Chapter 16: Everyone’s Angel, Reina

I slowly opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window, a gentle warmth contrasting with the faint scent of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol that permeated the infirmary.

‘…Huh?’

When had I fallen asleep? I tried to sit up, but a dull ache in my knee and ankle made me sink back onto the bed. Just then, a calm voice spoke.

“You shouldn’t move yet.”

“…Huh?”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I turned my head. Near the window, a head of shimmering, almost lemon-colored, silver hair caught the sunlight. A girl with long, flowing hair, quietly reading a book.

I froze.

‘…Is that… her?’

I recognized her instantly. Yukikawa Reina, the third-year known as the “Angel of the Masses.” As her name suggested, she was Aya’s older sister, beloved by everyone in the academy.

Due to her frail health, she was known for frequent absences and spending a lot of time in the infirmary. In the novel, she was portrayed as a kind and gentle older sister figure. Thankfully, she didn’t have any tragic terminal illness or anything like that…

“Yukikawa… senpai?”

Reina-senpai closed her book, a gentle smile gracing her lips. “Yes, you know me. Hello.”

Her voice was so soothing, it felt like sinking into a soft cushion. If Aya possessed a cool, elegant charisma, Reina-senpai was someone whose presence alone could melt your heart.

“I was surprised when Aya brought you in. You were completely pale.”

“Ah, ahaha… I’m a bit clumsy…” I chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

Reina-senpai smiled gently and slowly rose from her seat. “It’s alright. It happens to everyone.”

She offered me a glass of water. “Here, drink this. It’s warm water.”

Touched by her kindness, I took the glass and sipped the water. The warmth spread through me, easing the tension in my body.

“Thank you.”

Reina-senpai looked at my ankle, then knelt beside the bed, her fingers gently brushing against the bandage. Her touch was neither cold nor hot, a perfect warmth.

“…Ah?!”

“It’s not too swollen. That’s good.”

I smiled sheepishly. This was a different kind of care than Aya’s. Reina-senpai’s touch was gentle and cautious, yet somehow familiar and comforting.

Was it because she resembled her younger sister? Reina-senpai returned to her seat and resumed reading. Her presence felt so natural, as if she belonged here, that I unconsciously asked a rather thoughtless question.

“Um… senpai, are you always here?”

I immediately regretted my words, realizing how insensitive they were, but Reina-senpai, looking out the window, replied calmly, “Yes, I… have a weak constitution.”

There was no sadness or bitterness in her voice, just a quiet acceptance of her condition. “But thanks to that, I get to see a lot of interesting things and meet a lot of nice people here.” She smiled and looked at me. “And today, I met you.”

I was speechless.

‘Is this… the embodiment of healing…?’

The warmth radiating from her eyes was so intense, it filled me with a sense of peace.

Was this intensity of gaze a family trait? Like her sister, her eyes were a shade of blue, but so light they were almost yellow.

They were like mystical eyes, something out of a fantasy. Yet, statistically speaking, there had to be a tiny percentage of the population with eyes like that, right?

“Senpai, you look a lot like Aya,” I said cautiously.

Reina-senpai smiled softly and shook her head. “Aya is much stronger and more resilient. I’m… more like flowing water.”

Her calm words were soothing. She sat beside the bed again and examined my ankle. “It’s a bit swollen. Does it hurt a lot?”

“No, it’s okay! I’ll be fine,” I replied, waving my hands dismissively.

But Reina-senpai looked at me with concern. “You shouldn’t push yourself. Especially since Aya will worry.”

Aya.

Hearing her name made my mind go blank.

‘Ah, how worried Aya must be…’

The thought alone made me blush. Reina-senpai watched me intently, then chuckled softly. “Aya, Mizuki, and you… you three seem to get along well.”

“W-What?! No, I’m just… um…” I stammered, waving my hands again.

But Reina-senpai just shook her head slowly and smiled. “It’s okay to just be friends. But what you truly think… only you know.”

She gently stroked my hair. Her touch was so comforting, it filled me with a strange sense of guilt. Guilt? Why was I feeling guilty?

“…If you’re ever feeling down, come to the infirmary anytime.”

Her words were so comforting, so reassuring. This… was the power of Yukikawa Reina, the Angel of the Masses…!

“…Okay,” I replied softly. Like Aya, she was exactly as described in the novel.

The nickname “Angel of the Masses” wasn’t just for show. Reina-senpai’s presence was both calming and otherworldly.

Perhaps the reason I still couldn’t fully grasp that I was living in the world of the novel was because of people like Reina-senpai, people who transcended reality.

Just then, the infirmary door opened.

“Rina, are you okay?” a calm voice asked.

I turned to see Aya, dressed in her usual impeccable uniform. And beside her, Mizuki, with a gentle smile on her face.

“Wow~ Rina, are you feeling better?” Mizuki asked cheerfully, rushing over to me.

Aya walked in quietly, then stopped, noticing her sister by the window. “Onee-chan… hello,” she greeted, her voice polite but distant.

Reina smiled warmly, but Aya, looking slightly uncomfortable, averted her gaze.

‘Ah, this atmosphere… it was like this in the novel too.’

In the novel, Reina-senpai was far from perfect. She was often absent due to her health, and her grades weren’t exceptional. But she was kind to everyone. That’s why people called her the “Angel of the Masses,” not “The Perfect Yukikawa.”

Aya, on the other hand, was perfect in every way. Academically gifted, athletic, beautiful. That was Yukikawa Aya, “The Perfect Yukikawa.”

So, naturally, people started comparing the two sisters.

‘Why isn’t the older sister as good as the younger sister?’

Those comparisons and judgments affected Aya deeply. She’d once confronted her sister.

“Why don’t you try to be perfect, like a true Yukikawa? Aren’t you embarrassed to be compared to a younger sister like me?”

Reina-senpai had replied with her usual gentle smile. “I’m doing my best in my own way. Everyone has their limits.”

Reina knew her own limitations better than anyone. Having spent countless days in hospitals due to her frail health, she’d accepted that she could never be like her younger sister. So, she’d willingly relinquished her claim to the family succession and all the responsibilities that came with it.

But for Aya, that was difficult to accept. The privileges and positions she’d gained so effortlessly, without having to work for them, were incomprehensible to her. And she resented her sister for not striving harder.

Why was her sister content with mediocrity? Why didn’t she strive for perfection?

The difference in their approaches to life created a growing distance between them.

Of course, it wasn’t Reina who’d created the distance. She still cherished her younger sister. It was Aya who had started to withdraw.

‘And it’s still the same now.’

Reina-senpai looked at Aya with a gentle gaze, but Aya, after a brief greeting, turned her attention to me. Mizuki, sensing the subtle tension between the sisters, sat beside my bed, her voice overly cheerful.

“Our Rina~ you’ve caused quite a commotion, haven’t you?”

“N-No! I just… tripped. Sensei~ are you here?”

I tried to explain, but Mizuki, ignoring me, began fussing over me. Just then, the school nurse, wearing a white coat and glasses, appeared.

“Now, now, settle down. I’ve examined your leg while you were sleeping. It’s a minor sprain, just a few scrapes. But just in case, I’ll put a cast on it, and you’ll need to use crutches.”

“A c-cast?!” I exclaimed, flustered.

But the nurse, with practiced efficiency, wrapped a splint around my leg and applied the cast. My leg was now encased in plaster.

“It’s not a serious injury, but you shouldn’t put any weight on it. No P.E. for a while.”

“Ugh… I’m sorry… what about the practical exam…?” I sighed, looking at the crutches. I had to navigate school life with these?

“The cast should come off in a week. You’ll be healed before the practical exam, so don’t worry. Just don’t overdo it.”

“Okay…”

The nurse reassured me, and Aya, seemingly uncomfortable with the attention, took my hand and helped me up as soon as the nurse was done.

Mizuki grinned. “Rina, let’s go. I’ll help you~”

“No, it’s okay…”

But could I really refuse them? I forced a smile and let them help me back to the classroom. As we left, I glanced back at Reina-senpai. She was still smiling warmly, watching us.

‘It’s not that Aya is a bad person…’

In the novel, Aya, after falling for the flawed protagonist, reconciled with her sister. But… without the protagonist, what would happen now?

Wait… could I…?

I didn’t know if it was possible, but I hoped the two sisters could become close again, like they were when they were younger.