Chapter 61: Charlotte and Sleeplessness

…Mm. My eyes flickered open.

Haha, that was cramped as hell. Sure, I’m on the smaller side, but Riven definitely isn’t. He’s got the proper build of a young man.

So with the two of us sleeping back-to-back in a single bed, I nearly fell off a few times during the night. I don’t usually toss and turn much, but still…

"Guess it’s not the same as sleeping with Alice-chan…"

"You’re awake?"

When I sat up, it looked like Riven stirred as well.

Did I wake him up?

I gently took his hand and quickly traced some letters on his palm.

"Good morning."

"…Ah."

Riven pushed himself upright too, though his movements were sluggish.

Is it because he can’t see or hear? His complexion even looked a little pale.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"A little… no, don’t worry about it."

Don’t worry about it? As if I could ignore that! What if Salem had some other trick up her sleeve? I need to make sure of this.

"I’m going to take this off."

"Huh?"

I only announced what I was about to do, then immediately went for it. If he outright refused, I’d never have the guts to use force. So I had to start before he realized it—pulling his top off!

It wasn’t for no reason. My healing magic requires physical contact with the one I’m treating. The more surface area I touch, the stronger the effect.

In other words, hugging skin-to-skin is the most efficient! Embarrassing? Compared to someone’s health, that’s nothing worth fussing over!

If someone’s on the brink of death, I don’t usually need to go that far, but when their condition is uncertain, being close makes it easier to assess. Honestly, I’ve ended up clinging to people who looked “maybe” critical more often than those who were obviously dying.

Even if I can’t fix his eyes or ears, maybe some secondary effects could still help. Nip the illness in the bud—that’s the idea.

"H-hey!"

"Don’t fight it! Just sit still and get stripped!"

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Damn it—getting his shirt halfway off was as far as I could go. His resistance was too strong! The difference in strength was impossible to overcome!

"Good morning, Charlotte-chan…"

"Ah."

"Ah."

And of course, right as we’re wrestling, Trishel walked in. The sleepiness in her eyes vanished, snapping open wide.

"…"

"…"

"Charlotte-chan’s been defiled!"

"Wait! No! You’ve got the wrong idea! Totally wrong idea!"

She burst into tears and ran. I scrambled after her.

I’m supposed to be living here for a while—if weird rumors spread around the clan house, that would be a disaster.

"…Damn it, what the hell," I heard Riven mutter bitterly as I ran out the door.

In the end, chasing down a sobbing Trishel took a ridiculous amount of effort. Thankfully, some of the Crimson Bell clan members who were already awake helped me catch her. Really, it drove home how important reputation is.

They all just assumed it was Trishel’s fault and pitched in without hesitation… Sorry about that. I actually felt a little guilty.

By the time I returned to the room, Riven had moved himself to a chair and fixed his clothes. Even though he can’t see, he managed it well. Stuff like that really shows how capable he is.

"…So, what exactly were you trying to do?"

Trishel was still sulking, glaring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Riven-san looked pale, so I was trying to check on him with healing."

"Healing…? Oh, right. That’s true."

"You get it now?"

"Hmm… Hmmmmm…"

Even after hearing my reason, Trishel groaned in dissatisfaction. What’s bothering her so much?

After struggling over whether to say it, she finally spoke, looking reluctant.

"Look, Charlotte-chan. I probably shouldn’t say this, but…"

"Yes?"

"If you don’t mean anything by it, you should avoid unnecessary physical contact, okay?"

"Excuse me?"

…? Why would that be a problem? Isn’t it worse if I can’t treat someone properly?

"Charlotte-chan… didn’t you used to deliberately touch guys to get their attention?"

"…Yes."

Ah.

"Do you realize you’re basically doing the same thing now?"

"……Yes."

……

So that’s how it looks. Yeah, I guess it makes sense.

But come on—it’s Riven. Riven! The guy who didn’t fall for my appearance in the first place. There’s no way he’d start caring about that now. We’ve already been through so much together, and our relationship is closer to friends. He even said I reminded him of an old friend!

Trishel’s just overthinking this, really!

"I hope I am, for your sake…"

The man at the center of all this sat unmoving in his chair. In a way, I was glad he couldn’t hear any of it. The guilt pressed tight in my chest.

I sighed.

Since I couldn’t strip him, I’d have to ask directly. He might not tell me everything, but at least he wouldn’t lie.

"Do you have a moment?"

"Hm? Ah. As long as you’re not about to tear my clothes off again."

Still holding a grudge, huh. Fair enough—I did go overboard. Having someone suddenly try to strip you when you can’t see a thing would be terrifying. I didn’t think it through.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"What was that?"

"This morning—you looked pale."

If he’s not well, I want him to tell me straight. I tried to pour all my worry into the words, even though I couldn’t say them aloud. It was frustrating not being able to speak properly.

"…Ah, yeah, that’s right."

"Don’t try to hide it."

"No, I wasn’t trying to, well—okay, maybe I was…"

…Hmm?
He looked… guilty, somehow.

Trishel’s sharp glare grew even sharper.

What is this atmosphere? Please, just say it’s nothing serious…!

"…………"

"If you don’t tell me, I’ll strip you and check myself."

"It’s nothing that drastic! I’m just sleep-deprived!"

"Sleep-deprived."

…Sleep-deprived? That’s it? Just a lack of sleep?

"What a way to cause a fuss…"

I couldn’t help but sigh. Trishel, meanwhile, looked like she desperately wanted to say something but couldn’t. Honestly, what is that face? She could enter a funny-face contest with it.

Still exasperated, I took Riven’s hand and spelled out my reply.

"I’m just glad you’re okay."

"…You know…"

"Hm?"

Riven looked like he had something to say too. But he seemed reluctant to voice it.

"Trishel, has she always been like this?"

Trishel suddenly snatched my hand out of his grasp and began relaying words for me instead.

This system really is inconvenient. When someone else does the writing, I have no idea what’s actually being said.

"――――"

"Tch, but still…"

"――――"

"There’s no other option?"

"――――"

"…Damn it!"

Maybe it was Trishel cursing under her breath, but Riven was getting visibly worked up. It was good to see energy in him, but emotional swings like that aren’t exactly healthy either…

Eventually, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"…Fine. I understand."

He looked completely worn out.

"What were you two talking about, Trishel?"

"Mmm, secret!"

She crossed her arms in an X and refused.

Yeah, no pushing past that wall. Asking Riven directly? Even less likely to work.

"Just you wait, Salem…"

See? He was already seething again. If that fire gives him strength, then great—but not if it eats away at his health.

"Anyway, Charlotte."

"Yes?"

Wanting to respond, I reached for his hand. The instant I touched it, he tried to pull back a little. I grabbed hold quickly, but seriously—he needs to stop doing that.

"Ah—sorry."

"That’s fine."

"So, about sleeping arrangements."

"Right, the bed was small after all."

Ahhh… So that’s why he was sleep-deprived. Makes sense. The bed was barely big enough for two people pressed tightly together.

"Next time, we’ll just squeeze into the middle more."

"No, that’s not what I mean."

…Huh? Then what?

"I’ll sleep on the floor. You take the bed."

"No way."

"Hey."

"No way."

"You! Do you even understand the situation you’re in right now?

If you don’t stay in at least a halfway decent environment, your mind won’t hold together!

If you get hit with anything on top of Salem’s tricks, that’ll be the end of you.

The only reason I can watch over you without panicking is because you can still manage to move around a little on your own.

If I had to, I’d even hold your hand and guide you around every time you change rooms.

I’d do that much for a close friend!"

"...When we sleep in the same bed, um, the… feeling, you know…"

Feeling. Hm.

Ah! I see!

"Understood."

"You—! So you got it!"

"From now on, let’s make sure we take all our gear off before sleeping."

Yesterday, after everything in the dungeon, we pretty much passed out with most of our equipment still on. Of course it’s uncomfortable having two armored people crammed into one bed, bumping into each other. Ahh, sorry, I wasn’t thinking.

No wonder I slept so well, though. We were just completely exhausted.

Starting today, I’ll be more careful—wait. Is Riven… slumping over?

Hey, Trishel. What’s with that look in your eyes?"

"I was just thinking, knowing Charlotte, you probably said something totally off the mark again."

"You didn’t have to say it out loud!"

With a sigh that screamed I knew it, Trishel took Riven’s hand away from me and signed something to her.

Almost instantly, Riven looked completely drained.

"W-what did you tell her?"

"I said, ‘Give it up. You brought this on yourself.’"

"This is Salem’s fault, not Riven’s—"

"Mmm, no need to figure it out."

She reached out and patted my head, just like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hey, you’re totally just trying to distract me. I can tell.

Then she really went at it, messing up my hair like crazy.

"Whoa! What the heck, why all of a sudden?!"

That’s when I finally noticed it. All the strands falling into my eyes—every last one of them was white.

…Ah. This could be bad. I completely forgot.

The dye I use comes from the dungeon. It can change hair color instantly, but there’s one drawback: the effect only lasts a single day. I have to re-dye it every morning, which is why my hair changes colors so often.

This—this white hair. Wait, I’ve been like this the whole time? Even when I was chasing Trishel? That means the clan members might have seen too—

"T-T-T-Trishel."

My voice was shaking with panic.

"Don’t worry. Everyone except me sees an illusion I cast. They’ve only seen a different color."

"What?"

"From the very beginning. So they should’ve always seen something else."

...I let out a long sigh of relief.

Trishel beamed at me, clearly pleased. Meanwhile, Riven was still slumped over. Poor thing—better leave her be for now.

I had to deal with this instead.

"Wait. Hold on. Trishel—you already knew my real hair color?"

"Ahh. Ahhh. Well, yeah. I did, actually."

"Why do you sound so unsure about it?"

"I was worried you’d get mad."

"I’m not mad."

Sure, it was my family’s dying wish, so I’ve tried to keep it hidden. But it’d be unreasonable to blame someone else just for knowing. Even if that someone is Trishel.

Besides, knowing she already knew honestly takes a load off my mind.

"Well, this actually makes me feel a little better."

"How so?"

"I was always warned something terrible would happen if anyone found out. Turns out, nothing happens at all. It’s not so bad, being known."

I twirled the tips of my hair around my finger. Smooth, healthy strands, no split ends. Pretty good hair, if I say so myself.

"Ahh. Ahhh…"

"What is it? You sound like you’re struggling to say something."

"Well, I just think… maybe it’s still better to keep it hidden, like before. You know, since it was your mother’s last request? I’ll help, too. Okay?"

What’s with her?

Not that I ever intended to break that promise anyway. So I told her as much, and she looked openly relieved.

"In that case! I’ll go get the hair dye for you. Stay in the room until I get back, alright?"

She scurried out the door.

Left behind were me, tilting my head in confusion, and Riven, holding her head in her hands.