"Sylvia? Are you awake?"
"Hm? Why is your face so red? Are you having a fever?"
Soren asked as soon as he saw Sylvia, who seemed a bit late in covering her head with the bed sheet.
Concerned, he lightly placed his hand atop her forehead, but found nothing. Instead, he saw her face grow even redder, visibly so.
"N-Nothing... S-Soren, w-what happened?"
Sylvia took a deep breath to calm her nerves and spoke stutteringly. Despite trying to act like she knew nothing, seeing Soren so close made her panic instantly.
Especially, when she felt that tingling sensation on her breast again, more so than before, making her fully ashamed of her own reaction.
Fortunately, Soren didn't seem to notice her, or rather, he seemed too calm for someone who did that to her just now.
"What else? You fainted right in the arena. I told you to be careful and admit defeat if you couldn't, but you still..."
Soren rolled his eyes, picked the teacup up filled with mind-calming brew, and gestured lightly.
"Alright, forget about all that. The professor said you don't need to worry about the challenge."
As he spoke, he gently raised the headrest, helping Sylvia into a sitting position before bringing the cup to her lips.
"Take a sip," he said softly. "It'll help calm your mind."
His gentle voice entered her ears, making Sylvia a little conflicted.
Soren, right now, looked perfectly normal, concerned for his friend.
Truth be told, he was the one who had warned her to admit defeat if she could not handle it anymore.
He was also the one who came to her rescue instantly, even carrying her all the way to the infirmary.
If he had not done those things to her before, he would have been the perfect friend Sylvia could not find anywhere else.
But… after knowing his true face, Sylvia did not know how to react. Especially when she could see that his concern for her was not false.
"Drink it..."
Sylvia came back to her senses once she felt the hot brew touch her lips and part her mouth slightly.
But she was still slightly confused, confused enough not to realize that she could drink the tea herself.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Once she had drunk all the brew down her throat, Soren placed it on the table beside him and asked with a gentle smile. His hand naturally rested atop her forehead as if checking her fever, making Sylvia slightly flinch.
"It seems you are likely fine now. But I have to say, for an S-rank healer, your mental power is too low."
Soren complained lightly.
"You are such a big girl, and you are still afraid of a ghost. How pathetic."
He said, his eyes slightly lowering on her bosom, intentionally or unintentionally suggesting something, making Sylvia blush red.
"Tch… what does it matter whether my mental power is low or I'm afraid of ghosts? Who are you to comment?"
Sylvia was already suffocated by his behavior and could not take his teasing anymore. She was really pissed that he could still act so innocent after doing that to her.
'I am already generous enough that I didn't complain and break our friendship. He still has the guts to tease me?'
Her anger, which had calmed down before, suddenly flared up, and she directly hit Soren's head with her fist.
"Ouch...hey, do you need to hit me on the head? What if I go dumb?"
Sylvia wasn't going easy when she hit him. Rather, she used full force, making a thud sound when her fist hit Soren's head.
Soren felt so much pain that he felt a little dizzy, rubbed the spot, and complained in anger.
"Serves you right then. You aren't a smart bunch, anyway."
But Sylvia only snarled in a loud voice, making Soren flinch unconsciously. He could feel that Sylvia was really angry at him.
Maybe she finally found a way to vent her pent-up emotions; this time, she really went all out.
"How ungrateful...and I even help you so much."
After seeing her so angry, Soren couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
"Help? You help me? You damn bastard!"
But that only managed to make Sylvia so mad that she clenched her fist once more and tried to hit him again. Unfortunatley, Soren swiftly dodged her blow this time.
Angered, Sylvia directly left her bed and chased after Soren.
"Hey...Sylvia, stop already. If you stay this angry, your beautiful face might scrunch up and turn ugly."
Her punch really hurt. Soren didn't know that this girl had so much strength. He didn't want to experience the same pain again.
"Who is ugly? You idiot have become lawless recently. I must drill some sense into your stupid head to make you come to your senses."
Soren's words weren't helping Sylvia's anger at all. Rather, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, Sylvia pounced on him relentlessly.
She even used her mana to shorten their distance, catching Soren off guard before landing a devastating blow on his head again.
"Ouch!"
Soren roared in pain as this blow was harder than before. It hurt so much that he sat down and rubbed the place where she hit him.
Only tears were left to come out of his eyes.
Fortunately, after landing the second blow, Sylvia didn't hit him again.
"You vixen…"
"You…"
But Soren's mouth was really full of foul words, and he once again managed to anger Sylvia when, suddenly, the door to the infirmary opened, causing both of them to turn around.
"Hmm? What happened?"
Evan couldn't help but ask after seeing the weird scene in front of him as soon as he entered the room.
He saw Soren crouching while rubbing his head, while Sylvia was standing in front of him like an angered queen.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like a scene he should see in an infirmary.
"N-nothing happened. I am fine, and he is also fine. You two, leave the room and let me have some rest."
Sylvia was a little flustered after the sudden appearance of Evan. So, not wanting him to notice her anomaly, she quickly spoke before dragging Soren out of the room along with Evan.
"Bang!"
Then, without giving them a chance to react, she closed the door behind her.
"What happened? Hey, Sylvia, I brought you a high-grade Mind Tonic. Please, open the door."