As I opened my eyes in a hazy state of mind, a bright white ceiling came into view.

I heard the sound of water droplets falling in a rhythmic tap, tap.

Slowly turning my head to the right, I spotted a long support beam hanging with an IV bag.

The tube connected to the bag stretched long before reaching my right arm.

Since everything seemed to be connected awkwardly, I felt like I shouldn’t move, so I attempted to lift my body with my other arm.

But my body didn’t budge an inch.

Out of curiosity, I tilted my head slightly to the left and noticed the sleeve of my patient’s gown fluttering emptily.

I stared at it for a moment before letting out a bitter smile.

Right, that’s how it was.

I had lost my arm clear up to the shoulder.

Still, having already experienced the absence of a limb when I became a girl, I surprisingly found it manageable this time.

It wasn’t something that had vanished unexpectedly; it was by my own choice.

It wasn’t mentally exhausting, to be honest.

But then again…

…there was still a bit of emptiness.

*

“Ah, are you awake, patient?”

As I blankly lay there blinking, a nurse entered the room.

Nodding slightly from my reclining position, she greeted me with a warm smile.

“I’ve called the doctor, so please wait a moment. Are you feeling dizzy or is there anywhere that hurts?”

When she mentioned pain, I felt her glance briefly skim over my left arm.

Even with the kind smile on her face, there was undeniable sorrow in her eyes that she couldn’t quite conceal, so I smiled back and assured her that I was fine.

At that, the nurse’s eyes glistened slightly with unshed tears.

If someone in the medical field is that sensitive, it must be tough for them…

After wiping her tears, the nurse exited the room and not long after, a graying doctor entered, holding a chart.

Standing before me with a somber expression, the doctor opened his mouth.

“I’m truly sorry, but it seems that the only option now is to fit you with a prosthetic arm.”

With a serious look, the doctor continued explaining.

To summarize, since the severed arm was no longer there, reattachment was impossible.

I had been eaten by a monster and burned the arm along with it, so of course, it was out of the question.

He also mentioned that no matter how skilled a healing magician might be, restoring lost limbs isn’t possible unless it’s done right after the amputation.

The nerves and muscle tissues in the area had all necrosed due to my crude cauterization, but fortunately, using magic could restore that tissue well enough to attach another arm.

I was relieved to hear that.

Thanks to my ‘manly’ method of stopping the bleeding, I almost became completely one-armed.

I did it to survive, but it made me realize again that mimicking things I’d seen in comics was crazy.

There is research underway to create new bodies using genetic material, but since they can only develop them for regular folks right now, the doctor recommended a prosthetic instead.

The only problem was that I was broke, with no money for the prosthetic.

“But, patient, did you ever receive healing magic for a serious injury when you were a kid?”

While I was worried about the money, the doctor suddenly asked that.

Not knowing anything about my past, I remained silent. The doctor locked eyes with me and insisted gently.

“Whatever happened, your body’s natural healing ability is currently quite low. This time, it was fortunate that someone brought you to the hospital quickly, but if you get hurt when no one is around to treat you, cauterizing the wound like you did could lead to internal bleeding and seriously endanger your life, so you need to be careful. Do you understand?”

The doctor seemed very earnest, and I nodded reflexively.

He was saying that even a small injury could lead to death.

To be honest, I preferred not to get hurt, but that seemed like a tall order in this world.

Having realized that I was as fragile as glass, I thought I needed to start taking better care of myself.

After reminding me a few times, the doctor left the room.

I took a look around the now quiet hospital room.

A private room… it was bigger than my house.

Suddenly, I began to feel anxious.

Would I be able to pay the hospital fees?

There probably wasn’t any health insurance here…

After all, I was hospitalized while protecting people, so they should cover my hospital bills, right?

As I was worrying, the door suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man who looked tired walked in.

As soon as he saw me awake, he approached and spoke.

“I rushed over as soon as I heard you had awakened… How are you feeling?”

Though I had never spoken directly to him, I couldn’t possibly not recognize someone from the academy, so I remained nonchalant and replied that I was fine.

He looked like a guy coming home after working late.

It was the headmaster of the Aegis Academy.

“I heard that you requested to have a door installed in the gym. If you hadn’t been there, I can’t imagine what could have happened at the school…”

The principal sighed deeply, as if he’d aged a decade in that moment.

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he looked like an ordinary man who struggled with life, devoid of any of the gravitas one might expect from a school principal.

In school stories, the headmaster is usually the strongest character in the world.

A principal should be someone who was a big deal in their youth or a thousand-year-old beauty, but this headmaster was just a plain middle-aged guy, and not even a superhuman.

Why is such a person the principal? Because his surname is Aegis.

The position of headmaster at Aegis Academy is hereditary.

It’s surprising that such a system continues without much complaint.

“Lately, I’ve been worried about my thinning hair, but thanks to you, I’ve bought myself some time before going bald… When my wayward brother brought home a girl and asked me to let her take the entrance exam, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but thanks to you, we’ve really avoided disaster.”

Since I didn’t know the whole story, I stayed silent, and the principal spoke again, looking apologetic.

“Well, Scarlet Evande, what you did was truly amazing and normally, we should make a big public announcement about it; however, given the circumstances, we’ve received orders to keep things under wraps. If the fact that an intermediate-level monster suddenly appeared within the dome got out, it would cause a lot of panic among the citizens… The people inside the gym don’t know exactly what happened outside, so they’ll simply mention it was likely the work of a stronger low-level monster. You and your friends won’t even be mentioned. I’m really sorry, but would that be alright?”

It felt really uncomfortable to see a middle-aged man pleading with someone much younger than him, so I hurried to reassure the principal.

Honestly, I had zero interest in gaining fame, so I was about to say it didn’t matter when the principal added,

“We’ll cover all your hospital fees and the arm issue, so just drop it…”

Is it okay? Of course, absolutely.

With my biggest concern resolved, I nodded vigorously.

“But to be honest, it’s something you really deserve… So, is there anything else you’d like? I can accommodate most reasonable requests.”

It seemed the principal still had something on his mind.

There was one thing bothering me.

I subtly glanced at the spot where my left arm used to be.

Even if a prosthetic was fitted, it was obvious that it would be weaker than my original arm, so I stated my request as more of a question than a demand.

“Um, even with my arm like this, can I continue attending the academy?”

“What… what kind of question is that? Of course, you can continue! Oh, really… Students like you are never-ending; I can’t give up this job as a headmaster even when it gets tough.”

The principal answered, looking taken aback by my inquiry, muttering under his breath.

Seems like the business was all wrapped up, and the principal was on his way out of the hospital room when he turned before exiting and bowed deeply to me.

In that pose, the levity he had only moments ago disappeared completely.

The principal then spoke again.

“Miss Scarlet Evande, thanks to your heroic courage and sacrifice, the citizens are safe now. On behalf of the 12,493 people you saved, I, the headmaster of Aegis, wish to express my gratitude once more.”

With a solemn tone, he expressed profound respect and heartful thanks despite the significant age difference, genuinely believing such deeds deserved honor.

Watching him, I thought, despite everything, he truly was someone deserving to be a headmaster.

After uttering those words, the principal straightened his back, sighed, and scratched the back of his head as he dashed out of the room.

12,493 people, huh.

If I saved that many with just one arm, I should be feeling happy about it.

It felt unreal, possibly because the number was so large.

I lay there zoned out before drifting off to sleep.

*

When I woke up, it was dusk.

Hearing rustling sounds beside me, I turned to see a girl with short black hair and glasses.

She was sitting on the left side of the bed, looking at me with wide, shocked eyes.

Her round eyes, suddenly filled with alarm, quickly brimmed with tears.

Mei, wanting to say something, ultimately just clutched the loose sleeve of my left arm with both hands.

Was she having trouble organizing her thoughts?

But I could understand without words what she wanted to express.

She probably wanted to ask why I had to go through that.

So, I asked her.

“What day is it today?”

“…Tuesday.”

She answered softly.

Tuesday.

So it was Tuesday.

Even though Monday had passed, she was still right here by my side.

She was alive.

Now realizing something that felt unreal before, a smile crept onto my face.

“You know, about Friday…”

Even with my arm gone, I smiled and could tell her.

“A classmate promised to make chocolate for me.”

That was my answer to the unasked question she had.

A classmate.

Even if I still could only refer to her that way.

Upon hearing my words, she hugged me tightly, her eyes watery.

The warmth of a single individual felt more real than the number 12,493.

Just that warmth was a sufficient reason to have sacrificed my left arm.

The warmth flowing from her eyes filled my heart, more than enough to overflow the emptiness on my left side.

That warmth stirred a desire within me.

I wanted to become closer, not just classmates.

But was it really okay for me to feel that way?

At that moment, as I pondered those questions,

She murmured softly from within my embrace with a quivering voice.

“…You idiot. Don’t call me ‘classmate’…”

Words she hadn’t been able to say to me all this time.

Those were the very words I had longed to hear at that moment.

Joyous, truly joyous.

“Alright, Mei.”

For the first time, I said her name

With a smile, amidst the softly glowing flames.