Chapter 366: Heroine Stealer [1]
Since childhood, Lena had always been praised for her self-control.
As a hero, it was a necessity.
Panic got people killed.
Emotions clouded judgment.
Hesitation created casualties.
So she had trained herself relentlessly.
To remain calm.
To remain rational.
To remain composed.
Even now, after everything that had happened, her recovery speed was exceptional.
The moment the initial flood of emotions settled, her mind began functioning normally again.
Which was precisely the problem.
Because now she was painfully aware of her current situation.
I should let go.
The thought surfaced immediately.
A perfectly reasonable conclusion.
A completely rational one.
Yet somehow...
She couldn’t bring herself to move.
Her face remained buried against Rin’s stomach.
His warmth seeped through the hospital gown.
His heartbeat occasionally reached her ears.
And every second that passed made leaving even harder.
This is bad.
Very bad.
Embarrassingly bad.
Lena wanted to bury her face even deeper and disappear from reality.
She was twenty-six years old.
A professor.
A first-class hero.
An adult.
A responsible adult.
At least, she was supposed to be.
Yet here she was, refusing to let go of one of her students.
If anyone from the Hero Association could see her right now, she might never recover from the embarrassment.
The worst part was that she knew exactly why she was acting this way.
There were plenty of reasons.
Too many reasons.
She had finally recognized her feelings.
Really recognized them.
Not admiration.
Not gratitude.
Not simple affection.
Something much more dangerous.
Much more personal.
Then there was the guilt.
The memory alone made her chest tighten.
The relic.
The brainwashing.
Her own hands.
The blood.
The moment she nearly killed him.
Every time she remembered it, her breathing became uneven.
And then—
He had saved her.
Again.
Just like he always seemed to do.
The person who spent his life protecting others had been protected by him.
The irony would’ve been amusing if it didn’t make her heart ache so much.
So yes.
There were plenty of reasons.
Reasonable reasons.
Acceptable reasons.
At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
Because admitting the truth was much more embarrassing.
The truth was simple.
She liked this.
Far too much.
His warmth.
His presence.
The feeling of safety she experienced whenever she was near him.
It was addicting.
And that realization terrified her.
Because she had never felt anything like this before.
Not once.
Training.
Missions.
Rescues.
Disasters.
Her entire life had revolved around helping others.
There had never been room for anything else.
No room for romance.
No room for love.
No room for selfish desires.
Yet now—
Just sitting here made her happier than most of her achievements ever had.
What is wrong with me...?
The question repeated endlessly.
But the answer never changed.
Nothing was wrong.
That was the problem.
Her feelings were real.
Painfully real.
Lena closed her eyes.
There had been countless opportunities to pull away.
When Ryan and Leo entered.
When the others arrived.
When Elena showed up.
Any of those moments would’ve been perfect.
Instead, she had remained exactly where she was.
Making excuses.
One after another.
He doesn’t seem uncomfortable.
Just a little longer.
I can explain it later.
I’ll let go after this.
Excuses.
Every single one of them.
Because the truth was that she simply didn’t want to move.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
Which was ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
And she knew it.
The room had gradually emptied over time.
Ryan left first.
Then Leo.
Then the others.
Eventually, the hospital room became quiet.
Just the two of them remained.
Now there were no interruptions.
No distractions.
No excuses.
She really had to let go this time.
Okay.
Lena took a small breath.
Now.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
Right now.
She prepared herself.
Then—
A gentle hand brushed through her hair.
Lena froze.
"...Ah."
The sound escaped before she realized it.
The touch was soft.
Careful.
Comforting.
There was no hesitation in it.
No awkwardness.
Just simple warmth.
As if he were reassuring her without words.
Her heartbeat immediately accelerated.
Not fair.
This was completely unfair.
How was she supposed to leave now?
Every time she gathered the courage to pull away, he would absentmindedly stroke her hair again.
And every single time—
Her determination vanished.
Lena slowly closed her eyes.
The fear.
The guilt.
The nightmares that had haunted her since the incident.
For a brief moment, all of it became distant.
Only the warmth remained.
Only the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Only the gentle touch running through her hair.
Dangerous.
That was the only word she could think of.
Not the villains.
Not the relic.
Not the masked woman.
None of those frightened her as much as this feeling did.
Because for the first time in her life—
Lena wasn’t thinking like a hero.
She wasn’t thinking like a professor.
She wasn’t thinking about responsibilities or obligations.
She was simply a woman who didn’t want to leave the side of someone precious.
And that realization made her heart flutter even more.
"...Just a little longer."
The words escaped in a whisper so quiet that she wasn’t even sure whether she had spoken them aloud.
But even as she said them—
Lena already knew.
She wasn’t talking to Rin.
She was talking to herself.
...And then she heard his voice few minutes later.
"Professor..."
Rin called her, but she didn’t know how to respond to him.
What kind of voice did she usually use, and what did she usually say? Was responding to him really this difficult...?
"It’s okay, Professor."
It was a gentle, beautiful voice. A kind voice that seemed to soothe a sulking child.
"Can you look up? Please?"
Before she realized it, Lena had lifted her head.
Slowly.
Almost cautiously.
As if she were afraid that the moment she looked up, the warmth she had been clinging to would disappear.
The first thing she saw was Rin’s face.
He was looking down at her.
"...Professor."
He called her again.
This time, softer.
As though he was afraid of startling her.
Lena’s lips parted.
"I..."
The word came out weakly.
Embarrassingly weakly.
She immediately wanted to bury her face again.
Unfortunately, Rin didn’t allow her the opportunity.
"Are you feeling better?"
A simple question.
Yet it nearly broke her.
Because after everything that had happened—
After the fear.
The brainwashing.
The guilt.
The nightmares.
The first thing he asked wasn’t why she was acting strangely.
Or why she wouldn’t let go.
Or why she was making things awkward.
Instead—
He was worried about her.
Lena lowered her gaze.
"...A little."
"A little?"
She nodded.
The movement was small.
Barely noticeable.
Rin watched her for a few moments.
Then sighed.
Not an annoyed sigh.
A relieved one.
"That’s good."
The words were simple.
Yet Lena felt her heart flutter again.
This was unfair.
Completely unfair.
How could someone say ordinary things and still have this effect on her?
She wasn’t a teenager.
She wasn’t some inexperienced girl.
She was a professor.
An adult.
A hero.
So why was her heart behaving like this?
"...Professor."
"Mmm?"
A small sound escaped her before she could stop it.
Both of them froze.
Lena immediately wanted to disappear.
Rin blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then looked away for a moment.
His ears had become slightly red.
That only made Lena’s face hotter.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched.
Awkward.
Embarrassing.
Dangerous.
Eventually, Rin cleared his throat.
"You’ve been crying a lot today."
"..."
Lena’s embarrassment immediately transformed into indignation.
A little.
Only a little.
Whose fault did he think that was?
Then again—
It wasn’t his fault.
That thought quickly deflated her.
"...Sorry."
Rin frowned.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Because I almost killed you.
Because I hurt you.
Because I was controlled.
Because I was weak.
Because every time I look at you, I remember it.
Because I’m terrified of losing you.
The words never left her mouth.
Instead—
"...Because I caused trouble."
Rin stared at her.
Then sighed again.
A little more heavily this time.
"Professor."
His hand moved.
Before Lena could react, his fingers gently flicked her forehead.
Tap.
"...Ah."
She blinked.
More surprised than hurt.
Actually, it didn’t hurt at all.
Rin looked unusually serious.
"You worry too much."
Lena stared.
"...What?"
"You heard me."
His expression remained firm.
"You got kidnapped."
"..."
"You were brainwashed."
"..."
"You fought against it anyway."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Rin continued.
"You resisted long enough to help us."
The room became quiet.
Very quiet.
Lena could only stare at him.
Because those weren’t the words she expected.
Not even close.
"I wasn’t helpful enough."
"You almost died."
"So did you."
"Exactly."
"..."
"..."
For a moment neither backed down.
Then Rin shook his head.
"The person most responsible is the one who used the relic."
Lena remained silent.
"The villains are responsible."
Still silent.
"Not you."
A painful expression crossed her face.
Because she wanted to believe him.
She really did.
But every time she remembered raising her weapon toward him—
Every time she remembered the blood—
The guilt returned.
Rin seemed to understand.
Because his expression softened.
"Professor."
"..."
"You don’t have to carry everything by yourself."
The words struck harder than any attack she had taken during the incident.
For years—
She had carried everything herself.
Responsibilities.
Expectations.
Failures.
Regrets.
Every burden.
Because that was what heroes did.
Because that was what adults did.
Because someone had to.
Yet sitting here—
Looking into those calm eyes—
For the first time, someone was telling her she didn’t have to.
Lena felt her vision blur.
Again.
"...You’re really unfair."
"Huh?"
Her voice trembled.
"You always say things like that."
Rin looked genuinely confused.
Which somehow made it worse.