Mejiro Al Dan was scrolling through her phone in the dorm.
She had just seen Excellent Quality post a private update on Umastagram about winning the selection race, accompanied by a group photo of her, her Trainer, and Kagura, and another photo of her with a large group of people.
Currently, only Kagura, her friend who could see her private updates, had liked it.
She had just sent Excellent Quality a congratulatory reply and liked the post when she heard the dorm door open.
A fatigued Kagura stumbled in from outside.
"Kagura! Are you alright?"
Al Dan quickly jumped off her bed and ran over to support Kagura, who looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.
Kagura weakly raised her hand and patted Al Dan's shoulder, then shook her head:
"I'm perfectly fine... just a little tired."
"You look exhausted, go get some rest."
"Mm... I'll go... take a shower first..."
"Do... do you need me to help you with anything?"
Watching Kagura walk in, swaying and shaking her head, Al Dan was afraid she might accidentally fall.
But even though she was so tired, Kagura had no intention of asking for help from others.
Watching Kagura slowly shuffle into the bathroom with her pajamas, Al Dan was worried, but she felt that her relationship with Kagura wasn't yet at a level where she could casually follow her into the bathroom.
And she didn't know if Kagura would mind such an action, so she chose to sit by the bed and wait.
Because it was quite late, there was no sound of people moving outside the dorm at this time.
Logically, only sounds from inside the bathroom should be heard, but Al Dan sat there for a long time and didn't hear any sound coming from inside.
"Kagura wouldn't have fallen asleep while soaking in there, would she...?"
Soaking for too long could be harmful.
Al Dan thought for a moment, no longer caring about being impolite.
She got up and walked to the bathroom door, raising her hand to gently knock.
No response.
It seemed Kagura really had fallen asleep inside.
Remembering that Kagura had saved her before, Al Dan didn't want this child to soak for too long and cause any health problems.
This was not the time for hesitation.
She still used her own set of keys to open the bathroom door.
"Kagura?"
Still, there was no response. Al Dan saw Kagura sitting, leaning against the edge of the bathtub, her head tilted, eyes closed, completely oblivious to Al Dan's movements. She seemed to be in a deep sleep. With so many things happening during the day, plus the past week of supporting Excellent Quality, she hadn't rested well and must have been exhausted.
Carefully walking to the edge of the bathtub, Al Dan looked at Kagura, who was sitting in the bath and had fallen asleep, hesitating about what to do.
'Should I wake Kagura? But she's so tired...'
Al Dan had witnessed Kagura's efforts all week. While admiring her, she also felt incredibly envious of Excellent Quality. To have such a friend, one must have saved the world in a past life, right?
If she wanted to take Kagura out without waking her, the only way was to pick her up, which would definitely get her clothes wet. Al Dan, who had already showered, pondered for a moment, then stopped her hand that was reaching for Kagura's snow-white shoulder, which was exposed above the water.
Taking a few steps back, Al Dan was about to take off her pajamas and underwear to get in and carry Kagura out directly. Just as she grabbed the hem of her clothes to pull them up, Kagura in the bathtub suddenly opened her eyes:
"Why is this silly child sleeping here... Oh, Miss Al Dan, why are you here?"
Kagura seemed to have just woken up, and her consciousness didn't seem entirely clear, with long pauses in her speech. Al Dan wasn't sure if it was her imagination or the strange lighting in the bathroom, but Kagura's eyes seemed a little red.
"I just saw that you had been in for a long time without any movement, Kagura. I was afraid you'd stay in too long and catch a cold, and I didn't want to wake you, so I thought I'd carry you out..."
"Ah... I'm so sorry. Today was indeed a bit too busy. I accidentally fell asleep in here for a bit. I made you worry, Miss Al Dan! Thank you for remembering to come check on me!"
"N-Nothing! Since you're awake, Kagura, I... I'll go out first!"
Seeing Kagura about to stand up from the water, Al Dan quickly waved her hands, then, blushing, turned and fled, closing the door behind her.
Kagura stood up from the bathtub and stretched, loosening her stiff body. She opened her dark red eyes and looked at the bathroom door that had just closed:
"Hehe~ What a shy and lovely child. Wanting to help someone but afraid of being impolite. So cute."
'Kagura' smiled, stepped out of the bathtub, dried her body, and put on her pajamas. She dried her hair, checked herself in the mirror, and then, looking "drowsy," walked out of the bathroom.
"Kagura, you haven't rested much lately. Now that Fine Motion's matter is over today, you can finally get some rest, can't you?"
Al Dan, curled up on her bed with her legs hugged, saw Kagura finally emerge. Seeing Kagura still looking so exhausted, she couldn't help but ask with concern.
"Yes... Haaah... So sleepy..."
'Kagura' walked unsteadily, yawning, looking utterly exhausted, and her consciousness didn't seem very clear. Al Dan, fearing that this Little Horse Girls might actually collapse, got up to support the swaying Kagura. She carefully knelt down, wrapped her arms around Kagura's waist and legs, gently lifted her horizontally, and carried her back to bed.
To prevent Kagura from catching a cold, Al Dan helped Kagura into a comfortable sleeping position, then pulled Kagura's blanket over her. After that, she knelt on Kagura's bed, gazing absently at the sleeping Kagura.
The day she returned to the dormitory, she had already noticed a very comforting aura around Kagura, which made her a little curious. Now, with Kagura looking so defenseless, she hesitated whether to get closer to investigate.
'Just a little touch...'
Al Dan swallowed, carefully extended her hand, and gently touched Kagura's soft cheek.
"This is..."
She noticed that the sleeping Kagura's expression was not peaceful. She was frowning tightly, and her body was curled up, as if she was dreaming of something unpleasant.
"So hot... so burning..."
A faint whisper escaped Kagura's lips. Al Dan's hearing was excellent, and she naturally heard what Kagura's soft dream-talk was saying.
'Hot? Burning? Could it be... Kagura is dreaming about that day...'
Al Dan had heard about Kagura from her grandmother. Kagura had escaped from a shrine that had caught fire, then collapsed from exhaustion at the Symboli Family's doorstep, later becoming their maid.
"Is there anyone who can... save me..."
'Should I help Kagura? Roommates are supposed to help each other, right?'
Kagura's expression looked very pained. Al Dan, who had only intended to gently touch Kagura's cheek, felt that she couldn't leave her alone. So, following her inner impulse, she leaned down a little, placed her hand on Kagura's head, and gently stroked her:
"Don't be afraid... I'm here, don't be scared anymore..."
"Mmm..."
Al Dan maintained her position, carefully comforting her for a while, before Kagura's expression relaxed, and she began to breathe steadily.
Seeing Kagura finally calm down, Al Dan was about to withdraw from her, but then found that Kagura was holding her hand tightly, like a child lacking security in danger who had finally found something to rely on.
'The usually mature Kagura... has this side to her too.'
Al Dan gently tugged, but found that she couldn't move her hand an inch. She knew it would be impossible to pull her hand out without waking Kagura.
'What should I do...'
After a moment of thought, a somewhat impolite but strangely impulsive idea flashed through Al Dan's mind.
"It's just helping Kagura... She helped me a lot before..."
After a brief hesitation, Al Dan convinced herself. Keeping her arm still, she shifted forward a bit to turn off the bedside lamp switch, then carefully climbed onto the bed, cautiously stepping over Kagura's body, and slipped under her blanket, embracing her from behind.
That mysterious, gentle, and comfortable aura immediately enveloped Al Dan. Already feeling a bit sleepy, Al Dan's eyelids immediately began to droop:
"Good night... Kagura..."
Darkness quickly enveloped Al Dan's consciousness. Not long after, Al Dan also began to breathe steadily.
Because of this, she didn't see that the 'Kagura' she was holding suddenly opened her dark red eyes after Al Dan fell asleep:
"Hehe... It seems she's a kind and reliable child..."
-----------------------
To read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can follow and support me on Patreon.
I'll be posting early chapters there so you can always stay ahead and never miss any new content.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT