Warm As A Sunshine

"AAAAAA!!"

Edgar woke up, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

He could still vividly remember being thrown far back, then feeling an excruciating pain that made the world go dark. He truly didn't expect to encounter someone like him. Someone who could render him powerless.

It reminded him of the rival he would face in the tournament.

"Edgar, you awake!"

He turned to the side, only now realizing that his friends were here. Worry turned into happiness. They smiled gleefully, jumping and embracing Edgar after thinking the worst about him.

"AHHH! YOU KNOW I'M STILL HURT, RIGHT!?"

They quickly stepped back, confusion evident on each of their faces. "Wait, you're not fully healed yet? Shouldn't you be?"

A sigh escaped Edgar's mouth. "You guys know that my spine was completely fractured, right?"

They shuddered in horror at the thought of it.

"That's the reason I haven't fully recovered yet. Even though I have regeneration, it doesn't mean I'll instantly heal without needing time. Moreover, that man attacked me with great force," he muttered irritably, knowing he no longer had a face in the academy.

"Ah, Duke came here and when he left, his carriage was attacked by that man. The Prince also came, but ended up dancing with him," his friend explained.

Hearing that, Edgar was more convinced that he was better off staying here, rather than facing other students. He didn't know if he could withstand every gaze and talk about him. Just thinking about it made him tremble.

He was certain that once he returned to the Mansion, he would receive a long lecture, maybe even face his father's anger for tarnishing their name.

Not to mention the Prince, who probably knew about his behavior in the academy and how he tried to save face, so his parents would still be happy to have him as a child.

He didn't possess the genius of his two younger siblings who reached Tier 4 at the age of 12. They were both monsters. Monsters who always managed to make their parents happy with their incredible abilities.

As for himself?

He had to strive hard to attain a small portion of that happiness.

Edgar's hands clenched the blanket tightly, trying to contain the anger towards himself for his disappointment. Once again, he failed to bring a smile to his parents' faces. All of this because of that man.

Because of Eizen!

Not only had he already stolen Nior, but also the chance to be close to both of his parents!

"You will die at my hands, Eizen, I promise that."

Hearing this, Edgar's four friends exchanged glances, worried that he might resort to actions far worse than this and end up hurting himself again. They had seen it too often, Edgar suffering under the pressure from his parents. They didn't want their friend to be further hurt to the point where he didn't care about himself.

They had to stop him, no matter how.

Edgar had to break free from the constraints of his parents who clearly didn't care about him. They were only using him to uphold the family name and pride.

They nodded, ready to execute the plan they had devised while Edgar was asleep.

"Edgar, we're glad you're back. But we can't stay here any longer or our parents will be called by the teachers. We have to get back to class."

Edgar sighed deeply, suppressing his anger. "Go ahead. You don't want to kicked out, right? I apologize for always getting you into trouble."

They nodded with warm smiles on their faces.

As they finally disappeared, Edgar leaned back, tightly embracing his blanket. Slowly, the blanket became damp from tears, accompanied by stifled sobs he tried so hard to hold back from being heard by anyone.

.

.

Zent walked around the academy, inspecting areas he couldn't see before as he had to keep following Headmaster Verhatten. Not a few female students shouted his name, calling him to look their way.

Of course, he did.

Not forgetting to wave and offer warm smiles, causing them to scream loudly.

"You know I'm still here, right?" Celine asked, folding her arms and annoyed at Zent's continuous attention towards other women.

Zent glanced at her, noticing her adorable expression when she was jealous, and gave Celine a kiss on the cheek. Her steps halted, surprised, still processing what had just happened. A blush appeared on her face, realizing they were now being watched by so many people, with the area filled with their screams.

As if living in a drama.

"Why did you do that?"

"Why? Because you wanted it."

Celine turned her face away, unable to contain the embarrassment that now made her heart race so fast. This was one of the reasons Celine was irritated with Zent.

He knew how to win her over.

However, seeing so many pairs of eyes here, Celine stepped closer, grasped both sides of Zent's face, and gave him a gentle kiss. Celine's hand pulled his head, urging Zent to come even closer. A warning to the female students that he was hers and not someone else's.

Instantly, the area was filled with loud screams that made both of their faces turn red.

Celine smiled with happiness, successfully making Zent blush.

"I didn't know you liked showing it off in public," he teased while lightly caressing her cheek.

"As your partner, I can't let myself be outdone, can I?"

Zent reflexively looked away, hiding his face with his hand, unable to contain the rizz. Who would have thought that Celine could also act like this?

"Didn't I tell you, women like her is the dangerous one, Zent," Z said, leaning against a tree trunk, folding his arms, his face equally red.

Stop acting all cool when your face is as red as a boiled shrimp.

Not far from there, Eizen was spending time with a still worried Nior, although she had been told repeatedly that he was perfectly fine. Eizen even had to run, jump, and roll forward to show that he was truly okay.

They had also seen what had caused the students to scream so loudly. They could tell that those two were much more dramatic than they were. It was as if they were watching a show.

"I-I'm not sure I'd dare to do what that girl did," Nior said earlier.

"I'm even embarrassed just imagining them kissing," Eizen replied.

Meanwhile, the news had spread to reach the ears of Rayven, who was spending time with Rio on the other side of the school.

Both of them fell silent upon hearing it, not expecting their friends to be so bold. Previously, it had been so difficult for Celine to express her feelings to Zent. He had truly changed her, managing to bring her out of the icy shell where she had hidden for so long.

"Don't you want to do it?" Rio asked softly.

"Huh? Do it... YOU MEAN-"

Rio quickly covered Rayven's mouth, looking around, checking if anyone was watching them, and then gazed back at him. "Can you not scream? I can't do what they did, you understand?" she said softly, half-whispering.

Rayven glanced around, pulling her to a quieter spot, and without letting Rio finish her sentence, he gave her a gentle kiss. Rio's hand slowly moved upwards, embracing his neck, bringing Rayven closer.

However, because this was the academy, there was certainly no place that was truly safe.

Three female students saw them and hurriedly left the scene, spreading the equally surprising news. News that would lead both couples to be called into the headmaster's office for further discussion.

News that would eventually put Zent in great danger from three women who were currently resting in their respective rooms, anticipating Zent's arrival with flushed faces, imagining what could happen.

"How should we talk to him?" Edgar's friend asked, watching the two in front of them.

"Whether we like it or not, we have to wait," replied another friend with a reddened face.

"Ah... I'm really jealous of that white-haired guy."

"Me too buddy, me too."

Simultaneously, they nodded, watching with tears streaming down.

Now, they understood how the Prince felt.