The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

THUD!

"..."

Jerusha collapsed.

Her body hit the ground, limp and unmoving.

"..huff... huff... huff..."

Her breath, steady but weak.

The moment she let her guard down and relaxed—the exhaustion, the sheer depletion of her mana—it all caught up to her.

She had pushed herself too far.

And now, she was paying the price of it.

But at least—

At least, she could rest knowing Raye was alive.

And seeing her not moving an inch on the cold floor—

"Let's just put her beside this kid and have them share a bed."

Raphael said that.

His voice broke the silence.

His gaze alternated between Raye and Jerusha, his expression unreadable.

"Considering how far she was willing to go for him—"

"They're probably family or a couple. Either way, they surely won't mind sharing a bed."

Raphael stated.

The hospital was currently already overflowing with patients.

They were short on beds.

So this was the best they could do.

"She's just asleep. The kid is probably exhausted too. Let them rest."

Raphael added, waving his hand casually.

And hearing his instructions—

"Got it."

"Roger that."

The two healers beside him nodded, gently lifting Jerusha.

Puff-

They carried her over and carefully placed her beside the unconscious Raye.

A quiet moment passed.

And then—

'Are they... in a relationship?'

Bryan, standing off to the side, tilted his head slightly and asked that internally.

That girl had fought to keep Raye alive, as if her own life depended on it.

She hadn't hesitated. Not even for a second.

So from the point of view of others, them being in a relationship is likely a high chance.

But—

"Whatever."

Bryan just shrugged, shoving the thought aside.

He decided not to think about it.

After all, there were more important things for him to do than that.

And at that moment—

"Headmaster."

Raphael approached and called out to him.

"Hmm?"

Bryan turned his head and looked down.

"..."

Meeting the gaze of the elderly healer.

And then opening his mouth, and confidently—

"We're going to do everything we can to save the patients. Don't worry."

Raphael suddenly declared that.

He has a resolute expression on his face.

And seeing that unwavering determination in his eyes—

"Hmn."

Bryan nodded his head.

"That's reassuring."

He said.

Then, without missing a beat—

"I'm going back to the town. There might still be survivors. I'll bring them all here."

He followed that, proclaiming that he'll be bringing more patients and work to the Academy Hospital today.

It was a promise.

And Raphael—

"Hah! Keep them coming, we'll take care of them all!"

He let out a hearty laugh while responding.

Bryan smirked at his words.

The two looked at each other with respect.

And with that, after a few seconds of silence—

T A P—

The two walked past each other.

Raphael, heading deeper into the hospital, ready to continue his work.

While Bryan stepped out of the Academy Hospital—

His mission was far from over.

And without another moment wasted—

FWOOOSH—!!!

He shot into the sky using telekinesis, racing back toward the ruined town!

And as all of this was happening—

"..."

"..."

Raye and Jerusha were just sleeping on the same bed, peacefully.

...

...

...

...

...

*****

...

(Raye's POV)

The moment I regained consciousness—

'Urgh...?'

A sharp, splitting pain struck my head!

It felt like my skull was being squeezed.

My entire body—my muscles, my bones—

They screamed in agony!

I tried to move.

But—

My eyelids felt unbearably heavy.

I couldn't open them right away.

Even breathing felt exhausting.

But most of all—

My stomach...

...

It was fucking empty!

It felt like a black hole had formed inside me, twisting and clawing at my insides.

'I'm hungry as fuck.'

Grrrrr—

My stomach growled violently, demanding food.

And so, after what felt like an eternity—

"Ugh...?"

I forced my eyes open.

The world blurred around me.

I didn't know how long I had been unconscious.

I didn't know what happened after I blacked out.

But—

None of that mattered right now.

Fwip—

I pushed myself up with trembling arms.

My muscles protested, weak and sore.

My whole body shook from the effort.

I had no energy.

And I was so damn hungry.

But still—

"Haaaa..."

I sat up on the bed.

And as my vision slowly adjusted to the light—

"Huh?"

A familiar face came into view.

A beautiful young lady with purple hair and violet eyes.

It was Jerusha...

She was sitting on a chair at the foot of the bed, staring at me.

And at the exact same moment—

"Huh?"

Her eyes widened when she saw me up.

Her body froze.

Her lips parted slightly.

She looked completely stunned.

And seeing her like that—

"Erm… Hello?"

I awkwardly greeted her.

It was all I could think of to say.

And finally—

Like a switch had been flipped—

"RAYE!!!"

Jerusha exclaimed my name.

Her voice cracked.

Her eyes instantly welled with tears.

And before I could react—

Swoosh—!!!

She lunged toward me.

Thud—!

And her arms wrapped around me—tight!

"Raye...!"

She buried her face into my shoulder.

"Raye..."

I could feel her body trembling.

"Urgh...!"

Jerusha then started to cry.

Her grip on me was so tight it was almost suffocating.

But despite that—

"..."

I didn't push her away.

At first, I was just sitting there, stunned and not moving.

But then—

I felt it.

The warmth of her embrace.

It was comforting.

It made me smile.

And so—

Softly, weakly, I lifted my arms.

Fwip—

And then I hugged her back.

My left hand rested gently on her back.

My right hand—

Fwip—

Landed on the back of her head.

And then—

Pat…

I started stroking her hair.

Slow. Gentle. Reassuringly.

Jerusha's shoulders flinched for a moment.

But then—

Her trembling eased.

Her breathing slowed.

Her tears stopped dropping.

She calmed down.

And with that, I opened my mouth—

"I'm okay now. Thank you for saving me back then."

I mumbled those words.

It felt a little embarrassing to say that.

But still—

A small, grateful smile rested on my face.

"..."

Jerusha didn't respond immediately.

She stayed silent for a while.

But then—

After a few moments—

"I'm glad that you're finally awake."

She muttered softly.

Her voice was still shaky.

Her grip around me didn't loosen.

Neither did mine.

We stayed like that—

Holding each other.

Feeling each other's warmth.

For minutes.

Until finally—

Fwip—

We pulled away.

And as our eyes met—

A smile naturally formed on both of our faces.

Jerusha's eyes were still red and puffy from crying.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

And her lips, though curved into a smile—

Held a trace of awkwardness.

Just looking at her like this—

"...Pfft—"

I couldn't help but grin.

"Ah...!"

Jerusha immediately noticed that I was laughing at her.

Her eyes widened slightly in realization.

And then—

Fwish~

She hurriedly fixed herself, straightening her hair, rubbing her eyes, and wiping away any lingering traces of tears.

Trying to look more presentable.

Seeing Jerusha flustered like that, I couldn't help myself but want to tease her more.

So with a small smirk—

"What? Crying that much made you worry about your looks now?"

I said that.

Jerusha immediately shot me a look.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying—"

I chuckled as she pouted.

For a moment, she looked like she wanted to talk back, but instead, she just huffed and crossed her arms.

But then—

"...Ugh... Why are you like that to your savior?"

She turned away dramatically, pretending to be mad.

I smiled at the fact that she was going along with my jokes.

"Oh? Are you ignoring me now?"

I asked her.

"Obviously, duh."

She replied.

"Ah, I see, I see. I guess I'll just sit here, starving to death, all alone then—"

I muttered, pretending to be sad.

And then—

"W-Wait, wait! You're hungry? I mean, of course you are... Wait here for a moment, I'll get you food!"

She panicked when she heard that I was hungry.

Swish—

Jerusha quickly stood up, and I couldn't help but chuckle again.

She was pretending to be angry and now she's taking care of me.

Anyway, I decided to stop teasing her for now—

And before she could even leave the room—

"Huff..."

The laughter died in my throat.

Because now that the atmosphere between us was lighter...

It was time to ask questions.

So after clearing my throat—

I opened my mouth.

"By the way... how long was I out?"

I asked.

Considering how hungry I was, I roughly guessed it had been a week.

But—

"...Huh?"

Jerusha's face changed at my question.

The playful expression from earlier? Instantly gone.

Instead—

"..."

A complicated mixture of sadness and hesitation appeared on her face.

She lightly bit her lip.

Her fingers curled slightly into fists.

And—

"..."

She stayed silent.

'...I have a bad feeling about this.'

I thought with a slight frown.

My chest tightened.

And slowly—

I started getting nervous.

But I didn't rush her.

"..."

I simply waited.

Giving her time.

Then after a long, heavy pause—

"Fuuuuu..."

Jerusha finally opened her mouth.

Fwish-

She looked at me, there's still hesitation in her eyes.

But still, Jerusha answered my question.

And after hearing her words—

"Raye... you were out for over a month."

"..."

I became speechless.