Chapter 143

Suzy paused and focused on the sensation.

It didn’t hurt that much. If Thomas hadn’t pointed it out, she might never have noticed.

She lightly pressed the spot, and a faint sting surfaced, sharp enough to make her frown.

"...That’s strange," she murmured.

"It could be the acid rain," he noted.

Back at the office building, everything had been normal—except for the rain.

That was the only variable.

Suzy recalled how she had used her hand to shield herself earlier.

That must have been when it happened.

"Will there be any serious consequences?" she asked, unease creeping in.

The corrosiveness of that rain was far beyond anything ordinary.

What if it left lasting damage?

She had never dealt with acid rain before—not even in that life in her dream.

For a brief moment, panic flickered.

Then, she remembered––the spring.

Of course!

Without hesitation, she reached into her backpack, using it as cover, and took out a small bottle.

It was clear, faintly glowing liquid; the same kind she had given Thomas before.

His gaze lingered on it for a moment.

But Suzy didn’t notice.

She carefully poured a little onto her fingers and applied it to the reddened skin.

The feeling was cool and clean.

As it spread across her skin, the stinging sensation faded almost immediately.

It worked.

Relief flooded her chest.

The worst of the irritation was on the back of her hand—where she had taken the brunt of the rain.

Then, a faint itch crept across her face.

Sharp. Tingling.

Her expression changed instantly.

"Oh no—"

She looked up at Thomas, urgency in her voice. "Check my face. Is there anything on it?"

She held still, staring straight at him.

She remembered clearly—some of that rain had hit her face too.

She didn’t know what would happen if it went untreated, but she definitely didn’t want any scars.

His gaze settled on her face.

"Quick—do I have anything? Tell me!" she urged.

She could feel his eyes on her—intense, steady.

After a moment, he said, "You do."

Now that he looked closely, faint red marks had appeared along her cheek and near the corner of her eye.

Small—but unmistakable.

Her heart tightened. Without hesitation, she shoved the bottle into his hand.

"Help me put it on. I really don’t want to end up disfigured."

Then, after a beat, she added, "I’ll help you afterward. I think your face got hit too."

He lowered his gaze, gripping the small bottle slightly tighter.

"...Alright," he said, his voice rough.

One of his hands wasn’t convenient to use, so she poured some into his palm.

Then she lifted her face toward him, holding still, silently urging him to hurry.

His throat moved slightly.

Then, his fingers, cool with the spring water, touched her skin.

Gentle.

Careful.

His focus was absolute.

Without realizing it, the distance between them closed. Suzy lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, her attention drifting somewhere unfocused.

But his eyes remained on her.

Deep.

Intent.

His fingertips brushed along her cheek, the coolness of the spring water spreading, and beneath it, the faint warmth of his touch.

The sudden touch made Suzy shiver.

Thomas paused immediately, about to pull his hand back. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No—it’s just a bit cold," she said quickly, giving an awkward smile, annoyed at her own reaction.

Seriously... it was nothing. Why was she acting like this?

She took a breath, blinked, and steadied herself. "Go on. Otherwise, I really

will

end up disfigured."

As she spoke, she poured a little more of the spring water into his palm and leaned slightly closer.

"Alright." His voice was low.

His fingers, damp with the cool liquid, touched her skin again.

The corner of her eye. Her cheek. Her chin.

Soft..

.

The thought came to him unbidden.

Like something too delicate—like expensive silk, fragile enough to ruin if he wasn’t careful.

Suzy kept her gaze lowered, unaware of the brief distraction in his expression.

But she did become aware of something else—they were very close.

And... this felt dangerously close to something else entirely.

Her heartbeat quickened. She could feel his breath against her skin, warm and faint.

"I-is it done?" she asked, her voice slightly unsteady.

"There’s still a bit here," he said quietly.

His fingers moved from her cheek to her temple.

The mark there was faint, barely visible—but he had noticed it.

His touch slowed even more.

This time, she couldn’t help it.

She looked up—and met his eyes.

He was looking at her in a way she couldn’t quite understand.

His gaze was restrained and had something else beneath it.

A faint buzzing filled her ears.

Then she noticed—there were marks on his face too. Redder. More obvious than hers.

"Y-you have some on your face too!" she said quickly. "I’ll help you after!"

He didn’t reply, only gave a soft "Mm," his hand still moving.

At last, he finished.

But he didn’t pull away immediately.

His fingers lingered by her cheek, brushing lightly against her skin—as if confirming something.

Her heartbeat thundered.

There was no way he couldn’t hear it.

"...Done," he said at last, his voice slightly hoarse, withdrawing his hand.

She inhaled slowly. "My turn."

Taking the small bottle from him, she poured some into her palm.

"Turn this way," she said.

He listened.

Now it was her turn to study him.

There were indeed several marks—fewer than hers, but more pronounced around his eye and along his jaw.

His skin had grown lighter recently, though still carrying a healthy tone. The redness didn’t look as stark as it had on her.

"That’s pretty serious," she said, trying to sound composed.

Her fingers touched the corner of his eye.

His lashes trembled.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"No." His voice was steady—but his throat shifted slightly.

"Good."

She dipped her fingers again, then carefully spread the spring water over the irritated skin.

"Feels nice, doesn’t it?" she said softly.

"...Mm." His lashes fluttered faintly. "This medicine... it’s rare, isn’t it?"