Volume 5
Chapter 4
"…Ugh."
In the pitch-black
darkness, I regained consciousness and let out a groan.
"Is this the
infirmary?"
I opened my heavy
eyelids and looked around. It was Solminati Academy's infirmary. I was lying on
a bed with pristine white sheets, my long, black hair spread out over them.
My uniform jacket had
been removed, perhaps to allow for examination, and hung on a nearby clothes
rack.
"Have you woken
up, Irisdina-kun?"
"Norn-sensei…"
The one who spoke to
me as I awoke was Norn Alteina, the head of this infirmary.
"You fought
against Lisa-kun in a mock battle during practical class, and it ended in a
draw, so you were brought here."
I finally understood
why I was here.
(That's right, I
fought Lisa-kun, I spoke to her, and she, enraged, swatted my rapier away…)
I gently placed my
hand on my flank, and a sharp pain shot through it.
"You took a hit
to your flank, but there's no bone damage. It's a little swollen now, but I
think it'll get better soon. But if the pain persists, go see a doctor."
"…Yes."
Norn-sensei told me
the results of her examination, but my mind was elsewhere. I wanted to know
about him. I wanted to help him.
I pressed Lisa-kun
about it, but in the end, I couldn't do anything.
"…………"
My spirits sank, and
my face naturally turned downwards. No matter how it was, I was sad that I
couldn't bridge the gap between Nozomu and her.
"…However, Anri
said that Nozomu-kun is also starting to change quite a bit."
"Eh?"
"Apparently,
until last year, he hardly spoke to anyone at the academy. According to Anri,
he was always alone, and as soon as classes ended, he would go home and enter
the forest to train."
I didn't know that. I
had thought he wasn't well-regarded by the academy's students, but I never
thought he had no one to talk to.
"Anri was quite
worried because it's dangerous to enter the forest alone, but he showed no
signs of stopping. She was very concerned, but since the end of last year,
Nozomu-kun's demeanor has changed."
(At that time, if I
recall correctly…)
It was around the time
he became able to release his ability suppression.
I thought Norn-sensei
might know something and listened to her words.
"It's been
particularly noticeable since the beginning of this year. He's even started
smiling at the academy."
(…He's started
smiling…)
A little warmth spread
through my heart at those words. I was happy to think that I had been of some
help to him, even if only a little.
"Hm? Speak of the
devil."
"Eh?"
As I tilted my head at
Norn-sensei's words, the infirmary door opened, and people entered.
"“Excuse
us.”" "Excuse us~~."
"Nozomu, Tima,
Mars-kun, and even Somia…"
The ones who entered
were friends I knew well. I even saw Somia, who was supposed to be at Ekros.
"…A-are you
alright, Ai?"
"Are you okay,
Onee-sama?"
"I met Tima-san
on the way to buy lunch, and she told me Iris got injured. So I met up with
Somia-chan, who came to eat lunch together... are you alright?"
Everyone came to my
bedside.
Tima and Somia peered
at my face with worried eyes, and Nozomu, behind the two, was giving a wry
smile, explaining why Somia was here, but he was also worried about me, just
like Somia and the others.
"Ah, yeah. I'm
fine."
My chest grew even
warmer at his concern for me, and I felt a sense of lightness, but my mouth,
which tried to tell them I was alright, trembled, and I couldn't articulate the
words properly.
"Well, it seems
your friends have come to visit, and your injuries should be alright too. Let's
have lunch for now."
"Ai, here."
At Norn-sensei's
words, Tima took out a wrapped bento and offered it to me. It was my lunch that
I had left in the classroom.
"Ah, thank you,
Tima."
As I accepted the
bento, the infirmary door opened again, and Anri-sensei entered with a beaming
smile. She held her own bento in her hand.
"Norn~~ let's
have lunch~~. Oh, Nozomu-kun and the others are here too~."
"Hello."
After confirming
Nozomu was in the infirmary, she came over, bento in hand.
Her smile seemed to
shine even brighter.
"Oh, my? Who is
this child?"
Anri-sensei looked at
Somia, who was beside me, and tilted her head. Come to think of it, Somia had
never met Anri-sensei and the others.
"Ah, nice to meet
you! I'm Somiliana Francilt. Thank you for always taking care of my
sister!"
Somia greeted
Anri-sensei and Norn-sensei, whom she was meeting for the first time,
cheerfully.
Yes, yes. As an older
sister, I was proud of my sister's well-mannered appearance and couldn't help
but puff out my chest.
"C-cute~~~!"
"Mugyu!"
Perhaps overcome by
Somia's cuteness, Anri-sensei hugged my sister.
No, Anri-sensei, I
understand how you feel, and I sometimes want to hug her too, but please
exercise some restraint.
"Now, now, Anri.
I understand how you feel, but Somia-kun seems to be struggling, so let go of
her. More importantly... I see, so you're Somia-kun."
"Um... you know
about me?"
"Your bracelet,
isn't that what Nozomu-kun gave you? I saw him making your present. Although, I
only saw it halfway through, I haven't seen the finished product. Could you
show me?"
"! W-wait,
Norn-sensei!?"
"Ah, yes! Here
you go!"
Nozomu let out a
surprised voice at Norn-sensei's request, but Somia smiled and showed
Norn-sensei her bracelet.
"Heeh, it's well
made. And this is an Eastern bell, isn't it? Over there, it's used in festivals
and as talismans to ward off evil."
"Yes, it's not
very well made, though..."
"That's not true
at all, Nozomu-san! I was so happy to receive this! Thank you very much!"
"That's right,
Nozomu-kun. What matters with these things is the feeling. You put your
feelings for Somia-kun into the gift, and Somia-kun received it. It's important
to put your feelings of cherishing the other person into the gift. Certainly,
as a crafted item, it might not be as good as something made by a master
craftsman, but in terms of feelings, it's worth more than a master craftsman's
work to Somia-kun, and your feelings have surely reached her."
Somia nodded in
agreement with Norn-sensei's words. Indeed, that bracelet was something Nozomu
had made, resembling the bracelet Somia used to wear.
The bracelet Somia had
worn before was a cursed object for sacrificing Somia's soul, but for Somia,
who had felt lonely without a mother, it was one of the things that confirmed
her family's bond. In fact, after that incident, until Nozomu gave her that
bracelet, she looked a little sad, staring at the bracelet she was wearing.
Now, Somia keeps that
bracelet close to her at all times, even when sleeping or bathing.
In that sense, his
feelings must have been properly conveyed to Somia.
While being soothed by
Somia's happy smile as she gazed at the bracelet, I was honestly a little
envious of Somia.
"…Hey Mars-kun,
did something happen? You seem strange…"
"Eh, ah,
what?"
Tima's words reached
my ears, and when I looked at Mars-kun, he was standing still with a distracted
expression.
"No,
well..."
Mars-kun seemed to
have trouble speaking in front of Tima. Tima was tilting her head, but
honestly, I didn't quite understand either.
"Well, Mars seems
to be a bit out of sorts today."
"…Eh! Mars-kun,
are you alright?"
Tima looked at Mars
with a surprised voice at Nozomu's words.
"Ah, yeah. I'm
fine."
"Speaking of
which~~, Mars-kun was doing something strange during morning class, wasn't he~.
He was trying to use Ki techniques and magic simultaneously, and it wasn't
going well~."
"Whoa!
Whoa!!"
"Hmm~~!
Hmm~~!"
Mars-kun, hearing
Anri-sensei's words, frantically covered her mouth. Come to think of it, he had
been studying magic with Tima recently, so was that what he had been training?
"Simultaneous use
of Ki techniques and magic?! Mars-kun, you were trying to do something quite
difficult. Ki techniques and magic use vastly different powers, so the
difficulty level jumps significantly compared to using only magic or only Ki
techniques multiple times…"
Indeed, that was
certainly true.
Since such advanced
techniques were required, using them in a mock battle would mean he had
accumulated considerable training.
Before coming to this
academy, Tima had not had many good experiences due to her overwhelming magic
power. Therefore, she was reluctant to use new magic or high-powered magic, and
she had trained her magic power control to an almost neurotic degree.
However, her magic
power was still too great, making it difficult to use magic stably.
"…Could it be,
Mars-kun. You used that technique in the mock battle? Even though you still
can't do it well in practice..."
Tima spoke with a sad
voice. As expected, Mars-kun seemed to have used that technique without
sufficient training.
"Tch… I learned
by doing, you know. I thought I'd get the hang of it if I used it in
practice."
"…But it's
dangerous. If it goes out of control by mistake… something terrible could happen!?"
Tima had been looked
at askance since childhood due to her high magic power. For her, uncontrolled
magic was something to avoid at all costs.
More than that, she
probably disliked that Mars-kun had used such reckless techniques without consulting
her at all.
"B-but… actually,
the activation itself went well…"
"But! But,
Mars-kun could have been injured if it went wrong… I, I don't want that…"
Tima's voice had
become almost desperate. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked like she was
about to cry.
"Uu…"
"…………"
Mars-kun, seeing
Tima's desperate state, also seemed to realize he was wrong. His words lost
their force, and he faltered.
"…S-sorry…"
"…You won't be
reckless anymore?"
"N-no, I
won't."
"…Okay."
Tima looked up at
Mars-kun with teary eyes.
Mars-kun, seeing
Tima's earnest expression, probably couldn't continue being stubborn. He
scratched his head and averted his gaze, but he apologized honestly.
"Alright~! Then,
let's have lunch~~! I'm hungry~~."
"…Yes. Let's
eat."
Anri-sensei's
drawn-out voice lightened the atmosphere, and with Nozomu's agreement, everyone
took their seats and spread out their lunches.
"Onee-sama! Let's
eat together!!"
"Ah, okay,
Somia."
Somia came to my side
and spread out her bento. Perhaps because she was eating with everyone, she was
smiling 30% more than usual, and my cheeks relaxed in response.
"…Mars-kun's
bento, did Hanna-san make it?"
"No, this is
Dad's. Dad's in charge of the kitchen. What about yours?"
"…Th-this one,
Mom made it. Sometimes I make it myself…"
"Heh, heh. It
looks well made."
Mars-kun and Tima were
showing each other their bentos. Judging from their appearance, they were still
a little awkward, but the earlier incident didn't seem to be lingering.
"Nozomu-kun~~.
Still buying bread from the store~~?"
"Yes, well.
Honestly, it's easy to get and cheap..."
"But~~. That's
not enough, is it~~. I'll share some of Sensei's with you~~!"
"Ah, thank—why
are you offering it with your fork, Sensei!?"
"Yes, here you
go, aah~~~."
Nozomu and Anri-sensei
were also showing each other their lunches, but... for some reason, Anri-sensei
was trying to feed Nozomu her bento.
...Somehow, I felt
irritated, and my hand holding the fork naturally tightened.
"That's going too
far! It's fine, I can pick it up with my fingers!!"
"Ehh~~. Fingers?
Okay~~."
Anri-sensei tried to
pick up the contents of her bento with her own fingers.
That's not what he
meant!! Why are you trying to pick it up with your fingers?! Are you going to
feed it to Nozomu like that?!
"No, you don't
understand! I'm supposed to use my own fingers, not Sensei's! Anri-sensei just
needs to offer the bento!!"
Nozomu said that, then
hurriedly pinched a bit of Anri-sensei's bento and shoved it into his mouth.
"Booo~~. I was
trying to feed you~."
Anri-sensei puffed out
her cheeks, apparently dissatisfied that things didn't go as she wanted.
So you were going to
feed him after all!
At this moment, I was
so distracted by the commotion in front of me that I completely forgot. I wasn't
the only one who had collapsed in that mock battle.
And that Norn-sensei's
gaze, who wasn't joining the conversation, was directed at the bed next to the
one I was sleeping in.
***
After Nozomu and the
others finished lunch and returned to their respective classrooms, Norn Alteina
recalled the girl who had been sleeping in the bed next to Irisdina's until
recently: Lisa Hounds.
"Hmm…"
"Have you woken
up?"
About ten minutes
before Irisdina awoke, Lisa, who had been sleeping in the infirmary bed, woke
up.
"…The
infirmary?"
"Yes, that's
right. Do you know why you're here?"
"…Yes."
Lisa seemed fully
conscious, answering Norn's questions without issue.
"I see. I
checked, and you have a bruise from the magic bullet that hit your abdomen. It
might hurt a little, but it should heal in a few days. If the pain persists,
see a doctor."
Norn was telling her
the results of the examination, but she seemed preoccupied with the other
patient next to her, her gaze flickering.
"Are you
concerned about her? Well, after examining her, she's fine too. Like you, the
pain will last a few days, but she'll get better soon."
"Is that…
so…?"
Norn, seeing Lisa's
somewhat distracted state, confirmed that Irisdina was still asleep, then asked
a slightly probing question.
"…Or are you
concerned not about Irisdina-kun, but about the male student she's worried
about?"
"…What do you
mean?"
Lisa's expression
instantly stiffened. Her gaze naturally sharpened, and even though she knew it
was rude to her elder, she couldn't stop the surge of intense emotion from deep
within her chest.
"It's nothing
important. It's just that she's been quite worried about Nozomu-kun lately.
Well, it's just a little bit of meddling, you know."
Norn subtly brought up
the rumor about Nozomu.
"…I don't think
there's anything to talk about. All I can say is that he's the worst kind of
guy. …Honestly, I don't want to remember anything about him anymore."
"…I see."
Lisa answered Norn's question
with a bitter expression, but perhaps not wanting to be questioned further
about Nozomu, she averted her gaze to the window and got up from the bed.
Her attitude indicated
that she had no intention of saying anything more, and Norn didn't press her
further.
For a while, a heavy
atmosphere hung in the infirmary, but when a knock echoed from the door, as if
someone had come to visit, the heavy atmosphere dissipated. Following the
knock, two students entered.
One was Ken Notice,
Lisa's current boyfriend. The other was Camila, Lisa's best friend.
"Norn-sensei. How
is Lisa doing?"
Ken politely asked
Norn about Lisa's condition, and Norn stated that there were no problems.
Norn calmly stated
Lisa's condition, but her gaze at Ken was somewhat sharp.
"She has a bruise
on her abdomen, but there are no problems. The pain should subside in a few
days."
"Thank you very
much. Lisa, let's go."
"Yes. Thank you,
Norn-sensei."
Ken and Lisa thanked
Norn for the treatment, but she left the infirmary with a displeased expression
from what had just happened, and the two followed.
Norn confirmed that
the three had disappeared beyond the door. She then let out a deep sigh.
"…Oh dear. This
looks like it's going to be tough."
Norn, who was somewhat
aware of what was happening between Nozomu, Lisa, and Ken, chose to remain an
observer.
However, since they
were all important students, she couldn't help but be concerned.
Hoping to understand
Lisa's true feelings, she subtly asked about Nozomu, but it was still a wound
Lisa didn't want touched, and she was completely rejected.
"But, I wonder if
she realizes it?"
However, she did learn
something from Lisa's demeanor.
Norn opened the window
and looked up at the sky. Warm sunlight streamed in, and the still slightly cold
spring breeze swept away the stagnant air remaining in the room. It was as if
it was erasing the traces of what had just happened.
"Lisa-kun. The
opposite of love is not dislike or hatred, you know…"
The sleeping princess,
who was still asleep, did not notice Norn's whispered words, which were swept
away by the spring breeze.
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