Hangover (4)
Three weeks since the raid.
Academy life had returned to normal.
Perhaps it was thanks to the swift response.
The chaotic atmosphere was now remembered by the students as a mere commotion.
The faculty members also eased their heightened vigilance somewhat.
-Don't worry.
-The traitor has already been identified, and the purge has already been completed.
-As this is confidential, everyone is to keep it quiet.
They seemed to trust the Headmaster's words, who had been the head of Galimard for the past 40 years.
You could call it a bond between them.
Of course.
The faint tension remained.
Because the fundamental problem remained the same.
Even though the internal traitor had been dealt with, the fact that the Academy was being targeted from the outside remained unchanged.
The professors were more vigilant than usual.
That wasn't a bad thing.
It was actually good.
'It's better to be moderately wary.'
The story had changed.
Originally, the Academy should have collapsed by now.
But due to our intervention, the Academy was able to remain intact.
However, since the steering wheel of the story had been sharply turned, it became even more difficult to predict the future.
Therefore, the faculty members also needed to lend their strength to defend the Academy.
They were strong enough.
'Besides, everyone is friendly to me.'
Since the last raid.
I received great gratitude from the faculty members.
I was recognized for discovering the passage hidden in the basement of the Academy and for subduing the cultists.
In particular, my pale complexion and wheelchair seemed to have made a big impression.
Thanks to this, my reputation among the faculty members rose vertically.
"If it weren't for Judas, it would have been a real disaster."
"He prevented what could have been an accident."
"The star material is indeed different."
"I've been underrating him, but I have to admit it this time. It's amazing courage. To stand up to the cultists to protect the Academy."
"Tsk tsk... I still regret it. I should have taken him as a disciple."
"He went under Professor Selena, didn't he? It's only natural for a young age to be drawn to a mature woman. Humph, I wouldn't take a student who's swayed by looks as a disciple."
"Professor Lucy. Why don't you just admit you're jealous."
"Ugh...! That's right! My stomach is twisted in all directions! Why Professor Selena! I can do better!"
"Pathetic."
It was subtly awkward.
I was already in the spotlight, but it felt like my favorability had reached its peak with this opportunity.
It felt strange to see the notoriously haughty people being friendly.
Anyway.
'It's back.'
The atmosphere of the Academy had returned to normal.
A winter without any tragedies.
Of course, as it had gone through a bumpy process, there were also changes from the original.
If I were to pick one person who had changed the most rapidly, it would be Selena.
My teacher.
"Judas."
A drunkard.
Even that nickname didn't suit her anymore.
She had been staying away from alcohol since that day.
As the slowly fading intoxication followed the smell of alcohol, the gloomy atmosphere was also brightening.
A faint smile appeared on her face, which had been as gloomy as a broken doll.
The woman whispered.
"It's all thanks to you, Judas."
Long-term treatment is essential for alcohol addiction.
It will take a long time to overcome it.
But.
The woman's steps no longer lingered in sorrow. Even if she staggered, she was clearly moving towards the light.
I believed that if her will was not broken, she would surely reach tomorrow.
I decided to watch over her.
-I... I'm going to live properly from now on.
A promise left to her younger sister.
Selena also approached the faculty members, who had been estranged.
She broke the cold silence and greeted them first.
The other professors must have been confused.
It was as if the person who had been treating them like air for the past 7 years had suddenly changed.
There were even people who worried if she had a terminal illness.
It seemed that it would take some time to form a bond between colleagues.
Still, it was refreshing.
'It's good to see.'
Seeing her trying to change.
I felt like I had changed something.
'Should I say I'm proud?'
Of course.
There was also progress in my relationship with Selena.
The wall that had been subtly present had crumbled, and the distance had narrowed significantly.
The only problem was.
"Judas. Can I ask you again today?"
"What do you mean by ask?"
I wondered if the distance had become too close.
The woman murmured in a low voice.
"I wish you would hug me... like you did then."
Then.
After waking up from the dream. Perhaps the memory of being held in my arms was so strong.
Selena would spread her arms and ask for a hug.
"Can't I...?"
A slight hesitation.
Even as she looked up as if thirsting for affection, her red eyes trembled pathetically.
As if she was afraid that the answer would be a rejection.
The woman was never at ease.
Of course.
"If that's what my teacher wishes."
I didn't refuse.
"......Thank you always."
"You're welcome. Come here."
I would hug her for a long time every time.
Roughly, if I stayed in the lab for 3 hours, I would be attached to her for 2 hours.
Selena would bury her face in my chest and desperately seek warmth.
It seemed that her anxious mind would be stabilized when she did that.
I would stand still and pat her slender back.
For several hours like that.
"......"
Later, it even interfered with her work.
The woman seemed to be worried for a few days, but in the end, she decided to sit on my lap and do her work.
Thanks to this, I had to handle the documents while holding Selena from behind.
Perhaps because it was a position where we were close to each other, I could clearly feel the other person's body temperature and curves.
Sometimes the scratching of the pen stopped, and every time her purple hair leaned on my shoulder, our lips were within touching distance.
I felt a strange feeling when I realized the breath that was mixed by a hair's breadth.
Even if we were teacher and student, wasn't it too close?
"It's nice. Being together."
Selena murmured in a drowsy voice.
A faint smile erased the unnecessary thoughts that had filled my head.
The woman said.
"Thank you."
"I think you say that too often."
"I feel like even this is not enough."
"I'm just happy that you express it that way."
"Because I gained a new meaning thanks to you. The meaning to live for in the future."
The meaning of life.
The woman's finger seemed to be pointing at me.
Her close fingertips touched my lips.
"So... I'll cherish it. Everything that Judas gave me."
Following that.
The drunkard took the finger with my lip on it, brought it to her lips, and placed it on top.
The eyes that curved along with the meeting gaze were particularly bewitching.
Indeed, should I say it was experience?
It was a seductive gesture and gaze.
The woman hugged me again.
"Because I'm going to live for those things from now on."
Selena whispered.
I nodded.
A day that continued beyond the mixed body temperature and breathing.
Our relationship was getting deeper.
***
A repetitive routine.
As time passed, there were also small changes for me.
"Hmm."
That my body had recovered to some extent.
As my life force, which had been at the bottom, recovered, I was able to return to daily life.
Well... I was able to live a daily life in the first place.
Still, it was refreshing to be able to say goodbye to the wheelchair I had been forced to ride.
"Too bad. I liked seeing you in the same state."
Elize said as if she was subtly disappointed.
She seemed to be saddened by the fact that the wheelchair duo of the past half month had been broken.
"If I'm in a wheelchair, who will push Your Highness from behind?"
"Well, my sister will push me. Sometimes Tanya pushes me too."
"You're being too much."
"I don't think a doctor who's flirting around everywhere should be saying that."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you've seduced a professor this time too. Be careful, you might actually get locked up."
"Ha, haha..."
The peace of a long time passed by bustling.
One day, exactly one month after the cultist raid.
A mysterious letter arrived in front of my dorm.
"Take this."
"Hmm? What is it, Irene?"
"It arrived by magic mail in the afternoon. Judging from the fact that there is no sender, it seems to have been sent from headquarters."
"A letter from headquarters..."
There were some things I could guess.
I carefully tore open the seal.
Tuk-.
What came out was a thick document.
The title was written on the front page.
[Report on Manastone Treatment]
[Written by: Medro Andreas]
As expected.
After briefly skimming through the report, I murmured.
"Is the time coming?"
Apparently.
It seemed that the time had come to cure the rose's disease.
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