Chapter 80: Believe in the Great Noctis

I picked a tree at the far end of the clearing as my target and started jogging toward it. After a few steps, I focused on my new ability.

Nothing happened.

I moved my arms a little faster. My steps quickened too, but that had nothing to do with Storm Heart. I was simply trying to run faster.

“Come on…”

I repeated the ability’s name in my head and tried again. White Snake worked on its own, while Umbrella changed shape as soon as I thought about what I wanted. I had expected this to respond the same way.

When I approached the tree, I slowed down and turned around. As I ran back toward my starting point, I focused entirely on Storm Heart.

Warmth suddenly appeared in my chest.

My next stride was much longer than I expected.

The moment my foot touched the ground, my body shot forward. My eyes widened as the distance ahead rapidly disappeared. I could see where to place my feet and tell that I was about to lose my balance, but I couldn’t make my legs keep up with this new pace.

“Wait—!”

When I leaned back to stop, my toe caught on the ground, and I lost my balance completely.

Throwing my arms forward only kept me from landing on my face. My palms hit the dirt, my elbow bent, and I rolled over my shoulder into the grass.

I lay still for several seconds.

Then I spat out a small blade of grass.

“Great…”

I had gained this ability to beat Eris, and on my first attempt, I had knocked myself down instead.

I pushed myself up and checked my elbow. The skin was slightly scraped. As I felt White Snake’s familiar warmth, I brushed the dirt off myself and made sure Storm Heart was no longer active.

I had become faster. I had also noticed I was about to fall much sooner than usual. The problem was that noticing it didn’t mean I knew how to regain my balance.

I took my time with the second attempt.

First, I jogged slowly, then tried to use the ability for the smallest possible increase in speed. When I felt the effect, I focused on maintaining my rhythm instead of stretching my strides too far.

This time, I didn’t fall, but I went several meters past where I wanted to stop.

On the third attempt, I cut my speed earlier. On the fourth, I staggered sideways while trying to turn and recovered my balance at the last moment.

After several short runs, activating and deactivating the ability became a little easier. Still, my shoulders tensed every time I accelerated, and I had to focus entirely on running to avoid placing my feet incorrectly.

For now, I wasn’t ready to use this in the middle of a fight without thinking.

After the last attempt, I rested my hands on my knees and caught my breath. My legs were far more tired than they should have been for the distance I had run. My body hadn’t appreciated testing Storm Heart on top of a sleepless night and my morning run.

I picked up my water bottle from the base of the nearby tree and took a few sips.

That was enough. I didn’t want to show up in front of Eris barely able to stand before training had even begun.

After leaving the park, I stopped at home and changed my clothes. I ate something and spent part of the remaining time lying down. The rest helped my legs, but I was still yawning when I went out again that afternoon.

I reached the mansion a few minutes before two.

When I couldn’t find Eris downstairs, I went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and found Eris sitting on the edge of her bed. She was drying her red hair with a towel, tilting her head slightly as she ran the wet strands through her fingers.

She was wearing only a loose T-shirt.

The moment my eyes drifted downward, I felt my face grow warm and quickly looked away.

Eris didn’t even stop drying her hair when she noticed me.

She was so relaxed that after a few seconds, my own reaction began to feel strange. This body’s memories held countless ordinary days when she had dressed like this. Going in and out of each other’s rooms or sitting on the same bed weren’t things Noctis and Eris thought twice about. Besides, Eris was always this relaxed at my place…

There was no reason for me to stand in the doorway as though I had been caught doing something wrong.

As I entered and closed the door behind me, I remembered how Rose had walked around her apartment last night.

Why do all girls dress like this at home?

I sighed inwardly again.

“I expect you not to repeat yesterday’s mistakes,” Eris said, lowering the towel onto her shoulders. “Especially when you fall—”

I missed the rest of her sentence because I yawned.

Covering my mouth with a hand, I walked toward the bed. I passed Eris, sat near the headboard, and leaned comfortably against the pillows.

The moment I settled onto the soft bed, my eyelids grew a little heavier.

“You didn’t come here to sleep, did you?”

When I didn’t answer, Eris frowned. Then she picked up the comb beside her and held it out to me.

“Since you’re sitting there, comb my hair. It’s still a little wet at the back, so dry it with the towel first.”

I looked at the comb, then raised my eyes to her.

“Why did you shower now? We’re about to train, so you’ll just get sweaty again.”

The corners of Eris’s lips lifted.

“Who said I’d break a sweat training with you?”

“…What?”

“You don’t think you can tire me out, do you?”

The ease in her voice was more annoying than her words. She looked at me as though I had asked something obvious and she was only answering out of politeness.

“Things might be a little different today.”

“Then don’t use up your energy already.” She held the comb a little closer. “Here.”

“I didn’t come here to be your hairdresser.”

Eris turned toward me on the bed. Bending one leg, she lifted her other foot and pressed it against my cheek. My head shifted slightly to the side against the pillow.

“Oii!”

She waved the comb in front of my face.

“Comb it.”

I stared at her for several seconds. Eris had no intention of lowering her hand or moving her foot.

Eventually, I sighed, pushed her foot away from my face, and took the comb.

“One day, you’ll regret treating me like this.”

“As long as you don’t pull my hair, it won’t be today.”

She turned her back to me and sat on the edge of the bed. I moved away from the pillows, settled behind her, and took the towel from her shoulders.

Small droplets still clung to the ends of her hair. I wrapped the towel around the strands and pressed gently to absorb the moisture. Then I picked up the comb and started working from the ends.

The comb caught in Eris’s hair during the first few passes. Holding the strands with my other hand, I carefully worked through the knots and saw her shoulders slowly relax.

I was more comfortable doing this than I had expected. The way my fingers seemed to know where to go reminded me that this wasn’t Noctis’s first time either.

When she lowered her head slightly, the scent of shampoo reached my nose.

I breathed it in without thinking, then grew annoyed with myself when I noticed. I was only combing her hair. Even so, paying that much attention to her scent was enough to make me feel like a strange pervert.

Just comb her hair and get on with it.

I fixed my eyes on the red strands in my hand and drew the comb downward again.

For a while, the only sound in the room was the faint noise of the comb passing through her hair. Eris no longer rushed me, and despite my lack of sleep, I moved my hand as carefully as possible.

“You were so sure yesterday.”

The teasing had disappeared from her voice.

I answered without stopping the comb.

“What?”

“I’m talking about the Academy, Noc.”

This time, my fingers slowed.

Eris turned her head slightly to look at me.

“How will you get in without a Nexus? You can’t have said that just to convince me.”

There was no mockery in her expression. She genuinely wanted an answer, which made it a little harder to brush off her question with a joke.

I thought about what had happened in the park that morning. I had gained a new ability, but I was still learning how to use it without falling. I still didn’t have a definite answer about how I would get into the Academy either.

Even so, I didn’t regret what I had told her yesterday.

After combing the last section, I let her hair fall down her back. I handed Eris the comb and put on a confident smile as I stood.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just believe what the Great Noctis says.”

Eris’s brows drew together. By the time she opened her mouth, I was already heading toward the door so I wouldn’t have to answer her next question.

“I’m going to warm up for a bit. Come join me when you’re ready.”

I opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and headed for the stairs on my way to the training area.