Chapter 62 - Thanks for the support

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When the boy finally arrives at the refuge and opens the door to the room where he is staying with his companion, the first thing he notices when he enters is Kazuki's back, who is still awake and sitting next to an armchair.

As some of the firewood in the small fireplace slowly burns, the beastman's figure is reflected in the simple lighting — one leg crossed as he reads a book, probably about weapons and swordplay, judging by the illustration of a broken sword and the strange title on the cover: Quick Stabs.

Although his expression is calm at that moment, as soon as he hears the door creak open, Kazuki quickly stands up and turns to face the student.

Rei hadn't expected him to still be awake, especially not at this hour, so late at night, between three and four in the morning. What worries the boy most, however, is the question of how to explain what really happened.

Apart from his torn, blood-stained clothes, he also has bruises and injuries all over his body. Feeling Kazuki's steady gaze on him, Rei decides to tell everything that happened without hiding any details.

— Rei?! What happened to you? — kazuki asks with a raised, worried voice. His eyebrows furrow as his concern grows.

Approaching the younger boy, he asks again: — Are you okay?

— …Well, sort of. A lot has happened during the time we were apart.

With that, Rei begins to recount all the events of the day, from the moment he left Círdan's room with the new items to the point where he went out to test his notebook just before he was abducted by two strange men. They are the same perverted guys as the afternoon before, seeking revenge after the humiliation they had suffered.

As the story unfolds, Kazuki's expression changes repeatedly, from anger to sadness, his face revealing the toll each part of the tale takes on him.

— Well… that's what happened. Quite a trip, huh? If it weren't for those guys looking for revenge, things would have definitely gone differently. But in the end, I had to kill them—it was either me or them, — Rei recounts in a calm voice, devoid of anger or bitterness.

After hearing that, there's a moment of silence before Kazuki nods and mutters: — Bastards… — he comments briefly, clenching his fists with enough force that a vein almost pops on his face.

The student is surprised by these words — but still manages to smile faintly, and continues the conversation before the beast-man can say anything more.

— You don't need to worry about what happened. I'm fine now, but I guess I was pretty careless lying down and falling asleep on a bench without checking the place properly.

Kazuki agrees, saying: — Yeah, you should be more careful from now on. Even here, in an isolated area, this kind of thing can still happen…

— Yeah, I know. Anyway, I need to take a bath and get some sleep. Thanks for listening to me, you have no idea how much that helps, it feels like a weight off my shoulders. I was confused about whether I should've killed them.

Seeing the hesitation in Rei's words, Kazuki tries to support him, knowing that he has never killed a human before that moment.

— You shouldn't carry that weight in your heart. Just think about what would've happened if you hadn't fought back… — he clenches his fists tightly. — Things would've gone exactly how they wanted, so don't blame yourself. In the end, they got what they deserved, and paid with their lives. I'm not saying killing is right, but it was necessary in that situation.

— If I had only been there… you wouldn't have had to stain your hands with that kind of thing — Kazuki comments, his hand resting on the student's shoulder.

— I… I need to go now, I'm going to the bathroom and I'll be back. I need some time to breathe and think alone. — With that, he quickly walks to a small annex of the room, used as a bathroom.

— Alright…

Once the bathroom door shuts, Kazuki remains in the same spot, sitting on the edge of the bed as he contemplates everything he just heard from Rei.

"How does he manage to handle all this with such calm and ease? I'm glad he told me what happened, but sometimes I feel like he keeps so many things bottled up inside."

"I get anxious whenever he's away, my heart starts to weigh down just thinking about something going wrong… I didn't sleep well tonight, just worried about where he was."

"Why am I feeling this way now? The situation is a mess, my whole village was destroyed, and I don't even know what to do next…"

"I need to stop thinking about all this, it's just going to distract me…"

He thinks to himself, unaware of his accelerating heartbeat.

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-A few minutes later-

When Rei returns to the room, fresh from the bathroom and in his pajamas, he lies down on the other side of the bed, across from Kazuki. Although they share the same bed, there is still a clear boundary between them — although Rei always crosses that boundary when he sleeps.

As he lies down, Rei glances at the corner of the room and notices Mia and Takayo sleeping soundly. He remembers the conversation he had with Kazuki about the help they were receiving from the elves.

— I hope they get better.

— …

— Thinking about it now, I remember last night… you forgot, didn't you? How about kissing me again?! — Rei jokes, looking into Kazuki's eyes.

— Eh?! You shouldn't joke about things like that… — Kazuki responds, embarrassed, turning his back to the student.

— Seeing you blush like that, I guess I got my answer.

— R-Rei! Please, stop teasing me…

Before falling asleep, Rei laughs at Kazuki's flustered expression and comments on one last thing.

— Do you remember the seer I met earlier? Well, I'm thinking of going to see her again, to learn more about the notebook I got. She must be really good at predictions… — he says with a sleepy voice, just before dozing off.

— We should go together, then when you—

— Eh? Huh? Did you fall asleep already?

"How does he manage to fall asleep while talking? He must be really tired after everything that happened today…"

— Ha… I should go to sleep too.

"I still can't get used to sleeping beside him…"

He thinks to himself, his gaze fixed on the boy's face, just before he falls asleep.