C-level magic student Volume 2 Chapter 2 part 5

……How much time had passed? After sinking into sorrow, a creeping dread began to seep into Yufia’s heart.

The grove stretched endlessly around her, thick with underbrush. There was no sign of people nearby.

Her body was still weak, her limbs bound. Even when she tried to use magic to free herself, for some reason, she couldn’t summon it as usual.

Her parents were away in the royal capital for work一no one was home.

Which meant… even if she never returned, no one would notice.

No one knew where she was一not even Yufia herself.

一If things stayed like this, no one would come to save her.

With each passing moment, that fear grew more real.

In these desolate woods, the terror of being attacked by monsters, wild dogs, or bears loomed over her. The fear of wasting away, undiscovered.

“(Scared……! What do I do……?! I can’t… take this……)”

Panic and despair gnawed at her, her heart teetering on the edge of breaking.

“(Am I… going to die like this……?)”

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she fought it with everything she had.

“(一No… I don’t want to die……! Because…… I still want… to go to school……! I finally… made a friend…… Even if people hate me…… Even if they do awful things to me…… Even so… right now…… every day is… so much… fun……! So……!)”

Clutching at her fraying resolve, Yufia poured all her strength into moving一even as tears streamed down her face.

一Then, it happened.

From the previously silent woods, a sound reached her.

Rustling. The crunch of leaves underfoot. Something一or someone一was approaching.

“(……!)”

Her first thought was of wild animals一bears, dogs.

Next, monsters or bandits.

In any case, if she was discovered, her life would be forfeit.

Desperate to avoid notice, Yufia held her breath.

“(Please…… don’t come this way……)”

But her plea went unheard. The footsteps drew closer.

Her heart pounded violently.

The sound shifted back and forth, as if searching一

Closing her eyes tightly, Yufia desperately endured the terror that made her dizzy.

until suddenly, it stopped right behind her.

“(……!!)”

Her body stiffened. Bracing herself, she bit down on the gag.

一Then.

“Didn’t you say I’d be right back? What’re you doing all the way out here?”

“……!!”

She couldn’t believe her ears.

That voice一so familiar, so impossibly comforting.

“(No way…… It can’t be……)”

Before she could process it, the figure crouched beside her.

“Gonna cut the ropes. Hold still.”

“……!!”

There was no mistake. That voice belonged to一

With a sharp snick, the ropes binding her wrists gave way to a knife.

Methodically, the figure moved to her legs, slicing through those restraints as well, before finally loosening the gag around her mouth.

Then, standing slowly, the person stepped around to face Yufia directly.

“You okay, Yufia?”

“……!”

The face looking down at her wasn’t filled with worry一just a casual, easygoing smile.

Despite his calm demeanor, sweat dripped from his bangs, his clothes damp with exertion.

In the middle of this nightmare, that unchanged kindness shattered her. Tears spilled over anew.

“How……?”

“You were taking too long, so I came to get you.”

Grinning as he spoke was none other than一Ichinoise Shion.

His presence was so unbelievable that Yufia wondered if she was dreaming.

Now that she looked closely, his hands bore small cuts, likely from forcing his way through the underbrush.

Wiping his brow with his sleeve, Shion slid one arm around her back and the other under her legs, carefully lifting her.

“Up we go…… You good?”

“Yeah……”

Supporting her weight, he leaned her against a nearby tree. Then一

“……Hm? What’s this?”

His gaze fell on the memo sheet lying on the ground.

“Ah…… That’s……”

Yufia didn’t want him to see the malice directed at her, but her body was still too weak to stop him.

Shion picked it up, scanning the message written there.

“Haha. So now you need ‘qualifications’ just to be friends with someone? I don’t get it.”

“………!!”

He laughed as if watching a child’s harmless mischief.

With just those words, the dark emotions swirling inside Yufia seemed to vanish without a trace.

Then, he crumpled the memo in his hand and stuffed it into his coat pocket before pulling a small vial from the opposite pocket.

“Think you can drink this?”

“Yeah… Aah…”

Yufia nodded and tried to take the vial, but her arm wouldn’t lift properly一her strength still hadn’t returned.

“Guess the drug’s effects are still lingering… You okay with me helping you drink it?”

“U-uh-huh…”

“Alright, try not to spill it.”

Shion gently tilted Yufia’s chin upward with his left hand and carefully pressed the vial to her lips with his right.

“一~~!!”

As his fingers brushed her face and his eyes locked onto hers, Yufia was overwhelmed by embarrassment and instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

After slowly guiding her through the entire potion, Shion spoke again.

“I’d let you rest more, but the sun’s already setting. I’d rather get down the mountain before nightfall. Think you can move?”

Yufia nodded weakly in response.

She managed to stand on her own but swayed dangerously一Shion quickly steadied her.

“Hey, don’t push yourself.”

“S-sorry… I’m fine, really… Shion, you should go ahead… I don’t want to be a burden…”

“…Dumbass. Like a kid like me can hike back alone in the dark. If things get dicey, I’ll need your magic to bail us out.”

“……!!”

Shion hesitated for a brief moment, then made up his mind.

“…Fine. I’ll carry you. 一Hop on.”

He turned his back to her and crouched slightly.

“……!? A p-piggyback…!?”

“Yep. I’m all sweaty, but deal with it.”

“Th-that’s not a problem…! I don’t mind…! B-but… carrying me all the way back to town would be too much for you…”

“Don’t worry. You can get down once you’re steady.”

“O-okay…”

Despite her body’s weakness, her heart pounded wildly.

Steeling herself, Yufia wrapped her arms around Shion’s shoulders.

Shion hooked his hands under her knees, stood up carefully, and adjusted his grip.

“Right. Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”

“Y-yeah…!”

As instructed, she clung to his back.

“Let’s go.”

“…一~~!”

Shion began walking without hesitation, but Yufia could only fret over whether the frantic beating of her heart could be felt through his back…

READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV

***

“A-am I… heavy…?”

“Nah. You’re way too light, if anything. You sure you’ve even got organs in there?”

“Maybe not…”

“Yeah right.”

“!?”

As they descended the mountain, chatting like this, Yufia suddenly grew serious.

“Hey, Shion…”

“Hm?”

“How… did you know I was there?”

“Someone told me.”

“Eh…? Who…?”

“Who else? The person who left you there.”

“……!? Wh-what do you… mean?”

“I was practicing magic alone in the classroom when another student showed up during my break. They acted weird around me, so I pressed them for info. Eventually, they admitted they’d left you behind. So I went to get you. That’s all.”

“…….. I see…”

Yufia’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

The culprits had hidden their faces一clearly, they never intended to be identified.

Yet, they’d confessed to kidnapping and abandoning her in the mountains. That wasn’t something they’d admit so easily.

一[I’ve got a knack for this stuff.]

Yufia was certain: Shion’s terrifying insight had forced the truth out of them and led him to her. If not for him stumbling upon them, she’d never have been saved.

(…Shion’s… amazing. Really, truly amazing…)

一I want to be like Shion… Someone who can desperately save others, hands bruised, drenched in sweat… Someone who can comfort with just a word… Someone who’ll carry another person down a mountain without complaint…

一I want to be as kind as he is.

A long silence followed as she lost herself in thought.

Eventually, she spoke again.

“…Shion.”

“What’s up?”

“Back then… you said you hoped I’d find a dream someday…”

“Oh yeah. I think I did say that.”

Still carrying her, Shion replied casually.

“…I found one. I have a dream now.”

“Whoa, really, Yufia? What is it?”

Surprised and delighted, Shion turned his head slightly to glance at her over his shoulder.

“…A secret.”