Chapter 17
When I came to, the first thing I saw was a pure white ceiling.
"An unfamiliar ceiling..."
"Oh? You're awake?"
I'd been staring blankly at the ceiling and murmuring to myself when someone parted the curtains around the bed and stepped in.
"You're the first two to end up in the infirmary in such a mess since the entrance ceremony."
A woman in a white coat—clearly the school nurse—checked over my condition.
"Your dislocated shoulder's back in place, and the mana exhaustion seems to have recovered nicely with some rest."
The nurse plopped down in the chair beside the bed and continued.
"I've patched up the minor scratches too, so they should heal soon enough."
She stirred a steaming mug with a spoon and suddenly thrust it toward me.
"Hot chocolate. You gonna drink it or not?"
"Ah, no, thank you. I mean, yes, thank you."
I took the warm mug in both hands and took a tentative sip.
Sweet.
For some reason, my tensed muscles relaxed a little, and a sense of calm washed over me.
"Um, where's Scarlett?"
I asked about the girl who'd been brought to the infirmary with me.
"Oh, the one with the red hair? No major injuries, but she was exhausted. She's sleeping like a log in the next bed over."
Come to think of it, I could hear someone mumbling and tossing in their sleep from behind the curtain.
I took another sip of hot chocolate and glanced at the nurse.
Her long black braid draped over her right shoulder, and her calm black eyes gazed toward where Scarlett lay. The white coat draped casually over her ordinary office attire marked her as the nurse. Whether it was her soothing presence or the faint medicinal scent of the infirmary, the atmosphere put my mind at ease.
Yoon Hye-yeon.
A B-rank hero-level powerhouse, and thanks to her uniquely comforting aura, even Dina would drop by the infirmary now and then when she was worn out, just to rest and chat.
Heroine—she'd been quite popular from the early days of serialization.
'The one who dies to the second boss in Part 1.'
She'd jumped in to save a careless Dina and lost her life in the process. It was one of the rare dark moments in the otherwise upbeat Heroine, only the second one.
Fans who saw that arc even speculated that Part 2 might turn into a tragedy.
One of the characters I'd vowed to save from the moment I possessed this body.
I'd been staring dazedly at Yoon Hye-yeon when she noticed and turned, our eyes meeting.
She curled the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile and asked,
"Something on your mind?"
Her smile carried a faint air of decadent allure—somehow both detached and lonely.
I smiled back at her and replied,
"No, just... this hot chocolate is so good. Mind if I drop by for some now and then?"
I'll never let you die.
Yoon Hye-yeon's eyes widened briefly before she broke into an even warmer smile.
"Of course. The infirmary's always open."
Being here really did melt away all the built-up stress.
"Uwak!"
Just then, Scarlett bolted upright with a yell.
Yoon Hye-yeon and I approached and drew back the curtain. Scarlett blinked sleepily with a sheepish grin.
At that moment, someone knocked on the infirmary door twice before entering.
"Hi! Teacher Hye-yeon!"
"Oh, come on in."
They seemed to know each other; Yoon Hye-yeon greeted her warmly.
The woman who entered turned and spotted me and Scarlett.
"Ah, you're both up! Great!"
She strode over and greeted us brightly.
"Hey! I'm Lee Yu-ra, the homeroom teacher for Class A—starting today, that includes you two!"
Since she was in charge of Class A and us, it looked like we'd made it in safely.
Speaking of which, the name rang a bell—she must be Class A's teacher.
Her youthful appearance had thrown me off; I hadn't expected her to be the homeroom teacher.
"You! You're thinking I look like a kid right now, aren't you!"
"Huh? No, not at all?"
She must have earned her spot as Class A teacher for a reason—she saw right through my thoughts.
"Ahem. Anyway, I've already explained everything to the rest of the class, and now it's your turn!"
"Thank you."
Scarlett, still blinking her sleepy eyes, offered her thanks.
Lee Yu-ra pulled out a folded sheet of paper and read from it in a steady stream.
From instructions like "Be in class by 9 a.m. starting tomorrow, no exceptions" to warnings like "Never enter the restricted zones," she covered it all.
"And you two know that Class A students have to take turns managing the Class S kids, right?"
I nodded, of course I knew.
Astel Academy's classes were divided into five: E through A. Sorted by individual strength, Class E had nearly 100 students, while Class A had just 8.
Actually, now with me and Scarlett—who was in Class B in Heroine—it'll be 10.
But there was one class outside those five: Class S.
In webnovels or games, S-rank usually stands for SUPER, SUPREME, or SPECIAL.
For Class S, it was special—though not in a good way.
More precisely, it was the class for "special management cases."
Students with at least Class B-level power, but also the school's biggest troublemakers.
Most Class A students were strong enough to jump straight into active hero duty without issue.
Naturally, if that level of powerhouses went wild as a group, no single homeroom teacher could handle them alone.
That's why Class S was created: to corral potential delinquents for special oversight.
And when Class S students acted up, the Class S teacher and Class A students stepped in to subdue them.
Class A students paired up in teams of two, rotating weekly as supervisors for Class S.
They got decent compensation, of course, but since Class A students had their own classes, joint sessions with Class S were frequent.
Seeing me nod, Lee Yu-ra grinned as if pleased and dropped the news.
"While you two were out, we already picked teams for Class S supervision."
Scarlett and I swallowed hard.
Lee Yu-ra looked at me and said,
"Starting tomorrow, you're on duty for the week."
I didn't want my first time to be it.
Still tense, I asked,
"So... who am I teamed with?"
Lee Yu-ra grinned wickedly and uttered the words I absolutely didn't want to hear.
"Dina Polaris. She insisted on pairing with you."
A chill ran through my entire body, freezing me solid.
Oblivious, Lee Yu-ra kept chattering.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she? I'm so jealous!"
I ignored her as she patted my shoulder and blabbered on, my face blank and soul drained.
Only one thought filled my mind.
'I'm screwed...!'
From Dina's perspective—who didn't know she was a character in Heroine and had simply possessed Irregular Star—I was an irregular.
Since I could alter the future, she might try to eliminate me.
'Should I run?'
Maybe if I just dropped out and fled, Dina would leave me alone.
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I shook my head and dismissed it.
No matter how unhinged she got, she wouldn't kill me in Star City.
A few punches at worst...
'...Maybe I should still run?'
As I spiraled into chaos, Lee Yu-ra spoke up again.
"Oh, and by the way."
I stared at her, my face pale.
"Tomorrow's a full day of physical assessments with Class S, so you'll head over early in the morning—just the two of you—to round up the students!"
With that, she backed slowly toward the door.
"Good luck!"
She shouted and bolted.
"......"
Silence blanketed the infirmary.
I grabbed the Shadow Ink Sword from the bedside and slowly sat up.
"Well... I'll head back to the dorm now."
"Me too..."
As we left, Yoon Hye-yeon gave a small wave.
"Get some good rest."
We waved back and stepped out.
"Your injuries feeling okay?"
On the way back, Scarlett asked with concern.
She'd fought the demon the longest, yet somehow I had more wounds.
Using all five acceleration spells on the Shadow Ink Sword had dislocated my shoulder, and I'd taken a headshot from the demon that sent me flying.
"Feels fine after the treatment."
Only then did Scarlett smile in relief.
And when we finally reached the dorm...
We were speechless.
...This is the dorm?
It was mentioned as enormous in Heroine, but still.
Scarlett muttered beside me,
"...Way too big."
Tell me about it.