A Senior Who Cherishes Her Junior

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a familiar ceiling. The sharp scent of disinfectant tickled the tip of my nose. It was the infirmary at Jerion Academy.

'Did Poara bring me here?'

She must have come in after seeing the steel vanish and found me unconscious. She had certainly paid her dues. I would have to thank her properly next time.

I tried to sit up immediately, but a dull ache rippled through my body. It was the aftermath of using a High Healing Potion. Although my wounds were fully healed, my body still remembered the trauma. Furthermore, healing potions always came with a price; they forcibly drew out the body's remaining regenerative power. As a consequence, an overwhelming fatigue weighed down my entire frame.

'At least there was some harvest.'

With this, I could somehow get through the mock battle.

Creak—

At that moment, the infirmary door slid open. Thinking it might be the school nurse, I poked my head out, only to find an unexpected figure standing there.

"Senior Nikita?"

"Oh? Junior, you're awake."

For some reason, she was cradling a bundle of sandwiches in her arms. As my gaze drifted toward them, Nikita let out a soft chuckle. "I've had a mountain of work to do, you see. I haven't had dinner yet. I thought we could eat together once you woke up."

She wanted to repay me for the lunch I had bought her earlier. It was just like her to hate being indebted to anyone. A faint smile ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠played on my lips.

"Sandwiches again, after lunch?"

"Well, unlike this afternoon, these are tuna and chicken."

"Thank you for the food."

No one could resist chicken. Nikita walked over, pulled up a chair next to me, and sat down. She unwrapped the chicken sandwich and placed it gently in my hand. ...Is she an angel?

"Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. I'm truly grateful for what you did in the Great Spirit Forest. Though, you did give me quite a scare."

Since the person she had asked for a favor had been brought back unconscious, Nikita must have been terrified. After all, I had acted as if I could handle it with ease. It was a natural reaction. I felt a twinge of guilt. If something had gone wrong with me, Nikita, who had sent me there, would have been put in a very difficult position.

"A Mystery."

The moment that word left Nikita's mouth, my body flinched. So she found out after all.

"If I had known such a thing was there, I would never have sent you, Junior."

While some Mysteries could be beneficial, most were highly dangerous. Since the Great Spirit Forest was ruled by the Spirit Sovereign—an entity superior to a Mystery—everyone assumed there was no room for a Mystery to infiltrate. The absence of the Spirit Sovereign was a secret the spirits wouldn't even share with spirit summoners. As a result, even the assistant professor of Spirit Studies had failed to realize until now that a Mystery had turned the forest into steel.

'Of course, they would have found out eventually.' If the existence of the Mystery had been known from the start, I wouldn't have had to step in.

"Did the rumors..."

"They didn't spread. Officially, the one who resolved this incident is Poara, not you."

Thank goodness. It wasn't time for me to step into the spotlight yet. My reveal had to wait until the upcoming mock battle.

'I need to make my opponent in the mock battle let their guard down as much as possible.'

The students I had to face were those who had spent the last six months conquering the Demon Palace and training relentlessly. In contrast, my current strength was only at the level of Bika-mun, who exited the stage in Act 2. To raise my chances of winning even slightly, I had to maximize every advantage I had.

A transfer student who suddenly entered the second year. Hanon's uniquely small build. And the provocative remarks I made as soon as I transferred. Whoever my opponent was, they would surely think of me as an arrogant punk. That was why I wanted to hide my true strength as much as possible until the mock battle.

Then, I suddenly looked back at Nikita. She was staring at me quietly, her eyes curved in a gentle smile. ...I'd been caught.

"I'm sorry, Junior. The student council hasn't made any announcements regarding this matter yet. The students don't even know if the issue has been resolved."

What a sly senior. I was completely fooled. My mistake was that my brain wasn't fully functioning after just waking up from being unconscious. From my reaction just now, Nikita had realized that I had some sort of agenda. I worried about how she would interpret this.

"Junior, I believe everyone has their own reasons and goals." Nikita continued as she unwrapped her tuna sandwich. "So, if you want, we can say Poara resolved it, just like I said. You were just the one who helped."

"...Thank you," I replied awkwardly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I lifted my chicken sandwich. As I took a bite, I felt my hand trembling. It was proof that my body hadn't fully recovered yet. Because of that, some of the sandwich ingredients spilled onto the blanket. Nikita quietly picked up the fallen pieces and cleaned them up. Then, she gave me a warm smile.

"But next time, I'd appreciate it if you gave me a heads-up. I won't blindly oppose you."

Is she really an angel?

"Though, even if we announced that you resolved the Mystery, the rumor would likely be buried anyway."

"Pardon?"

Had something happened? As far as I knew, there shouldn't be any major incidents occurring at this time. If it affected the main story, it would be a disaster.

"They say Poara has contracted with the new Spirit Sovereign of the Great Spirit Forest."

"...Excuse me?"

What kind of crazy nonsense was this?

"Of course, it's just a temporary contract, so she can only borrow its power, but the academy is in an absolute ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uproar because of it."

My mind went blank. Poara contracting with the Spirit Sovereign? This was something that had never happened in the main story.

'Originally, Lucas received a blessing as a token of gratitude from the Spirit Sovereign.' But even Lucas, the protagonist, was limited to high-ranking spirits even if he chose the Spirit Summoner route. Yet Poara, who was nothing more than a minor extra, had contracted with the Spirit Sovereign? It was unbelievable.

'...No, wait. Come to think of it, Poara's spirit affinity was higher than any other spirit summoner.' In contrast, Lucas only had a bit of spirit affinity. He wasn't beloved by spirits to that extent.

'Could it be that if you brought a companion with high spirit affinity when resolving the Empress of Steel, they could contract with the Spirit Sovereign?'

I didn't know. The Empress of Steel was strictly an event to strengthen Lucas. In the first place, entering the Great Spirit Forest was something Lucas did alone after hearing a sorrowful voice from somewhere.

'To think Poara contracted with the Spirit Sovereign.' When I was defeating the Empress of Steel, those damn spirits were nowhere to be seen. They were all gathered around Poara. No wonder the academy was turned upside down.

The problem was that this would have a significant impact on the main story. As a contractor of the Spirit Sovereign, Poara's influence would grow immensely from now on. 'If the current Poara were to boycott the student council...' There was no telling how many students would rise up in protest. 'Could they even handle that?'

Who would have thought that bringing Poara along would tangle things up this much? I suddenly felt a chronic headache and stress-induced enteritis coming on. 'It's my responsibility.' I had no choice but to deal with it somehow.

"...I heard Poara is aiming for the student council."

"Mhm, that's right. Poara's older brother used to be the student council president of Jerion Academy." Nikita smiled bitterly, looking a bit sympathetic. "Her brother was so outstanding, after all. She's trying her best to follow in his footsteps."

So Poara had that kind of background.

"Of course, now that she's become a proud younger sister, there shouldn't be any issues."

She had become the contractor of the Spirit Sovereign. How could there be any issues? The problem was on my end, since I had to guide the main story.

"...Senior Nikita, do you think Poara will keep aiming for the student council?"

Perhaps because my expression was so serious, Nikita tilted her head. "That seemed unchanged."

I made up my mind. I had to drag Poara into the student council by any means necessary. She was the contractor of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Spirit Sovereign, after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all. It was better to keep her close and manage her. That way, I could minimize any unexpected variables.

"Thank you for letting me know." I swallowed the rest of my sandwich. I had obtained Steel Skin, but a new variable called the contractor of the Spirit Sovereign had emerged.

"More importantly, Junior, I came here to talk about something far more important than this." Nikita cleared her throat with a light cough. She then straightened her back and adjusted her posture. She looked slightly taller now. She was probably trying to look dignified in her own way, but with her appearance, she only looked adorable.

"Are you perhaps going to confess to me?"

"Unfortunately, Junior, I have never felt romantic affection for anyone."

"But I respect and love you, Senior Nikita."

"Your respect and love are a bit too much."

One confession, one rejection.

"And, I'm sorry, Junior, but my ideal type is someone tall."

This was news to me. Well, in my form as Hanon, I was only slightly taller than Nikita. Since it was just a joke to lighten the mood, I also straightened my posture.

"Both the student council and the Spirit Studies department are deeply grateful for this incident. Even though you don't want to reveal that you resolved it yourself, at least I know." Nikita said, looking at my face. Then, the corners of her mouth curved up into a gentle smile. "You worked hard. I wanted to express my gratitude."

"I've received your gratitude."

"And about your request to join the student council. After a positive review, we came to a conclusion today."

Nikita handed me a badge. It was a badge proving membership in the student council.

"By the authority of the Vice President, I officially recognize Hanon Airey as a member of the student council."

To think I would be accepted immediately because of this incident. I was slightly surprised as I accepted the student council badge from her. The badge, which depicted both a sword and a book, was very fitting for the Jerion Academy student council. It clearly meant that a member of the student council must possess both literary and martial arts skills.

From Steel Skin to becoming a student council member. The Great Spirit Forest event was absolutely showering me with rewards. I gripped the badge tightly. For some reason, it felt like the first achievement I had earned with my own hands since coming into this game.

"I will work hard from now on."

"Fufufu, I'll be looking forward to it. We have a lot of work in the student council, and now that we have a talented recruit, I'll have to work you to the bone."

"Please keep it within limits that won't affect my studies."

"Student council members get extra credit, so you don't have to worry too much about that."

That was also the reason why I had gone out of my way to join the student council. Thanks to the student council extra credit, even if circumstances prevented me from focusing on my studies, I wouldn't have to worry about failing.

"Then, get some rest."

Having finished her sandwich, Nikita stood up to leave. I saw her off and then began tidying up my bed. My body had recovered, and the sun had already set. It was about time for me to head back to the dormitory.

Creak—

At that moment, the infirmary door slid open again. Thinking Senior Nikita had left something behind, I turned my head, only to find someone far more unexpected than her.

"...Hello."

Long black hair and a sculpted face. Skin so pale it felt alien, and ruby-red eyes that looked like embedded gems. Her appearance was reminiscent of an elegant, long-haired cat.

The world called her The Ultimate Villainess. The one who had devoured princes and princesses to climb to second in the line of succession to the throne. The Third Princess, Iris Haishirion.

She had appeared in my hospital room.