The First Letter (54)

It had been quite some time since I began stroking Senior Elsie’s head.

At first, she had flinched and trembled in surprise, but as I continued stroking her, she seemed to decide that I had no intention of attacking her.

The tremors running through her body gradually subsided. Her previously ragged breathing was slowly returning to a steady rhythm.

“Hhh, hhh, hhh…….”

As she stared blankly at me, Elsie inhaled and exhaled like that, trying to calm herself. Her efforts seemed to be having some effect, because her stiff body was beginning to relax.

It took only a few minutes for her to steady her breathing completely and become capable of holding a conversation, at least.

Once she had regained her composure, a faint blush colored Senior Elsie’s cheeks. Moisture still lingered in her eyes, and she did her best to avoid my gaze.

Her reaction seemed to stem from embarrassment rather than fear. Of course, her fear of me could not have disappeared entirely. Even so, the fact that she had stopped screaming told me that her view of me had changed, at least a little.

The girl kept stealing glances at me. She might normally have gotten angry and told me to stop, but she did not. Apparently, she believed that letting me continue stroking her head helped her calm down.

She merely snapped at me once, her voice still thick with tears...