The Next Morning
When I woke up, still holding Lucy in my arms, I was greeted by Sachi's teasing gaze as she sat nearby.
"Oh my~ The newlyweds sure are making quick progress."
My face turned bright red, and for a moment, I was completely speechless. Just then, Lucy sat up. She looked at me and Sachi with a dazed expression, as if only just realizing what had happened. Her face turned scarlet, and she quickly hid behind my back, trying to escape from the moment.
"Haha~ Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing," Sachi said, smiling with her eyes. "Let's get our stuff packed. The real fight's just getting started."
We quickly broke down the camp and prepared for the next stretch of the journey.
The battle was set to last three days, though it usually ended by the second—nobody wanted to wander around this forest for too long. A magical barrier was gradually closing in, forcing the students into confrontations, so we had to stay on the move.
Suddenly, a glowing message appeared in the sky:
20 students remaining.
Twenty, huh… I figured most of them had probably been taken down by Kiana. That girl was a beast.
After finishing our preparations, we set out again, ready to face whoever fate decided to throw at us.
We needed to defeat a few opponents to prove our own strength. That was the plan, at least…
But whenever people saw our trio, they'd immediately run away without a second thought.
After a while, we unexpectedly ran into Kiana.
Without saying a word, she launched a powerful Ice Wind spell straight at us.
It was so strong that all three of us had to burn through a good chunk of mana just to block it.
"You're not bad,"
Kiana said in a flat tone, completely emotionless.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from above.
A bizarre creature with massive horns and a giant wooden club fell from the sky, slamming into the ground with a quake that shook the whole area.
It let out a deafening roar that made my ears ring.
We were stunned.
Was this some kind of surprise test…?
That thought disappeared instantly as the monster swung its club toward Lucy and Sachi.
They managed to block it, but the sheer force sent them flying.
"Lucy! Sachi!"
I shouted their names in panic.
They were flung all the way back toward the camp we'd set up earlier.
"What the hell is going on!?"
I couldn't stop myself from yelling.
This… this wasn't supposed to happen! There was nothing like this in the original story!
"What exactly are you?"
Kiana narrowed her eyes at the monster.
She calmly raised her hand and instantly froze its entire body in a thick layer of ice.
But just seconds later, the creature shattered the ice effortlessly, as if her spell were nothing more than a child's prank.
It let out another ear-splitting roar and slammed its club down again, sending both me and Kiana flying.
I quickly used Wind magic to soften our landing, gently guiding both of us to the ground.
"Thanks," she said, her voice as calm as ever.
"No problem. I think I need to rest a bit… That roar messed up my ears."
I rubbed my ear and looked around.
"After that, I'm going to find Lucy and Sachi. What about you?"
"I'll rest a little too," she replied simply, turning to sit by a nearby tree. But I called out to her.
"Wait. I've got a mat with me. Why don't you sit with me and take a break? I brought some rice cakes."
The moment I mentioned rice cakes, her body flinched slightly.
After a brief pause, she walked over and sat beside me.
"Well… if you're offering."
Her usual cold demeanor seemed to fade, even though she tried to keep her face neutral.
I pulled out a stash of rice cakes from my bag, and just as I expected, her eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Help yourself," I said with a smile.
"Then I won't hold back."
She immediately started scarfing them down—so fast she nearly choked.
"Whoa, slow down. Here's some water."
I handed her a canteen. She took a long drink and sighed in relief.
Her face relaxed… but when she realized I was watching, she quickly turned away, trying to regain her usual icy composure.
"It's fine," I laughed. "You can just relax. I'm lazy too, you know."
"…How did you know I was lazy?"
Kiana gave me a suspicious look.
"Because I am lazy," I replied without missing a beat. "Lazy people recognize each other. Plus, I know you once cast an illusion on a teacher to make them think you were studying… when you were actually napping with your eyes closed."
Kiana froze. Then, after a moment, she smiled—the first genuine smile I'd ever seen from her.
"You're good."
Without another word, she laid back on the mat and stretched out like a lazy cat.
I lay down beside her, gazing up at the peaceful blue sky.
A rare moment of calm in the midst of chaos.
Kiana Weiss — a naturally lazy girl.
Despite her exceptional talent, she was born into a family with towering expectations. From a young age, she was forced to train constantly, pushing herself just to meet those demands.
But deep inside, all she really wanted was to lie around, eat rice cakes, and do absolutely nothing.
She wasn't fond of socializing either. To avoid tiring conversations, she put on a cold, aloof front. That icy attitude helped her conserve energy and kept others at a distance.
Oddly enough, she adored rice cakes so much she'd perk up at the mere mention of them.
And even more strangely, Kiana had a soft spot for people who shared her love for laziness.
Once she warmed up to someone, the cold shell would melt away, revealing a chatty, surprisingly open girl who saw them as a kindred spirit.
Kiana was a unique kind of heroine.
In a world that glorified hard work and diligence, she proved that laziness, too, could be its own quiet charm.
I couldn't help but smile when I saw her being lazy, so different from everyone's impression.