Chapter 16:

Grass somewhat muddied from a morning shower squelched beneath her feet as Eres shifted her weight, lifted her leg, and readjusted her sock. Her gym clothes fit well, but had been thrown on quickly in the bathroom. She tapped the heel of her foot a couple of times, and the unruly, misaligned sock finally settled in. Beside her, Arille, Celise, and Eliza idled, waiting for the physical training to begin.

A man wearing a loose tanktop highlighting bulging muscles walked in front of the line he’d stuck the girls into.

Across from where Eres stood, she could see Leo standing a head above the others in the boy’s group. His height and the thinness of his limbs made her giggle. Was he a cryptid? It was like he’d snuck into a grade an age lower. 

Their eyes met, and Eres, with a smirk and a slightly raised hand, flipped him off. His brows furrowed. He raised two hands and did the same.

Ugh. So childish. She turned her head.

The muscle-monster put his hands to his hips and began to speak, his voice rough, commanding.

“Alright, kids. I know many of you come from noble houses, but that doesn’t matter here. Maybe you snot-nosed brats get away with whatever you want back home, but the Academy isn’t so soft.”

Some of the nearby nobles shuffled, anger flashing over their faces.

Even Celise’s gentle smile curdled.

“Angry? Good. Maybe you won’t give up as quickly as the last batch of runts I trained.”

Wow, what was a military instructor doing here? She almost asked how many army movies he’d seen, but remembered those didn’t exist.

Maybe she could recommend a few if he ever reincarnated in her old world.

The man shouted for a bit before instructing them to run laps around the track they’d been marched to.

Eres sighed. This really was her least favorite activity.

In her past life, she spent the majority of her classes tasting the dust of her classmates. Even the teachers had given up on making her do anything. Five minutes and she was out. It wasn’t like she was fat! Much. 

…

Better not to think about it. She was Eres now, not him. 

She was surprised to find herself near the front of the girls when she came back to her senses. The only ones keeping pace with her were Arille, Eliza, and a few others whose names she didn’t know. If she looked back, Eres would have seen Celise gasping for breath at the end. 

Her body felt light. The constant activity she’d been performing as a maid must’ve paid off. She didn’t usually run—not unless Leo summoned her for something stupid—but she wasn’t gassed at all.

A smile raised on her lips as she pushed herself. 

Huh? Was this what being fast felt like? 

She flew by the girls, most of the slower boys, and ended up running next to Leo.

His strides were long, one to her two, but she gained on him. She smirked as she passed, flipping him off again.

They ran for another half a lap before she heard the boy next to her gasping for breath.

Ha~ 

How could a young master that sits on his ass all day be as sturdy as his maid? Impossible. Every ketchup heart and peeled apple worked as fuel for her feet. 

She was about to leave him behind entirely when, with a sudden burst of energy, he rushed past her at top speed. 

She was about to curse him out when she saw, almost as if in slow motion, his foot hit the ground a little crooked, and his gangly leg tipped to the side. 

He tripped, falling forward, his momentum harsh as he tumbled into the track knee first.

Eres had to jump somewhat to avoid his splayed leg, and came to a stumbling stop. She turned, and saw him sitting up with a bloodied leg. She jogged to his side as the group passed by. Arille and Eliza slowed, but she waved them off. 

She leaned over, inspecting the wound.

“Nasty.”

Leo grunted in response. He hissed as he bent his knee. 

“Dumbass,” Eres snorted, taking his hand to help him rise, “This is what you get for showing off.”

She wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She turned towards the muscly freak and called out. 

“Coach, I’m helping him.”

He nodded. 

Leo was quiet as they plodded to the infirmary. Eres, sagging from his weight, looked up at him. That kid’s face was filled with an unexpected melancholy. 

“You look like shit.”

He blinked. “Rude.”

“Accurate.”

“Did your mom teach you to say things like that?”

Eres chuckled. “Should I remind you of her lessons?”

He shivered and shook his head.

“Hey,” Eres said, “Isn’t the girl supposed to get the injured leg? Want me to princess carry you?”

Leo chuckled. “If you could, I wouldn’t mind. This fucking hurts…”

“Why’d you even do that? You’ve never run in your life.”

“…”

Pride? Honor? Masculinity? Eres wasn’t sure. She fell quiet when Leo didn’t respond. 

Eres hadn’t seen this side of him. He’d never been so tight-lipped. 

They didn’t say anything until Eres walked him into the infirmary. A guy with long hair was wiping his glasses. He stood, chuckling as he saw them stagger in.

“Already?”

“He fell.”

“Set him down.” He walked into the back office and started pulling things from his shelf. 

Eres pulled Leo to the nearby bed and tilted, letting him settle in slowly. She stood, stretching her back. Ugh, that skinny freak was heavier than she thought. 

The nurse returned holding a bottle of disinfectant, some cotton, and a bandage. He sat in a chair in front of Leo and inspected his wound.

“Wooh. Nasty business. This was from a fall?”

Eres scratched her nose. “He was sprinting.”

“I thought today was endurance training?”

The nurse’s eyebrow raised. His eyes looked between the two of them, and a realization seemed to flash in his eyes. 

He handed the cotton to Eres. “Please, disinfect the wound for me while I get the ointment.”

“?”

Eres looked dumbfounded at her hands as the professional nurse abandoned them. He was staring at the shelves, arms crossed.

…

Why wasn’t he moving? Had he gotten the wrong idea…?

Whatever. Eres tipped some disinfectant on the cotton and leaned over. 

Leo flinched as she brought it close.

“Wimp.”

His hand caught her wrist. “Let me.”

“Shut up.” She shook her hand loose and dabbed at the wound. Leo hissed. 

They were quiet as she tended to him. Their eyes met. Eres tilted her head. What was with this guy? Was he still grumpy from her waking him up early?

“Sorry about this morning.”

He turned his gaze away. “What do you mean?”

“…No clue. I thought you were mad so I apologized.”

Leo snorted. “Apologizing when you didn’t do anything wrong?”

Eres shrugged. “It’s the only way to survive as an adult.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s a me thing.”

“Talk about it.”

“Nah.”

Her lips twitched. “That’s such straight dude energy.”

“…”

“Is it that hard to talk about?”

“No, it’s really not a big deal.” He scratched the back of his head. “I just didn’t want to be like I was in my past life. Pathetic.” 

He was serious, his eyes wavering into some distant memory. 

Eres burst out laughing. His face blushed as he looked at her, bewildered. 

“Pfft, young master, too late for that. You’re pathetically hopeless.”

He frowned, about to say something, but Eres cut him off.

“That’s why you have me.”

“...?”

“You suck, so you need me around to help. Isn’t that right?”

Eres smiled at him. 

Leo stared for a minute. He finally smiled. His hand rubbed the top of her head, ruffling the hair into a mess.

“Yeah.”