# 154. Returned First Love (3)
Evening time.
The time when everyone gathered together for a meal.
Except for Saten, the Hero Party sat in their usual seats, and Aina took her seat with Lee Jun-woo's support.
Perhaps because of such a dramatic entrance.
The gazes fixed on Aina were considerable.
"I saw her walking fine last time, so why is she being supported?"
"Right, even from my perspective as a Saint, there's nothing wrong with her at all. Why is she exaggerating like that?"
Grrr—
Luna and Estia gripped their forks, ready to tear into Aina like stray dogs at the slightest provocation.
Hare muttered in a gloomy voice.
"Don't be so harsh to that woman... She's a bit pitiful..."
"Wh-what!?"
The two were shocked by Hare's words.
They shouted, unable to close their gaping mouths.
"N-no way! H-Hare has changed...!"
"C-come to my room after dinner! From what I can see, Hare needs treatment!"
"...Shut up, you single-celled organisms."
Haah—
Hare let out a sigh.
She hadn't realized that knowing the truth could be this heavy.
"What am I going to do about Ahjussi... This is really serious..."
"What's so serious?"
Hare met Luna and Estia's eyes.
Making a quick judgment, she shook her head and answered.
"...Never mind. You don't need to know."
It's better not to know.
If the story leaked out and reached Ahjussi's ears, it could be a disaster.
Though frustrated, Hare decided to keep her mouth shut.
*Ahjussi shouldn't know either...*
While the Hero Party conversed briefly among themselves.
Lee Jun-woo brought the dinner dishes from the kitchen and set them on the table.
The Hero Party's reaction to the food was good, but unfortunately, Aina's reaction wasn't so favorable.
"Wait, Jun-woo. What's this?"
"Dinner."
"That's not what I'm asking. Why is the color of those idiots' plates different from mine?"
"I'm not an idiot!"
Estia protested at Aina's words.
Ignoring Estia's reaction, Lee Jun-woo picked up Aina's food with a fork.
"Stop complaining about the side dishes and just eat."
"No, I won't eat it. I absolutely won't eat green food. Take this away from me right now."
Aina pointed at the plate with her finger.
The Hero Party's plates had a perfect balance of meat and vegetables.
But Aina's plate was covered with countless vegetables burying a single piece of meat.
She frowned and waved her finger.
"Take it away quickly. Give me meat too."
Lee Jun-woo firmly declared.
"No."
"Why."
"Meat is good, but vegetables come first. If you eat greasy food now, you might have digestive problems. So no."
"You've filled your head with useless information?"
"It's very useful information."
"...How annoying."
Aina irritably stabbed a lettuce leaf with her fork.
And watching this, Hare also stabbed meat with her fork.
Crash—!
Hearing the strange sound, Luna shouted in surprise.
"Hey! What are you doing breaking the plate with your fork! The meat is wasted!"
"...Seeing that made me lose control of my strength. Th-this isn't my fault..."
"Then whose fault is it!"
"..."
After thinking for about 5 seconds, Hare blurted out an answer.
"It's the world's fault..."
"Huh?"
"It's all the world's fault... Otherwise... I can't explain this situation..."
"..."
Hare has finally lost it!
Luna stuck out her tongue and shook her head.
She stopped talking to Hare and put meat in her mouth.
"Hare has definitely gone crazy..."
While Luna's internal evaluation of Hare changed.
Hare's gaze was fixed on the two people.
*Someone who's going to die soon... Ahjussi... Will I be able to fill the empty space...*
Ahjussi forcibly feeding vegetables to the frowning Aina.
Hare had never seen Ahjussi look so happy before.
Naturally, jealousy welled up in her heart, along with pity and worry.
"Ahjussi..."
Hare could only feel helpless as she became a third party watching the situation.
Knock knock—
The sound of knocking on the door.
Saten sat up in the dark room.
"...Who is it?"
"..."
There was no answer to the question of who it was.
*Who could be looking for me?*
Ahjussi only looks at one person.
Our Hero Party has been pushed to the back and I'm annoyed to death.
Who could be the person interrupting my rest?
Saten's eyes gleamed ominously as she approached the door.
A faint smell of food wafted through the crack in the door.
"...Ahjussi?"
He must be worried about me.
He must have come to take care of me since I didn't eat.
Saten's mood instantly lifted.
She opened the door with a happy heart to greet the person.
"Ahjuss—"
"Hello, Mage?"
"..."
However, that happy feeling instantly cooled and crashed to the floor.
The person standing outside the door with food wasn't Ahjussi, but the woman who stuck to Ahjussi like gum.
Her emotions turned cold as she could only glare at the other person.
"...What brings you here?"
"I came to bring you food. Look at this."
Aina pushed the plate forward. She shook the plate as if telling her to take it quickly.
But Saten only stared at the plate silently.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you taking it?"
"...I'm not eating. Is that all you came for?"
"There's more meat than on my plate and you won't eat it? The noble young lady must be full?"
Thud— Thud—
Aina naturally entered Saten's room.
The food was just a pretext from the start; her business was with Saten.
From the moment she entered the room, things went as Aina wanted.
"Who said you could enter my room? You have no manners at all. More importantly, where did you hear I was a noble?"
"I heard it from your ahjussi. He told me the general information. For example..."
Like this.
Aina approached Saten's desk and pulled out a book.
It was a book Aina knew better than anyone.
"You're my disciple's disciple? I heard you have talent."
"...Yes, I'm Ahjussi's disciple. Not your disciple. Please put the book back. I really hate it when others touch my things."
Saten glared coldly at Aina.
Aina smiled calmly and began reading the book.
"This book was originally mine though? It's not your thing, Mage. Same with the staff you have."
"I warned you. Don't touch my things."
"No, I've never touched your things. I'm just touching my own things. Is there a problem?"
"...I don't understand why Ahjussi likes someone with no manners like you."
Pfft—
Aina closed the book and put it down when Saten revealed her true feelings.
She wasn't much different from any other child.
"I haven't talked to one of them yet... but the Hero Party is all cute. They react immediately when you scratch them a little."
"What do you—"
"You can see it, right? What the mana inside my body is like. Were you planning not to leave your room until I disappeared?"
"..."
Saten closed her mouth.
A sign of affirmation.
She didn't want to see Ahjussi giving his attention to another woman.
So she hadn't left her room.
Anyway, Aina was destined to disappear soon.
She hadn't even given her any attention.
"...How did you know that?"
"Jun-woo learned magic from me. But his eyes aren't good, so he doesn't know my condition well. But if it's a talent Jun-woo acknowledged, I thought you'd have good eyes."
Because mages are beings specialized in brains and eyes.
Saten didn't like the woman before her, but she agreed with those words.
"That's not wrong. So, what do you want to say? Should I keep my mouth shut to Ahjussi? About the fact that you're using your life force to maintain the seal and will die soon?"
"You're gloomy but I like that you're straightforward."
Aina smiled brightly and said.
"Yeah, keep your mouth shut. That would be better. I don't want Jun-woo to know my condition."
"...Are you afraid he'll make a fuss if he finds out?"
"That's part of it. I don't want to leave him with regrets. I want Jun-woo to live happily after I'm gone."
Aina muttered in a wistful tone.
Seeing this, Saten reassessed her judgment of the woman before her.
*She's an enemy, but she's not bad-hearted. Her way of speaking is rough like a thug. But her feelings for Ahjussi are genuine.*
Actions that help Ahjussi.
But from the moment she appeared, she was bound to hurt Ahjussi.
Then, the way to hurt Ahjussi the least would be...
"Disappearing secretly...?"
"No, I don't want to do that. That would hurt him even more."
"...Then why did you come to me? Didn't you come to make me get rid of you?"
Saten couldn't grasp the intention.
She couldn't understand why Aina had come to her.
Meeting Saten's eyes, Aina raised the corners of her mouth.
"Even if I have to go, shouldn't I at least see with my own eyes? They're the people who will live with my disciple. I wanted to see what kind of people they are."
"...I see."
"Yeah, so don't worry. I'll disappear soon. I won't touch the ahjussi you like. After that, give Jun-woo a reason to live."
If I disappear now.
Jun-woo seems like he'll let go of everything.
"Even if I don't want to see it, I automatically know my disciple's condition. Jun-woo has the same eyes now as when I first met him."
"You mean he's close to death."
"You could say that. I'll be going now, so think carefully about what I said. Jun-woo is worried too, so make sure to come out to eat, okay? My disciple's disciple."
"I told you, I'm not your disciple."
"I don't care about that~"
Aina ignored Saten's words and walked toward the door.
Then, in a voice so small no one could hear, she muttered her true feelings.
"...I want to live longer too. It's a shame. It would definitely be fun."
About three days left, maybe.
Aina looked down at her slightly trembling hand.
"Three days..."
Could she enjoy herself enough not to regret death until then?
Could she make Jun-woo's future happy?
She pondered, but no clear answer came to mind.
With such thoughts, Aina returned to her room.
"...Jun-woo."
There, Lee Jun-woo was sitting by the window waiting for Aina.
It was a dark night with moonlight shining through the window.