In the World of Closed Eyes, I was lying down, clutching my head.
The hospital room I was always familiar with.
The closed curtains and flickering old lights.
Flicker.
Flicker.
I certainly felt like I had been in this hospital for a long time.
“You…”
There was no one else.
Just one boy kneeling and bowing in front of me.
“………”
The moment I made eye contact with that boy, I heard his mouth twitching.
“■■■”
But I couldn’t hear him.
“■■■!!!”
It seemed like his mouth was blocked; I couldn’t remember anything about the boy.
And…
“An unfamiliar ceiling…”
Ah, I had mentioned this before.
This time, it was a familiar ceiling.
The place I was lying down was different from last time, but it clearly resembled the hospital room where I was admitted after the entrance ceremony.
Moreover, the same brand of hand sanitizer I had used before was hung in the same spot.
“If I eat it, I might get in trouble.”
Fortunately, there were a few chocolates that I had packed in my pocket beforehand.
Crunch.
Some were slightly cracked, making my pants a bit damp, but a few were in good condition, so I put one in my mouth and savored its sweetness.
“Mm…”
Seeing words come out from my mouth made me think the magic had been dispelled, but I was a little curious about what had happened in the end.
I clearly remembered that the bullet was discharged at the end, but then I lost consciousness.
Creak!
While I was quietly watching a bird grooming its feathers outside on a tree, at some point the hospital room door opened, and a woman entered.
“Hey, are you awake? Student?”
“Hello.”
With her red hair tied back, she seemed to be slightly sweaty, as if she had just finished exercising.
The woman was wearing clothes similar in style to the workout uniform I had seen before, though the color was different.
It was Philia Professor, from physical training.
She wouldn’t be here to silence me or something, right?
With a somewhat wary mindset, I quietly observed her as she sat down next to me and sighed while looking at my condition.
“Haa… That crazy guy has caused trouble again.”
“Um… if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Oh, you don’t have to say it. I’m here as a representative of the Academy to talk about this matter.”
“A representative of the Academy?”
What does that mean?
“Um… to put it simply, Isaac, the one who was in charge of the first period, he’s somewhat out of his mind.”
Philippe Professor spun her finger around her head with a gesture indicating craziness.
“Out of his mind…”
“He doesn’t usually act like that, but strangely, when it comes to betting or any competition, he goes completely bonkers.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Ah, yes. I don’t know if I should talk about it, but that guy gambled away the money he earned while working as a professor at the Academy and ended up losing everything, causing his child and wife to leave him.”
“Oh…”
I didn’t want to learn such a deep truth, but I shook my head and tried to push aside what I just heard, shifting to another question.
“So about this representation…”
“Yes, unfortunately, he’s a talented guy compared to the level of chaos in his mind, so he probably won’t face serious discipline at the Academy. That’s why I’m here to explain this.”
This was something I had already anticipated.
Regular students might not know, but the professors and the surrounding staff present would likely have figured it out to some extent.
However, the silence magic Isaac cast on me was merely a means to prevent me from forfeiting.
If it had been another type of magic that required chanting, the outcome might have been different, but I belonged strictly to the physical field.
Besides, there were already mechanisms in place to prevent fatal injury around me, and in reality, I had merely fainted.
From a personal standpoint, it was frustrating and infuriating, but from a broader view, it was not an act worthy of severe punishment.
The Academy is not a place where they would immediately punish a proficient professor for casting a “minor” spell on a student.
“Moreover, it seems he was pretty cornered; he didn’t expect to lose everything.”
“I see.”
“Ah, but did you happen to say anything to that guy?”
Anything I said.
“Ah.”
At that moment, I remembered that I had mentioned wanting to forfeit.
Could that have been the trigger?
But I didn’t think it was my fault.
After all, he was the one who pushed the student while being unable to overcome his own addiction—clearly a 100 to 0 mistake.
“Anyway, so the Academy has come to make a few proposals for you. Did they feel it was not right to just let it slip by?”
Just a moment ago, I was in a gloomy mood, but upon hearing “proposal,” I suddenly felt a sense of clarity.
“First, the first compensation is simply money. Since you weren’t injured, the Academy will probably give you about a hundred. This one is the simplest, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“What about the other options?”
Philia Professor raised her second finger.
“The second proposal is that you’ll receive additional points for the midterm exam ranking.”
“Um…”
“Actually, there are also some changes related to the facilities where you reside, but these two are the most representative options.”
Ideally, and thinking long-term, it would be better to choose the second option as the professor suggested.
But.
“I’ll take the money.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Philia Professor’s tied back hair wavered slightly, and her eyes looked at me for a moment.
And her eyes looked somewhat cat-like, making it a bit scary to stare at for long.
“Uh… that might be a burden.”
“Ha…”
“What?”
“Hahaha! Yeah, it’s easier to go with the simple option, right? Overthinking things just gives you a headache, doesn’t it?”
I had simply chosen this because I didn’t have money to live off right now, but seeing her smiling face made me not want to add any more words.
“Ah… well, I think it would make more sense for you to come in person to talk about these things first.”
“Ah, do you want to hear that story?”
She smiled slyly as if waiting for me to ask.
“Actually, after that duel, I was supposed to take over the next class for your group.”
“………?”
“But while waiting, I heard that you fainted during the duel.”
Somehow, I could envision the next part of the story in my mind.
“You wouldn’t know, but I had an interest in you since the entrance ceremony. But how could they treat you like that? I hit him right away.”
“And then?”
“That guy is currently fainted and can’t come.”
Wow, she was casually saying something so serious.
And she was laughing as if it served him right.
“Plus, he didn’t think I would hit him, so he couldn’t even block me. Hahaha!!”
“Um… isn’t that a big deal?”
“Huh? You worried about that?”
“No, not really…”
If there were worries, I’d say you should worry more about yourself; that professor was not particularly…
Honestly, it felt refreshing instead.
“Ah… no, I feel good about it…”
“Usually, a broken device needs a hit to become normal again.”
I thought this professor might be a slightly better person than I had initially thought.
And the opened conversation was enough for us to start talking.
“What happened at the end?”
“Oh, you fought with the top student, right? I came in late, so I’m not sure, but you likely lost.”
“I see.”
I had hoped a little, but it was disappointing.
“Yeah. That finishing blow was indeed impressive.”
She spoke as if recalling her previous thoughts.
“However, I don’t think you did nothing in that situation. From the marks, it seems you evaded the finishing blow, but you probably fainted from the shock.”
“Did I do something?”
“Of course! When I checked later, there were traces showing that the bullet grazed the top student.”
Traces of grazing.
In some cases, you could say it ‘touched,’ but alternatively, it meant that there was no substantial damage.
“That’s disappointing.”
If only I had a bit stronger drink or if my mind could have held out better, the outcome might have been different.
Ultimately, it was a forced match, but it was a little disappointing.
“By the way, how on earth do you move so well with such a small body?”
Tap.
Her hand reached out to me.
And she began lifting my arm, looking at it from one side to the other.
It was as if she were exploring my muscle mass and body.
“Uh…”
“To grow this body, the diet should be…”
“Excuse me…?”
“First, you should gain some weight and then increase muscle mass…”
It seemed she didn’t hear my voice and muttered while moving my body around.
It was like a madman talking to himself.
And among her words, many were shocking enough to trigger PTSD.
“If I raise you later, it’ll definitely be delicious…”
“Um… I’m not feeling well suddenly, so could you please leave now?”
“Huh? It’d be good to see more… No, that’s not it…!”
She was flustered by my words, but I managed to give a polite command to the professor and pushed her out of the hospital room.
“Ahh… I wanted to see more!!”
“Please… go out!!”
“Wait, isn’t there a smell of chocolate? Eating those will make you gain weight and body fat…!!”
Bang.
I had no idea how she could smell the chocolate wrapped in the packaging.
Feeling a chill from her gaze, which looked at me with great regret, I lay back on the bed and ate the chocolate while gazing at the now setting sun.
“Is it already evening?”
Thus, the first day at the Academy passed by in vain.
