LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 37
“……”
A strange ceiling.
A white grid-patterned ceiling.
Combining the faint scent of alcohol with my last memories, I had a rough idea of where I was.
“Is this the infirmary…?”
As I raised my upper body, various parts of my body ached a bit.
It wasn’t bothersome, just a muscle soreness akin to a tough workout the day before.
Pushing oneself moderately can actually lead to growth, as the theory of “Pushing the Palace through Holes” suggests.
You can think of it as gaining experience points.
“Ugh, ouch.”
I lightly stretched in my seated position while surveying the surroundings.
“…What is this?”
Looking closer, this wasn’t just any infirmary.
It was a remarkably large private room.
Filled with various tools purported to stabilize the mind and body, such as herbs and magical air purifiers.
Clearly, this was not a place that a mere cadet could casually use.
“Why am I in a place like this…?”
“Professor Reina requested it specially.”
There was a voice responding to my question.
Just then, the door opened, and a familiar face entered.
“It’s you.”
“Fancy meeting you again, Ran.”
Elma.
She greeted me with a complicated smile.
“What brings you here?”
“When a cadet shows signs of trouble, the student council is usually the first to know. Plus, Professor Reina made the request.”
Surprisingly, I knew Reina wasn’t a bad person, but this level of concern was beyond what I expected.
‘…Could this be thanks to the gender reversal?’
If we were to stick to the old ideas, a guy fainting wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
But now, in a sense, it’s as if a male professor fainted while sparring with a first-year female student.
Thinking that way, I didn’t find this level of action excessive.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Still, you never know. Internal injuries can be scarier than external ones.”
With a face full of concern, Elma examined my body.
“I-I’m really fine…”
“Please stay still. It’s the vice student council president’s duty to ensure the health of cadets.”
Does the vice student council president really need to care this much?
At this rate, they might control our snacks later.
“The bandage on your arm is loose… Let’s rewrap it. The scent of this plant can cause headaches if inhaled for too long, so we’ll remove it… Caffeine is the enemy of the patient! We have to get rid of this coffee machine too.”
Watching her fuss over the room made a warm feeling rise up within me.
“Ha.”
“Why are you laughing…?”
“I’ve never been cared for like this before. It’s a little awkward, but I feel good.”
“W-well, it’s because Ran is a boy! And since you got hurt because of something that happened within Polaris, the student council has a responsibility…”
She stammered, flustered, which didn’t quite match her appearance.
Her ash-colored hair swayed like a tail.
‘What to say…’
I didn’t have much experience having a family in my past life, so I wasn’t sure how to relate, but—
“I wonder if this is what it would feel like if I had an older sister.”
Thud!
When I said that, Elma froze.
“…I see. If an older sister… were here…”
Her voice suddenly dipped into sadness.
‘Oh, um.’
Did I touch on something I shouldn’t have?
Maybe her family situation was complicated.
“Did I say something wrong…?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Elma, who had been turned away, brushed her eyes with her hand and returned to her usual self.
“Anyway, I have another reason for coming.”
“What is it?”
“I heard that you fought to a draw with Professor Reina.”
Rumors were already starting to spread bit by bit.
This was a good sign for me.
It was something I had aimed for from the start.
“Professor Reina didn’t use her qi. If she had, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“…That’s quite a statement for a first-year.”
I, too, found it hard to believe.
A first-year student who just enrolled could say they fought to a draw with a professor.
It was like a rookie soccer player winning MVP in every match they played.
“Leading a promising rookie is precisely the purpose of Polaris’ existence.”
Elma, in a serious tone, made a request to me.
“Would you like to participate in this year’s ‘Star Festival’ with me?”
*
“Alright. Then starting next week—”
“You!”
Just as I was finishing up my conversation with Elma, Angela burst into the infirmary.
“Are you okay?! What hurts? You shouldn’t be here; you should be in the royal ward!”
“I’m fine…! I’m fine, Princess! Calm down!”
After reminding her several times that my condition wasn’t serious, I finally managed to calm Angela down.
“Phew… I’m relieved…”
“I checked Ran’s condition myself. He’s in great shape, so don’t worry.”
“You are…?”
“This is the first time we’ve met in a private setting.”
Elma gave a slight bow.
“Vice Student Council President. My name is Elma.”
“Um… but…”
Angela looked between Elma and me with a strange expression for some reason.
“Lady Elma. Your family is surely…”
“…I’d rather not discuss it. I don’t have a fondness for my family.”
“Oh, uh…”
She looked troubled, like a drenched puppy.
‘What’s going on?’
Could it be that she’s worried something strange happened while the two of us were here?
“Don’t worry. Lady Elma came just to check on Ran’s condition at Professor Reina’s request. Besides, she’s very kind and a good person.”
“Hm… I see…”
Elma coughed awkwardly and turned her head slightly.
“Oh… I see.”
Angela’s tension gradually eased.
Then she mumbled something under her breath.
-Yes… there must be some reason for it. Well, she did say she was cast out from her family…
“Pardon?”
“Nothing! Just glad you’re not hurt, really.”
Angela grabbed my hand, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Lady Elma… Thank you so much for looking after Ran.”
“It’s nothing. It’s only natural for the student council to protect the cadets. And…”
Elma smiled at me.
“Ran is my precious junior, after all.”
“…Huh?”
What was that just now?
I could’ve sworn I saw Angela’s veins popping and then disappearing.
“W-well, of course, since you’re a senior, it’s just a friendly gesture.”
“While it might be a strange thing to say, I care for Ran even more. He’s a talented and kind junior. In a school full of girls, I can imagine the discomfort a boy might feel.”
“Ugh…!”
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Princess. It was a pleasure meeting you today, Ran. I hope to see you outside the infirmary next time.”
Elma greeted us and left the infirmary.
And just like that, we were left alone.
“Ran…?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Do you know the terror of genetic diseases?”
“…Huh?”
Angela suddenly began spouting nonsense out of nowhere.
*
At the end of a tumultuous day.
As the sun set and the stars in the night sky gradually revealed themselves.
“Phew…”
After wrapping up a busy schedule, Reina set off to return home.
Professors at Polaris have one of two options.
They can either be assigned to the professor’s dorm at Building B or commute from home.
Reina, with younger siblings to care for, works at Polaris while commuting from home.
“Today was quite a lot of work.”
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
The empty platform during the late hours.
As she waited for the magic tram to organize her thoughts.
“Reina~.”
From behind, Karen waved as she approached.
“Lady Karen…!”
“Hehe~ Are you off work now?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
Reina’s voice pitch went up.
It had already been several years since they both worked at Polaris, but her heart always raced whenever Karen was nearby.
‘Just looking at that crimson hair and beautiful face…’
It felt like memories from that day were surfacing.
Karen’s image from when she saved me from the flames of war.
Her back, leading me here when I was despairing, thinking all that was left was death.
“Don’t push yourself too hard~ I get worried.”
“Y-you’re worried about me?”
“Reina has always been like this since she was a child. Be careful with your own body~.”
It was a stroke of luck to run into Karen during rush hour, and now we were chatting, with her even worrying for me.
‘She even remembers the old me!’
I declared today a holiday and decided to remind myself of this moment whenever times got tough.
That was my determination.
“But… Reina?”
“Yes!”
“I heard you and Ran had a spar today. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is. Since you have an eye for students, Ran was excellent!”
“…Really?”
Despite her loose smile, Karen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It resembled a cat’s gaze, one that’s protective of its fish.
“That’s right~ I knew from the entrance exam. I knew long before this rumor started circulating.”
“Indeed, you have sharp insight.”
“I’ve known since before… before other professors had their eyes on him… I always knew….”
A mix of large and small tremors stirred in Karen’s heart.
She knew what to call this feeling.
‘Anxiety.’
Because of today’s incident, Ran’s name had spread even further and deeper within Polaris.
What he had shown until now had merely been in the periphery.
But today it happened within the confines of Polaris.
The speed at which word spread was entirely different.
“Hey, Reina. Can I make a small request?”
“If it’s Lady Karen’s request, I’d even be willing to cut off a dragon’s head!”
“Really? That gives me trust~.”
Karen spoke, trying hard to hide the madness swelling within her.
“Tell me everything about Ran.”
Only Reina, his supervising professor, could grant her wish.
‘You must belong to me, Ran♥’
Karen’s obsession deepened with each passing day.
Yet there was one thing she didn’t know.
‘Please… come to me…♥’
‘It has to be you.’
‘Ah… I need you♥’
‘The one becoming the ‘teaching assistant’
is not him, but herself.’