Chapter 358: Context Mattered
"I don’t remember anything..."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
After regaining consciousness, I realized something frustrating.
No—
Something terrifying.
There were memories missing.
I remembered the battle.
I remembered saving Professor Lena.
I remembered the masked woman.
The crimson power.
The impossible fight.
The fragments of conversation.
But the most important part...
The thing that had shaken me so deeply that I lost consciousness...
Was gone.
Completely gone.
It felt like someone had taken a knife and neatly cut a section out of my memories.
No matter how hard I searched, there was only empty space.
—You really don’t remember?
Zhao Yuren’s voice echoed inside my head.
"I wouldn’t be complaining if I did."
—That’s concerning.
"...You’re telling me."
Ever since arriving in this world, there had always been noise buried inside my memories.
Like static on an old television.
A constant interference I could never quite identify.
Most of the time, it didn’t matter.
It never affected daily life.
The problem was that I couldn’t even tell what I had forgotten.
But during that battle...
For a brief moment...
The noise had disappeared.
Something had become clear.
Something important.
And now it was gone again.
I frowned and pressed a hand against my forehead.
"I definitely heard something..."
A conversation.
Voices.
An argument.
The feeling remained.
The content didn’t.
If I concentrated hard enough, I felt like I could almost reach it.
Almost.
But every time I tried, something twisted inside my chest.
An uncomfortable resistance.
Like my own mind was preventing me from remembering.
"...What is this?"
Tsk.
My concentration broke.
I sighed and leaned back against the hospital bed.
This room was private, so I could have tried again.
But honestly?
I didn’t feel like it.
Besides—
If my experiences in this world had taught me anything, it was that peaceful moments never lasted long.
Click.
The door opened.
Right on cue.
"Of course."
My premonitions were becoming disturbingly reliable.
Professor Lena stepped into the room.
I was about to greet her normally.
Then I paused.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Her usual bright smile was gone.
The confidence that always filled her emerald eyes had disappeared.
She looked exhausted.
Fragile.
Like someone carrying a burden too heavy for them to bear.
My heart skipped a beat.
"...Professor?"
A horrible possibility flashed through my mind.
Had she been brainwashed again?
Before I could ask—
"Sob..."
She broke down crying.
Then suddenly rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me.
Tightly.
Very tightly.
"...Professor?"
I froze.
Her body trembled.
The hospital room fell silent except for her quiet sobbing.
"I-I’m sorry..."
Her voice cracked.
"I’m so sorry..."
My expression softened.
Well.
Considering everything that had happened...
Maybe this reaction wasn’t surprising.
I awkwardly patted her back.
"It’s okay."
It wasn’t okay.
Objectively speaking.
I had gotten a hole punched through my stomach.
Nearly died.
Apparently inherited some bizarre spiritual sludge inside my heart.
And fought an eldritch blood goddess.
But that wasn’t really the point.
I didn’t blame her.
Not even a little.
Maybe I should have.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I felt relieved.
Relieved that she was alive.
Relieved that she was herself again.
Relieved that things hadn’t ended worse.
Without thinking, I gently stroked her hair.
Lena immediately leaned further into the touch.
Like a cat seeking warmth.
"..."
Wait.
Didn’t women usually dislike having their hair touched?
Wasn’t that a thing?
Before I could think further—
"More."
"...What?"
She looked up.
Her eyes were slightly red from crying.
"Touch me more."
"..."
"..."
My brain stopped functioning for a second.
The intense longing in her gaze made me incredibly nervous.
P-Professor?
Please don’t phrase things like that.
People might misunderstand.
Especially me.
Still, she looked genuinely comforted by it.
So I awkwardly resumed patting her head.
Lena immediately relaxed.
Like she’d been waiting for permission.
This situation was becoming increasingly difficult to explain.
Click.
The door opened again.
Perfect timing.
Absolutely perfect timing.
Ryan and Leo entered the room together.
Both were wearing hospital gowns.Both looked exhausted.
....And both immediately froze.
The room became silent.
Ryan’s eyes moved from Lena.
To me.
To my hand resting on her head.
Back to Lena.
Then back to me.
"...Excuse me."
Leo slowly turned around.
"Maybe we should come back later."
"Agreed."
"Wait."
"No, no," Ryan said calmly. "Continue."
"Continue what?!"
"The thing you’re doing."
"I’m patting her head!"
"Exactly."
"That’s not helping my case!"
Lena, meanwhile, had absolutely no intention of moving.
If anything, she seemed annoyed by the interruption.
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
"You know, when we heard you woke up, we were worried."
Leo nodded.
"We even ignored the doctors."
"We rushed here immediately."
"And this is what we find."
"I’m innocent!"
Neither of them looked convinced.
"Sure."
"Absolutely innocent."
The two bastards exchanged looks.
I felt wronged.
Deeply wronged.
Okay, maybe from an outsider’s perspective the situation looked suspicious.
But context mattered.
Context was important.
Unfortunately, nobody seemed interested in context.
Especially Ryan.
He crossed his arms and stared at me with the expression of a man who had just discovered a lifelong friend’s secret double life.
"I trusted you."
"You literally met me a few months ago."
"That’s not the point."
"It feels like the point."
Leo nodded seriously.
"No, Ryan’s right."
"Why are you helping him?"
"I’m not helping him."
"Then why are you agreeing with him?"
"Because this looks bad."
I looked down.
Professor Lena was still hugging me.
My hand was still resting on her head.
And she showed absolutely no signs of moving.
"..."
Okay.
Fine.
Maybe it looked a little bad.
A little.
Lena noticed my silence and tightened her grip slightly.
As if she was afraid someone might drag her away.
Ryan immediately pointed.
"See?"
"See what?!"
"That."
"That isn’t an explanation!"
"It explains quite a lot, actually."
I suddenly understood why villains existed.
The temptation to punch Ryan was becoming stronger by the second.
Thankfully, Lena finally lifted her head.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why are you bothering him?"
The room fell silent.
Ryan blinked.
Leo blinked.
Even I blinked.
Because Lena’s tone had changed.
Gone was the crying, apologetic professor from moments ago.
Now she sounded irritated.
Actually—
Protective.