“What’s wrong?” A ripple of anxiety ran through her as she scurried over to him. She peered at him worriedly, and he raised his hand to pat her on the head, freezing midway through the action.
Vincent gazed at her with such yearning, but after a moment, he flinched, his shoulders bouncing. “Oh…it’s you.” He smiled, even though he looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Sorry. For a moment, I…no, it’s nothing. Seeing your face has reenergized me. Thank you.”
Much as she wished for it, they weren’t close enough for her to pry, but she also wasn’t so much of an idiot that she took his words—saying she’d reenergized him by merely showing up—at face value. Nonetheless, she did think his thanks was genuine, so she grinned at him.
“Well, if my face can do that much, you’re welcome to look at it any time to cheer yourself up. Also, congratulations on taking the top spot on our most recent exams.” She bowed her head.
“Thank you.” Vincent mimicked her actions, returning the gesture. When they lifted their faces, they both laughed.
Good. I’m glad he’s smiling like normal again. Oriana had no idea what was going through his head, but at least he didn’t look utterly dejected like he had a second ago. Relief washed over her.
Vincent turned his attention to Miguel, who was strolling up behind Oriana. “You made a good find, Miguel.”
“And get this, we have an inkwell too.”
“Ehehe, that one is thanks to me!” Oriana piped in.
“Excellent job, both of you.”
Oriana passed the inkwell over to him.
“Thanks, I’ll be borrowing this then,” he said, popping the lid off. His pen was soon gliding across the paper in front of him.
“Incredible,” Oriana murmured. “Exams are barely over and you’re already back at this, huh?”
“Time is limited, after all,” Vincent answered even as he continued to draw.
At the edge of the field, Magical Implement Number 4 was lying idle, covered in dirt. Number 4 was a name she had slapped on it while she was helping Vincent out. She went with that because she was sure he’d probably made numerous versions of it before.
“I’ll lend a hand,” Oriana said as she rolled up her sleeves. Suddenly, she remembered the lollipop still in her mouth. She plucked it from her lips and inspected it. Since she’d only just started on it, it hadn’t gone down in size much at all. “I hate to ask this since you were kind enough to give it to me, but do you mind if I bite it?”
“Go for it,” Miguel said.
Oriana placed the flat side of the lollipop between her teeth and tightened her jaw, but she was struggling to break through it. As she was clamping her teeth around it, Miguel and Vincent stared straight at her. She popped it out of her mouth for a moment and cleared her throat. “Ahem, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t look. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
Miguel only laughed, while Vincent awkwardly averted his gaze. Once she was sure they weren’t watching anymore, she went back to trying to bite it in half. A loud pop resounded as it crumbled between her teeth. Unfortunately, one of the shards was so large that as it slid across her tongue, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her mouth.
“Ouch!” she cried.
“What’s wrong?”
“I cut the inside of my mouth.”
Vincent lifted himself up from the boulder he’d been parked on and grabbed her face.
“Gweh?!”
His eyes were the same amethyst color as the lollipop she’d just broken between her teeth. Seeing them up close, her whole body tensed. Wh-What’s going on? Is he going to kiss me?
He had seized both of her cheeks and was examining her with a very serious expression. Oriana’s heart started pounding furiously. All the heat in her body concentrated in her cheeks, and her lips began trembling.
“Open your mouth.”
Oriana held her breath. Her mind was still in a state of shock as she obeyed his command and parted her lips. Vincent immediately peered inside.
It’s not a kiss… But what’s he doing?!
There was still a shard of the lollipop resting on the top of her tongue. Vincent reached his fingers in and grabbed it.
“Ngaah…!”
In the same instant, the back of his fingers grazed her tongue, and she let out a voice so strange that even she was shocked by it.
What is he…huh?! He grabbed…the piece I was sucking on…
Oriana had never experienced a boy her age peering into her mouth like this before, let alone sticking his fingers in to grab something covered in her saliva. She was frozen solid as he tipped and tilted her chin, showing no compunction as he glanced at the inside of her mouth from different angles. He was treating this like a doctor’s exam. Oriana’s head was spinning so much she wanted to cry.
Eeeeek! Wh-What is he doing? I can’t take this. What did I eat before this? Oh God, I should have brushed my teeth. Please, let this be over quickly!
She was too embarrassed to move her tongue since he was peering inside her mouth, which meant she couldn’t say anything even if she wanted to. The saliva was beginning to build, and she had no choice but to swallow it down even as she held her mouth wide open. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she snapped her eyes closed, waiting for it to end.
Miguel, what are you doing? Hurry up and save me, why don’t you!
He should have been somewhere nearby, though she knew not whether that was in front of her, beside her, or behind her. Regardless, he could have thrown her a line, but strangely, she couldn’t even sense him anywhere nearby.
“Is this it? Is this where it hurts?” Vincent asked solemnly, head still tilted to the side as he scrutinized where the cut was.
Oriana plucked up what strength she had left to shake her head. She’d only cried out because she was surprised, but the wound wasn’t so serious he needed to fuss over her like this.
Relieved that it was superficial, Vincent finally released her cheeks. The tension had only begun to drain from Oriana’s body when he rested his head against her shoulder. “Thank goodness.”
It’s not like it was life or death or anything…