After another couple of hours passed, Cassius opened his eyes once more, this time seeing something that made no sense. The beautiful brown-haired girl was leaning over his bed, letting her silky hair waterfall over him. Her eyes were wet, yet there also appeared to be a foggy haziness that controlled her actions.
Seeing as the girl was most definitely leaning in for a kiss, Cassius's eyelids twitched a little, as he had no idea what to do in this kind of situation. He was just going to let it happen and pretend it never happened afterward, but before that plausible scenario could occur, the gorgeous girl paused.
Cassius: "???"
"...Hey… Are you awake right now…?" The girl asked with a crimson red blush adorning her picturesque features.
Cassius immediately shot his eyes open and looked at the girl who had pushed herself against the window-side wall. "...Yes, I am…"
"I-I see…" Smoke visibly left the girl's head as she fiddled with her dainty hands. "You're not going to ask what I was doing…?"
"No, I don't think so."
"I see… Thanks…"
"No problem."
A silence hung in the air for a few moments, with the humid summer heat sticking to their skin and clothes, making them a bit uncomfortable. Yet, more than that, the girl was so unbelievably mortified right now. She couldn't believe she had just done something like that! Was she out of her damn mind!?
'I-It's just that he looked so peaceful and… handsome laying there…' The girl's cheeks flushed a shade of red redder than red. 'And then my mind traced back to when he saved me… I-I really don't know what has gotten into me…!'
Noticing that it was a little too quiet in here, Cassius cut through the silence. "So, how long have I been out…?" He looked down at the bandages wrapped around his body and felt a bit of pain, but still couldn't discern how long he had been asleep. The system Daily Quest punishment wasn't announced, so it likely hadn't been more than 24 hours.
However, completely out of his predictions, the girl replied, "I-It has been around 30 hours since you were brought here…" Her blush deepened when she looked up and saw the handsome young man staring at her with an unfounded intensity. 'H-Has he become more handsome…? How is that possible?? Is something seriously wrong with me…??'
"30 hours… Then that means I missed the Daily Quest cut-off date," Cassius mumbled inaudibly. He checked his pelvis area by pulling up his pants, but everything was still there. "How odd…"
"U-Uhhmm… Y-Youuu…" The girl's eyes erratically flickered as she cutely averted her gaze and held her hands over her face. 'I-I didn't know th-they were supposed to be that… big…!'
Question marks went off in Cassius's head, but he quickly realized what he had done.
"Sorry about that," he apologized with a slight head bow, which caused a stinging pain to hit him from the waist up. He hugged his side, which made the girl's embarrassment transform into worry. She rushed to his bed and used the same healing spell that she used the other day.
"You mustn't move around so much! Your injury could worsen if you do that!" The girl lectured unnaturally clearly, which surprised Cassius a little. He felt better after the green energy seeped into his body, but he was far more interested in this magic. It was his first time seeing something supernatural up close, and it really was something to marvel at.
Once again feeling an intense stare bore into her being, the girl looked away from the injury, only to see Cassius's face right next to hers. Her heart rate increased exponentially as she retreated back to her chair by the windowsill. "D-Don't come so close…" She murmured softly, too embarrassed to even look at him anymore. 'He smells good… Are hospitalized patients supposed to smell this pleasant…?'
"Ah, yeah, sorry about that as well," said Cassius. "It's just that I've never seen magic up close. It's a lot prettier than I expected it to be." He awkwardly scratched his neck, utterly oblivious to the rising temperature of the beautiful brown-haired girl.
"T-That is… It's fine…" She whispered shyly while wrapping her hair around her fingers. "And about earlier…!"
"I already forgot what happened," Cassius answered with a warm smile.
"...Thanks…" The girl's heart fluttered, not knowing exactly what she was feeling.
"Anyway," said Cassius to change the subject. "How long have you been here…?" He could see that her appearance was haggard, but that didn't necessarily mean that she had been here the whole—
"...Since you got here…"
Cassius sighed at her meek response. "You really shouldn't have done something like that; we just met, so there was no need for you to risk your health—" He stopped speaking upon seeing the timid girl bite her lips apologetically. "I'm not mad at you or anything, but just… Haiz…"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"You have nothing to be sorry for; just take better care of yourself."
"Mhmm…" That same fluttery feeling permeated the girl's insides as she fidgeted a bit in her chair.
'Interacting with this girl is a bit troublesome, but she seems like a good girl,' Cassius thought as he appreciated her stunning beauty for a second. 'However, she is likely a major pushover…'
He looked past the soft-spoken girl and saw outside the hospital window, quickly realizing that they were on the top floor of Hoshito General Hospital. He wondered if any of his family came to visit him, but the chances were slim.
'None of them would likely even notice if I dropped over dead one day…' He sighed before recalling the Daily Quest matter. 'Why did the punishment not register—'
Then, from the corner of his eye, an illusory blue pop-up appeared.