Volume 6
Chapter 19
At a time when Jihad and the others were dealing with Mekuria's letter, Nozomu and the others were in the academy's courtyard. In the courtyard, many students were already sitting in their favorite spots and enjoying their lunch. The cafeteria adjacent to the courtyard was bustling with students who had gathered to satisfy their hunger, and the noise echoed outside.
They found a suitable
spot in the shade of a tree and sat on the ground. As they opened their bento
boxes, a variety of lunches, each with its own unique personality, spread out
as if at an exhibition. Irisdina and Somia had soft-looking white bread with
ham and cheese packed into their lunch boxes. Shina and Tima's bento boxes were
very similar to Irisdina's, with round, donut-shaped bread and fruits and a
green salad on the side. However, she was a light eater, so her portion was
considerably smaller than Irisdina's.
On the other hand,
Mars, who had a large body, ate a lot, and he had two lunch boxes: one filled
with large bread and the other with side dishes. The side dishes were cold, but
the colorful vegetables were arranged in an appealing way. They were probably
leftovers from the store.
Mimuru and Tom were
sharing a large lunch box. When I asked if Tom made it, the surprising answer
was that it was Mimuru. The lunch, which was made with a generous amount of
colorful ingredients even though it was cold, made Nozomu's mouth water just by
looking at it. However, he was a little concerned that Tom's face looked pale
for some reason.
By the way, Nozomu and
Feo's meals were, as usual, cheap and unappetizing black bread. Feo hadn't
gotten out of his financial difficulties, and Nozomu, a struggling student,
didn't have much money to begin with. The amount was honestly not enough to
satisfy them, but it couldn't be helped.
He chewed on the dry,
tasteless black bread.
"Mph,
chew..."
The hard, dry black
bread was difficult to swallow. He felt like today's bread was even harder to
eat than usual. Nozomu tilted his head, slowly chewed it until it was soft, and
then swallowed it. Even so, he still felt a choking sensation in the back of
his throat, and he frowned.
Jihad had suddenly
appeared in his classroom at the end of the afternoon class. While Nozomu was
dazed by the sudden visit of the Chief Instructor, he was dragged out by Jihad
and thrown into the just-repaired Martial Arts Garden, where he was forced into
a mock battle. Before he could even ask Jihad what was going on, he was hit
with the Jaw Breaker. Feeling his life was in danger, Nozomu resisted with all
his might. He also ran around, one might say. However, his desperate resistance
was in vain, and Nozomu was thrown into the air, slammed to the ground, and
forced to let out a scream like a frog's.
"Hah..."
A sigh escaped from
Nozomu's mouth. At the same time, as he recalled the mock battle, he was
cursing in his heart, "That clueless
middle-aged man..." Recently, Nozomu's impression of Jihad had been
steadily deteriorating. Well, to put it nicely, he was getting used to him. To
put it badly, Nozomu had become less reserved.
"Nozomu, are you
okay?"
"Your face still
looks pale..."
" Well, it was also a part of my training with Master..."
Perhaps worried about
the exhausted Nozomu, Irisdina and Shina were looking at him with worried
expressions. Nozomu smiled and waved his hand at them, but then he let out a
big sigh again.
The mock battles with
Jihad, which had started a few days ago, were now happening every few days.
Direct instruction from an excellent instructor was usually only allowed for
the upper grades, such as the 1st grade, but in Nozomu's case, it had become an
abnormal situation where Jihad was directly instructing him.
However, the reason
for this was obvious.
"Well, it's
probably because Nozomu went wild in that mock battle."
"In fact, besides
Nozomu-kun, there was no one in our grade who could make Jihad-sensei use the
Jaw Breaker..."
"In other words,
it's Nozomu's own fault."
Nozomu's shoulders
slumped at Feo's, Tima's, and Mars's words. It wasn't that Nozomu regretted
showing his swordsmanship to Jihad, Lisa, and the others, and the
underclassmen; he thought it was a good thing. In fact, the rumors that Ken had
planted in the academy were dying down, and some of the underclassmen were even
actively talking to Nozomu. The underclassmen who were still anxious about
taking on quests in the forest were all coming to talk to Nozomu, and Eldor
would sometimes bring a wooden sword and ask, "Please!" asking Nozomu
for a bout. Nozomu was happy that his knowledge was useful, so he would
politely answer the underclassmen's questions when he had time, and he would
have a light bout with Eldor.
Now, Nozomu's
reputation among the underclassmen was skyrocketing, and there were almost no
people who would give him contemptuous or inappropriate looks. When he left the
dormitory in the morning, he would be greeted warmly by his underclassmen, and
he would smile and reply to them.
Nozomu had always been
looked down upon, but his surroundings had changed dramatically in the past few
days. However, when he thought about the mock battles with Jihad that would
continue, Nozomu would recall nostalgic scenes in his mind, and his eyes would
naturally well up with tears.
"I thought Jihad-sensei
was a little more decent than this~."
Although his
impression had changed a little recently, Jihad was originally a reasonable
person. He was very knowledgeable, and despite having a lot of power in
Solminati Academy and Arcazam, he also had the reason and integrity not to be
drowned in it. He was undoubtedly a person who was respected and admired by all
countries, and he was the pillar of Solminati Academy. However, it was also
true that he was busy with his duties as an instructor at this academy and as a
contact person for the council that governed this city, and he had fewer
opportunities to swing his own sword.
Jihad was originally a
pure swordsman. He might have been happy to have someone like Nozomu, who could
fight him to a certain extent, in a place where there were many inexperienced
students and he had few opportunities to swing his own sword. Now, Jihad had
started setting up mock battles with Nozomu every few days. Thanks to that,
Nozomu was experiencing life-threatening situations many times, just like when
he was training with Shino.
"It might be a
little too much, but he probably thinks highly of Nozomu."
"And because of
this, there's no one who doubts Nozomu's skill anymore, right? Even the people
who used to curse Nozomu don't make eye contact with us anymore."
As he continued to
have mock battles with Jihad, Nozomu's skill was surely made known throughout
the academy. There was now no one who doubted Nozomu's skill. The rumor about
him being a cheating scumbag was still a topic of debate, but most of the
students who had looked down on Nozomu were now avoiding him. They were afraid
of his retaliation after finding out that their opponent, whom they had been
making fun of, was a much more skilled person than they had imagined.
However, Nozomu had no
intention of retaliating, nor did he have the time to. He was already at his
wit's end with Lisa, Ken, and Tiamat, and he didn't have the luxury of worrying
about other people.
"Nozomu-kun, how
have things been recently?"
"What do you
mean?"
"I mean... about
that Dragon. Is it still..."
"Yeah, I had that
dream again today..."
The battle with Tiamat
in his dream. In that fight, which had been happening regularly since he had
fought the Machine-shell Dragon and confessed everything to Irisdina and the
others, the Dragon was still running wild, trying to take him over. Each time,
he was overwhelmed and had a vision of his own death over and over again.
Even so, he was able
to wake up in the real world without his mind being eaten by Tiamat. However,
the mental strain was by no means light. If they looked closely, there were
dark circles under Nozomu's eyes, and his complexion was not very good. To be
honest, Nozomu couldn't concentrate much in his morning classes, and his mind
still felt hazy.
Nozomu's pale
complexion was partly due to the nerve-wracking mock battles with Jihad, but it
was probably mostly due to the mental tug-of-war with Tiamat.
"And recently, I
feel like something is off about that guy..."
Tiamat had always
tried to kill Nozomu with a clear killing intent, but recently, Nozomu had felt
a change in him. His eyes were still filled with the same anger, but it felt as
if some other emotion was swirling in the depths of them. However, Nozomu still
didn't know what it was.
Lost in thought,
Nozomu once again chewed on the dry black bread.
"Here, Tom! Have
a bite!"
"U-um..."
Nozomu caught a
glimpse of Mimuru offering a sandwich she was holding to Tom. She was snuggled
up to Tom and taking care of him, and she had none of her usual playful aura.
She looked like a loving couple no matter how you looked at her.
But why was Tom's gaze
wandering as he looked at the sandwich Mimuru had offered him?
Nozomu called out to
Tom, who had been acting strangely for a while.
"Tom? Is
something wrong?"
"N-no, it's
nothing!?"
Nozomu tilted his head
at Tom's faltering reply. He looked into Mimuru's lunch box, wondering if there
was something strange in it, but there were only neatly cut sandwiches inside.
"They're made so
neatly."
"Of course!
They're for Tom!"
"This is a
surprise... I didn't think the embodiment of a nosy, peeping tom had this much
cooking skill."
"...What's that
supposed to mean?"
Nozomu and Mars
couldn't help but let out a voice of admiration at the sandwiches, which were
made so carefully that it was hard to imagine from her usual instinctive words
and actions. Mimuru was glaring at Mars with a side-eye because he had
accidentally let out his true feelings, but it was understandable that he would
say such a thing. In fact, her friends around them were also looking at her
with wide eyes and surprised expressions, even though they weren't saying
anything.
"It's certainly a
surprise, but it smells good and looks delicious."
Perhaps because he had
been living in poverty recently and hadn't been able to eat a decent meal, Feo
was looking at Mimuru's sandwiches with a longing look.
"What, do you
want one? Fine, but I'm going to charge you for it."
"You're going to
charge me for it?!"
Feo couldn't help but
let out a voice of surprise at Mimuru, who had taken out a slice of sandwich
and asked for money, but she just tilted her head as if to say, "What's
wrong with this guy?" It seemed that her cooking was expensive for anyone
other than Tom.
"W-well, I think
it's fine, isn't it? Since we're all eating together, I think it's okay for you
to share some?"
"If Tom says so,
then fine... Here, be grateful."
"Oh, as expected
of Tom! You understand!"
Feo, who had been
pouting, immediately cheered up when Mimuru, at Tom's words, shared a sandwich
with him. Feo replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" and grabbed the
sandwich in Mimuru's hand. Mimuru was pouting a little, but she sighed as if to
say, "It can't be helped," and held out the lunch box to everyone.
"Can we have some
too?"
"Sure. But there
isn't much."
Even though she was a
little dissatisfied with their earlier comments, she was probably genuinely
happy to have her cooking praised. Contrary to her somewhat apathetic tone, a
smile was on Mimuru's lips.
"Then, thank you
for the meal~."
"Since you're
offering, I'll gladly accept."
"O-oh, then...
I'll take this."
"Then, I'll take
you up on that offer..."
"Huh?
W-wait..."
Perhaps curious, Somia
and Irisdina also reached for Mimuru's lunch box and took a slice of sandwich.
Nozomu was also concerned about Shina's flustered state, but since it was a
rare occasion, he also accepted a sandwich from Mimuru. He could tell that the
meat in the sandwich was thick and that a lot of spices were used, as the
appetizing smell wafted into his nose. It was hard to imagine given her usual
behavior, but the taste seemed quite promising.
"I-is everyone
going to eat...?"
While everyone had
taken a slice of sandwich, only Shina hadn't taken one.
"Huh, Shina-kun,
are you not having any?"
"Uh, no. I can't
eat that much..."
The bread Shina had
brought for lunch only had a few bites taken out of it. Considering her slender
body, she was probably a light eater and ate slowly. Shina waved her hand
apologetically.
Feo, without even
caring about her, stuffed the sandwich he had taken from Mimuru into his mouth.
"Hehe, then let's
get started... Guhahhh!!"
"...Huh?"
The next moment, Feo
suddenly let out a scream and fell to the ground. Everyone there was speechless
at the sight of him with his face buried in the grass and his body trembling.
"Ah, there he
goes..."
"...Shina, what
does that mean?"
Nozomu timidly asked Shina,
who was holding her forehead and looking up at the sky.
"Mimuru can cook,
but sometimes she'll mix in things that have a terrible taste. And you can't
tell the difference from the appearance or the smell, so the only way to find
out is to eat it..."
" " "............"
" "
Nozomu, who was dazed
after hearing Shina's words, timidly checked the sandwich he was holding. The
smell and the ingredients inside were no different from a regular sandwich, but
after hearing what Shina said, he felt as if he was holding a dangerous poison.
Irisdina and the
others were also speechless at the sudden tragedy that had unfolded in front of
them. In the corner of Nozomu's vision, Mimuru was getting angry at Feo, who
had suddenly fallen to the ground, saying, "How rude to suddenly yell and
collapse like that!" It seemed she had no idea why Feo had collapsed.
"Well, whatever.
Here's your portion, Tom!"
"O-oh, thank you.
I'm so... happy..."
But Mimuru, leaving
Feo, who had fallen to the ground, with a "whatever," snuggled up to
Tom as if nothing had happened. In her hand was the sandwich that had just been
designated as a dangerous substance among Nozomu and the others. Mimuru's tail
was wagging, as if expecting a reaction from Tom. The way she was looking at
her lover with sparkling eyes was that of a pure maiden in love.
"Hey, hey, hurry,
hurry!"
Mimuru purred like a
cat, and snuggled up to him even more. Seeing Mimuru like that, Nozomu and the
others couldn't bring themselves to throw away the sandwiches, even though they
knew it might be a dangerous substance that could kill them. The same went for
Tom, who was the one being shown that pure affection.
Nozomu, Irisdina, and
Tom's gazes met. Nozomu and the others, who had a sandwich in their hands,
closed their eyes tightly and steeled themselves, then took a bite all at once.
At the same time, an indescribable taste, which was the complete opposite of
the appetizing smell, spread in their mouths.
In a word, it was an
explosion of flavor. The bread, which was pure white, was somehow salty, and
the vegetables had a strong, bitter taste that made them feel nauseous. And the
meat that was in between them was strangely intensely sweet and sour on their
tongues. It was a truly miraculous sandwich that condensed all the flavors a
person could feel. Nozomu's face turned bright red in an instant, and the next
moment, it turned pale.
"Nozomu-kun?
Wait, what?!"
Nozomu lost
consciousness, hearing Shina's flustered voice as his consciousness turned
white.
***
As usual, the
cafeteria of Solminati Academy was bustling with people during lunchtime. At a
table in a corner of the cafeteria, three people were having lunch, and their
gazes were fixed on Irisdina and the others, who were flustered and huddling
around the fallen Nozomu in the academy courtyard.
One of the three,
Camilla, was poking at the food in front of her with a spoon and glanced at her
best friend and classmate next to her. The spoon she was holding was lowered,
and her soup had completely gone cold.
"Lisa."
"Huh?! Wh-what is
it?!"
"Your soup is
getting cold."
"...Oh."
When she called out to
her, who was dazed, she hurriedly resumed eating. But the cold soup was not
delicious, and Lisa frowned a little. Next to Lisa, Ken was also eating.
"Lisa, is
something wrong?"
"U-uh... Nothing
at all..."
Lisa replied to Ken's
question with a stiff expression. Her expression was the same as usual, with a
smile on her face. But recently, whenever Camilla saw that smile, a sense of
discomfort would rapidly rise in her chest. Lisa also seemed to feel an
indescribable sense of unease and anxiety at Ken's recent smiles, and her
replies were somewhat awkward.
Lisa and Ken were like
gears that were not meshing properly. A silence lay between them, and the distance
between them seemed like a bottomless canyon. Camilla silently watched the
awkward conversation between the two.
"Hey, look at
that..."
"Oh, that
person..."
Amidst the noise
around them, voices reached Camilla's ears. When Camilla looked in the
direction of the voices, she saw two underclassmen looking at them.
"That person is
Lisa-senpai, right? Nozomu-senpai's ex-girlfriend..."
"The person
Nozomu-senpai dumped? But that rumor turned out to be a lie, didn't it? Then,
is it that..."
Their impolite gazes
were directed at Camilla and the others. The words that had entered her ears
made Camilla uncontrollably conscious of them. The same went for Lisa, who was
sitting next to her.
Lisa's lips trembled
at their voices. Her face was hidden by her bangs, so her expression couldn't
be seen. The underclassmen were talking about the rumors about Nozomu and Lisa
that had recently resurfaced in the academy. But the story that was being
spread this time was completely different from before.
Before, the story was
that Nozomu was a scumbag who had cheated on and dumped Lisa, but recently, a
story had started to spread among some of the underclassmen that all the past
stories were lies, and that Lisa had dumped Nozomu after his Ability
Suppression was activated.
Curiosity and
speculation, as well as suspicion and distrust. Such impolite gazes were
directed at Lisa.
"...Sorry, I'm
going to go back first."
Lisa, who was bothered
by the underclassmen's words, silently put down her spoon and got up from her
seat. Her voice was clearly weak and powerless.
"Lisa, I'll go
with you."
"U-uh, it's okay.
Sorry..."
Lisa stopped Ken, who
was about to go with her, with one hand and left the cafeteria. The smile on
her face when she refused his company was somewhat fake.
"Tch!!"
After Lisa was no
longer in sight, Ken glared at the underclassmen who had been talking about her
in hushed tones. The anger that was emanating from Ken's entire body instantly
sublimated into a dark hostility, and it was thrown at the underclassmen.
In the face of the
extremely dense pressure, the underclassmen who had been peeking at Camilla and
the others flinched, hurriedly got up from their seats, and left the cafeteria
with pale faces.
"Goodness, what a
problem. These underclassmen recently..."
"Wait,
Ken!?"
This was not a
training ground or a deserted forest. It was a student cafeteria where many
people gathered. Perhaps reacting to Ken's hostility, Camilla and the others
were now the center of attention in the entire cafeteria. No, it might have
been closer to a killing intent than hostility. A dangerous atmosphere that
made their hair stand on end was beginning to fill the cafeteria.
Killing intent was,
literally, the intention to kill someone. To direct such an intent in a public
place like this was not just a breach of manners. In fact, the other students
who were eating around them were also frowning and glaring at Ken with visible
displeasure.
"...Hmph."
But Ken, who glanced
at them, showed no sign of regret or reflection. Ken snorted as if to say he
hadn't done anything wrong. His face showed a conviction that what he had done
was not wrong. That resolute, yet unsettling expression was what was stirring
up the anxiety in Camilla's heart.
"Ken, come with
me for a second."
"Hmm, what is
it?"
"Just come
on!"
Camilla got up, driven
by her anxiety, and urged Ken to follow her. She grabbed Ken's hand, who was
looking puzzled, and almost forcefully dragged him out of the cafeteria. She
didn't know what he would do if he stayed in the cafeteria. Driven by that
anxiety, Camilla ignored Ken, who seemed to have something to say, and quickly
left the cafeteria.
The place Camilla took
Ken to was a quiet corner of a corridor, far from the lively noise. The
sunlight streaming in from the window was scorching their skin. When they
arrived at the deserted place, Camilla criticized Ken in a rough tone.
"What in the
world are you thinking?! To suddenly show killing intent toward underclassmen
in a place like that!"
It was true that the
underclassmen who were so openly talking about such a scandal were also at
fault, but Ken's attitude was too arrogant. And his arrogant attitude afterward
was also too much. There was no need for him to show hostility toward people
who had nothing to do with it. Lisa was already unstable and emotionally
vulnerable. In such a state, Ken's attitude might buy unnecessary resentment
and corner Lisa even further.
No, recently, Ken had
already started to show his anger every time he heard the rumor and Lisa had a
pained expression, and he had started to gain unnecessary disapproval from
those around him. And a vicious cycle had started where they were now getting
stern looks from others because Ken was showing hostility toward those around
him. In fact, even their classmates, who had been on Lisa's side after Nozomu
had shown his skill, were not talking to them anymore.
"It's a natural
consequence for people who hurt Lisa."
But Ken was not
listening to Camilla. He was glaring at the underclassmen who had hurt Lisa,
and his handsome face was twisted in anger.
Camilla narrowed her
eyes sharply and glared at Ken. Her gaze was filled with a strong suspicion.
"You've been
acting weird lately. You never used to lash out at people like that
before."
Ken also narrowed his
eyes at Camilla's sharp gaze. But he immediately took a deep breath and
shrugged his shoulders. The next moment, the anger he had just shown was gone
without a trace, and he was back to his usual self.
"Weird? What do
you mean? Isn't it necessary to protect Lisa?"
"What do you
mean... you should know that if you lash out at people like that, you'll gain
unnecessary anger from everyone, right?"
Camilla's voice, which
was suppressing her anger, was the complete opposite of Ken's flat tone. With
her shoulders trembling, Camilla's eyes were fixed on Ken. It was as if she was
trying to find out what was hidden behind his eyes.
Even though Camilla
was acting so obviously suspicious, Ken's expression didn't change at all, and
a smile even appeared on his lips. Camilla's anger was rapidly rising in her
chest at his face, which was the same as always and seemed to say that nothing
he was doing was wrong. But Ken's answer to her complaint made her speechless.
"What are you
talking about, Camilla? We just have to get rid of the people who hurt Lisa,
right?"
"What?!"
The color of his
gentle smile was cold, and his flat tone convinced her that he didn't doubt his
words at all. Camilla's back felt as if an icicle had been stabbed into it from
Ken's words and actions, which seemed to suggest that there was no one other
than Lisa. She couldn't move a single finger, and no words came out of her
mouth even though she wanted to say something.
"It's true that
Nozomu has gotten a little stronger, but in the end, we're the only ones who
can protect Lisa, right?"
"You... what in
the world are you...?"
Ken's smile deepened,
and an unpleasant premonition rapidly swelled at his words. Ken's figure, who
should have been there, was losing its sense of reality, like a scene seen
through glass. The words that were being spoken as a monologue sounded like a
foreign language to Camilla's ears.
Nozomu's words came to
Camilla's mind. Nozomu had never gotten angry even when he was pushed down and
cursed at. And more than anything, the words he said to Lisa, who was flustered
and panicking, were always gentle.
I've been
running away all this time. If I had really thought about Lisa, I should have
kept talking to her back then, no matter how much she cursed me or hit me.
I told myself
it was for her sake, but I ran away to my training and didn't try to face her.
I thought that if I continued to train diligently, she would eventually believe
that the rumors were false. It's a stupid story, isn't it? There's no way Lisa
would look at me when I was running away and not facing her...
Nozomu's words flowed
through her mind like a shooting star. At the same time, a chill that froze her
entire body ran down Camilla's spine. At that time, Nozomu had indeed denied
that he had cheated. The words "I
didn't cheat!" suddenly became the truth, and at the same time, the
facts she had believed in until now changed into something as flimsy as scrap
paper. The belief that "Nozomu
betrayed us" was replaced by the truth that "Ken betrayed us," and everything she had believed until now
was completely flipped like two sides of a coin.
"N-no way...
T-then I..."
Camilla could only
stand there in a daze, feeling as if the world had been turned upside down and
she was falling into a dark night sky. In front of Camilla, who was standing
there as if she had lost herself, Ken was smiling with affection.
"I will
definitely protect Lisa. To do that, I have to get rid of Nozomu... You'll help
me too, right, Camilla?"
The words he said as
if it were a matter of course were now only making her uncontrollably
frustrated. Camilla, who had been dazed after realizing that she had been
deceived until now and was hearing Ken's words, which were nothing more than
delusions, had her face instantly dyed with anger.
"! You...!"
"You don't have
to look at me like that, you should be willing to cooperate. Because we're
'friends,' aren't we?"
"Friends."
That word pierced
Camilla's chest. Camilla's hand, which was about to grab him, stopped as if it
had been frozen. Yes, it was an undeniable fact that she had been danced around
by Ken's lies, had cursed and criticized Nozomu, and while trying to help Lisa
recover, she had ended up stagnating her progress. That fact began to torment
her uncontrollably. Her outstretched hand drooped powerlessly. The hand that
had been tightly clenched had her nails digging into it without her realizing
it, and she was trembling from the guilt that was welling up in her.
At that moment, the
chime rang. Students who had finished their lunch were starting to appear in
the corridor where the two of them were.
"It's time. Let's
go back now."
Ken urged her to go
back to the classroom and turned his back to her. His words, which had not
changed in tone at all, were still hollow, slipping past Camilla's ears like a
ghost's. Even though Ken had started walking and the students who were
returning to their classrooms were giving them strange looks, Camilla was
unable to move, with her head down. Her lips were tightly clenched, and her
clenched fist was stained red with blood that had oozed out without her
realizing it. It was as if to tell the story of her regret.
***
In the infirmary,
which was filled with the smell of medicine, a beautiful woman with alluring
legs that were not shyly hidden was sitting in a chair. She looked at the boy
lying on the bed in front of her and put her hand on his forehead with an
exasperated look.
"And you brought
them here, huh..."
Norn, the owner of the
infirmary, was writing in her logbook with a sigh, and she was listening to the
story of how Nozomu and Feo, who were lying on the bed, were brought here. Only
Nozomu and Feo were lying on the bed. It seemed that the food Irisdina and the
others had chosen was not the miraculous sandwich. According to Irisdina and
the others, the sandwiches they had eaten were normally delicious. It was a
miraculous sandwich that had achieved a perfect balance of flavors. To be
honest, Nozomu didn't feel like he could make something like that even if he
was told to.
They were able to eat
such a wonderful creation, but unfortunately, there was not a single trace of
satisfaction. By the way, the cat-tailed girl, who was the cause of the
problem, was tilting her head repeatedly, wondering why this had happened.
Nozomu was lamenting in his heart, "We're
the ones who want to know why it happened."
"Norn-sensei, I'm
sorry."
"I'm not angry.
It's just that it's the first time I've had a student come to the infirmary for
a reason like this..."
Nozomu, who was lying
down, let out an apologetic voice. Feo, who was lying next to him, was still in
pain, groaning under the blanket. Norn's diagnosis was that there were no
problems other than their sense of taste. However, their mouths were completely
numb, and they couldn't feel their tongues.
"Well, you don't
have a fever, so you should be fine in a little while... Probably."
A sweat ran down the
foreheads of everyone in the room, including Nozomu, at her words.
The food wasn't
rotten, and everyone except for Mimuru had a complicated expression on their
faces at her great accomplishment of knocking people out with just the taste of
food using regular ingredients.
"Nozomu-kun and
Feo-kun should go home for today. I'll tell Anri myself, so go back to your
dormitory. I'll tell you this, you're to stay in bed just in case."
"O-okay..."
As soon as the chime
rang, their friends returned to their classrooms, and Nozomu and the others
went back to their dormitory and lay down on their beds. Nozomu fell asleep in
his peaceful room. But a few days later, he would wake up to a loud noise and
would be dragged into a new incident. And that was the beginning of the
collapse.
-----
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