Aftermath and Reflection

Chapter 28: Aftermath and Reflection

The crying and tension had passed, but the atmosphere remained awkward. The earlier incident left a lingering mark on everyone's minds.

We all sat quietly in the Student Council room, with Imelda seated in her chair. For the first time since the silence, Helena decided to break it.

"I'm sorry, everyone!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply in apology.

"I've always made everyone uncomfortable with my curiosity, but I never cared as long as it didn't bother others." She paused, clearly grappling with her emotions. "I thought my actions only hurt me, but I didn't realize I'd been mentally hurting those around me."

Her words struck a chord. She continued, "Before this, I never questioned my actions. But seeing Naozumi's reaction, truly feeling like he was losing something precious, made me realize I was wrong."

Helena's guilt weighed heavily on me. I felt conflicted, both good and bad. While it bothered her, I also appreciated that it made her more mindful of herself. Perhaps this would serve as a reminder for her to take better care of herself in the future. From an outsider's perspective, I wasn't at fault for worrying about her—after all, Helena had hurt herself. Yet, it didn't change the fact that her guilt stemmed from my actions.

"I also made Alysha angry because I upset her brother. I'm truly sorry," Helena added, her voice filled with regret. She looked directly at Alysha, guilt evident in her expression.

Alysha, however, seemed indifferent. She turned away, acting as if she wasn't listening. To anyone else, she might have seemed dismissive, perhaps even furious, but I sensed she felt the same as I did—a mix of anger and guilt.

Imelda intervened, her calm voice cutting through the tension. "For now, let's end this here. We can talk about it tomorrow. Everyone probably has thoughts they need to sort out, so let's give ourselves time to reflect."

Her suggestion was the best course of action. I wanted to speak but found myself at a loss for words. Chris also chose to remain silent, perhaps fearing he might worsen the situation.

We began to leave the Student Council room one by one, avoiding prolonged awkwardness. Alysha stayed seated, looking reluctant to move, so I extended my hand to help her. Violet, silent throughout the discussion, followed us quietly, as did Chris. Before leaving, I glanced back and noticed Helena lingering with Imelda. I hoped Imelda would guide her well.

As we walked toward the dormitory, The space between us was filled with a noticeable quiet atmosphere. 

It had been close to an hour since I last used my power, and I knew the side effects were about to kick in. I was glad they didn't show up sooner; Helena would have felt way more guilty if she'd seen them.

The dorm came into view, its quiet garden giving off a chill vibe. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the pain hit me like a freight train. My heart was racing, I could barely catch my breath, and I felt so dizzy. I went down, just managing to bring my hands up to protect my face as I hit the ground. It felt like all my energy just got sucked away, leaving me totally frozen.

Alysha, Chris, and Violet rushed to my side, their faces etched with panic.

"C-Ch...Chris, do it... now," I managed to whisper through the pain. Chris immediately activated his healing power. A soft light enveloped me, and the excruciating pain began to fade. As the healing progressed, I noticed Chris growing visibly exhausted.

The basic principle of Chris's power, as I understand it, is that it accelerates the body's natural healing process. However, this also depletes both the patient's and the healer's energy—the severity of the injury dictates the toll on both.

It feels like my side effects hit me hard, almost like I've pushed myself too far or been super stressed. I bounce back in terms of energy pretty quickly, but my body definitely feels the strain afterward.

"What happened to Senior Naozumi?" Violet's voice, filled with confusion and worry, broke the silence. 

Violet had always kept to herself since we met, never poking her nose into anyone's business. But now, something shifted in her, and she finally decided to ask what was going on. I could tell her concern was genuine; she noticed I was really struggling with the whole situation with Helena, someone I had just met, and it was weighing on me heavily.

It felt like one problem after another was coming up since I met her, and Violet was starting to think there was something wrong with me that we were all trying to keep hidden. 

Alysha picked up on Violet's worry and wanted to ease her mind. She knew the whole story and felt the urge to spill the secrets she held in, but the words just wouldn't come out. It was like she was stuck, wanting to help but unable to find the right way to say it.

Driven by her worry, Alysha tried to reassure Violet. "Calm down, Vii. He'll be fine. Everything will be explained in due time, even if not directly."

Hearing Alysha's response, I was a bit surprised. I knew Alysha had been hiding something, but I didn't expect she could guarantee all the answers.

"I understand." Hearing her question would be answered, Violet felt a little bit relieved and tried to calm herself. However, her worry for me did not disappear.

As Chris's healing light gradually faded, I felt the pain in my body starts to lift. My breathing steadied, and the dizziness that had taken over was finally easing up. 

I pushed myself into a sitting position on the pavement, taking a quick look around at everyone. The worried looks on their faces were hard to miss—especially Violet's. She looked both concerned and a bit puzzled by everything that had just happened.

"I'm sorry for worrying you again. I'll answer your question if possible as an apology." I smiled, trying to mimic what Alysha said, and Violet nodded in understanding. I didn't want to burden her with unanswered questions too much. 

Turning to Chris, I added, "I'm sorry for involving you, Chris. You're exhausted because of me. Can you stand?"

"Of course," he replied, though his trembling legs betrayed his fatigue. Offering him a hand, I helped him to his feet. For some reason, Chris's power seemed to drain him more when healing me than others. 

This was another oddity of my side effect. When I felt its effects, all my energy disappeared. But when the effects vanished, my energy recovered faster than Chris's. I wanted to understand how my power worked.

I was grateful that the dormitory was nearby; Chris needed rest, and I could recover in peace. Without wasting any time, we headed straight there. 

Chris and I settled onto the sofa almost immediately. I tried to help with something, but Alysha firmly told me I couldn't. Despite my earlier promise to take care of Chris, Alysha took over the cooking instead.

Violet also volunteered to help, but Alysha denied her too, instructing her to sit on the sofa and ask me questions instead.

"You can ask now if you want." Since Violet was silent, I initiated the conversation. I understood that she felt uneasy asking questions in this situation, so she preferred to stay quiet.

Looking at me again, she seemed to be confirming my condition. I reassured her with a small smile, and she finally found the courage to speak.

"Why did you suddenly fall, Senior Naozumi?"

I hesitated. This wasn't a question I wanted to answer, but a promise is a promise. If she learned about my side effects, she might hesitate to rely on me in the future. But honesty was necessary here.

"As for that," I began, "I have an exception among Espers. Typically, Espers have no side effects—only understandable weaknesses. But in my case, I feel pain every time I use my power."

Violet's shock was evident. It was clearly new information for her, and likely for others who overheard as well.

"Then why do you continue to use your power?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Honestly, I didn't want to answer this question, but I had promised her. If she knew I had such a side effect, she might hesitate to ask for my help in the future. Unfortunately, a promise is a promise.

"I get doubts from people around me," I explained. "I don't want ongoing problems, so I'm forced to use it. Besides, we're going to work together in the future."

Violet considered my words, unable to find a way to refute them. Gathering her courage again, she hesitated before asking another question.

I despised acknowledging that I felt a sense of joy when Violet expressed concern for my well-being, but I can't deny it.

"Sorry to ask this, but... have you experienced something bad, Senior Naozumi? It's strange, considering you and Helena just met, yet you seem to react so strongly. You also don't seem to like getting too involved with others."

"Eh? About that…" I hesitated, not knowing what to say. I knew this question would come up, but I wasn't ready for it. 

Alysha, who was in the kitchen, overheard and wanted to jump in. She could tell I was struggling. 

"Let me answer that for you," she said, looking serious. 

I nodded, trusting her to cover for me. Alysha and I had agreed long ago that I'd handle the topic of Evan myself, so I trusted her to navigate around it.

"In the past, he experienced a rather bad incident," Alysha began. "Flames were everywhere, and people were running in chaos. He was engulfed in what I'd call internal flames. His friend, who saved him, is now locked in his memory, and he regrets not being able to do anything."

I wasn't sure about this, but I thought Alysha's story was slightly different from what happened before.

Maybe there was a metaphor like being engulfed in internal flames, meaning I was shot by someone there, but still, I thought Alysha's story was a bit different. Regardless, her words painted a vivid picture.

Without realizing it, everyone who heard the story formed a brief image in their minds: a man silhouetted against roaring flames, buildings burning around him, and chaos reigning.

Suddenly, Violet clutched her head, a pained expression crossing her face. Everyone froze in shock. Alysha, too, seemed surprised, though her reaction carried a different weight. Violet's discomfort didn't last long, but she appeared disoriented.

"Are you okay?" I asked, moving closer to check on her.

"I'm feeling much better now," she assured us. "I experienced a sudden pain earlier, but I'm fine now."

Of everyone present, only Alysha seemed to understand what had happened. Yet, she chose to remain silent, withholding any explanation.

"I'm sorry," Violet said softly. "Even after hearing such a painful story, I felt something myself. I didn't mean to worry everyone."

"It's okay," I reassured her with a gentle smile. "Everyone has their own stories. Although they're in the past, they often linger in the present."

As I spoke, Alysha interrupted. "What's more important now is that we eat. Replenishing energy is the main thing." She removed her apron and stood by the sofa, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"That's true," I admitted. Turning to Chris, I added, "Sorry again. I promised to treat you, but Alysha ended up doing the cooking."

"It's okay," Chris replied lightly. "Besides, I'm still eating at your place."

The dinner was pretty low-key. Nobody really said much; we were all too focused on our plates. You could definitely feel the leftover tension from earlier hovering around us.

After finishing our meal, I offered Chris to stay over. It was already quite late, and although the dorm was nearby, I wanted him to rest.

Unfortunately, Chris declined the offer. He also didn't inform the dorm about staying out, so he decided to return to his dorm immediately.