Chapter 6 – The Teacher’s Decision

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Editor’s Note

Edited

For a while, I lay on the bed where a strangely sweet smell was rising, gasping for breath.

“I’m hungry….”

A groan came out naturally. Thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. I had been so distracted that I didn’t feel the hunger.

…Perhaps this body wasn’t moving properly not because of terrible stamina, but because I hadn’t eaten anything?

Spinning this small happy circuit in my mind, I got up after lying blankly on the bed.

Since it seemed difficult to go after the girl who had just run away, I secured the infirmary door and moved on.

If my guess was correct, she would come back to the infirmary.

She might not come due to the unexpected incident she witnessed, but if that happened, I’d have no choice but to find her myself.

…Maybe it would be better to just not meet each other.

Still, since she was a character I rather liked, the desire to see her conflicted with the embarrassment of being caught in such an unseemly scene.

If I hadn’t liked this damn game, would this not have happened?

Thinking that lamenting wouldn’t change anything, I clutched my hungry stomach and returned to the dormitory room.

By the way, how was I supposed to solve the food issue?

It was something I didn’t have to pay much attention to in the game, so it was a bit perplexing.

Since it had now become reality, there would likely be a way to solve it, but that solution wasn’t immediately in my head.

…Maybe there would be a guidebook if I searched the dormitory room.

Or I could… get help from Michelle.

It might be a bit awkward to face her after what happened, but first things first—I need to survive.

Arriving at the door, I took a deep breath and opened it. Judging by the fact that it wasn’t locked, Michelle seemed to be inside.

Entering, I saw Michelle sitting at the table with a somewhat stiff posture. When our eyes met, she lowered her head with an embarrassed face, perhaps recalling what had happened earlier.

Didn’t she say she had some guesses?

It seemed like a gesture to talk, so when I sat across from her, an object on the table caught my eye.

It was a snow-white, daintily decorated paper box.

As my gaze fell on it, Michelle, who had been rigidly stiff, opened its packaging.

Inside was… what looked like a cake. A whipped cream cake with large strawberries on top.

I blinked at the sudden appearance of the cake, and Michelle spoke with a faint sigh:

“…It might be odd to call this a thank-you gift, but I thought you might need some sugar, so I bought it. Do you… dislike it?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it….”

“That’s a relief.”

Her face brightened slightly as she took out the cake and offered it to me.

I stared at it, showcasing its snow-white appearance. Normally, it’s a dessert I wouldn’t touch. It would just become fat hiding the muscles I had worked so hard to build.

But wasn’t this her way of showing sincerity?

I had heard that women love desserts so much that they say they have a separate stomach for them.

So… rejecting here would probably not be a good choice in several ways.

With slightly trembling hands, I picked up a fork and cut the cake.

The white cream parted, revealing a light-colored sheet, layers of cream, and small pieces of embedded fruit.

“Gulp.”

Only then did I clearly feel it.

That this body was craving it.

I carefully lifted the cake and put it in my mouth.

“Mmm…!”

The rich cream taste on my tongue, the nutty flavor of the sheet, and the sweet and sour taste of the sugar-preserved fruit.

All of it came together in perfect harmony and went down my throat.

It happened in an instant.

Eating the cake hastily, I suddenly came to my senses and looked at Michelle. She looked at me with an unchanged expression from before. Only, a strange contentment could be felt from that face.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I cleared my throat and, noticing that she wasn’t eating the cake, said:

“…Aren’t you going to eat, Instructor?”

“Ah, um… I’m fine.”

She averted her gaze with a somewhat troubled face.

I instinctively realized why she said she was fine.

Of course, it’s because of those muscles!

While understanding her feelings inwardly.

I felt somewhat indignant.

So am I allowed to become plump? Or is it that since I already have such a body, it doesn’t matter?

…She probably wasn’t thinking that, but somehow I felt a bit wronged. After eating deliciously, I couldn’t really complain, but anyway, that’s how I felt.

I couldn’t be the only one suffering muscle loss.

I carefully cut the cake, placed it on the fork, and offered it to her, saying:

“…After what happened, you should eat something like this.”

“…”

After contemplating for a moment, she ate the cake with a slightly reddened face. Seeing her eyes widen, it seemed like this might be her first cake. I felt a belated sense of guilt, as if I had done something I shouldn’t have.

And feeling awkward as the earlier incident came to mind, I decided to change the subject a bit.

“So didn’t you say you had some guesses?”

“Ah, yes, I did.”

…Anyway, it all seemed the same.

The story Michelle told me while I stuffed the remaining cake into my mouth was… not just shocking but appalling.

She said it was something she should have experienced at a younger age, but it seemed to have manifested a bit late.

In simple terms, she was saying a late puberty had arrived.

“At the time, I thought I was a type that wouldn’t get it… but it came so late. I don’t know the reason though.”

Michelle continued speaking in a plain tone, as if it was nothing special, as if it was something everyone experienced.

I silently nodded without showing any reaction. As long as I held the position of a health teacher, it wouldn’t make sense for me to say I didn’t know.

But I was really confused by this setting that I had never heard of or seen.

There was such a setting in Freesia Chronicles? I’m really hearing this for the first time?

Then are all the academy students time bombs, not knowing when ‘it’ will sprout?

Am I really in Freesia Chronicles? Maybe I’ve entered a pirated version?

No… I definitely purchased it through legitimate channels.

“Teacher Plumeria?”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t look well. Well… this was your first duty, right? You must not be used to it.”

“Ha, ha….”

This is driving me crazy.

My expression must still have been poor, as Michelle fumbled and continued:

“In that sense, Teacher Plumeria’s treatment was very impressive. If I were a student, I would feel reassured.”

Please stop.

That’s not it.

I silently ate the cake. Thoughts of muscle loss or getting fat were gone from my mind. Only this sweet pleasure helped me escape from reality.

Not long after, Michelle left, saying she would do today’s training.

Left alone, I summoned Undine.

After asking her to clean my slightly sticky body that I hadn’t washed, I pondered what to do from now on.

Should I escape the academy?

There were many things that bothered me about that.

First, I didn’t know the extent of my abilities. I didn’t remember seeing a character who used what seemed to be a water spirit, like in the infirmary.

Additionally, leaving an environment that had no particular complaints except for the crisis that befell me and stepping into an unknown world was a very risky action.

I wasn’t even sure anymore if the game I entered was really Freesia Chronicles.

Therefore, it wasn’t easy to choose the option of leaving the academy, which guaranteed minimal living and safety.

…Especially since what happened earlier wasn’t life-threatening.

“Uh.”

Then a strange voice came out at the sensation of Undine moving around my body. Looking at the girl moving around, she disappeared with a strange smile.

Is it a different entity each time I call?

Somehow it feels strangely different….

Looking in the direction where Undine had disappeared, I opened the window and thought.

Yes, let’s think positively.

Couldn’t it be that, like Michelle, ‘it’ might not manifest in the students? Since it doesn’t seem like everyone manifests it, it’s a pretty plausible possibility.

Although I had eliminated the option of leaving the academy for various reasons, I felt that the way for me to return home might also be at the academy.

Following the cliché, there’s a considerably high possibility that I’ll be sent home if I see the ending.

Therefore, the actions I would take are as follows:

First, I would look for couples to set up for an ending while adapting to academy life.

And I would extract hidden opportunities scattered around to prepare for battle events.

I would also have to consider what I would eat and what I would pass on to efficient people.

As I organized my thoughts step by step, I felt a bit excited.

When you think about it, isn’t this an opportunity to directly experience the game I enjoyed with my body? It’s not just VR level, but completely real.

…It seems a bit different from what I know, but anyway, I decided to think as positively as possible. Positively.

Plus, earlier I used my hand because I was flustered, but I have Undine, don’t I?

Nothing bad will happen. I think it’s fortunate that I have such a perfectly suitable ability.

Therefore, I decided to have a period of adaptation and exploration for the time being.

However, there was something to prepare for the student who was hiding in the infirmary.

Based on Michelle’s story, there was a high possibility it was nothing serious, but you never know.

I rummaged through the storage where I had taken out the clothes.

I needed money.

…By the way, how much salary does a health teacher receive?

I hope it’s high paying.