"So have you seen any students so far?"
"No, I didn't see any of them, but I did see some explosions from a distance away" replied Aerina as she remove the healing stone and check her wound, which has now closed completely without a scar or sign that it has been damaged before.
".....Then I guess the only way back is to find it yourself or wait for someone to from the other side to save you"
"True, but....." she trailed off not wanting to ruin the mood.
"They might not be able to come through the same way as us?"
"Yes..."
"Mmm, you're right"
"....", Aerina could meekly nod at the person in front of her.
She wasn't sure who they are since she never sees them before in her class, but with a hood covering the face like that should make them a talk of the school though. She wasn't even sure what their sex are!
"..."
"...."
"I know I have a hood on but I'm not looking at you in any weird way at all"
"W-What?!", Aerina quickly straighten herself upon hearing the sudden explanation.
"I would only do that to someone I'm in a relationship with so try not to worry about it"
"O-Of course, I understand", Aerina calms down feeling embarrassed at the misunderstanding.
The two remained silent for quite some time after that, processing what had happened to them and what they had to do now.
"I think I will continue walking through the dungeon for a while trying to find the exit, what about you?"
"That is....a good question"
"Is it because you couldn't avoid those lionesses?"
"Yes"
"Oh, yeah, that....But you survive right?"
"But that's only because of you, I'm not sure what would have happened to me if it wasn't for you....", the student then noticed Aerina's mood going down as the conversation continued.
"Then what about this? I can tag along with you until we get back safely, I make sure to look out for any dangers that you can't handle and you help me navigate through the dungeon?"
Aerina looked up surprised at the proposal from the classmate in front of her.
"But...isn't that troubling for you?"
"Fighting monsters? No problem, I get to earn some experience and train my skills while exploring the dungeon with you, then it's better for me"
"...But...I might run away though"
"No problem"
"But, I'm from class Eta, I-I'm supposed to be strong, but I couldn't even fight those two lionesses by myself....I couldn't even jump to help my friend when the crystal exploded right in front of me....I-I-I....I couldn't"
She looked down upset and sad, her hands which she now noticed are covered with dirt and dust something she was accustomed to but in a different environment, containing the smell of metallic from handling the rough and sharp edges of the rock wall.
"I also couldn't have taken those lionesses down if you weren't drawing your attention as well"
"?", Aerina looked up only for her to realize her cloudy eyes from the tears on the verge of her eyelids.
"I wouldn't have been able to fight any monsters without having something working in my favor all the time which is why I was glad at first when those lionesses weren't my opponents. I couldn't even imagine fighting them all by myself in that forest or in that rocky place, maybe I might have suffered a lot of injuries just to take the two down. And I can't imagine what it must feel like to run away from those things when they make you their target.
But I wouldn't have been able to take those two down without the help of my classmate who needs more help than me"
Aerina takes a deep breath and wipes her tears as she slowly calms down, the sound of the small waterfall splashing nearby before looking up at the person across from her.
She took a deep breath again trying to say something, but she changed her mind as they are too long.
Thanking them would be too weird in this situation since they just confessed they were glad she was their bait!
But at the same time, they didn't leave her to fend for herself.
"...If you don't mind me, how about we start finding a way back to the Academy?"
"Sure", she wasn't sure what expression that person is making right now, but she can guess that it something warm, like how she is feeling in the moment.