Chapter 19: Shoulder to Shoulder

After Rico left, Josh hurried to the tube and leaned close to Krizel.

"Did you calm down?"

"U-uhm yeah… maybe I really exhausted too much of my mana… I burnt the whole room earlier, and that armor… they should have cost too much mana."

"U-uhhh… y-yeah…" Josh awkwardly agreed since he doesn't even know if he himself did exhaust her mana.

'I really think it's because of my 'Drain'… but, Sir Rico said that controlling someone's magic preserve is impossible…'

Josh then anchored his arm on her shoulders and helped her get up.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes. It should be fine." She also anchored her arm to Josh's shoulder to balance herself.

"We should wait for Sir Rico's signal. You can lean your body to me for the meantime if you want."

Krizel didn't say anything more and just leaned her head on Josh's shoulders. Her green hair swayed, and her head is just a finger away from Josh's chin.

'Oranges.' Josh accidentally whiffed her hair making his cheeks flush a little red.

...

After some time, Rico spoke to them through the speakers.

"All the students on your floor had left. I also left a change of clothes outside of the comfort room. I'll have someone lock your room. Just leave the key there. You can leave immediately after changing."

With the signal, Josh and Krizel walked out and into the hallway shoulder to shoulder.

Although Krizel stinks of piss, Josh didn't mind too much since the comfort rooms in all-boys high school trained him in the strong scent of pee, while Krizel is too exhausted to even think clearly.

Arriving at the front for the girls' bathroom, Josh saw a bag and a note attached to it,

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Your change of clothes.

-Rico

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Josh then let Krizel lean in the wall, then he crouched down to get the bag.

"I'll go with you inside and stand outside your cubicle while you're changing. You might suddenly fall if left on your own." Josh said to Krizel feeling guilty about what he thinks he did to her.

"Okay," Krizel said without much thought.

He then helped Krizel to a cubicle. He placed the bag on top of the closed toilet. He left the cubicle, closed the door, and just stood outside it.

Krizel didn't even bother locking the door as she just thinks of getting all things over with and plunging to her bed.

While Josh is standing outside, he heard the rustling of clothes and can't help himself to imagine Krizel changing.

'no No NO! You caused this! Stop thinking! Stop thinking! Stop thinking!' He screamed in his thoughts and recited 'stop thinking' as a mantra to keep himself from straying from the path of holiness and pureness.

Krizel changed her shirt and pants. She also removed her bra and panties, but there was no underwear in the bag.

'Whatever… I'll sleep right after anyway.' She thought languidly while changing.

After a while,

"I'm done."

"Okay. I'll open the door."

When Josh opened the door, he is greeted with two little pink cherries protruding from huge mountains that are outlined beneath the white shirt Krizel is wearing.

Josh face got red in an instant and something beneath his legs grew slightly bigger.

'Stop thinking! Stop thinking! Stop thinking!' He closed his eyes and repeated the mantra he made up earlier.

But… He then removed his black shirt.

"U-uh-uhh… y-you can put my shirt on top of your shirt. It's cold outside, I can put up with it." He said while his top is fully exposed.

"…" Krizel looked at him puzzledly but didn't refuse his offer.

She wore the black shirt on top of the white shirt she is wearing.

"Let's go, I'm feeling sleepy." She said casually while lifting her left arm then anchoring it to Josh's shoulders.

"hiiii!" Josh squealed. He closed his eye again for a moment and recited his mantra to calm down.

"O-okay. L-let's go." Josh said shyly while also anchoring his right arm to her shoulders.

And shoulder to shoulder, they left the building and took the long path toward the lodgings.

On the way, Josh, naked on his top, received looks of jealousy, anger, intrigue, coquettish, and hate. But he doesn't even notice this as he was preoccupied on the path and reciting his mantra continuously in his head. Krizel also doesn't notice this as she's way too exhausted and just barely awake to continue her walking.

Josh helped Krizel up to her room in the dormitories and helped her lay in her bed.

He closed the room afterward, and then,

'hoooooooooooo' he exhaled all his breath in one go.

'Acedemy… is tough.'