Chapter 237

“P-P-Professor…”

Amy froze, her body stiff as a board.

“Ahahahaha…”

Diana averted her gaze, forcing out an awkward laugh.

“…Nice weather, Annette.”

Camian instantly switched to date mode.

Had he learned that shamelessness from Max Celtrine.

“C-Camian has changed… Sob, he’s changed…”

Annette whimpered, seemingly traumatized.

“…It’s been a while, brother. Fancy seeing you here.”

“Y-Yeah? I really missed you, little brother.”

The Benesse brothers suddenly switched to a long-lost family reunion atmosphere.

Anyone would think they were siblings from a broken home who hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Sigh.”

Regina let out a sigh.

This was a complete mess.

The culprits behind the noisy commotion in the hospital weren’t children, but grown adults.

And they were students from Lepheria Academy, no less.

It was a situation that would inevitably stress out any professor.

And the way they were pretending to be innocent was childish.

…When had the standards of Lepheria Academy fallen so low?

Regina massaged her temples, a second wave of stress pounding in her head.

An awkward silence fell over the group.

“Excuse me.”

Riviera seized the opportunity and tried to slip away unnoticed, like a stray cat.

It would have worked if it had been anyone other than Regina Ernbert.

But Regina’s hand shot out, grabbing Riviera’s arm.

“Eek.”

Riviera blinked rapidly, her composure momentarily shaken.

Even for someone as carefree as her, Regina was a difficult person to deal with.

Especially now that she was a professor, not just the student council president.

“I… I was just watching… watching…”

Her words were awkward, her usual casual speech replaced by formal language.

She couldn’t even finish her sentence properly, making it even more awkward.

“No flying magic in the hospital.”

“Ugh.”

Riviera’s face fell.

She had been caught red-handed.

“And low-altitude flying is even more dangerous. You could hit something and cause a serious accident.”

“I would never hit anything…”

“Is there such a thing as ‘never’ when it comes to safety?”

“I think so… I don’t think so…”

“…”

Regina turned her weary gaze to the other students.

They flinched reflexively.

“Would you all come with me? You’re disturbing the other patients.”

“Ugh, P-Professor, please give us a break…”

Amy pleaded, appealing to her emotions.

But if such pleas had worked, she wouldn’t have become the legendary student council president in the first place.

“I’m very disappointed that the fourth-year students of the student council, who should be setting an example for others, were the ones causing such a commotion.”

Regina said firmly, cutting her off.

Shatter.

Amy’s mental state crumbled into dust, her idol’s words piercing through her heart.

“Uh… uh… uh…”

“Ahaha… I-I’ll take care of her.”

Diana quickly supported the mentally broken Amy.

“Yes, please do. Now, would you all follow me?”

After seeing Amy’s state, no one dared to refuse.

They were led to a corner of the hospital and subjected to a heartfelt lecture from their former senior, now professor, before they were finally released.

* * *

What was going on?

Was this some kind of prank show?

My eyes darted around anxiously as I lay in bed.

It was well past visiting hours, but not a single person had come to see me.

Even I hadn’t anticipated this development.

I had a human fiancée, a non-human girlfriend, a commoner classmate heroine I was sort of seeing, an evil organization executive classmate with whom I had a complicated relationship, two cute juniors I had mentored, and many more…

It didn’t make sense that no one had come to visit me, with my “colorful” social life.

Right?

Uh, uh, maybe…

My anxiety grew, and I fidgeted restlessly.

Knock, knock.

Finally, I heard a knock on the door.

My face brightened, and I quickly sat up.

“Yes, come in. Come in.”

The door opened, and as I had expected, my…

…nurse entered the room.

Not my fiancée or my girlfriend?

Tell me this was a prank.

The nurse smiled, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

It was a perfect professional smile.

But it seemed like it could be misinterpreted.

I was distracted by such pointless thoughts when the nurse spoke.

“Congratulations, Mr. Max.”

“Huh? Congratulations? Did I get discharged?”

I asked, confused by the sudden congratulations.

“Ah, no, not that. It’s your visiting day today, right?”

“Yes, but…”

I tried to act nonchalant, but the word “visiting” made me nervous.

The nurse smiled brightly.

“You’re a student, right? You’re incredibly popular. I’ve been working here for ten years, and this is the first time I’ve seen visitors lining up with numbered tickets.”

“Huh?”

My eyes widened.

Numbered tickets?

Was I that popular?

I had no idea…

Smirk.

A smile spread across my face.

The smile of a famous celebrity.

To be honest, it was the first time I had ever made such a face.

But it didn’t matter.

The important thing was that I was popular.

“Ah, being too popular can be tiring.”

The cheesy line slipped out of my mouth effortlessly.

Was I a natural at this?

“Um.”

“Yes?”

“Could you hand me that comb?”

“Ah, yes.”

The nurse handed me the comb on the table.

Swish, swish.

I looked at myself in the hand mirror and combed my already neat hair, just for show.

“How’s my style?”

“Huh? Ah… Yes… It’s good…”

The nurse looked flustered.

I was too busy being narcissistic to notice.

It was okay to be narcissistic once in a while, right?

“Are there a lot of pretty girls?”

“Huh? Ah… W-Well, I guess there are…”

“That’s how popular I am.”

“Ah… Yes…”

She was looking at me with the eyes of someone who was dealing with a patient.

A mentally ill patient, not a physically injured one.

I wanted to be discharged as soon as possible.

No, maybe I should ask for a different nurse.

Clack.

I put down the hand mirror and comb, my eyes sparkling like a character from a romance manga.

“I’ll see my first guest now, nurse.”

“Ugh…”

The nurse grimaced, as if she couldn’t handle the cheesiness, and hurried out of the room.

Slam!

…But she still diligently called for my visitors.

* * *

Knock, knock.

“Yes, come in.”

I said, leaning back on the sofa with a relaxed expression, a far cry from the anxious person who had been worried about a prank show just moments ago.

There was even a cup of coffee on the table in front of me, adding to the leisurely atmosphere.

This was only natural.

This was the composure of a popular man.

Sip.

I took a sip of my coffee as the door opened.

And then.

Thud.

I dropped my coffee cup.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

The coffee went down the wrong pipe, triggering a coughing fit.

…Oh, heavens.

I looked up at the invisible sky as I coughed violently.

I couldn’t help it.

Why were those two entering the room together…?

This combination was too much!

“Cough, cough!”

“Wh-What’s wrong? Are you still not feeling well?”

A worried voice.

It sounded so unnatural, so unlike her usual tone.

But her sincerity warmed my heart… No!

“Where? Where does it hurt?”

Hiresia was suddenly right beside me, her eyes filled with concern.

Normally, I would have been touched and happy.

But…

There was someone else in the room.

My fiancée.

And the bigger problem was that she didn’t know about my relationship with Hiresia.

My eyes instinctively darted towards my fiancée.

Or rather, I tried to look at her, but she was already gone.

Huh? Where…?

Thwack!

Ugh!

A hand slammed into my back.

It hurt.

No, no matter how worried she was, sudden violence was a bit…

Or so I thought, but then I felt a sense of relief.

It was amazing how she could instantly clear my stuffy chest with a single blow.

But my heart was still uneasy…

“It seems like you just choked on your coffee.”

Regina said.

“Ah, is that so?”

Hiresia blinked, her eyes wide.

The initially chaotic atmosphere finally calmed down.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Ah, yes.”

“We have coffee and tea. Which would you prefer?”

“Ah, just water for me.”

“Alright, water it is.”

Regina skillfully entertained the guest.

As expected of my fiancée.

I didn’t have to do anything.

Maybe I should go back to sleep…

“I’ll clean this up.”

“Ah, I can do that…”

“You’re the patient.”

Regina quickly cleaned up the spilled coffee and the broken cup.

I was speechless.

She was the epitome of perfection.

As expected of the legendary student council president.

It felt strange that such a person was my fiancée.

“Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you, Professor.”

Regina handed Hiresia a glass of water and sat down on the sofa.

Next to Hiresia.

Considering our relationship, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to sit next to me, but it seemed like she was being considerate of Hiresia, who might feel awkward sitting alone.

As expected of her.

“To be honest, I was really worried, but you seem to be doing okay.”

Regina said, her voice as emotionless as ever.

But I knew.

The fact that she had said those words meant that she had been truly worried.

“I was worried too,” Hiresia added.

I felt embarrassed and scratched my cheek.

“Thank you both for your concern. But…”

“But why did you two come in together?”

Regina said, as if she had read my mind.

She was too sharp.

“Yeah, well, something like that…”

“You might have heard, but there are a lot of visitors who want to see you. So many that it’s impossible to see them all in time. It wouldn’t be right to make some of them go home empty-handed, right? So we decided to visit together. There will be more group visits after this, so don’t be surprised.”

I understood the situation.

But…

“But why this combination?”

Wait, wait!

I hadn’t even finished my thought, and she had already read my mind?

Was she a psychic?

“We were the first and second in line.”

…I see.

It was a coincidence.

That the two people closest to me were the first and second to arrive.

Was visiting order also a matter of the heart…?

“I see. Anyway, thank you again.”

“No, thank you for being safe.”

A brief exchange of words, but filled with emotion.

It was proof that Regina and I had grown closer.

“Are you really okay?”

Hiresia asked again, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at my bandaged wound.

I didn’t need to say much to her either.

She understood.

I smiled faintly and replied,

“I’m really okay. The doctor said I can be discharged anytime as long as I regain my strength.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

And so, the conversation began.

I had expected it to be awkward, considering the combination, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

They told me about what had happened while I was unconscious.

The aftermath of the incident.

The recovery efforts and the current situation.

I finally felt like some of my questions were being answered.

“…I see. The two of you against the Bone Dragons. No wonder we were able to minimize the casualties.”

Besides the princess’s unexpected assistance, another reason for our success had been revealed.

We had gotten lucky in the red zone, the Bone Dragon’s territory.

The combination of the Knight of the Snowstorm and the Princess of the Forgotten Forest was definitely a stroke of luck.

“No, the biggest reason we were able to prevent further casualties was your efforts.”

“Yeah, you saved countless lives.”

The two heroines praised me sincerely.

My heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment.

Perhaps I was finally realizing the magnitude of what I had done.

Just as the conversation was about to end on a heartwarming note,

Regina suddenly checked her watch and said, her tone shifting slightly.

“This might not be the right time or place, but I feel like I have to say this.”

“Huh?”

“As your fiancée, not your professor, may I say something?”

What was with this sudden change in atmosphere…?

I felt a sense of foreboding, but I couldn’t refuse.

It wasn’t the right situation.

“Uh, well, sure.”

I replied, but my heart was uneasy.

My heart started racing.

My blood was pumping faster.

I felt like something was about to explode.

I hoped it wouldn’t…

“Lady Hiresia.”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if I talk about something that concerns you as well?”

“Ah… Yes, it’s okay.”

…Why were her eyes filled with anxiety, like a scared puppy?

It was making me even more nervous.

“You and Lady Hiresia.”

“…”

Gulp.

I didn’t know if it was me or Hiresia who had swallowed nervously.

“You like each other, don’t you?”

Wh-What?!

My eyes widened in shock.

I managed to keep my mouth shut, but…

“Uh, eh, y-yes, wh-what, th-this, uh?!”

…Hiresia, on the other hand, had practically confessed, speaking in a strange alien language that was neither Elvish nor human.