From Airi’s mind, a cherished memory slowly rippled to the surface.

In that memory, the figure of a young boy gradually emerged.

He had delicate features and noble black hair like a prince from a fairy tale.

His violet eyes should have seemed seductive and frivolous.

But only when meeting his gaze would you realize the tenderness and sincerity hidden within.

He never shied from eye contact—his eyes always held warmth.

This stood in stark contrast to Airi’s timid, shadow-dwelling nature.

Airi was a coward hiding in dark rooms.

She shunned sunlight and feared human interaction.

So when her sister Elsa brought Roy—a stranger, a young boy—into her bedroom,

Airi panicked like a startled kitten.

Her slender hands gripped the white bedsheets. Her weak legs curled slightly.

She gasped in shallow breaths, her face paler than ever.

At that moment, Roy ignored Elsa frozen in place and rushed to Airi’s side.

He carefully checked on her—this was his fault, after all.

If he hadn’t claimed to have learned leg therapy and rehabilitation massage from an Alchemists’ Association mentor,

Sister Elsa would never have brought him into her sister’s private room.

She’d meant well but made things worse.

She’d focused only on Airi’s physical condition, blind to her shy, fragile nature.

She’d exposed the girl to a strange man before she was ready.

“Please relax, Miss Airi!”

The boy’s concerned voice reached her.

Airi’s eyes widened. This was her first close encounter with a boy her age.

Her heart hammered against her frail ribs, aching yet thrilling—

a strange, vivid sensation of *being alive*.

*Why?*

Bookish and sheltered, Airi didn’t understand.

But as Roy’s face drew near,

her clenched lips couldn’t stop the soft moan that escaped:

“Ah~”

Airi squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks burned. Her racing heart echoed in her ears.

Her arms felt too weak to push him away.

Instead, her fingertips brushed against something solid… unexpectedly comforting.

A firmness unlike her sister’s gentle touch.

*He looked so slender… yet beneath his thin shirt lay such tempting strength…*

Airi grew more flustered.

Then she heard his heartbeat beside her ear.

Thump. Thump…

He only wanted to hold her.

“It’s alright. It’s alright, Miss Airi.”

“I’m a healer. Trust me.”

“Just relax… relax…”

His voice carried a hypnotic calm.

Under his soothing words, Airi’s panic faded.

Her breathing steadied. Color returned to her face.

Only her heart still raced wildly.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Reflected in them was the black-haired boy’s face—gentle, anxious, utterly focused on her.

Handsome. Worried. Caring.

In his eyes, she saw only herself.

*And in mine… is there only him?*

“…”

Realizing she’d been staring at him for too long, Airi’s cheeks flushed crimson. She turned away flustered.

“S-sorry!”

But Roy apologized first.

“My fault for not warning you.”

“And just now… I got lost staring into your eyes.”

A blush spread across his face.

“You have such beautiful eyes, Miss Airi.”

“Like a windless night… a tranquil sea.”

“…Pretend I’m rambling. Sorry.”

He smiled shyly, unaware of his own charm,

only worried he’d offended her.

“Also… this is for you.”

“A gift for our first meeting.”

Roy pulled a plush doll from his bag—its face uncannily like his own—and placed it in Airi’s hands.

Airi couldn’t refuse. But it wasn’t just politeness that made her clutch the doll tightly.

Silent, she let Roy carry the conversation alone.

Unfazed, he revealed his purpose:

“Can you trust me now, Miss Airi?”

—“I’d like to examine your legs first.”

“…”

It was an outrageous request.

Between strangers. Between a boy and girl.

Too forward. Too fast.

Yet somehow, Airi agreed.

She trusted him.

Shy. Timid. But willing to believe.

Sister Elsa hesitated only a moment before trusting him too.

Though Roy never found the cause of Airi’s illness—

never uncovered why her smooth, unbroken legs refused to walk—

the sisters felt no disappointment. Only gratitude for his kindness.

Elsa had only brought the self-proclaimed “healer” to Airi on a whim.

*If he finds the cause, wonderful. If not, no harm done.*

After all, Roy was just an apprentice at the Alchemists’ Association—

hardly the “physician” he claimed to be.

*She* was the naive one for believing him.

Before leaving, Roy apologized for his failure.

Sincere. Though he owed them nothing.

He asked to visit occasionally—to massage Airi’s legs with his rehabilitation techniques.

Looking into his clear, earnest violet eyes, Elsa couldn’t refuse.

More importantly, she didn’t believe Roy was a predator.

But the choice belonged to Airi alone.

*How could my shy sister agree to help from a stranger?* Elsa wondered.

“…Okay. I accept.”

Elsa: ???

“Your name is…”

Airi missed her sister’s stunned expression, eyes darting to the bedsheets.

“Roy.”

“R-Roy… thank you for the gift.”

“I… like it very much…”

Her voice faded to a whisper.

Roy’s violet eyes crinkled with relief.

But beneath it lingered pity, tenderness—

and a trace of guilt.

He’d lied to the sisters.

He *knew* the cause of Airi’s condition.

Knew why her legs, flawless and unscarred, refused to move.

Why town doctors, Adventurer’s Guild herbalists, even church priests

could neither diagnose nor cure her.

Because this wasn’t an illness.

Wasn’t an injury.

—It was a curse.