on in the morning, I fell back asleep, and now, evening was almost here, with the sun setting beyond the window. I must’ve been sleeping deeply, to the point where I even dreamed, leaving me with a sense of longing lingering in my heart.

As I stirred and lifted the blanket off me, a rush of cool air hit my sweaty body, which had been under the blanket all day. I even felt a slight headache, perhaps because the cold still lingered.

“Ah, you’re awake? You still look uncomfortable; you should lie down a little longer. After all, the day is almost over anyway.”

As I gently rubbed my temples to ease the headache, Selian spoke up from beside me. She didn’t just spark a conversation; she compared our foreheads by placing one hand on her own and the other on mine. The cool sensation of her palm against my forehead felt quite pleasant. Her hand wasn’t particularly cold, so that meant my forehead was still hot.

“While it’s better than before, you still have a bit of a fever.”

“Haha… I really caught a bad cold, didn’t I…?”

And I couldn’t even bring myself to mention that this cold was caught while pouring cold water over my troubled mind multiple times. That would be a secret I’d have to keep for a lifetime.

“Hmm…”

Being bundled up in the blanket all day had left me completely soaked in sweat. As I moved a bit, my sweat-drenched pajamas clung to me uncomfortably. Despite Selian’s suggestion to lie back down, I couldn’t rest in this state.

It wasn’t like I had the energy to shower and change into fresh pajamas either. With a headache plaguing me, it was a truly frustrating situation.

“You’ve been sweating a lot.”

“…Does it smell that bad?”

Just as I was deep in thought, Selian, who had been watching me, suddenly spoke up. Well, considering I’d sweat this much, it would indeed be weird if I didn’t smell at all. I was just curious how bad it was and raised my arm to sniff at my own body. But how well could I smell my own scent, especially since I couldn’t even smell properly with this cold.

“It does smell a bit… But! Don’t make that apologetic face! I’m not saying it stinks… And anyway, we’re friends who sweat together during training, so don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

Well, if it’s Selian, who I’ve known the longest and trained with the most, she must’ve smelt my sweat plenty of times. I’ve gotten used to hers, too. In fact, even if her sweat didn’t smell exactly like a fragrance, it had a certain appeal that triggered desires. Of course, if I voiced such thoughts in front of her, I’d surely receive disdainful glares.

…With a beauty like Selian, even those disdainful glares would feel like a reward, which is quite scary.

“Just kidding, just kidding. Ugh, but seriously, this feels so uncomfortable.”

When I said it was a joke, Selian’s initial shock relaxed into relief.

“Um… If it bothers you because of the sweat… Would you like me to bring a towel to help you wipe off?”

However, seeing me in such a situation, Selian offered to help. For a moment, I thought I might have misheard due to my cold, but judging by the earnest look on her face, I didn’t think I was mistaken.

“No, I couldn’t possibly impose that much. You’ve been by my side since this morning, taking care of me, after all.”

Even if I vaguely remembered from my hazy mind due to the cold, Selian had indeed sat next to me, replacing the towel on my forehead while taking care of me since before I fell asleep. Considering how the evening glow was thick outside the window, that meant she had been there providing care for several hours.

“No, we took turns taking care of you with the other friends. After going around once, it’s now my turn again after Yuli. So please don’t feel too bad about it.”

While it was a relief that Selian hadn’t had to struggle for hours, the fact that I made my other friends take turns caring for me only increased my guilt. Once I fully recovered and got out of bed, I’d have to express my gratitude to my friends.

“Even so, that doesn’t justify troubling you, Selian. I could just go have a shower. Or if it’s too much, I could just sleep and shower afterward.”

A cold is just a cold; I could bear off the discomfort for a bit and take a shower. If I was so weak that I couldn’t handle that, how could I call myself a hero?

Of course, it was questionable that I even caught this cold in the first place as a hero.

“Trouble? I’m totally fine, so just don’t worry about it! And you can’t underestimate colds! After all, they say any disease begins with a cold, right? Even if I feel better than this morning, I am still not in good shape, and what if something happens if you go take a shower? If I don’t wipe off this sweat and sleep dirty, it could make the cold worse.”

But my kind-hearted Selian worried about me, as if she were the one who was sick, and loudly prevented me from going.

“If you’re going to the bathroom, let’s go in together. If you find it hard to go to the bathroom, like I said earlier, I could just wipe off your sweat with a towel.”

In a way, my suggestion backfired, and I lost the option of just going back to sleep. Looking at her pleadingly, I could see that Selian was not going to go soft on this.

“…Then can I ask you to wipe me down with a towel?”

“Of course!”

If I couldn’t avoid it, then I might as well go for the more comfortable option. Just as she said, getting to the bathroom in my current state would be agony.

 

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