"Mm…" Emma moaned as she slowly parted her lids, taking a moment to adjust her vision to the brightness around her.

Her deep blue eyes landed on a familiar face—one looking back at her with a soft smile.

Her lips curved involuntarily at the sight as she whispered, "Hey."

William gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face as he asked, "How do you feel now?"

Emma closed her eyes and didn't speak for a few moments.

Thinking his hand was obstructing her, William began to withdraw it—only for Emma to catch it and press it against her cheek.

"Don't… I want to feel this… you're warm." She softly rubbed her cheek against his hand.

William gave a helpless smile. "Acting so adorable… do you want me to hug you right here in the infirmary?"

Emma slowly opened her eyes, realization dawning on her, but she still didn't release his hand. "Are we still at the contest venue?"

William nodded. "Everyone has been discharged already, and most of them have left."

Emma hummed softly and started sitting up.

William supported her, though fortunately she didn't struggle or wince while getting up.

Emma looked across from her and found several familiar faces sitting there—fast asleep.

"Why… are they here?" she asked, glancing at William. "Wait… you said everyone else left? What about the contest?"

William sighed. "Well, it was cancelled. The Archon gave the order."

Emma looked surprised. "He interfered in such a trivial matter?"

Yes, it was a major incident. A General-ranked Devil appearing on the surface might sound severe, but not for that man.

He was like a detached soul—a phantom pillar of humanity. He never stayed anywhere for long, and it was said he only appeared when humanity faced a truly dire, inescapable crisis.

That's why it was surprising he acted over something like this.

William shrugged. "That's what Domella told me when she came to check on me."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Isn't she paying too much attention to you?"

William chuckled. "She's old enough to be my mother."

"And women of that age are far more dangerous than young girls."

William exhaled. "Look at you. You just woke up and you're already getting jealous."

Emma huffed. "Of course I'd be cautious. If necessary, I might leave several hickeys on you just to make sure everyone knows who you belong to."

Seeing her silently fuming, William grinned and pulled her into a hug anyway—completely forgetting their surroundings.

Emma let out a small yelp as her head was pressed against his chest, his arms wrapping around her back.

But soon the surprise subdued and she hummed softly, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat.

The duo stayed like that for a few moments until they heard a cough.

"Ahem."

William sighed and turned toward the man standing nearby.

The Vice-headmaster.

He reluctantly released Emma, much to her displeasure.

"Wake up, students," David said as he moved ahead and roused the others.

Only Kevin flinched in genuine surprise, making it clear to Emma that the other two girls had been awake the entire time—watching everything while pretending to sleep.

It became even more obvious from the way they avoided her gaze afterward, looking anywhere but at her.

The silver-haired girl smirked inwardly. *Had quite the show, huh?*

David continued, "Our carriage will leave for the academy in an hour. Gather your belongings and meet me at the entrance."

Right then, William said, "I won't be coming, sir."

David frowned, turning sharply toward him.

"What do you mean by that?"

William shrugged. "There will be a few days off, and my hometown is much closer to here than the academy. I'd rather spend my free time there than at school."

David's frown deepened. "You need to visit the academy first and take permission—"

"Here, you can have this." William didn't wait for the formalities and handed him a parchment.

The older man looked close to erupting, but he held his temper and read the parchment.

His expression soured before he returned the document—signed and written by the Headmaster—to William.

"Do whatever you want, but don't expect the school to arrange transportation for you."

William chuckled. "I never expected the academy to be that benevolent. Don't worry, I have my ways."

Kevin then asked, "What about you, Emma?"

Having William gone, Kevin hoped they could spend some time together on their way back to the academy.

Emma was still recovering so she would need someone's close care.

As someone who was close to her, William should have taken care of her. She has been gravely injured and needed someone's attention.

However, that thoughtless guy is running back home the very first chance he got.

But that's a good thing for Kevin. After so long, he finally found an opportunity to stay with Emma….or so what he hoped.

Emma shrugged. "I'll be going back home as well. I have our Mentor's permission, so I don't believe Sir David will question me." As a member of an active party, she had the right to visit her home unless an urgent mission required her presence.

David huffed. "The vacation won't last long, so I hope you return soon, student Emma." Then, turning to the others, he said, "Meet me at the entrance in an hour."

Leaving those words behind, he walked out with heavy, frustrated stomps.

William suddenly remembered something. "Wait here. I have a surprise for you."

Emma blinked but nodded.

William walked out of the infirmary.

Gizel, Natalie, and Kevin approached her.

The bespectacled girl asked, "How do you feel now? You took quite a heavy hit back there."

Emma shrugged. "I'm fine now… Well, compared to William and the others, I barely incurred any injury."

Kevin interrupted, voice tinged with reprimand. "Don't take your injury so lightly, Emma. You lost a lot of blood, and you nearly depleted your aether." Shaking his head, he continued, "As your friend, I can't let you travel in this state. You should just return to the Academy—"

"I'm going to meet William's family, Kevin." Emma interjected firmly. "So I believe you understand how important this is for me."

Kevin's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned.

She and William were making their relationship official.

Normally, Gizel and Natalie would have cheered and teased Emma for taking such a big step, but sensing the gloom enveloping the raven-haired boy, they froze.

In the end, Kevin took a deep breath and said, "I'll go check on Anna. Excuse me."

No one stopped him. Two out of sympathy—and one because she simply didn't care.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment to motivate me.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.