The Bride of the 7 Great Sins
Chapter 04 - The Train Towards the Academy

The sound of a slow creaking of hinges sounded as one opened the door and entered the dark room with the window covered in curtains.

He walked into the room to the window and opened the curtain, letting the morning light in and illuminating the whole room.

“Airen, it's morning. Quickly wake up.”

Someone was Sophia. He came to Airen's room to wake her up because the sun had long since risen.

But Airen showed no signs of waking up. His face did react when exposed to the sun from the window, but he immediately turned to the other side so as not to glare and continued his sleep.

Looking at Airen who refused to get up, Sophia sighed. The girl moved to Airen's place and began to shake her body.

“Come, Airen. Quick wake. It's morning. If you continue to sleep, we may be late for the academy. Did you forget that this is your first day? So quickly wake up.”

Even so, Airen still did not want to wake up. Sophia again sighed because she did not know how.

“Typically he was woken up, but why is it harder today? She doesn't stay up to read books in the library anymore, does she?”

Sophia looked at Airen's sleeping face. Then, his attention was fixed on the man's lips.

“This is her sleeping face. Usually he always wakes up after I open the curtain.”

Sophia's fingers involuntarily moved to touch Airen's lips and played it a little before she realized what she had just done and immediately pulled her hand from there.

‘A-What have I done just now!?’

Her face flushed. But he is still curious. Sophia wanted to know what she did not know. He had never had any experience with any man before.

Fingers that had touched the lips of Airen he touched to his own lips. Sophia recalled the sensation when her lips met with Airen's lips.

It was a memory Airen had forgotten. When the conditions were really desperate because Strike and Sophia's attack had run out of strength, Airen gave her a kiss that instantly restored all her strength as before.

“I've heard, he said a c-kiss can also wake a couple. We've both been paired by grandfather, j-so .. can you, right? It's also his fault for not waking up! That's right, there's no other way ...”

Sophia began to justify her actions.

Then, Sophia placed one hand on the bed near Airwn's face to hold her weight while the other hand held out the hair blocking her face.

Sophia slowly approached Airen. Their faces met at such a close distance that Sophia's breath could tickle Airen's nose.

Sophia closed her eyes. His heart was pounding because of the actions he was about to take.

When their lips were about to meet, Airen who noticed the irregularity with the surroundings immediately woke up.

“S-September–!”

Hearing Airen's voice, Sophia automatically opened her eyes. Their eyes met at such a close distance. He realized that Airen had just woken up.

And the next instant–

“Kyaa ..!”

Sophia's sweet cry was heard to the outside of the room which was then followed by a loud slap.

***

Time passed, now while carrying their respective school bags, the two walked beside the highway with the crowd around them.

Airen and Sophia wore their school uniform, a red-tiered and black outer white inner shirt with white stripes and gold academy buttons and logos.

Their subordinates were also both black with Airen's difference of wearing pants while Sophia wore a skirt touching her knees accompanied by a black stocking.

The red five-finger mark is clearly visible on Airen's cheeks. The red stamp appears as a result of Sophia slapping him.

“Basic, next time don't make me come to your room just to wake you up!”

“M-Sorry it's been a hassle. Thank you for always waking me up. I was so eager to catch up on my knowledge of this world that I forgot the time in the library.”

Every night, Airen learns about her world now by reading books in the library. Sometimes he was there until late at night and even fell asleep there.

“Espirit is good, but you have to pay attention to your body as well. Lack of sleep is not good. I've told you so many times.”

“I know, I'll work on it.”

Due to the fact, during the few days that had passed before finally the first day of this academy came, Airen proved to be lacking in his training with Sophia. So he forced himself by studying alone in the library.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Ya, of course.”

Sophia heeded Airen's request.

“Before I woke up earlier, what exactly do you want to do?”

“Don't make me say it, stupid!”

“M-Sorry ...”

Airen did not know why, but he suddenly yelled at Sophia. He also never knew why Sophia slapped him this morning.

“There-is just, I thought I'd like to ask you what's important. You better prepare the card I gave you yesterday. You didn't forget to bring it, did you?”

“I-Yes. I brought him.”

Airen then searched around in his bag and pulled out some kind of ATM card from it.

“This one, right?”

“Yes. Do you remember what it does?”

“Used to travel by train, so we do not need to pay for tickets anymore because the payment will be borne to the Claudia.” Family

“Fast. So don't let you lose it in the academy later if you don't want to get stuck there.”

“A-I'll be careful.”

Faced with Sophia's threat, Airen becomes afraid that he will eliminate it later.

Not too long they walked, both of them got to the station. Sophia handed her card to a guard who then scanned the card. Airen follows Sophia's way, and the two enter the train.

The train has several special rooms for seating passengers. Airen and Sophia were sitting in the same room, facing each other on opposite chairs.

While waiting, an announcement was heard from speakers on the train telling them they were leaving soon.

The train runs on the tracks, slowly increasing its speed. Airen and Sophia who were in the room had no topic to talk about so both of them were silent.

Airen tried to see what the girl was doing. At that moment Sophia's gaze was fixed on the train window, she looked dreamy.

Then Airen's mind twisted back to a few days before this. More precisely at dinner time on the day the residence was attacked by Strike, Airen was told something that was very surprising to him by Kura.

Kura says that their grandfather—which he is the current leader of the Claudia Family—married Airen to his six cousins who were none other than Sophia, Sarina, and Kamilah.

The marriage took place due to the requirements of Airen's mother on her grandfather who wanted to bring Airen into their world. His mother, who was worried that Airen would not have a partner there, gave the terms.

At first she was married to Sophia. But when the power of Airen that can make people close to him can be more powerful revealed, Airen's grandfather married him to his five remaining cousins until it became what it is now.

The action of Us who at that time sat on his lap was one of the forms of ‘approach’. By doing so, we can break through the limits of his strength even if only a little.

The larger the form ‘approach’, the greater the effect. That's what Kura told Airen.

‘If you recall, is it possible that this morning Sophia actually tried to kiss me!?’

Airen guessed like that because kissing is one form of ‘approach’. And that was the case, but Sophia failed to do so because Airen first woke up and she herself was too embarrassed to continue.

Airen became confused as to how he should face Sophia after knowing this. Sophia who realized Airen was frenzied herself frowned.

“Why?”

“T-No, not nothing.”

Airen panicked when asked by Sophia. The girl did seem to be angry whenever something went wrong in her eyes.

However, from now onwards, Airen will live with them. No matter what, he had to get used to Sophia and the others.