“Thanks for your hard work, Ethel.”
“Oh, it’s just you, Amanai. What’s that, a souvenir?”
“A little something for you, Ethel. You can have it.”
In a room of the hospital attached to the academy, I quietly entered with some fruit as a gift.
The one who responded to my voice was a female student.
She was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf, wearing a disheveled school uniform, a veil-like hood, and a wimple like a nun. She had small crucifix rosaries on both wrists.
Ethel Tyner.
She’s one of the heroines in the original Frontier Academia and a member of my party.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“Well, so-so? It was pretty bad, so I had to throw in all sorts of things to get it back to normal, you know? I’m visiting as a friend, but honestly, it’s kind of suspicious that a student is using such expensive medicine, don’t you think?”
Ethel took a red apple from the bag I handed her and started munching on it without peeling it.
I didn’t mind her un-nun-like behavior and turned my gaze to the bed.
There, wrapped in bandages all over, was a male student named “Sakurai Toru,” sleeping.
He was the boy who fought and tied with Higaki Ao, whom I had asked Ethel to investigate. He was also an illegal intruder of the academy dungeon, a long-standing problem for the teachers.
“(And, a person who might be a reincarnator like me.)”
Since I have no acquaintance with Higaki-san, it would be unnatural for me to visit him. If I were to be suspected by the disciplinary committee, it would hinder future interactions.
With that in mind, I decided to investigate the boy.
Fortunately, Sakurai was a fellow freshman, and since he had skipped the entrance ceremony and hadn’t come to class, I could convince people by saying he was an “old friend.” If I said I didn’t want to talk about it because of his behavior, they wouldn’t dig too deep.
Ethel seems to have a vague idea that I have some purpose in contacting Sakurai, but she doesn’t seem interested and leaves me alone.
“Well, there’s also talk that this guy knows the ‘Sword Saint.’ Maybe the ‘Sword Saint’ is pulling some strings behind the scenes after hearing about his situation. That would make sense, but… it’s just wishful thinking.”
“‘Sword Saint’…? Wait, you mean Higaki-san’s master?”
“You know about that? Apparently, he was the senior disciple who became a disciple before the disciplinary committee chairman. He recently stormed into the guild too.”
“Wait a minute? Recently? Wait, is the ‘Sword Saint’ alive?”
“What’s wrong, Amanai? Why are you suddenly saying such rude things? It’s not like you.”
It’s only natural that I’m surprised.
In the main game, it’s revealed in Higaki Ao’s episode that the “Sword Saint” is already dead.
That’s why Higaki is the only one who possesses the “Sword Saint” Skill, and the main story begins with the protagonist becoming interested in the protagonist who learned the Skill he taught as a joke.
A person who should be dead is alive, and a person who should be alive has fallen.
The one who is involved with both of them is a man named “Sakurai Toru.”
The suspicion that he might be a reincarnator grows within me.
If he is a reincarnator, does he have knowledge of the original story, and how much?
And above all, I have to make it clear how he perceives the world.
If he can cooperate or remain neutral through persuasion, that’s fine, but if he actively intends to break the original story, then it will clash with my goal of “following the original story.”
“(I’m the worst. Honestly, there’s a part of me that hopes he doesn’t wake up.)”
I feel self-loathing for my selfish thoughts, but it’s human nature to think of my own convenience.
In the midst of swirling conflict, the current situation where I can only wait for things to move is frustrating.
“Amanai, it’s not fun just looking at guys, is it? I’ll do my job properly for the fee you gave me, so leave this to me and go cheer up Akane. She’s been complaining that you haven’t been paying her much attention lately, you know?”
“Girlfriend…? Me and Reika aren’t like that.”
“Come on, come on, she likes you, so show a little backbone. If you neglect the luck of being liked by such a good girl, you’ll regret it later, Amanai.”
“I don’t have time to think about that right now…”
I was aware that my childhood friend had feelings for me.
However, this year is a crucial time when it will be decided whether this country will perish or not.
If it can be resolved by following the original story, then it is the duty of the protagonist, Amanai Hayato, to fulfill that role. Because so many lives are at stake, I want to focus on the original story this year.
“Even so, you should pay her some attention, okay? I’m the one who has to listen to her complaints every time.”
“I understand. I’ll make time.”
“Then go, go. …This whole exchange feels like we’re having an affair.”
“Stop saying things like that, even as a joke!?”
“My bad, my bad. So, don’t shout in the hospital room, okay?”
Ethel, with a “hee hee” laugh, pushed me out of the hospital room.
Is she teasing me because she likes me, or not?
Perhaps it was because the tension I had been feeling had been released by leaving the hospital room, but I felt a little tired. I decided to go out and have fun for the day to refresh myself.
“Since I’m here, I guess I’ll invite Reika out somewhere. I don’t remember going out calmly since I enrolled.”
I started walking to look for Reika. It’s so inconvenient that there are no cell phones in this strangely modern world.
But I changed my mind, thinking that this inconvenience might also be interesting, and walked while looking at the scenery of the academy, which I hadn’t been able to pay attention to until now.