"Warning. Body Temperature: 37.8°C. BP: 160/100. Heart rate: 120bpm. Activating cool down system…"

    After Persia pushed me down for about five seconds— not knowing what was happening, Rumelia started muttering words with her robot-like tone.

    "…unable to activate cool down system. Activation failure…" Rumelia muttered.

    "W-What''s wrong with Rumelia…?"

    Persia, who was on top of me— couldn''t seem to believe her eyes.

    I was told that Rumelia is a cyborg, so I don''t find this to be creepy.

    "Warning. Body Temperature: 38.1°C. BP: 165/105. Heart rate: 128bpm." Rumelia muttered.

    "Crap, did I bust her…?" I murmured.

    "Eh…?"

    Which, I grabbed Persia on her armpits and lifted her aside so I could get up to approach Rumelia.

    "Oi…! Rumelia…?" I muttered, while waving my hand in front of Rumelia.

    Crap, the red colour on her face is back.

    "Warning. Body Temperature: 39.3°C. BP: 178/118. Heart rate: 138bpm."

    Her forehead is really hot…!

    However, is this a malfunction or a sickness…? Unfortunately, Uncle Raphael did not teach me how to diagnose a cyborg.

    Kronos is probably the only person who could figure out the problem, but he was so awestruck that he ceased to move an inch.

    Putting him aside, it seems the electromagnetic pulse is stopping her cool down system from activating. Then the only other way…

    "Kuroyuki…!" I yelled. "Can''t you cool her down with your ice…?"

    "…Please stay away from me," Kuroyuki told me as she held her hands in a defensive posture on her ?h?st.

    "I won''t, okay?!" I uttered. "Now hurry up…! It''s an emergency!"

    "Warning. Body Temperature: 39.9°C. BP: 181/120. Heart rate: 143bpm."

    Hearing that value, Kuroyuki realized that Rumelia''s situation is in dire.

    She took a quick step to close her distance and stopped just right in front of Rumelia, placing her palm on her forehead.

    "Warning. Body Temperature: 37.9°C. BP: 183/123. Heart rate: 148bpm."

    Although the temperature is dropping, but her blood pulse and heart rate aren''t.

    Come to think of it, is it even accurate…?

    While thinking of that, I took Rumelia''s hand to measure her pulse.

    One two three…

    … there''s about two and a half heartbeats in one second. So her diagnosis of herself is accurate.

    And I can''t feel any irregular pulsating on her pulse either.

    "…I do not comprehend. What is this feeling…?" Rumelia suddenly murmured.

    "Hey…!?"

    Rumelia forcefully took my hand, placing it on her cheeks.

    "Warning. Body Temperature: 38.1°C. BP: 185/125. Heart rate: 150bpm."

    Somehow, Kuroyuki then looks at me with a surprised look.

    "I''m the cause…?" I inadvertently murmured.

    "Don''t touch her—"

    When I knew it, Kronos slips his hand right between Kuroyuki and me— so he could pull my hand away from Rumelia.

    However, he''s nowhere strong enough to make my hand budge the slightest bit from Rumelia''s cheek.

    "Guh…! What''s with this… heaviness…!? Why is your arm so heavy—"

    "—GUEH!?"

    And he was sent flying away with Kuroyuki''s slap on his face.

    "Kronos."

    Seeing that, Rumelia quickly tossed my hand away and ran to Kronos, helping him to stand.

    "…Kuroyuki, can''t you be a little gentler with that slap…?" I murmured. "He would''ve sprained his neck if it''s a little harder."

    "…It''s not my fault. He surprised me…" Kuroyuki said to me.

    "I-It''s okay… I''m alright…" Kronos said to us as he rubbed his cheeks.

    After I took a glance at Rumelia which she seems fine now, I shifted my gaze back to Kronos.

    "Do you know what''s going on with her, Kronos…?" I asked.

    "System malfunction, probably..." Kronos is avoiding my gaze.

    "…Is Rumelia a cyborg?" Kuroyuki asked.

    That was surprising. Kuroyuki didn’t know about this?

    "Yes…" Kronos said with a nod.

    "Ehhh…!??" Persia was surprised. "I always knew Rumelia was weird… but she''s a cyborg…?!"

    "Persia, you know you are being rude, right?" I told her.

    "What Persia said was the truth," Rumelia murmured. "I was weird to her because I am just a human doll without emotions."

    "…A human doll without emotions?" Kuroyuki repeated, seeming to be curious about that.

    "She…"

    Kronos seems hesitant to say what happened to Rumelia.

    "I had a terrible accident which gives me this body right now. This body and mind of a doll." Rumelia said to us in his stead, emotionlessly.

    "Nonsense. The reason you are it''s weird because you act like a doll." Persia retorted.

    "This is who I am."

    For some reason, Rumelia placed her hand on her ?h?st as she said those words.

    Which, my gaze inadvertently shifted to her hand.

    …That feeling, huh.

    "Special Student Number two Lucifer Nightwalker von Nightmare. You peeked at my ?h?st." Rumelia murmured.

    Persia, Kuroyuki and even Kronos immediately glared at me with their bloodcurdling gazes.

    "Sorry, it''s just— I just can''t shake off that feeling."

    While saying that, I inadvertently raised my hand. I think I was trying to take a hold of that feeling at my right hand.

    Witnessing that, Kuroyuki immediately retreats herself in a defensive posture.

    While Persia…

    "If you want to touch— touch mine…!"

    …is trying to pull my hand to her ?h?st.

    THOK.

    To calm her down, I landed a chop on her head with my left hand.

    "Nngh…!" Persia pouted.

    "Ehem, what I mean was…" I murmured. "…the reason you had a rise in your body temperature, pulse and heartbeat..."

    "It''s a system malfunction…" Kronos muttered once again.

    "I don''t want to hear that from you, Kronos," I told him. "I want to hear it from Rumelia herself."

    "I have nothing to say." She replied.

    "I just have to make you remember that feeling…"

    I immediately reach out my hand towards Rumelia and placed my hand on her…

    "……!"

    …cheek.

    Kuroyuki''s and Persia''s piercing gaze are pressuring me.

    "…What… is this…" Rumelia murmured.

    Then, her hands slowly reach for my hand. For some reason, she seems to enjoy the sensation of it.

    Kronos was getting uneasy. He was gritting his teeth with an anguish look.

    Ignoring him afterwards, I shifted my gaze back at Rumelia.

    "This… is what I’m talking about. Remember this feeling, Rumelia. This is proof that you are not a human doll.”

    Telling her that— I removed my hand from her cheek. Yet…

    "…I want to hold your hand a little longer," Rumelia said to me.

    "Kronos would''ve hit me on the face if I continued," I told her.

    "…!"

    Hearing my remark, Kronos freaks out as he nudges his glasses.

    Which, Rumelia snatches his hand and placed it on her cheek.

    Yet, she immediately loses interest.

    "…I do not comprehend." She told me. "Why do I have this feeling when it''s yours…?"

    CR—CRACK!!!

    Suddenly, the sound of bones snapped cleanly into two echoed the entire basement.

    What was that…!?

    “ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!?”

    Blaze''s scream followed afterwards. He seems like he''s in a lot of pain.

    I immediately turned behind to find August and Blaze. The black platform, where the Black Sword is stabbed into— it was right behind them.

    "H-Hey…!? Someone get the infirmary…!!!"

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    Dear readers, thanks to author ChubbyLiv (who was kind enough to create a Discord channel for me), you can join Discord to come and have a chat or discussion about my work at my channel! I might be kind enough to give a spoiler or two, or you could encourage me to release more chapters.

    Link: discord.gg/nVanByme

    I''m not really good with Discord, but if you have any suggestions to make that Discord server a better place, feel free to write them out at the chat.

    Oh, and by the way... you may find me online at most of the time, but I won''t be replying to your messages until I''m done with work and stuffs (it would probably be night time by then, my time zone, very obviously).

    You could find my artworks inside Discord. Including the old drafts of my character designs.

    You could also ask about the parts where you don''t understand or particularly sure about. I might spoil you by accident-- so I will be very careful with every word I type.

    Also, maybe you could give me some tasty inspirations. But... I already have the image of the ending scene of the story... but anyways, if you have some good characters design and sort, feel free to say out your thoughts-- maybe it will be enough to spark up the light for the fight scene at Knight''s Tournament, for now?

    Lastly, discussions and theories running in your heads. Maybe you have some ridiculous theory in your mind and you thought ''Ooh, this might probably be it.'' I welcome you to say your thoughts out (your theories probably will be crushed in the end by me). But it''s fun, no?

    Come to think of it, I have a favour to ask (regardless of those who joined Discord). Please point out my grammar mistakes (if you find any). I myself prefer a smooth reading, so I really hate grammar errors. It would be a great help.

    P.S. Do you think I should be needing an editor? If yes, I can''t really give a pay right now so its volunteer work, but in return-- you would receive the latest drafting works. I would be discussing about the storyline, characters, character relationships, and your thoughts about it (there will be lot of spoilers, so I need someone who wouldn''t leak them as well as not getting revenge of me if we ended up in an arguement).. Private message me on Discord if you''d like to try.