"S-scrotum!?"
Clara alternately looked at the water bottle in her hand and Rohan sitting under the sunlight.
It had been a while since her head felt this dizzy.
Even though she knew she needed to move quickly, her steps creaked like a broken machine.
"Oppa! L-let's go to the shade first..."
Clara set the water bottle down in the shadow and approached Rohan.
She put one of his arms over her shoulder and stood up with a jerk as he sat there holding his forehead as if experiencing a headache.
It was an incredible strength that didn't match her delicate physique, but isn't it true that those with magical power can't be judged by their appearance?
"Heave-ho...!"
Clara gently lowered Rohan to the ground and positioned his back against the wall.
If the shade had been a bit larger, she would have laid him down comfortably, but that would only be possible if Sion secured more space.
"Clara...?"
"Yes! I'm right here!"
Rohan opened his eyes drowsily and called her name.
The girl was worried about Rohan as he seemed to be in worse condition than before.
"How are you feeling? Want some water?"
Rohan shook his head, saying he was fine.
Clara pouted her lips at Rohan's attitude of always saying it wasn't a big problem.
But this time was different.
Even Rohan couldn't move out of stubbornness due to the dizziness that wouldn't easily subside.
He had no choice but to ask the group for understanding.
"Sorry. Let's rest a bit before moving on."
"Oppa... you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about... just close your eyes and sleep, it's okay."
After contemplating while biting his lips at the suggestion to sleep, Rohan lowered his eyelids.
"Can you wake me up in 10 minutes?"
"That's too short. I'll keep you cool, so get some proper rest, okay?"
Rohan gave neither a positive nor negative response. No answer came back, only the sound of labored breathing.
He had already fallen asleep after asking to be woken up in 10 minutes.
"..."
Clara stared blankly at Rohan's sleeping face and recalled what Sion had said.
She decided to follow the instruction to loosen his clothes first. She moved her hands to undo Rohan's academy uniform.
'This is emergency care...! Emergency care.'
This situation of voluntarily undressing Rohan.
Even repeating the word "care" in her mind couldn't dispel the strange feeling in the girl's head.
She removed the academy jacket and unbuttoned the sweat-soaked shirt one by one.
The dungeon's climate was so hot that even Clara, who wasn't affected by heat, had beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and Sion was also sweating profusely.
Rohan's clothes were already damp with sweat, so there seemed no need to wet them further.
'Oppa's scent is stronger than usual... this is nice...'
The smell of human flesh and sweat can vary so much from person to person.
Clara didn't feel even a fragment of displeasure at Rohan's body odor. Rather, she had to suppress the urge to bury her nose in it.
After removing his shoes, she gulped before proceeding to the next step.
Clara unfastened his belt with trembling hands, careful not to touch that area. She lowered the zipper and loosened all of Rohan's clothes.
'Now for the fanning!'
Clara gathered monster vine leaves scattered on the floor and gently fanned Rohan.
She was disappointed that she couldn't properly smell his scent like before, but stopping wasn't an option.
"Oppa, are you asleep...?"
She called out just in case, but he was sound asleep.
He looked like he wouldn't notice even if someone carried him away.
This was the first time Rohan showed such defenselessness. The girl's eyes darted around with curiosity.
In such a trance-like moment.
As the girl's gaze became busy and she put more strength into fanning, Rohan's expression seemed to relax a bit.
"I've secured a place."
"—!!!"
A voice suddenly broke through her concentration.
If Clara hadn't reflexively covered her mouth, she would have screamed.
She had been so focused elsewhere that she hadn't noticed Sion's approach.
"There's no problem inside. The temperature is definitely lower than outside. It should be perfect for resting."
"Y-you worked hard."
"It's nothing. How is Rohan's condition?"
Sion asked while folding her three-section staff and putting it away.
Clara looked at Rohan sleeping against the wall and shared what information came to mind.
"He fell asleep asking to be woken up in 10 minutes..."
"Hmm, that seems ridiculously short for recovery. It would be better to take care of him and wait until he wakes up on his own."
Sion suggested they move inside, and together with Clara, they carried Rohan.
They entered the dark interior where the only illumination was sunlight from outside.
"Ah...! It's cool!"
The inside was definitely cooler.
Honestly, it still felt like midsummer, but the outside was so hot that even an indoor temperature easily exceeding 30 degrees felt cool in comparison.
"This should do."
"Yes!"
They carefully laid Rohan down on a jacket spread on the floor. They also brought his shoes and placed them beside him.
"Clara. Heat-related illnesses require more thorough treatment."
"...?"
When Clara gave a look of incomprehension,
Sion flung open Rohan's shirt that Clara had timidly loosened.
"Whether it's sunstroke or heatstroke, it would normally be dangerous, but since his body is trained with magical power, he'll recover quickly."
After saying that, she removed Rohan's pants as well.
"!?!?"
Clara's eyes spun with embarrassment.
"I'll do the fanning. You cool his body with the water bottle."
Sion finished speaking and jumped up, then went outside to gather vine leaves.
"..."
Clara positioned the cold water bottle on Rohan's neck as instructed.
Rohan's condition wasn't actually heatstroke, but naturally it feels good to have something cool against you when you're hot.
Seeing his expression relax, the girl felt relieved and began cooling other parts of his body.
But she finally stopped, leaving the last area untouched.
"Hmm, this much fanning should be enough."
Sion sat down beside them and began creating a breeze over Rohan's body.
Clara, holding the water bottle, moved bit by bit to position herself near Rohan's lower body.
'Ughh...'
She could see his black underwear. Solid color and form-fitting.
Though simple with no decorations, the fact that it matched the color of Clara's own underwear made her feel ticklish.
Even knowing she should look away, her gaze wouldn't leave.
Perhaps due to sweat, the contours of that thing were vividly visible through Rohan's underwear.
A thickness that seemed impossible to grasp with one hand. Honestly, when she first saw it, she thought he might be hiding dynamite.
'O-oppa must be uncomfortable in daily life...'
Wouldn't having something like that cause problems in everyday activities?
With such thoughts, Clara placed the water bottle on Rohan's upper thigh.
The heat indirectly transmitted to her hand was extraordinary. The body scent entering her nose was also intense enough to be described as erotic.
After the two girls had struggled in silence for some time,
Rohan stirred and lifted his drowsy eyelids.
"Mmm... what time is it?"
"Go back to sleep. It hasn't been 10 minutes yet. Have a sip of water too."
It was good that he had regained consciousness. However, Sion sharply told a lie and made him drink water.
After moistening his mouth, Rohan mumbled "is that so" and closed his eyes again. Seeing this, Sion and Clara exhaled deeply in relief.
"He seems fine now, so we can leave him as is."
"I'll continue fanning..."
"Let's take turns. When Rohan gets better, we can ask him to return the favor."
Sion smiled faintly, creating a softer atmosphere.
After watching Clara fan for a while, she stood up.
"Would it be alright if I also remove my outer clothing for a moment? It's too hot."
"Ah, y-yes...!"
Sion took off her thick outer garment containing various equipment to release heat.
With only her sleeveless top remaining, she seemed to feel a bit better. When she twisted and wrung out her clothes, sweat dripped onto the floor.
Clara, who had been fanning with one hand, confirmed that Rohan was still sleeping and then slightly fluttered her skirt with a reddened face to dissipate heat.
"Such heat and humidity, truly an insane place. If not for Rohan, I might have been the one to collapse."
Sion drank water from the bottle and passed it to Clara.
The girl also paused her fanning briefly to moisten her mouth.
"Clara."
"Yes?"
"Perhaps Rohan's condition isn't an ordinary heat-related illness."
"Do you have a suspected diagnosis...?"
Sion touched her slender jawline with an extremely serious face.
Then, after glancing at the sleeping Rohan, she lowered her voice and informed Clara.
"I think it might be some kind of price for using his skill."
"Ah..."
Clara nodded as if agreeing with Sion's speculation.
After all, Rohan had clearly said his skills required a price.
*****
Orion Academy, Year 1 Class 1.
Lunch period had just ended. Gilbert glared at Rohan's empty seat.
"Strange! Something is strange!!!"
"There's definitely something going on."
Dick, sitting behind him, rarely agreed with Gilbert's words.
They should be having practical classes now, but Juyeon had disappeared after telling them to wait. Plus, Rohan wasn't answering his phone.
"Noah. Do you know anything?"
"Well..."
At Noah's question, Ichinose took out her smartphone and texted Rohan asking where he was.
Naturally, there was no reply.
As baseless speculations were flying around,
The front door opened, and long rabbit ears twitched as they appeared.
"My adorable Class 1 students! Today, since Instructor Juyeon is suddenly busy with work, you'll have a joint class with my class, Instructor Carrot!"