Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Iris's Day
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My daily routine had changed in various ways, and if I listed them out one by one, they went something like this.
First up was Ekaterina, who'd suddenly been dumped in my lap.
She'd show up around the time the academy schedule wrapped up, coming to me for a checkup.
"...Please take good care of me."
"Sure."
She approached with prickly steps, then tok, tok began unbuttoning her top.
A soft srrrrk sounded, and before I knew it, she was gazing at me with her chest exposed.
I'm a woman now. This is for her health.
Even repeating that in my head, placing my hand on the chest of a girl quite a bit younger than my actual age felt a little embarrassing.
Lecherous thoughts I'd never had bubbled up from the soft chest plate rising with a pleasant fragrance.
...Maybe because she was unplanned from the start, my resistance felt a bit low.
Anyway, placing my hand on her chest and closing my eyes made it a little better.
The faint heat emanating from her heart stood out more sharply than the softness felt in my palm.
Having already dealt with two full-on flare-ups, handling it was a breeze now.
Easy enough that I could even talk while doing it.
So I gathered the energy and asked her a question, trying to figure out why it kept leaking out.
"What do you do during the day?"
"...What kind of question is that?"
Still prickly, probably because I hadn't finished gathering it yet.
She softened up once it was done, so I figured this energy was making her temperament fiercer.
Not that her original personality seemed all that gentle anyway.
But I had an ironclad justification.
"I thought it might help with the treatment."
"Hmm..."
Her expression eased a bit, and her mouth opened.
"...I take classes?"
"That's a given."
"Um..."
She hesitated for some reason.
"I learn magic."
"I see."
Magic, huh... Could that be it?
I'd never actually seen it up close, so it piqued my interest a little.
...El's antics had dulled the mystique a bit, but I wasn't totally uninterested.
As I got a vague, pie-in-the-sky feeling, El whispered to me.
- It seems like it's leaking because of that. She should hold back for a while.
I relayed it to her indirectly after hearing El's whisper, but the reaction wasn't great.
"...No, I can't do that."
"It feels like that's why this keeps happening..."
"Even so. Isn't it fine since you're checking me like this, Teacher?"
Is it fine...?
Honestly, I had no idea.
But if using magic draws on the energy in her heart, it might not be far off.
Like... building muscle?
Just as muscles tear and grow bigger, maybe her heart was similar.
But she didn't even know she was like that, so she wasn't doing it on purpose.
As I seemed lost in thought, El chuckled and said,
- Well... she's not wrong. And since you'll be seeing her every day anyway, isn't it fine? Good practice for the contractor to handle energy too, right?
If she was saying that, it probably wasn't dangerous. Though it could just mean it was safe enough since I'd check daily...
Still worried, I said cautiously.
...I'd gone to the trouble of saving her; it'd be awkward if she died.
"Alright for now. But... please be careful. It could be dangerous."
"...Yes."
After a brief silence, she replied in a somewhat dazed voice.
With the gathering done right after, she left the infirmary with a calmer stride and a polite bow.
Her vibe while answering felt oddly strange, leaving me with a peculiar feeling, but I couldn't pin down what it meant.
I barely knew anything about her, so I couldn't pick up on whatever subtle shift that was.
Right after she left, Philia would show up.
"Shall we talk outside?"
"Sure, why not..."
Nothing really needed a long chat, but she suggested walking and talking slowly.
It was quitting time anyway, so it worked out.
For some reason... it felt like her goal wasn't checking on Ekaterina.
"The tea smells wonderful."
"...It does."
She'd offer tea prepared out of nowhere as we strolled through the nicely tended flower beds, or bring little snacks to share.
One line—"Ekaterina's fine"—and it was over, no need to drag it out, but turning down her weary-faced request tugged at my heart.
By the time we reached the dorms, a sweaty Michelle would approach and say hi.
Still getting prickly stares, so we had a ways to go, but it'd get better eventually, right?
Clapping palms makes the sound, after all.
"Well, I'll be off then."
"Good night, Teacher Iris."
...I hoped they'd get along.
But I was too exhausted to do anything about it right now, so I let it go.
Yeah, that was the biggest change in my routine.
"Ohok! Heguh...!"
"Ahng, haah... Kyaaak...!"
"I-it's coming out!!!"
Checking Ekaterina and meeting Philia... honestly, those were perks.
Eye candy, for one.
...Even setting aside the side benefits.
But look at what's happening now.
"Ah, aaah...! This feels so weird...!"
"Ohok, ok, ohok...!"
The voices were nice, which weirded out the mood a bit, but otherwise... what unpleasant noises.
Couldn't exactly avoid it either—this was part of the job.
...But man, the numbers had spiked too much all of a sudden.
The area beyond the screen was packed right now, with people waiting outside even.
The silver lining? After contracting directly with El, the Undines—which used to be just one—had multiplied nicely.
El said it wouldn't have been possible without what she fed me and the practice with Ekaterina, so that was a relief.
But relief only went that far.
I needed to find the cause of this outrageous mess fast.
That meant meeting Irene to unravel the clues...
Impossible on weekdays.
With the infirmary so swamped even Charlotte couldn't get in, how could I?
Couldn't use Leona, her maid and student, either.
And...
"Infirmary teacher... c-could you hold my hand?"
"Haa... If you hold me, I could finish faster..."
"J-just smelling you makes me feel good..."
"Want a cookie, Teacher?"
"Could you feed me?"
"I think this spot's hurt—could you check?"
"Aaang~!"
They'd gotten way too interested in me.
It started as bewildering, but now it was a real worry.
Faking illnesses just to see my face was routine, and when "that" popped up, they'd rush over with all sorts of demands.
No wonder it stemmed from a yuri game...
I knew all their tricks.
Didn't matter.
As long as I didn't give in.
Just enjoy the eye candy, the nice scents... feel their warm body heat, yeah... that was enough, right?
Iron wall up, and they'd give up and rub against other flowers.
It was just a fleeting popularity spike from the practical training, so it'd fade eventually.
Filling a bit of personal curiosity in the meantime should be fine.
I'm human, after all.
A mentally healthy guy—how could I not react to cute, fit students shyly prodding with their fingers?
My heart was already racing from touching Ekaterina's chest.
But I knew full well it was sinful.
I'll be fine.
The game pulled through with an iron wall most of the time anyway.
Just watch out for the exceptions.
Anyway.
With so many people in and out of the infirmary, of course I was worn out.
Hunting the culprit sounded good, but that took stamina too.
My one small joy was using the bath like I'd rented it out...
"I'll join you today."
"Uh... sure, okay."
At some point, Michelle started tagging along.
Philia got involved in a flash, and more snuck in after hearing rumors.
Even my little escape was in peril.
In that situation, I had one option.
"Student Evelyn."
"...What."
"Your responses are poor."
"What's wrong, Teacher?"
"When are you planning to make it? I can overlook the breast-shrinking potion being useless, but... how long do I have to wait for that one?"
"Th-that's..."
Tease Evelyn.
I didn't enjoy tormenting her as she squirmed, but she needed to produce results for me to get any breathing room.
Was I asking for something hard? She'd whipped up something useless quick last time—why so slow now?
"Pretty please?"
"...Y-yes."
Watching the pink hamster deflate softened my heart, but seeing Undine-missed traces hardened it again.
...Stress relief too.
Then one day.
Evelyn approached with a determined face.
"Teacher."
"What is it? Done already?"
"It's about that."
As I tilted my head, her face flushed slightly, and she shouted,
"Y-you might need to spread your legs a bit!"
"...What the hell?"
Evelyn had suddenly started saying something bizarre.