Underneath the Silhouette-Chapter 75: Coleen’s Flair

Eirin raised a brow, studying Calixta’s face. Her skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, like fresh snow.

"What for?" Eirin asked.

The teenage girl didn’t remember doing anything that would have helped Calixta.

"For taking care of Coleen." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Those words reminded Eirin that the person before her was Coleen’s older sister. The sister Coleen longed for, yet ignored. This only deepened Eirin’s curiosity about their strained relationship.

"I didn’t really take care of her like that," Eirin said as she bit her lower lip. "If you care for her that much then—"

Eirin stopped herself as Calixta met her gaze.

"Y-You know what, never mind that, Coleen and I are friends now." She didn’t want to get into Calixta’s bad side. ’Nothing good will come of it if I stick my nose into other people’s business,’ she thought.

Calixta smiled. "Is that so?" She didn’t say anything else as she continued healing the pain deep inside Eirin.

It was awkward; the teenage girl had nothing else to say, yet she didn’t want to spout random things.

Silence filled the training room. Calixta’s cold hand rubbed Eirin’s fingertips, causing her to flinch. When she looked at the person in front of her, Calixta’s winter gray eyes gleamed as she stared at Eirin.

As if she was looking directly into Eirin’s soul, Calixta wouldn’t let go of the teenage girl’s arm as she pulled her closer to her face. Eirin hiccupped in surprise, her heart giving a sudden lurch.

"Something’s lingering around you," Calixta reached out and tucked a stray strand of Eirin’s hair behind her ear. She leaned forward until only a small space remained between their faces. "It’s been with you for a long time now."

Eirin’s face turned red. "W-What? What are you—"

"I’m back! Did I miss anything?"

Eirin pushed Calixta away, her face flushed and her breathing heavy. She covered her face with the back of her hand as she moved further away from Calixta.

"I-I think I need to go to my other classes now."

The teenage girl stood from the floor and bowed. "T-Thank you for helping me." She ran as fast as she could, her heart thumping in her chest.

’What was that!?’

"Ei? What happened to your face?"

Eirin flinched after someone touched her shoulder, causing her to immediately spring back. She crumpled to her knees, a silent apology on her lips for her instinctive retreat.

"Did something bad happen? Are you alright?"

The striking resemblance between Coleen and Calixta made Eirin’s face flush. She quickly covered it with both hands. ’What is wrong with me?’ she questioned herself.

Odd as Eirin’s reaction was, Coleen didn’t press for answers. Instead, she took Eirin’s hand, reminding her they needed to head to the science laboratory.

"There you are! I’ve been searching for you two."

Coleen instinctively clung to Eirin’s arm the moment Link arrived. This immediately captured Link’s attention. He scratched the back of his head and feigned a wounded expression.

"Wow, ever since you two became friends, Coco’s been completely disregarding me. It hurts." Link even held onto his chest, acting as if it was true.

Eirin glanced at Coleen, noting how she kept biting her lower lip, which baffled her. ’What is going on between these two?’ she wondered.

"Why don’t the three of us all go together?" Eirin suggested.

"That’s what I’m planning to do," Link said, stepping closer to Coleen.

Eirin smiled, but soon a thought passed by her mind. "Ah, I’ve been wondering about something."

Link flaunted his smile, waving to everyone they passed. "What is it?"

"Where is that guy?" Eirin gulped as she averted her gaze.

"Who—wait, are you referring to Shade?" Eirin flinched at Link’s words. She could feel his piercing gaze on her, sending a shiver down her spine. "Does Miss Eirin here miss Shade—"

"Ei! You don’t have to think about that guy. You already have tons of things to think of," Coleen interjected sharply, pulling Eirin away.

It was indeed peculiar. The Coleen she knew always addressed Link with a sweet tone and a bright smile, but the Coleen beside her now paid the young man no mind.

’What is going on?’ Eirin wondered for the second time.

Just as Calixta had advised, Eirin knew she had to train herself harder to control her ability. So, despite the risk, she decided to train on her own, without Pierre’s knowledge. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him; she simply didn’t want to be a burden.

The next day, Eirin resumed her training with Pierre, though they were still going through the basics. Pierre, unwilling to repeat such an experience, made Eirin focus on simply inhaling and exhaling mana.

"I think the best way to train absorbing and releasing mana is by pulling and pushing the with your palm."

Even with the breathing technique that Pierre taught, it was still hard for the teenage girl to master.

Eirin inhaled deeply, then raised her hand, attempting to push the accumulated wind outward as Pierre watched.

"It’s not coming out!"

Pierre’s baby blue eyes glowed as he stared at her palm. "No, you’re getting there. Keep at it and you’ll be able to master this." Even with Pierre’s assurance, Eirin doubted it.

The unexpected difficulty left her wondering; how had she managed to use her power before without any training? She had even managed to hurt Shade Cromwell.

"I don’t understand."

"What don’t you understand? You can ask me anything," Pierre said with a smile.

"How was I able to use my power before without even proper training?"

Pierre scratched the back of his head. "There’s no clear explanation, but a myth suggests that in moments of desperation, the power of nature helps us unleash our potential." He shrugged. "Or at least, that’s what my mother used to say."

Despite Pierre’s words, Eirin desperately wished she could trigger her power once again. How was she going to participate in the upcoming sports festival if she couldn’t even form a small whirlwind in her palm?

"Oh, right. Just a reminder, I won’t be here tomorrow; Cali and I are going on a mission together. You can still train here during that time though."

Eirin nodded, a faint smile forming on her lips, a spark of excitement for the next day. It wasn’t that she disliked training with Pierre; rather, she couldn’t fully focus when other people were watching her.

When the next day came, Eirin hummed as she walked towards the training room. It was their free period, and Coleen had been going to the stone room to hone her skills with the others.

Eirin had been assigned in a different room, as she was a complete beginner. Her smile immediately vanished as she entered the room filled with girls and their laughter.

"Oh, Eirin, why have you come here?" Kara giggled, posing the question. Her friends also started laughing. "Did you come to train with us?"

Seeing them sprawled out, clearly just socializing, Eirin couldn’t bring herself to tell them to leave. Eirin forced a smile as she closed the door and left.

’Where should I train now?’ Eirin wondered as she walked in the hallway, eyeing every space she could find. She soon reached the back of one of the buildings. It was quite near the Hissing Woods, a vast space that actually looked appealing.

Eirin looked around and saw no one else near. It was as if she had discovered a private sanctuary, hers and hers alone.

The wind blew and Eirin could feel it touching her skin. She took a deep breath in before looking at the cloudy sky. "Okay, I got this." Eirin extended her arm, inhaled some air, and began pushing the air out of her palm.

Beads of sweat dripped from her temples as she kept pushing. "Why won’t it work?" She grunted as she sank to the ground. Her years as a ballerina had instilled in her immense patience and a strong work ethic, but at this moment, it all seemed useless.

"Can I really do this?"

Eirin spent her entire day on those push and pull motions, yet still couldn’t succeed. The teenage girl stumbled back to the dormitory, her palms red as tomatoes, and almost collapsed onto her bed the moment she entered their room.

Coleen looked at her with surprise in her eyes as she immediately helped the teenage girl. "Are you really okay, Ei? Why did you push yourself so much like this?" She helped Eirin stand, gently taking her arm.

"I heard Kara and those other girls were inside the training room assigned to you. They didn’t do anything bad to you, did they?"

Eirin shook her head. "I left after I saw them. I’m not comfortable training with other people after all. What about you, Coco? How did your training go?"

Coleen’s face flushed as she sighed. "I still can’t control it the way I want, but I’m learning not to use my powers unconsciously."

Hearing that made Eirin realize something she had never known about Coleen. What is Coleen McGuffin’s Flair?

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