(42) Acting grandmastery

"I think you should visit the front yard garden for some fresh air. Being cooped up in this room might cause you to feel distressed." Doctor Hurven carefully advised Katlyn, seeing her pale face. 

"Understood..." Katlyn stared out of the window still feeling depressed. 

It wouldn't be wrong to say that Katlyn was like a patient ridden with an incurable disease. It was impossible at least with her current family's assets. 

Doctor Hurven left after checking Katlyn's condition. 

Checking herself up before a mirror, Katlyn combed her hair using her hand and made a simple ponytail. She changed into clothes provided by her family and began heading towards the garden as Hurven had advised. 

Breathing in the fresh air, Katlyn closed her eyes. She felt the gentle air stream around her. 

'It feels totally different now that my senses have grown multiple times stronger.' 

Katlyn's sense of listening had increased so much that she could even hear past the walls of the building around the hospital. 

While she concentrated on sitting on one of the benches, Katlyn heard a car heading nearer to the hospital. It didn't take long for the car to stop before the hospital and the sound of someone getting off reached her. 

'I can't sense any presence...this person is stronger than me.' Katlyn made a mental note before turning to the main gate to take a glance. 

Instantly, Katlyn held her breath seeing the person's face. 

Lucas walked into the hospital, glancing at Katlyn before ignoring her. Without even any contemplation, he could tell Katlyn's next course of action. 

"W-Wait..." Katlyn ran up to Lucas hurriedly. 

'Cute...' Lucas couldn't help but think this, seeing Katlyn's flustered face. 

There was no hatred in Katlyn's eyes, but neither was there any good sentiment as she looked at Lucas. 

"What?" Lucas tilted his head slightly, maintaining a calm face. 

Now that Katlyn reached before Lucas, she unconsciously began hesitating. 

'Nothing has changed from the past. Both of us haven't changed at all...' Katlyn saw Lucas's face and felt instinctual fear.

"Sigh....Don't block my way if you aren't even going to speak." Lucas waved his hand with annoyance and began walking inside the hospital. 

Katlyn's expression changed, feeling Lucas's action to be different from the past. 

'If it was before, he would lunge at me with curses....and I definitely saw pity in his eyes just now.' 

Clenching her fist, Katlyn suppressed the emotions in her mind. She immediately followed behind Lucas. 

"Why...Why did you help me?" Katlyn asked, keeping an eye on Lucas's reaction. 

Lucas's brow rose, 'Is it past trauma? Her body is not fully following what her mind orders...' 

Regarding this matter, Lucas could only smile wryly. 

"...That bastard! I knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut..." Anger and frustration crept onto Lucas's face this time. 

Before reaching here, Lucas had already prepared thoroughly. He had spent 2,500 villain points and brought acting grand mastery. 

"So..." Katlyn spoke up, seeing Lucas be frozen in place. 

Lucas turned to face Katlyn with evident hesitation on his face. 

Taking a glance at the bench behind Katlyn, Lucas said: "Let's sit down first." 

Katlyn nodded her head slowly. 

They both sat on the same bench, however, the distance between them shows the level of their current relationship. They literally sat sticking to the corner of the bench. 

Katlyn kept quiet, waiting for Lucas to begin speaking. In her heart, she couldn't help but feel bewildered with their current attitude towards each other. 

In the past, there was no way they would have sat by each other, in such a strange atmosphere. 

Lucas broke the silence at last: "Truthfully, I didn't think things would go this far back then. I had ignored you, thinking it would end with just some beating. But, in the end, people from their families joined in and it turned out like this." 

Katlyn couldn't help but take a glance at Lucas, finding some sadness mixed into his voice. 

Lucas supported his chin, looking as nonchalant as he possibly could. 

"So...you know...I felt a little bad, so I decided to just help you a little. Well, when I think of it, it's not like it was me who did this to you, so there is no reason for me to feel bad. I consider myself to have helped you enough..." Lucas nodded his head, as if convinced. 

"That's all there is to it." 

Katlyn's face turned blank, similar to a puppet whose strings were cut. 

'What...? He felt bad for me?' Katlyn felt as if the image of Lucas within her was breaking. 

The more Katlyn digested what Lucas just said, the more indescribable emotion rose within her. 

[The host and Katlyn's relationship has increased by one point. Current: 2 points (Friendly)]

'Nice. It worked without a hitch. Well, there is no other probable explanation as to why I would help her anyway.' Lucas smiled internally at his progress. 

Truthfully, there were better ways of winning over Katlyn that Lucas could imagine. Like by showing an image of him following the other bullies' orders cause he was scared. However, he did not do so. 

'Because that would not be me anymore. Honesty is a very important relationship, if it's built on total lies, it would be me who would have to work my ass off. And I would have to take care of every last one of my future actions....' 

Therefore, Lucas didn't make his image that of a good person, but someone with a little consciousness. 

This way, at least Lucas could be who he was. 

"That's not enough...." 

"???" Lucas tilted his head in confusion, letting some of his true feelings out. It was not that he didn't hear her, he couldn't comprehend what she meant. 

"Just one week of help isn't enough at all...!" Katlyn put energy into her voice. 

"Hah?" Lucas scoffed involuntarily '...Is she desperate or just shameless? I can't tell at this point.' Lucas smiled wryly at Katlyn's action. 

"Why should I do something so annoying? I don't want to have anything to do with you. Do you think I have the time to keep visiting you every day or what?" Lucas revealed an irritated expression to Katlyn. 

He laughed internally: 'That's right. Remember that it was you who stuck to me, not the other way around. Hehe.' 

"....My seizure has grown worse than when I was unconscious...I feel like I will go crazy if I experience that again so...so...please" Katlyn tried her best to win over Lucas's pity. 

When this realization dawned on her, Katlyn could only expose a deprecating expression. 

"Just because I helped you, doesn't mean I'm a good person. I don't see a reason to help you, literally. You can't offer me anything." Lucas got up as if he didn't have anything else to say. 

"Wa-wait!" Katlyn held onto Lucas's sleeve with a distressed expression. 

Lucas didn't put force into his hand, in fear his clothes might tear. From the corner of his eyes, he ignored the manager of the hospital — who stared at all this happening from the window of his office room. 

"I-I will do anything! I will go with you...no, take me to wherever you go. I won't disturb you while you do work a-and I will repay you with money in the future. My potential is S+ rank! So I will earn a lot... a lot in the future..." Katlyn did her best to somehow change Lucas's mind while fidgeting around. 

Seeing Katlyn's pathetic face, Lucas sighed internally. 

'She is so desperate that she doesn't even mind following me around at this point, huh? Well, I was aiming for this anyway. The more time she spends with me, the more chances I will have of influencing her.' 

"Sigh....Alright, but with a condition." Lucas smiled evilly at Katlyn. 

Katlyn looked at Lucas with her heart jumping. She hadn't focused on it before, but now that she saw Lucas smiling like a predator, she couldn't help but feel her heart move. 

Gazing at Katlyn nodding her head, Lucas continued: "You will have to fulfill one of my wishes every day." 

"What kind of..." 

"Don't worry. I won't wish for something sexual of you." Lucas smiled with hidden intention. 

"Then...alright." 

Lucas waved his hand to remove Katlyn's grip from his sleeve. 'It's like she took my sleeve as a hostage just now...' 

"I will come and pick you up tomorrow. Be ready. You will be staying with me from tomorrow." Lucas tried leaving. 

"N-no! Please...stay with me today...The doctor said I can have a seizure anytime!" Katlyn felt flustered immediately after saying this. 

For a while, the embarrassment and shame were stabbed into her mind. 

Katlyn couldn't just leave, before giving a proper explanation to her parents. 

"I'm busy..." 

"Please..." Katlyn began begging like an idiot again, taking hostage of Lucas's sleeve.

"Phew, alright-alright, I will stay. So annoying. I have never come across a sticky woman such as you. I might really make you do something sexual if you annoy me like this every moment." Lucas smiled slightly with some annoyance mixed into his face. 

'Well, it's the truth anyway. I have never come across a sticky woman or girl like this in the past.' Lucas turned to the hospital entrance. 

Katlyn looked at Lucas's tired expression and looked at the ground, "Thank you...." 

[The host's relationship with Katlyn has increased by 1 point. Current: 3 points (Friendly)]

'It's slower than I thought. Oh well.' 

At that moment, Lucas heard a car stopping at the entrance of the hospital. 

Before Lucas could react, a hand headed towards his face. His discerning eyes activated, turning his eyes golden — however, the hand still moved at a considerable speed. 

Lucas couldn't move his body out of the way in the end, even after using mana to strengthen himself.

Bang!

"How dare you!" 

Katlyn's uncle — a rank C awakener angrily punched Lucas to the corner of the garden. He had seen the scene of his daughter pitifully holding onto Lucas's sleeve as if begging him. 

Not to say, He had also seen Lucas's face along with the bully's images that Katlyn's father showed.