Health Room Unobserved Area (4)

I said nothing. I simply pulled Iren into a tight embrace.

Ah… I really had done something terrible.

Just how badly shaken must she have been to attack herself out loud like that?

That was it. Seeing me collapse had hit Iren so hard that she triggered the whole disaster—and then turned the blame on herself.

And in a space where her very thoughts were leaking out into the open, of course she would scold herself like that. She couldn't help it.

So the only thing I could do for her was this. From the way little Iren had spoken, it was clear she hated being alone. Then I would share a little human warmth with her.

Even if I couldn't love her, I could at least do this much as a friend. I decided to ignore the echo of Elena still yelling playboy somewhere in the back of my mind.

I held Iren for a long time. She could have shoved me away—she never did.

The trembling that had run through her body at first was gone now. She seemed calmer, so I finally let go.

"Iren."

"Y-yes?"

Her face was flushed deep red. She'd hyperventilated two hours ago; her body was probably still running hot.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"I know everything. So stop blaming yourself."

"You know… everything?"

"Yes. I saw it all. Inside your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thoughts."

Her face went even redder. She looked like a ripe persimmon.

"F-Frey. I—"

"You don't have to say anything. In the end, this whole catastrophe started with me."

"A-are you okay? I— I did that to you—"

"I know you did it for my sake. Don't say another word. First, let's put this place back to normal."

Before she could sink any deeper into self-reproach, I gathered mana into my hand.

"Before that—can you pull all your thoughts back in?"

"Y-yeah. I didn't know how before, but I do now."

Iren closed her eyes and concentrated. Before long, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana that had been scattered throughout the health room began streaming back into her.

All the fragments of thought I had encountered while walking with little Iren. The walls of ice I had shattered. And last of all, little Iren herself, still cradling that lion plushie with such care.

"Hmm. Already over? Still, that was fun, big brother!"

Little Iren waved cheerfully—then was absorbed into Iren. Iren opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

"Hooo. Done."

"Good. Then let's get out of here."

"How? I made this space, but even I don't know how to undo it. That's why I've just been sitting here."

"So that's why you were trapped inside the lion plushie."

No wonder. If she had been blaming herself this hard, she should have dissolved the space ages ago.

She must have been sealed inside a lion plushie that even she couldn't escape—with no way to do anything about it.

"Don't worry. There's a way."

"What way?"

"The method you used to turn this place into an Unobserved Area was sealing off every information medium that could come or go. So what we need to do is simple."

Snap. Sparks leapt from my fingertips.

"We just thaw everything that was frozen."

Fwoooosh—

The same way Iren's mana had once flooded the entire health room, mine now swept across it in a rush.

The only thing that needed melting was Iren's cold. Nothing else could be allowed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thaw. If it did, that object would collapse violently the moment the space returned to normal.

Ordinarily this was a spell that demanded dozens of minutes of careful control—but having Iren and her cold-aspected mana right beside me made the whole process far easier.

At this rate, I could restore the space immediately.

I began the chant as well. If I tried to skip the incantation, I would lose the control I needed.

"Frey, that's a heat-retention spell!"

She was right. What I was chanting was a warming spell—more precisely, a spell that raised the surrounding temperature just enough that the caster wouldn't feel cold, then held it there. Warmth, and the maintenance of that warmth.

"You can't melt this cold with something like that! You'd need a spell that could burn down a mountain at the very least!"

"Just watch. You still don't know me very well, do you?"

"This is basic common sense!"

"Then take this as your introduction to having a friend who lives outside of common sense."

Fwoooom!

My mana flooded the entire space. At the same moment, Professor Narei's voice—bright with relief—reached me.

Iren must have sensed it too—her eyes went round as she stared at me. Having Iren look at me in genuine shock was a rare sight. Today, I had managed it.

And just like that, my mana returned the health room to normal.

About five minutes after Duke Katram had settled into a chair, Professor Colton shouted.

"L-look at the wall!"

"What?"

Lionel and Department Head Alketo both turned. The wall that had been severed from the Academy and transformed into something unrecognizable was rippling.

Pop! A person came tumbling out. Professor Narei.

"Whoaaa! I'm out!"

"Narei! Are you all right?!"

Professor Colton rushed to help her up from the floor. Narei accepted the support with a broad grin.

"Of course I'm all right. I'm Narei Cassandra, Professor."

"Hah… thank goodness. If you're out, then the two students must be fine as well?"

"They should be coming any second now."

She was right. The rippling wall was already reclaiming its original shape.

In the blink of an eye the severed barrier vanished, and the ordinary door of the health room reappeared.

Creeeak.

The door opened. Frey and Iren stepped out. Lionel cried out at once.

"Iren! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere—!"

"…"

Iren said nothing. Under everyone's worried stares, she muttered under her breath.

"If anyone follows me right now, I will turn the entire Academy into an Unobserved Area. Especially you, Brother Lionel. Absolutely not."

Then she grabbed Frey and dragged him off somewhere. Lionel stood frozen, watching the two of them disappear.

Duke Katram gave his sagging shoulders a firm couple of pats.

"Her Highness never hates me like that."

"…"

"Well, that's just how the world works, isn't it? The problem's resolved, so I'll be on my way. I'll have to prepare a separate reward for Frey. Haha."

Whoosh! Duke Katram cast a teleportation spell and vanished from the spot.

Lionel mumbled in a daze.

"I was… I was the one who worried about her the most…"

Department Head Alketo helpfully drove the point home.

"As Duke Katram said—that's simply how the world works."

Lionel went back to his room that night and cried.

"Iren? Iren?"

"Just shut up and follow me."

The moment we left the health room, Iren dragged me off somewhere. Looking at the faces waiting outside, there was no way we should have been able to just walk away—but she had coolly ignored every last one of them.

So she was embarrassed because I'd said I saw everything? She had been yelling about how humiliating it was earlier.

Then I needed to apologize again. This wasn't her fault. I couldn't leave her feeling ashamed or mortified over something that wasn't on her.

The place she took me was an empty classroom. Or rather, the Academy day was already over, so the whole building was hollowed out and quiet. How long had it been since I first fainted? Adding the three hours in the health room… maybe I'd been out for an hour or two at the start?

Iren sat on a classroom desk. The look she gave me was complicated beyond words.

"S-so, Frey."

"This is entirely my fault."

"Huh?"

"I'm the reason you made that choice. I understand completely. So you don't need to feel embarrassed, Iren."

"…"

The expression on her face turned strangely unreadable.

"That's not it. I—"

"Don't say another word. I understand all of it."

"You really… understand everything?"

"Yes."

In the first place, this only happened because I fainted like an idiot.

From now on, I was never casting illusion magic on my own head like that again.

"Then, Frey. Listen."

For some reason, Iren's face went red again. Was she still embarrassed?

"If you understand me, then we—!"

"That's right! The truth is I didn't faint because I was exhausted—I deliberately fired illusion magic into my own head so I'd pass out on purpose!"

"Mph—. Mph?"

"Hm?"

For some reason, Iren had clamped one hand over her own mouth and was trying to pry that hand off with the other. What?

"Iren?"

"Pwah!"

She tore her hand away and demanded,

"W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm saying the reason I fainted earlier wasn't because of you—it was my fault. I needed an excuse to rest, so I shot magic into my own head and knocked myself out… I thought I'd go under peacefully. I never dreamed I'd collapse that catastrophically."

"Y-you said you saw everything! What exactly did you see?!"

"The part where you saw me fainted and started screaming, of course. You were crying and carrying on so pitifully. That must have made it even more humiliating, right?"

"…"

"Don't worry. If I'd been in your position, I would have been just as shocked. The mana rampage part, I'm less clear on, but—"

"…"

"Anyway, what were you about to say just now? Why did you suddenly cover your own mouth?"

"…Bo."

"Pardon?"

"Iiiik!"

Iren suddenly cocked her fist. Huh?

Then she drove a full-power punch straight into my face!

"Guh-hack?!"

"You absolute idiot! Someone like you would never understand!"

"W-wait—"

Iren bolted from the classroom. I reached after her, but—

There was no staying conscious after taking one of Iren's genuine punches.

When I finally came to, it was around nine in the evening.