About a year ago, under a softly dim twilight, Leci came down with a high fever. Fridays were supposed to be the gathering day for the members of the Journalism Club, but that day Leci was forced by the Club President to rest in the infirmary. With unsteady steps, Leci staggered there alone. Since no one was really interested in her, no one bothered to escort her either.
The Ancient Guardian Spell, a protective charm, did keep her away from danger — but it also brought her a great deal of suffering. Leci nearly collapsed from the pounding in her head when a pair of pale hands caught her body, keeping her from falling. Leci, whose consciousness was slipping, vaguely saw a worried face.
"Your fever is very high. Hold on… I'll take you to the infirmary."
Those were the last words she heard before passing out. When she opened her eyes again, Leci saw Norris talking to someone she recognized — someone not unfamiliar.
This was their first time interacting, but Leci wasn't so indifferent that she failed to recognize the Student Council President. Irza Nagel had been the Student Council President of Red Maple High School the year before.
That day, Leci felt that Irza's face was… calming. She felt strangely at ease just by looking at him or hearing his voice. She had never fallen in love before, so this was the first time Leci ever felt attraction toward the opposite sex.
Irza's clear eyes widened slightly when he realized Leci was awake. "You're up? How do you feel now?" he asked gently, smiling warmly.
So warm. Leci only now realized there were people whose aura could be this gentle. When she saw Irza from afar, she had never noticed it. Was this why he was so popular?
Norris approached and began scolding her — nagging her more than a fussy mother would. Unfortunately, not a single word entered Leci's head. She was too focused on Irza, who stood just behind Norris, watching her quietly.
Noticing that Leci's attention was on him, Irza silently mouthed, "Get well soon. Be careful next time, okay?"
His emerald eyes, the warm aura around him, and his soft smile made Leci feel as though a spring breeze had brushed against her. Without realizing it, she drifted into a daydream, watching Irza even as he waved at her and stepped out of the infirmary.
The next day, Leci found herself unconsciously searching for him.
No one had ever shown sympathy to Leci before, or interest. So receiving that small kindness from Irza had left a surprisingly deep impact on her small heart. Just remembering his presence was enough to make her feel happy.
But — Leci reminded herself again. The protective spell might keep danger at bay, yet it also brought her a great deal of suffering.
When she finally had the chance to face him directly, Leci gathered her courage to greet Irza and thank him for helping her. But what she received in return was a gaze painfully cold and piercing. Irza merely nodded… then walked past her without a word.
In that moment, Leci felt as though she was experiencing an extreme shift of seasons. In this world, everything began with winter and transitioned into spring. But what Leci felt was the opposite. She had been given the warmth of spring, only to be frozen again by winter.
So when she met Kieron, Leci assumed he would treat her the same way. That after approaching him, Kieron would immediately lose all respect for her the next day. But surprisingly, nothing like that happened. Kieron kept approaching her — although with questionable intentions.
Was it because he wasn't human?
The protection spell doesn't seem to have any psychological effect on this kind of creature, Leci thought as she sipped her strawberry milkshake. Since she was starving after exorcising the Lost Spirit, they had stopped by a convenience store. Leci treated Kieron as a thank-you for accompanying her.
Another reason was that Leci hoped being nice to him would make Kieron stop asking for her soul. A little bribery shouldn't hurt, right? Kieron didn't seem to mind — though unexpectedly, he ended up buying something strange.
"Why do you keep looking at me? Do you want this?" Kieron asked, pointing at the can of beer he was drinking.
Leci gave him a flat look, then shifted away slightly. "I'm underage."
"So if you were old enough, you'd drink with me?" Kieron asked again after chugging the rest of his beer. He'd already downed three cans, yet looked completely normal — no hint of drunkenness.
"I've never thought about it. And I'd still have to wait two more years. Why think about something that hasn't happened?" Leci replied casually.
She chose instead to open her packaged egg-mayo sandwich and eat it while watching the busy street. A few people cast glances their way, wondering what a schoolgirl was doing sitting with an adult man drinking beer.
Leci didn't really care. She had already removed her vest, blazer, and the ribbon tie that practically screamed Red Maple High School. As for the black checkered skirt… Leci wasn't sure anyone would notice it since it was hidden under the table anyway. The two of them sat at the corner table in front of the convenience store.
Kieron grabbed some salted squid he had bought to go with his beer. Then he noticed how Leci was eating her sandwich quite enthusiastically.
"During the exorcism earlier, you said you couldn't purify that ghost because it was already too tainted. Does that mean… you can purify souls?"
Leci's hands were smeared with mayonnaise mixed with egg from the sandwich filling. She was about to lick it off, but then she remembered what Kieron had done to the wound on her left cheek. The memory made her shudder.
"I can purify spirits that have never harmed humans," she said quietly.
"So those that have harmed humans can't be purified?" Kieron asked as he picked up a few tissues from the table and began wiping Leci's mayonnaise-covered hands.
"It's not that they can't. The problem is, if the corruption is too severe, all the accumulated bad karma inside the spirit can attack the person trying to purify it. It can even seep into the purifier's soul, disrupting and contaminating the spiritual flow in their body. At worst, that person could die in the most painful way if their spiritual channels become too polluted."
When he finished cleaning her hands, Kieron moved on to wiping the girl's messy mouth as well. Leci protested immediately—being treated like a child was embarrassing.
"Why is Mister curious about that?" Leci asked back while swatting away Kieron's hand that was still trying to wipe her mouth.
"Just curious about an Exorcist's work," Kieron replied casually. He was now busy opening a packet of bandages before moving closer to Leci again. "Your friend told me to find out everything about you, didn't she?"
The twin-bunned girl froze at Kieron's answer—and his unexpected action of gently placing a bandage on the scratch on her left cheek.
When he was done, Leci stared at him with a puzzled frown. She couldn't understand Kieron at all. Spending too much time with this man made her feel like she was riding an emotional rollercoaster.
Kieron was sometimes mischievous, sometimes annoying, sometimes rude — even borderline unbearable. But occasionally, he could be soft, sweet, and surprisingly attentive.
Leci couldn't decide what kind of flag he was supposed to be. Red flag? Or black flag? He was definitely not a green flag.
Leci kept watching Kieron, who was now cleaning up the trash from their meal. Once everything was tidy, he immediately stood up from his seat.
"Don't get hurt again. Work is important, but keeping yourself safe is far more important." After saying that, Kieron reached out and fixed Leci's messy bangs.
"Go home. It's already late."
"Okay," Leci replied briefly. She was too confused by Kieron's unpredictable behavior and didn't know how she was supposed to respond anymore.
Leci continued watching Kieron's back as he slowly walked away. She didn't realize at all that he had left behind one unopened can of beer on the table.
At the convenience store earlier, he bought four cans — three were already finished, and he had thrown away all the empty ones. But since the last one was still untouched, Kieron left it sitting on the table.
A warning-like voice snapped Leci out of her thoughts.
"Hei, Leciara…"
When she turned around, she found Norris sitting in the seat Kieron had just left, arms crossed. He tapped the top of the beer can with his index finger.
"Explain to me — what is this supposed to mean?"
Ah, looks like there's been another misunderstanding… And why didn't Mr. Kieron take it with him?! Leci grumbled inwardly.
"T-that isn't mine!"
Norris shook his head in utter disbelief. "After doing something indecent, now you're drinking alcohol before you're even legally allowed?!"
"You've crossed the line, Leciara! Why are you falling into bad company like this?!"
"No! Norris! You're completely misunderstanding!" Leci tried desperately to defend herself.
Unfortunately, Norris didn't believe her.