“Pervert!”
Sia glared at Varian who was standing in her room, intensely staring at her bra and panty in his hands.
“No, this isn’t what it looks like. I promise!” The 16-year-old Varian raised his hands and said with an anxious expression.
Sia raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Then pray do tell, what is it?”
“It is…” Varian opened his mouth with a confident expression but he suddenly stopped.
Sia gritted her teeth and walked up to him. She stretched her hand to grab her underwear, but unexpectedly, Varian stepped back and hid them behind his back.
“You!” Sia’s face flushed in anger and embarrassment.
“I need them for a very important thing,” Varian said with a serious expression, but Sia wasn’t buying any of that.
“Important?” She gritted her teeth and imagined him doing her underwear dirty…
“Arghh! You pervert!” Like an angry lioness, she lunged at him.
Varian trained his body better, so he jumped onto her body, rolled down, and ran out of her room and out of the home.
It was a classic escape~
“It’s not what you think it is!” His voice resounded.
Sia punched her pillow and yelled. “I know exactly what it is for!”
Silence filled the home as Varian didn’t return even after an hour.
Sia was still angry, but not as angry as before. In fact, she was more embarrassed. So, she sat on the sofa and tried to watch anything go distract her mind.
But she couldn’t forget that image.
The image of Varian looking at her underwear so seriously as if he was facing a mortal enemy.
Before she knew it, she was blushing madly from her neck to her ears.
Sia drew her knees together and buried her face between them.
‘I know teenagers and hormones. But seriously, I didn’t think Varian would do that.’ But as she thought more, it seemed normal.
Varian was also a normal guy. And even she couldn’t deny that she looked beautiful.
‘Yeah, it’s normal teenage stuff.’ She told herself and looked at the main door which was still closed.
‘But this idiot! Even if you’re doing anything, do it at home! You ran off to somewhere with my….damn it, prepare to starve tonight! You’re not getting any dinner!’ She gnashed her teeth.
She finished her dinner and looked at the empty dishes. She looked at the empty door again and bit her lip.
She went back to the kitchen. “Yes, I just want to eat more today. That’s it.”
But as she sat down at the dining table again, she slapped her forehead. “My diet! I can’t eat anymore.”
Then, she looked at the freshly cooked dishes and shook her head. “I can’t throw them away, can I?”
Saying so, she went back to her room.
‘He can’t train with an empty stomach. But I’m not letting him off the hook! Until he apologizes, I’m gonna be cold to him. Yep, yep. He can be horny, not a pervert!’
Like that, Sia went to sleep, or rather, should have.
But she ended up waiting for him the entire night.
*** *** ***
The next morning, Sia checked on Varian’s room. He was sprawled on his bed and deep in sleep.
“Huh?” Sia noticed his hands were covered in special bandages. These were rather expensive items and he always used them sparsely. Sometimes, his training led to heavy injuries, but Varian insisted on not using these bandages.
She slowly touched his hands and her brows knit together in a frown. “The skin on his whole palm, no, even some flesh is gone!”
Gritting her teeth, Sia looked at Varian who was calmly sleeping. She felt an urge to beat him.
‘Didn’t you say you’ll take care of yourself? Then why…?’
“Huh?” Varian rubbed his eyes and looked at her groggily before he suddenly stiffened.
“…care to explain your honorable deeds?” Sia said coldly.
“Training…eh, I was a bit careless, haha,” Varian answered with a forced smile and ran out of the house. “I got a part-time job. I’ll be late.”
“Varian!”
*** ***
For the next seven days, Sia saw him with new bandages every day. Despite the bandages healing his old injuries in a day, he seemed to be getting new injuries every day.
Each time she asked him about it, he gave one reason or another.
It wasn’t just his injuries, his complexion had also turned pale.
On the third day itself, she insisted she’d join his practice and oversee it. Her intention was obvious—to prevent his injuries. He declined vehemently.
When she asked him about his part-time job, where he was spending most of his evening, he just gave some vague answers.
“Why is he doing this?” Sia paced back and forth in her home as she clenched her fists.
He was hiding something from her. Perhaps a lot. She didn’t want to pry. But how was she supposed to rest easy when he’s coming home with more injuries and a worse complexion?
Creak!
The door slowly opened and Varian stepped in.
Sia wanted to yell, but seeing him, she quickly ran over and supported him from falling.
Varian’s face was as pale as snow and his arms hung loosely, with bandages wrapped all around his fingers and fists.
“What in the heavens happened?” She asked in a trembling voice.
Varian didn’t answer. Instead, he stiffly titled his neck and looked at her worried face.
With a weak smile, he asked. “You’re going to Earth’s defense academy, right?”
Sia held him carefully and walked him to his room. She didn’t answer his question. He already knew the answer.
“O-Our city college isn’t good for you, Sia,” Varian said again, his voice low, but firm. He seemed tired but satisfied.
Sia couldn’t understand what was going on in his head. But she knew what was going on in her head.
“You think I can go to defense academy with you being like this? Hiding secret after secret from me?” Sia gently lay him on the bed and said in a cold tone.
“I’m telling Amanda. I’ll also check your part-time job’s employer. He better have a good excuse for your injuries, no, even if he has a good excuse, he’s gonna regret it.” Sia’s tone turned colder and colder.
“Hehe.” Varian chuckled.
“Don’t laugh, idiot!” Sia pinched his cheek.
Bringing her face closer to his, she said in a threatening tone. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what the heck you were doing. Did you fight a gang…but our district doesn’t have any?
Then did you fight our school’s bullies? Tell their names and I’ll take care of them. But you’re going to tell me everything, got it?”
“Hmmmmm~”
“Uh?” Sia realized that Varian had fallen asleep.
She wanted to wake him up and ask, but seeing his tired face, she sighed. When she glanced at his injuries, anger surged in her.
There’s no way Varian could be this injured from a part-time job and training.
She’d get her answers and get revenge on the ones who were responsible for his condition.
Sia looked out of the window and saw the moon. With military bases all over that lit up, it was bright red.
‘I…I wonder if I can ever visit my birthplace?’