บท 30: Coming To An Agreement

After my sparring session with Carin, I woke up in what seemed to be the school's infirmary. Glancing around, I saw that Luna was already awake in the other bed at my side and seemed to be staring out the window deep in thought. Carin was leaning against the wall in her usual arms-crossed pose.

"Finally awake. Do you remember anything?"

". . ."

"It happened again, didn't it?"

"I heard about the previous incident. I have to say, Your affinity for body activation was much higher than I expected."

"Is that good or bad?"

"That all depends on you. I can easily say that you have the potential to become stronger than me, but that potential means the risk of destroying yourself if you lose control is also increased."

"Right, control. . ."

"That goes for both of you. You both need to learn to keep a level head during combat, and to that end, I'm assigning you two some homework. Rune, I want to try and remember that feeling when you used body activation. I know it's not something you're doing consciously, but any small amount you can remember will help you."

"Luna, your assignment is to try and get an understanding of your anger. If that were a real fight out there, you would have gotten yourself killed. I'm not too sure what is causing you such distress, but this is something you need to focus on resolving."

Luna glanced at me for a second and then went back to watching the window with her brows furrowed. It is as I suspected, then. It might not be related to seeing her naked that one time, but whatever is going on with her now has something to do with me.

"I'll leave it at that for now. You can rest up for a while longer if you need to. Its lunch time right now, so you have about an hour until your next set of classes."

After those parting words, Carin left the two of us in silence. The awkward quiet of the room was getting to me. Whatever is happening with Luna is partially my fault, and although she might not answer if I asked, I resolved to reach out to her this time.

"Hey, Luna?"

". . ."

"We have only known each other for a couple of days, but regardless we're a team, aren't we?" Luna wasn't responding to me and continued staring out the window with her back turned.

"Can you give me a chance to fix whatever I did wrong?"

At that mention, she turned around. She silently stared into my eyes and examined my face for a few moments before breaking her gaze to look away.

"What makes you think this has anything to do with you?"

"I'm not stupid, Luna. I can tell whatever is going on with you has something to do with me, and it's not about how we first met. You know as well as I do that that was a prank set up by Fleur and that your reaction is extreme for a misunderstanding."

Luna turned to face me again and contemplated whether or not it was okay to speak her mind.

*sigh*

"Fine, but if you mention this conversation to anyone. . ."

"Alright, alright, I get it. I won't tell a soul." She laid down on the bed in resignation after getting my word and stared up at the ceiling.

"There is something wrong with my body. There's this feeling, like an unstoppable heat inside me and. . ."

I could tell her face was red and that it was hard for her to get the rest of the words out.

"And. . i. . happens. .ar . . y"

"What?"

"I said it only happens when I'm around you, idiot!! It's stronger than anything I have ever felt. It's hard to find relief, and I'm constantly frustrated." She said, pulling the blankets up over her head in embarrassment.

'Wait, isn't that sexual frustration? Because of me? That can't be right.'

"Uh oh"

"What?"

"Nothing. I have an idea about what's wrong, but I'd rather not jump to conclusions."

Luna got up and narrowed her eyes at me as if to say, 'out with it.' Realizing there was no way for me to avoid telling her, I decided to tell her about my Oxen bloodline and its potential effects on the opposite gender. Obviously, I omitted some details and mixed in a few lies since the subject's history is supposed to be a secret. Maybe if I ask for permission, I can tell my group the whole truth, but now is not the time.

"I see. so you guys live in hiding to prevent affecting those around you. I guess that makes sense."

That was part of the excuse I made up.

"Mhmm. I don't really know how to fix it, though. Maybe by being around me more often, you can build up resistance. For now, though, do you think you could give me a break? It is not really something I have control over, and I promise to help you in anyways I can."

Luna thought about my words for a moment before she looked at me a blushed.

"Fine, but you are going to take responsibility."

"Uh. .excuse me?"

"Geeze. Don't make me repeat it stupid." Luna got up and stormed out of the room, and right be for leaving, she stopped at the doorway for a moment.

"I'll be counting on you to assist me." She whispered these words, but they were just loud enough that I heard them.

I don't know whether I should laugh or cry right now. I have an Idea about what she meant by 'assistance', and I'm unsure how to feel about it. I guess I'll have to accept the fact that women are going to be drawn in by my bloodline.

I shook off those thoughts and wandered around until I found the cafeteria. I was sore from what happened, but whatever kind of treatment I received while I was out was enough for it not to be a hindrance.

When I eventually found the place, I looked around and saw Fleur happily waving at me as she skipped over in my direction. I was surprised when the area wasn't as packed as I thought it would be, but there are also quite a few restaurants in the academic district, so I assume many people leave campus for lunch.

"Rune~" I smiled gently at her, which seemed to make her more excited. She increased her pace and jumped at my chest, latching her arms and legs around my torso.

"Get off."

"Why? You know you like it~."

"Don't make a scene."

"Fine. But you're going to come and sit with us." She said, pulling me to a table where Luna and Raya were already in the middle of eating.

"Can I at least grab some food first?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll pick out something good for you."

"And why would I let you do that?"

"Because I'm going to feed you. Don't even think about trying to escape. You promised, remember?"

That's right. I did promise to do something for her if she stopped making a fuss when I was going out with Luna. I was kind of hoping she forgot about it, though.

"Heeheehee, I bet you are thinking I forgot about it." she giggled.

Accepting my fate, I let the cheeky girl drag me to our table while she ran off to pick out my lunch. When I got there, Luna wasn't showing any of her previous hostility and even smiled at me, albeit a small one. Raya scooted next to me as well and engaged in her usual teasing.

"My my, Fleur has you on a short leash, doesn't she? Who knew you two were so close."

"We're not like that yet."

"Yet?" Raya asked, giving me a smirk

"Yes, yet. I'm dealing with my own set of issues right now, but once they are resolved, I can't say I would be completely against getting to know her better. And besides, I made a promise to do something for her."

"I guess even you can be straightforward sometimes. I don't dislike this side of you."

". . ."

"Can I ask you something, Raya?"

"Sure."

"Do you like me? I can't imagine you would comfortably rest your head on just anyone's shoulder like this. Or are you still teasing me?"

"A bit of both, I guess. Most of the time, I'm just teasing you, but I would be lying if I said I haven't taken a genuine interest in you."

"Why? I can't recall doing anything that would grab your interest. Not like Fleur, at least."

"Oh my, haven't you heard that it's rude to pry about a lady's true feelings, Rune?" Seeing the slight look of panic on my face, Raya giggled.

"I'm just joking. It's quite simple. It's because you are strong, both in heart and body. Fleur told me about what you did for her and the feats you displayed. I mentioned it before, but I come from a noble family. We value strength like that, and it's what we look for in potential partners."

"I see."

We cut the conversation short at the point when Fleur came back with a tray of food. It was a much fancier meal than what I was used to and consisted of meat and various side dishes, which Fleur happily fed to me like a lover.

She seemed content as she continued attending to me, even going so far as to wipe my mouth when it got messy and bringing my cup up to my mouth for me to drink. I thought it was a little excessive, but when I tried to stop her, she got mad and reminded me again about our promise.

And so the remainder of lunch continued like that, earning me some more teasing from Raya as well as some jealous glares from the surrounding male students.