Chapter 187: Ch 187: Awakening Obsession
Reina looked a little bitter about not being selected. But she did not argue in front of the others and decided to go along with the decision.
Still, Rin had a feeling she was dissatisfied with the outcome of the discussion.
’I should talk to Reina about this and explain that the reason I chose Amelia has nothing to do with her abilities.’
But to do that, Rin first needed to distract Shelly. She was sitting far too close to him at the moment, and the way she looked at him made him feel self-conscious.
His instincts told him that it would not be a good idea to have Shelly around while he talked to Reina.
"Shelly, can you do me a favor? Since we are about to leave, I want you to create a training program for those we are leaving behind. It would not be good if they fell behind on their training while we are away."
Rin asked, and Shelly finally pulled away from him.
Her expression told him that even she knew this was just an excuse to make her leave. But she did not argue and simply nodded.
"I will get it done. I will see you once I’m finished."
Shelly skipped toward the training fields, and Rin waited a few seconds to watch her leave before turning around and heading toward Reina’s office. He needed to talk to her before she started overthinking things.
...
Knock
"Reina, are you in there? I need to talk to you."
Rin called out, and the door opened quietly, allowing him to enter. He stepped inside, and the first thing he noticed was the darkness surrounding him.
It was not like Reina to keep her office dark, so Rin immediately felt worried and turned on the light to look around for her.
He found Reina as soon as the light came on.
She was sitting on her bed with one arm draped over her eyes in a relaxed position. She looked as if she had fallen asleep, but her uneven breathing was enough to tell Rin otherwise.
"Reina, are you disappointed that I did not choose to take you with me? I wanted to take you as well, but I am sure you have not recovered from the last task yet."
Rin told her, and Reina finally lowered her arm from her face and gave him an irritated look.
"Who are you to decide whether I am fine or not? And it has been days since the last task ended. I have completely recovered since then."
Reina tried to sound confident as she quickly got up and invaded Rin’s personal space. She tried to intimidate him, but Rin suddenly moved, making Reina blink and take a step back.
Her reaction time was slower than before, and her eyes were easily fatigued.
Anyone could tell that she had not fully recovered yet.
Rin raised an eyebrow at Reina, and he did not even need to say anything for her to understand what he meant.
"Darn it! Fine, you are right. I have not fully recovered from overusing my abilities yet. But I still don’t think I would be a burden."
Reina complained, and Rin sighed before reaching out to pat her shoulder reassuringly.
"You are not a burden, Reina. But we also need Amelia to gain more field experience. There will be times in the future when we need two medics, so it would be a good idea to train her while we can."
Rin explained, reassuring Reina that this decision was not about her abilities but about what was best for the settlement.
Reina understood that logically, but that did not mean she had to like it.
"Darn it! I know you are right, but this still pisses me off. And I can’t even tell whether it’s because you chose Amelia over me or because I just feel bitter about losing my place."
The frustration in Reina’s voice was genuine, but the tension had already left her body the moment Rin touched her.
She sat down on her bed and clutched her head. Even that small argument had left her with a headache.
"Just focus on resting and recovering for now, Reina. You are still our most important medic, and I don’t want to lose you. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to reach out to me."
Reina’s eyes brightened as she thought about what she truly wanted, and for a second, Rin was sure he saw something disturbing flash through them.
Her mouth kept opening and closing, almost as if she wanted to say something but was forcing herself to stay silent.
In the end, she shook her head and let out a sigh.
"I will tell you if anything comes up. But for now, focus on the task at hand and make sure you come back alive. You don’t exactly have a good track record with that."
Reina pointed out, and it was Rin’s turn to defend himself.
"Hey, those times were coincidences. I take excellent care of myself otherwise."
Rin argued, but Reina’s blank stare made it clear what she thought about his excuse.
This was not an argument he was going to win, so he did not bother continuing.
He headed out of the room, and Reina kept watching him with a heavy heart until he disappeared from sight.
She calmed her racing heart and waited until Rin was gone before finally letting out the muffled scream she had been holding back the entire time. Her fingers twitched, and it took considerable effort to keep them still at her sides.
"I cannot allow my selfish desires to take over. I cannot ask Rin to forget about everything and stay with me. That would be selfish, and he does not expect that from me."
Reina told herself, but it was becoming harder and harder to control herself these days. She felt unbearably lonely, and the only person reaching out to her was Rin.
How could she not fall for Rin or wish to monopolize him when he was being so kind to her?
[Special trait: Obsession has unlocked. Target: Rin]
[Your obsession meter: 50%]
