It hurts like hell…

This cut was deeper than the scratch I got during my spar with the class representative last time.

Yoon Si-woo seemed to be struggling a bit with guilt, probably because he ended up slashing my hand with his sword.

Honestly, while he wasn’t entirely at fault, it was my mistake for trying to block the blade with my hand.

So, I told him not to worry too much.

“Don’t think about it.”

When I said that, he looked like he was about to cry, typical of someone with a strong sense of justice.

Seriously, even if I told him not to worry, he still acts like that.

After somehow managing to pull off my protective gear with one hand while clutching my injury, I limped out.

I thought I saw a color other than red around the wound, so I tried hard not to look at it on purpose.

Usually, when you look at an injury like this, it hurts even more…

Last time, a classmate who could use a simple healing spell had treated my minor wound, but this time it looked like that wouldn’t be enough.

“I’m going to the nurse’s office.”

After saying that to Eve, I headed to the infirmary.

Eve’s expression wasn’t great, probably since one of her classmates was bleeding all over the place.

*

When I opened the infirmary door, the nurse was once again dozing off against the back of her chair.

As I stepped inside, she startled awake, as if she felt my presence.

“I wasn’t sleeping! I wasn’t sleeping! I was just meditating for a moment!”

Every time I see her, she seems to be meditating, so I thought she must be on her way to becoming a 9th Circle Archmage or something.

Her reaction was so similar to last time that it felt like she hadn’t just napped for a day or two.

She was probably doing something behind the scenes, but every time I saw her, she was always dozing off, which made me think that being a school nurse must be a pretty sweet gig.

Wiping her drool, the nurse stared blankly for a moment before looking at me with wide eyes.

Maybe she thought I was one of those comic characters who faint while smoking, now there I was, blood dripping from my hand.

She glanced at my hand then back at my face and asked with a somewhat puzzled expression.

“Are you… okay?”

With all this blood spilling out, how could I be okay?

I felt a bit silly and responded in a small voice.

“Do I look okay?”

“No, not at all. First, let me see your hand. I’ll treat you.”

When I extended my hand, the nurse pressed on my arm, wiped the blood with a gauze, and then took out a saline solution to wash the wound.

Next, as she placed her hand over the cut, it slowly started to heal.

Is this magic too?

Watching the gaping wound close up gradually was oddly fascinating.

By the way, she was doing all the disinfecting and applying pressure too.

After seeing Eve’s illusion magic, this strangely realistic method of treatment was hard to get used to.

Aren’t treatments in fantasy typically done with a quick healing spell or potion that wraps everything up in a jiffy?

That’s how it felt with the healing spell my classmate had used last time.

Curious, I asked the nurse while my wound was healing.

“The healing spell my classmate used healed a minor wound really quickly. Can’t you do something like that?”

“It’s not impossible, but with larger wounds, unless it’s an emergency, it’s generally much better to use spells that increase your natural healing rather than a one-time recovery spell. Healing magic isn’t all-powerful. Sometimes, treated wounds can get infected from the inside later, and if you keep getting healing spells, your body may get used to them and lose its natural healing ability. Besides, it’s rare to even find a magician who can heal large wounds all at once.”

Hearing such a detailed explanation while using magic made her seem much more professional compared to the image I had of her earlier.

Well, being a teacher at the Aegis Academy already implies she’s elite.

Even if she’s not as impressive as Eve, everyone there should be experts in their fields.

But the thought that constantly receiving healing magic prevents the body from healing naturally was a bit scary.

Does that mean something like hemophilia could develop?

People seem to be dying everywhere; no, let’s not think like that.

Once the wound healed, leaving only a slight redness, the nurse wrapped a bandage around my hand and said,

“Even if it seems healed, it could easily reopen, so try not to strain your hand for a while.”

After saying that, the nurse locked eyes with me and added in a worried voice.

“I do counseling too, so if you ever want to talk about something, feel free to come and chat.”

Having a private consultation with the nurse felt a bit… suggestive.

I shook my head to stop my imagination from spiraling out of control, nodded, and left the infirmary.

*

When I returned to the classroom, it was break time, and all eyes were on me.

The class representative approached me with a worried look and asked if I was okay.

“I’m fine.”

I replied, swinging my hand wrapped lightly in a bandage.

“…Okay, but if it gets too tough, be sure to tell me.”

For some reason, the class rep seemed a tad disappointed.

…Could it be that everyone secretly hoped I wasn’t okay?

Why does saying I’m fine seem to make their expressions worse?

I don’t get it.

I stopped thinking and sat down, listening to “Good Morning” in a daze for about an hour until lunch.

Having cleared my stomach nicely in the morning and lost quite a bit of blood, I asked the cafeteria staff for a hefty serving.

As I carried a plate full of food, remembering the nurse’s advice not to strain my hand, I held the plate with my uninjured right hand and felt Yoon Si-woo’s eyes on me.

It’s probably shocking to see me eat this much.

I had always found it incredible how girls managed to put meals and desserts into their tiny bodies, but now that I was a girl, it started to make sense.

Everything fits right in!

Even though I wasn’t particularly hungry, I felt like my capacity to eat had increased.

As I diligently stuffed food into my stomach, I noticed Sylvia’s ears perk up.

I instinctively suppressed the urge to dash to the snack bar.

The moment her ears perked, I could tell she was oddly aware of me.

Even if I hurried to buy her macarons now, she probably wouldn’t accept them, and it would likely backfire.

Was there no way?

A way to give Sylvia the macarons…

Simply buying them and handing them over like I was planning now felt like it wouldn’t work at all.

I needed to come up with a strategy to prevent Sylvia Coin from being delisted.

pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa Good morning~

Ah, seriously!

Thinking while listening to this pa pa pa sound was impossible.

It was worse than hearing “Ring Ding Dong” the day before an exam…

Feeling frustrated, I went up to the rooftop and spotted Leonor.

Was she some kind of rooftop-dwelling NPC?

Her location suited her appearance perfectly.

I had deliberately chosen a spot a bit further away, but for some reason, she casually moved closer to me upon seeing me.

I thought she was a fixed NPC, but she could actually move.

I felt like she should exclaim “Challenge!” with a thought bubble over her head if our eyes met, but the background music was “Good Morning,” so I decided to let that go.

Leonor casually leaned against the railing next to me and engaged me in conversation.

“You seem to be in a good mood today. What’s up?”

In a good mood?

Oh, right.

I was smiling.

Today was my “Smile Evan Mode.”

Huh, I had a feeling we’d had a similar conversation this morning.

Listening to the lyrics ringing in my head, I replied.

“Just, the day is beautiful.”

“The weather is indeed nice today. By the way, you should smile like that more often. It’s a waste to keep that cute face expressionless all the time.”

Leonor said with a mischievous grin.

As expected of a blonde delinquent, her flirting lines came out naturally.

Though she was also a girl.

While thinking about that, I caught sight of Leonor pulling out a magic stick and putting it to her lips.

Seeing that, I instinctively reached out my right arm and lit the stick for her.

Nodding vaguely in thanks, she chuckled softly as she began to smoke.

Ah, it smells nice…

After a little sniff, I asked her.

“Hey, how much is one of those?”

“This? Hmm… about 3,000 gold each?”

That’s incredibly expensive…!

That tiny thing costs as much as three hosts worth…

But… but I hadn’t paid my friend fee today, so maybe it’s okay?

“I’ll pay you, so could I get one too?”

“I don’t really need money… Alright. But you can’t inhale all at once like last time, okay?”

With a teasing voice warning me, Leonor held out the magic stick.

I don’t plan on creating more self-inflicted embarrassing moments.

I took it, lit it with my right hand, and inhaled the smoke.

Hiss, whew…

Slowly, the smoke I inhaled lingered in my lungs before being exhaled.

After the first inhale, the tension in my face relaxed,

After the second inhale, the song ringing in my head quieted down.

Ah… this effect is phenomenal.

“…Hey, are you okay?”

Leonor next to me asked in a worried tone.

Am I okay?

Not really.

My forcibly cloudy head was becoming annoyingly clear.

But maybe, this is better.

I inhaled, then exhaled the smoke.

The song stopped and my mind started to clear a little…

Sylvia, macarons, 3,000 gold, magic stick costs, money, Leonor, cooking club, part-time job, 100,000 gold.

Plans began to take shape rapidly in my head.

I suppressed a chuckle at the strategy forming.

That smile was a mixture of self-mockery, scorn, and a bitter grin.

Such a piece of trash.

Even while mocking myself, I was contemplating possibilities in my mind.

If I hadn’t planned to do it, I wouldn’t have even thought about it.

I steeled my resolve and said to Leonor.

“Do you perhaps have time after school today?”

I wondered what expression I wore while saying that.