Awakening in the Nurse's Office
Ugh...
"Ugh..."
Once again, an unfamiliar ceiling stretched above me. This time, though, it wasn't a cold hard floor beneath my back—something soft and plush cushioned me instead. I clung to my dazed senses as best I could and slowly pushed myself upright.
"Just how many times am I going to pass out in a single day...?"
Pressing at my throbbing temples, I took in the room around me. It was a world away from the chaotic temporary treatment area where I'd first opened my eyes. Neatly made beds lined the space, and professional medical equipment filled every available corner—this was a proper, high-class hospital ward.
As I blankly scanned the surroundings, my gaze snagged on one spot. My eyes locked dead-on with the person sitting cross-legged in the chair beside the bed.
"Oh, you're awake? Kiddo."
A Western beauty in a white doctor's coat. The problem was what she wore underneath it. The clothes were so outrageously skimpy and revealing for a physician that I had no idea where to put my eyes. My pupils jittered in full-blown panic until I hurriedly dropped my gaze and stammered,
"Wh-where is this...?"
"The infirmary in the academy's Main Building One. I'm Hilda Wagner, the professor in charge here. Just call me Professor Hilda."
She scratched something onto the chart in her hands with a soft rasping sound and clicked her tongue.
"I get wanting to leave a strong first impression right from the entrance test, but didn't you go a little overboard? Your collapse wasn't from physical damage—it was mana exhaustion. Extreme mana exhaustion. Just what kind of ability did you use to scrape every last drop of mana dry? Normally the body faints on its own long before it reaches that point."
She snapped the chart shut with a sharp clap and issued a warning.
"Be careful from now on. Push any harder and you really could've been in serious trouble."
"...What?"
I echoed her like an idiot.
...Mana exhaustion? I used mana...? Don't tell me the Chain of Causality is a skill that eats mana too?!
I wanted to scream. Not a single line in the game's setting window had ever mentioned mana consumption. Common sense said an ability that already carved up my own flesh as its horrifying activation cost didn't need to suck my mana dry on top of that. That was just pure malice!
Ah, shit... If I'd known, I would've dumped a few points into mana from the start...
My mana stat sat at a pathetic 1. One swing of the chain and it bottomed out, leaving me with that skull-splitting migraine and a one-way ticket to unconsciousness.
"Haa..."
A bone-deep sigh of regret escaped me as I buried my face in both hands. Maybe I looked genuinely miserable, because Professor Hilda rose from her chair with a gentle murmur.
"Hmm? Kiddo. Is your head still hurting?"
She leaned in close. Through the outrageously deep plunge of her open coat, breathlessly full curves spilled into my field of vision like they might overflow at any second.
"Huk...! N-no...! I-I'm fine...!"
I recoiled in pure panic, whipping my gaze away and ducking my head. My paper-thin denial didn't reach her at all. Instead she swung one smooth leg up onto the bed, planted her knee, and closed the distance until she was right in front of my nose before I could even think of escaping.
"Ugh..."
My lowered vision filled with the dizzying valley hovering so close my breath brushed against it. At the same time a rich, seductive scent of mature woman flooded my senses and my mind went completely blank. Her soft fingers brushed my hair aside, then gently stroked my cheek and the nape of my neck.
"Are you sure you're okay? Your face is red—maybe you've got a fever..."
A languid, sticky voice caressed my ear. Flustered, I flinched and peeked up at her face. The corners of her lips curved in a subtle, knowing arc. Something flickered in her eyes—playfulness, or something far more dangerous.
...Just my imagination, right?
Yeah. It had to be. There was no reason a stunning adult beauty like the infirmary professor would put out this kind of vibe toward a scrawny stick of a nerd like me. She was simply worried about a sick student; my virgin-brain was just slapping a filthy filter over everything and drinking kimchi soup way too early.
Rational thought was one thing. Instinctive crisis alarms were another. I scooted backward on my butt, inch by cautious inch. Professor Hilda only chuckled and, still on her knees, slowly crawled closer across the mattress.
One step. Another step.
Thud.
The cold infirmary wall pressed against my back. Nowhere left to run—
Clack—!!
Bang!
The locked door was nearly torn off its hinges as it flew open. Standing in the threshold was none other than Anastasia, her face twisted into a murderous scowl as she glared into the room.
Professor Hilda's eyes went round.
"...Huh? Wasn't the door locked? How'd you open it?"
"...I just opened it."
Anastasia answered flatly and released her grip. The mangled metal doorknob clattered to the floor and rolled away. She had simply ripped the locked door open with raw strength.
Professor Hilda slowly rose from the bed, glanced at me once, then walked over to the wrecked doorknob and started scolding.
"Oh dear, kiddo! This is special alloy—it costs a fortune to replace!"
"...I'll pay for it. Send the bill my way."
Professor Hilda waved a dismissive hand.
"Forget it, forget it. Why would I take money from a student?"
She jerked her chin toward me on the bed.
"You came to check on our little Kiddo, right? Go ahead, look all you want. Kiddo can rest here as long as he likes and leave on his own once he feels better. I'm starving, so I'm off to eat."
Humming a little tune, she strolled out without a single backward glance. That left only me and Anastasia alone in the room.
She strode over, dropped heavily into the chair beside my bed, and crossed one leg over the other at a sharp angle. Then she stared down at me and spoke.
"Wanna die?"
"..."
Straight to the curses the second she sat down. What a personality. I'd heard so many vicious insults by now that all I could manage was a resigned Well, she's just like that...
I carefully watched her mood and asked in a shrinking voice,
"Th-the entrance ceremony test... is it over...?"
Anastasia snorted.
"Finished ages ago, you little shit. It's lunchtime. So why the hell did you collapse?"
"Ah..."
I answered while recalling Professor Hilda's diagnosis.
"I-I collapsed from mana exhaustion..."
"What? Mana exhaustion?"
Her brow furrowed hard with pure disbelief.
"Ha. A freshman who drops from mana exhaustion at the welcome match—you'd be the only one even if you searched the entire planet. Is your head empty? Did you just spam skills without allocating points?"
After the savage dressing-down she propped her chin in her hand and muttered almost to herself.
"...No wonder it looked like you were pushing too hard. If you had the power to drop that pig bastard in one hit, of course it'd gulp down a shit-ton of mana."
No, that's because my mana stat is 1...
I swallowed the injustice and kept my mouth shut. Anastasia's sharp eyes pinned me again as she got to the real point.
"But you—why are you 'unaffiliated'?"
"Yes...?"
"Even so, I can't believe the department heads just left you alone. Were you hiding it on purpose?"
Why I'm unaffiliated?
I swallowed a wave of pure absurdity at her sharp question. How the hell was I supposed to know? I got drunk, played a game, woke up transmigrated, and the student ID already had an unaffiliated sticker slapped on it!
What am I even supposed to say...?
I averted my eyes and fumbled for any half-decent excuse. Anastasia's brow knotted savagely.
"Not answering?"
She growled, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She flinched, cleared her throat with a couple of forced coughs, and continued in a deliberately softened voice that sounded like it had been wrung out of her.
"No... just answer. Why is that."
The delinquent girl who normally led with blood-curdling curses was trailing off and reading the room. A cold bead of sweat slid down my spine at the sheer wrongness of it. I gulped and answered in a voice that had almost vanished.
"I also... don't really..."
"Don't?"
"Just... the department heads didn't pick me...?"
Anastasia let out a hollow laugh of pure disbelief.
"Didn't pick you? You? Why?"
"I-I really don't know either..."
Open distrust flooded her face. She snorted and leaned back against the chair.
"Ha. Does that even make sense? You're a terrible liar. Be honest. You deliberately hid your strength during the entrance exam, right? Pretending to be unaffiliated so you wouldn't get dragged into annoying faction fights... Or maybe..."
As she muttered with narrowed eyes—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A polite tapping came from the open doorway. Anastasia and I both turned. Chloe and Johnson stood there, already changed into clean new uniforms just like her.
"Hi~ We came for a get-well visit!"
Chloe waved with her signature bright smile. Johnson gave a short, blunt nod of greeting.
As she stepped inside, Chloe glanced down at the mangled doorknob rolling pathetically across the floor and tilted her head.
"Oh my. Why is the infirmary doorknob smashed to pieces? I almost thought a wild bear had charged in."
Then she spotted Anastasia sitting crookedly beside my bed and let out a small, deliberately surprised sound.
"Ah, so you really were here first? Someone beat us to it."
The deliberate jab made Anastasia bare her hostility instantly.
"...You fucking annoying bitch. Who said you could crawl in here? Get the hell out already."
The vicious curse slipped out as naturally as breathing. Chloe didn't even flinch. Instead she returned a melting eye-smile and answered with easy leisure.
"Don't be so cold, Anya. This is a pure get-well visit because I was worried about an injured classmate. Wouldn't it be disappointing to turn me away at the door?"
Anastasia glared daggers at her. Chloe met the stare head-on, a faint smile still playing on her lips. Vicious sparks seemed to crackle and fly in the air between their locked gazes.