No! I Hate It! Don't! My Body Is My Own!
No! I Hate It! Don't! My Body Is My Own!
I fled from Kir at a full sprint all the way to the student council room.
I was still catching my ragged breath when Chloe—who had been waiting for me in front of the student council room—rushed over and asked what had happened.
"Young master, what's the matter?!"
-Shake shake.
But my pride as a manly man wouldn't let me admit, 'I got scared because Kir looked at me like she wanted to devour me whole for a second there.' So I tried to convey that 'nothing happened' by shaking my head vigorously.
But.
"Your breathing is so labored, and your clothes are all wrinkled... Could it be? Young master. Please excuse me for a moment."
Chloe apparently didn't think I looked fine at all. She immediately started sniffing around and examining my body here and there.
It wasn't as invasive as yesterday in the student council room, where she practically buried her nose in me, but it was still a bit conspicuous for the hallway.
Thinking it might cause a problem if anyone else saw us, I tried to dissuade Chloe while still panting heavily.
"Haa, haah... Look, Chloe. I'm really okay."
"...!? Young master, what is this on your hand?!"
"Huh? What's wrong with my hand... Ah."
Chloe jumped as if startled by something she found on my hand. I wondered what could make her jump like a cat seeing a cucumber, so I checked the back of my hand and noticed the skin was slightly red.
'I must have scraped it when I fell with Kir earlier.'
The injury was truly insignificant. It wasn't bleeding, nor was the skin even broken—literally just a little red on the back of my hand.
It had stung a bit when I fell, though there was no pain at all now. I habitually thumped my chest to show off my manliness, but...
-Snatch.
"...Huh?"
Before I could finish, Chloe slid her hands under my armpits and lifted me clean off the ground.
"I-I'll take you to the infirmary right away!"
-Whoosh.
And then Chloe started running, using her characteristic physical ability. Still holding me up in the air.
My body dangled from Chloe's grip as we began to move.
The sudden acceleration naturally swung my lower body toward Chloe.
"W-Whoa!? Chloe!?"
Startled, I instinctively stretched my legs toward Chloe to stabilize my lower half, which was floating helplessly in the air.
I clamped both legs tightly around Chloe's back like a spider, and my lower body ended up pressed flush against hers...
-Squish.
"...!!!"
-Whoooosh!
Maybe it was because I was now secured, or maybe there was another reason.
The moment my crotch pressed firmly against her stomach, Chloe's cat ears suddenly stiffened straight up, and she increased her speed.
She was running so fast it felt less like running and more like outright flying.
Unlike riding Yuni, every time Chloe kicked hard off the ground, the vibration transmitted directly into my lower back.
"Let go of me! I told you I'm fine!?"
-Grip. Squish.
"......."
I winced at the vibrations traveling up my spine, but since I was scared, I only clamped my legs around Chloe even tighter.
Chloe's face grew even redder, and as if deaf to my words, she kept racing along at high speed.
Just to get me to the infirmary.
'Seriously, the back pain from Chloe is worse than the pain from the fall!?'
* * * * * *
A very short time later.
Before my bewilderment could even fade, Chloe had carried me to a certain white building.
-SLAM!
"Lady Marie!"
Chloe powerfully kicked open the door labeled 'Infirmary' and charged inside.
The door flew open with a bang and slammed against the wall.
Someone who had been kneeling in prayer by the sunlit window hurriedly rose and walked toward us.
"...? Lady Chloe!?"
A woman with black hair, dressed in white priestess robes.
Chloe only set me down after seeing the strangely familiar woman.
"Y-Young master Yune is hurt! Heal him, now!"
"...Just a moment!"
She looked flustered, but the moment she heard I was hurt, her expression hardened. She summoned divine power in her hand and approached me.
From her priestess robes and presence in the infirmary, I had guessed she was a priest, but to summon that much divine power without even a prayer—she was clearly no ordinary person. My expression stiffened for a moment.
But I immediately started shaking my head and backing away.
"No, I don't want to! Stop!"
"...?"
"Don't touch me!"
"......!!?"
She was probably trying to infuse divine power to heal me.
But it hadn't been long since I'd gotten intoxicated on holy water and divine power and caused a major incident, so I frantically yelled at her not to touch me with that divine-power-filled hand.
"Young master? This is only for healing...."
"My body is my own!"
"N-No, wait! What are you saying, young master Yune?!"
* * * * * *
Oddly, the older girl seemed gravely flustered, backing away with her hands raised as if trying to prove her innocence.
It took some time to explain to the panicking girl that I was not actually hurt and that treatment was unnecessary.
Only then did she seem to understand and withdrew the divine power from her hands.
"...Young master Yune, are you not in pain? Your hand was reddened."
"I told you I was fine. You forced me to come here, Chloe. Look. It's already faded, right? With all my artifacts, I couldn't get hurt even if I wanted to. It was just my skin getting a bit shocked from falling down."
"...I'm sorry."
"Honestly. I appreciate you looking out for me, but you need to listen when I talk, okay? Have you already forgotten what happened yesterday? Did you catch the doting-parent syndrome from my mother?"
"......I apologize. I must have lost my reason for a moment, thinking young master Yune's precious body had been marred."
"Sigh. Try to learn from me, a manly man. Well, I suppose it can't be helped since you're still young. Anyway, it won't happen again, right?"
".........Yes."
"Then it's settled. I forgive you!"
Feeling the threat to my person had vanished, I placed my hands on my hips and was in the middle of giving Chloe a mature scolding when the priestess approached us cautiously.
"Heh. Young master Yune, you haven't changed a bit from back then."
"...Huh?"
She spoke as if she knew me. I stared at her intently.
And soon, I realized the source of the familiarity I'd felt from the first moment I saw her.
"...What? Temple Head lady!?"
"Goodness, you still remember me?"
After all, she was the Temple Head my mother had brought in about seven years ago to catch the black mage who attacked Kir during the Founding Festival.
I brightened up, genuinely happy to see her again after she'd faded from my memory.
"What, what is this? Why is the Temple Head lady at the academy?"
"...I'm no longer the Temple Head. I'm just a common priest now."
"Huh?! Why?!"
"A lot has happened since then."
But she, the Temple Head lady—well, now just priest lady—told me she was no longer the head, just a common priest.
Even to my untrained eye, she had divine power that far outclassed ordinary priests, and she had been so devout she was praying right up until we burst in. I was curious why she had stepped down from her position, but...
Seeing her scratch her cheek and look a bit awkward, I quietly closed my mouth.
And it wasn't as if I couldn't guess the reason.
'Come to think of it, they said the Temple let that incompetent—no, that black mage escape. Is that why?'
It wasn't my fault, and honestly, I thought it was the Temple's mistake too. Still, I hadn't expected it to be severe enough to demote the Temple Head herself to a common priest.
I was reminded of just how significant Kir's position and my own were.
To think they'd demote the head of a Temple, even if it was just the imperial capital branch and not the headquarters, to a common priest. And all for failing to properly manage her subordinates.
"...."
"Don't make that face, young master Yune."
Whatever she read in my troubled expression, the priest lady smiled gently and guided me to a seat.
"Seeing as you're here, have a seat, at least for a little while. You too, Lady Chloe. I'll brew some tea."
"Thanks, big sis... Heave ho."
I sat down at one of the tables with Chloe.
Noticing how carefully I sat, the priest lady spoke to me tentatively.
"Are you sure you aren't uncomfortable somewhere?"
"Huh? No, my hand's fine?"
"Not your hand. Somewhere else. You winced when you were sitting down."
"Ah...."
It was true that my lower back had a dull, tingling ache from the impact of Chloe lifting and running with me, but it wasn't so painful that I'd let it show.
The priest lady looked at me with worry, having sharply noticed my back pain. Like a true manly man, I waved my hand in denial.
"Nah, it doesn't hurt that much. It's just that Chloe moved so roughly that my back is a little sore."
"...Excuse me!?"
"Y-Young master?!"
'...? Why is everyone reacting like that?'
The priest lady looked utterly startled by what I said. Chloe, equally shocked and wide-eyed, immediately started waving her hands and making excuses to the priest lady.
"No, no, it's not like that! This is, well... Young master, why would you say it like that?!"
"What's wrong with everyone? I meant that when Chloe carried me here, she moved so fast and roughly that my back is a bit sore. Every time she ran, the shock went straight to my lower back."
"......Ah."
After my additional explanation, the two of them turned their heads away, coughing awkwardly. Both of their faces were quite red, so they had clearly been under a serious misunderstanding.
'Really. I don't know what it is with the women in this world and their frequent misunderstandings.'
"Anyway, it's nothing, so you don't need to worry...."
"W-Well then, please wait just a moment!"
I was about to tell her not to worry since it was nothing, but the priest lady immediately shot to her feet and headed somewhere.
She disappeared behind a suspiciously drawn curtain.
She reappeared very shortly after, holding a single cup in her hands.
And the instant I saw the suspicious yellow liquid inside it, I was appalled.
'...That, no way?'
"Young master! Here! It's holy water I freshly made just now! Even you, who dislikes being touched by my body, will feel your pain vanish with just one sip...."
"...No, I don't want to! Don't do it! My body is my own!!"
"W-What? Young master? Why on earth, this time?!"
After that, I had to explain to the deeply flustered priest lady, 'I have a unique constitution that makes me intoxicated by divine power. The reason I refused your hand when I first arrived was also because of the divine power flickering on it.'
It was a real struggle to explain, since she kept raising her hands and shaking her head as if to prove her innocence this time as well.
"Phew... Young master, who taught you to say such things?"
"Kir told me to shout it if anyone tried to touch me...."
"...I think it would be best to only use those words when your body is truly in danger. My heart nearly stopped, honestly...."
'...No, objectively speaking, I was in danger just now.
I couldn't help but give the priest lady a baffled look as she spoke as if things had been incredibly dangerous. What, is it a magic spell that you shouldn't overuse?