When Shooting Stars Fall: Chapter 4
04 | Friction
But what I didn’t expect was that even before I had the chance to make a wish upon shooting stars, my heart had already started acting up.
The AC in the Academy’s infirmary works weakly, chilling the room without any concern for the patients. I discreetly crack open an eye to take a glance at Xavier’s face, and it’s only then do I feel like the AC shouldn’t be blamed.
It’s as though a single movement of an eyeball could break this tense silence.
I haven’t finished thinking about how to explain myself, so I flip my body over, my back facing him. I listen to the rattling of the medicine bottle in his hands, falling over, standing up right, and falling over again. The repeated rattling sounds makes a person somewhat anxious just by listening to it. Fortunately, he sets the bottle down with a clack after a while.
“If not for the fact that something went wrong during swordsmanship class today, how much longer were you intending to hide this?”
“Stop pretending you’re asleep, I know you’re awake.”
His tone is light, yet it doesn’t give me any chance to avoid him. I turn back around, deciding to face this storm head-on.
“How should I explain…”
I’ve actually thought about how to answer this question. I can tearfully recount my story since my birth, or I can also just suavely just drop a line like, “It’s just a rare birth defect, nothing we can do about it.” But no matter which way I envision it, the words simply turned into an incomprehensible mess of “um”s and “ah”s when they reached my lips.
After much effort, I finally finish my long-winded explanation, unsure if he even understood what I said. I sit up on the bed, feigning an obedient look as I wait for his response.
“What’s ?” He lifts his head after reading the label on the medicine bottle.
“It’s kind of a… terminal illness that makes my heart weaker and weaker?”
“Is there for it at all?”
“There is… But I think they have to find a special Protocore.”
“What Protocore is it?”
“Apparently there’s a Protocore in this world that can cure any illness…”
Xavier doesn’t respond, but I clearly see his eyebrows scrunching up a little, something flashing in his eyes.
“It’s just, Philos is so huge, how could something like that be found so quickly? Don’t worry, my condition is still controllable with the help of medicine for now… Besides, if a miracle really happens, I may be cured just like that.”
I speak in a light-hearted tone, hoping to ease tension in the atmosphere. Much to my surprise, Xavier turns around and shoots me a look, completely unappreciative. He remains silent for a long while, turning his head to gaze out the window at the sun setting in the west, then turns back to look at me.
“The meteor shower that you wanted to watch… Let’s go together.”
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