Sunlight filtered in through the tattered curtains of the ruined church they'd set up camp in, casting streaks of gold over the scattered bedrolls and half-melted candles. The aftermath of the night's battle still lingered in the air—burnt monster flesh, cracked stone, and that weird smell no one could quite identify. But somehow, the place had become "base camp."
Kira stirred on her makeshift cot, wincing as she tried to sit up. Her side still ached like hell, even though she remembered being healed. Kind of. In a way that shouldn't have worked but somehow did.
Before she could gather her thoughts, a familiar pair of clumsy feet shuffled into view.
"Oh! You're awake!" MC beamed, crouching beside her with a grin that was 70% relief and 30% pure awkward energy. "I was just about to… uh… do the thing again."
"The thing?" Kira's eyebrow twitched.
"Healing! I mean! Healing magic!" he stammered, holding up his hands. They were already glowing with a very unstable-looking golden aura, flickering like a candle in a windstorm. "I've been practicing!"
Kira narrowed her eyes. "Practicing… on me?"
"Uh…"
"Don't you dare use me as a training dummy, you walking mana disaster."
MC flinched but didn't stop. "No no no! I swear, I know what I'm doing this time! Watch!"
He placed his hands gently over her side. The glow intensified… then sputtered. Then glitched. One hand lit up like a torch while the other sparked out entirely. A strange whoomp sound echoed through the room, followed by the smell of burnt socks.
"Oops."
"OOPS?" Kira shouted, batting his hand away. "Did you just set my blanket on fire?!"
"Only a little!" He frantically patted the small embers out with his sleeve. "But I think your pain's gone, right? Right?"
She blinked. Then blinked again.
"…Huh. Actually, yeah."
"Told you!" he said, triumphantly. "MC's emergency healing service: messy, unprofessional, but occasionally effective."
She crossed her arms, wincing a little as she shifted. "Still, you're the worst healer I've ever seen."
"But the best-looking one?"
"In your dreams."
"Every night."
Kira rolled her eyes so hard they nearly left orbit, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "Ugh. You're impossible."
"I get that a lot."
She paused for a beat, then sighed. "Still… thanks. For saving me."
His eyes widened slightly, like he hadn't expected that to come out of her mouth. "You're welcome."
"Don't make it a big deal," she added quickly. "It's not like I owe you or anything. Just… don't die stupidly next time, okay?"
"Same to you," he replied. "Except, you know, maybe dial back the reckless 'dagger-somersault into a demon' thing."
"That was tactical acrobatics."
"You landed on your face."
"It was intentional."
They bickered for another full minute, drawing the attention of the others. Lina peeked in with a smirk, Iris followed with a sigh, and Jax shouted from across the room, "Are they flirting or arguing? I can't tell anymore!"
"Shut up, Bard!" they both yelled at the same time.
But later, when no one was watching, Kira watched MC fiddle with his glowing hands again, trying to stabilize the magic. He looked confused and determined and a little ridiculous, muttering things like, "What even is mana compression?" and "I swear Luna made this look easy…"
She caught herself smiling before she could stop.
Then she groaned and threw a pillow at him.
"Stop looking like a lost puppy when you heal. You're embarrassing all of us."
But her words didn't match the rising warmth in her cheeks—or the slight shimmer of pink that quietly pulsed in her system stats, affection value nudging upward one tick at a time.
END OF CHAPTER 60