CH 26

The Academy Spring Trip (2)

……Was it all a trap?

Leto and I followed Senior Jimbo. After leaving the cafeteria and exiting the Magic Departments’ building, we arrived at the Medical Department where only the talented students of the Lexley Academy studied.

“Isn’t this the medical department?”

“That’s right, it’s your part-time job.”

Although I had been to other departments before for liberal arts classes, it was my first time coming to the medical department. What did he mean by working part-time in the medical department? Wouldn’t it just be organising lab tools? Suddenly, I became anxious. For a big payment in the medical department……Don’t tell me I’ll be dissected.

Leto must have felt the same as his face turned pale. And when Senior Jimbo stopped in front of a large laboratory, I knew that my hunch was completely right. Just then, a man in a white lab coat came out.

Fan translation by Dropped Inks.

He was a short man with thick glasses.

“Jimbo! You finally came!”

As he greeted Senior Jimbo, he noticed me and Leto behind him and tilted his head.

“Who’s this?”

“Your test subjects today.”

I knew it! I felt a great sense of betrayal at Senior Jimbo’s nonchalant tone.

“Oh, really?”

The man wearing glasses smiled as he looked at Leto and me. Somehow feeling frightened, I quickly grabbed Senior Jimbo’s arm. Perhaps he realised how I felt, the man with glasses laughed out loud and smiled as if trying to comfort me.

“Oh, I’m going to do a little experiment. It’s really just a small experiment. You don’t have to be afraid. The pay is also high. Don’t worry, we’ll even have you fill out a consent form.”

“You’re not dissecting us, are you?”

“There are a lot of people who want to do this. That’s why I asked a close friend first……Well, too bad Jimbo doesn’t really like people touching his body.”

“You’re going to touch me?”

“Yes! I’m going to disassemble your small and large intestines. You just need to get on that operating table under anaesthesia.”

Was this person being serious?

“Don’t say strange things. She’ll believe it’s true.”

Senior Jimbo alleviated the tense atmosphere.

“Haha! I’m just kidding. I’m not going to do anything. What anaesthesia? Don’t worry, I won’t even do any surgery.”

“Really?”

“If I did, I would get expelled.”

The man’s words slowly eased my tension.

“After a physical examination, you will sleep with these sleeping goggles for an hour, and then do the physical examination again. I will tell you more of the details before writing the consent form.”

It sounded pretty good. But why do I feel so uncomfortable? Then, I noticed Leto, who had not spoken for a while.

‘Oh no!’

He said they would do a physical examination. Even if Leto’s body, which had taken female hormone drugs, was now a woman, a physical examination would immediately expose him. Leto already realised this and his face was extremely anxious. Luckily he hasn’t signed the consent form yet, so he could back out……Leto was silently figuring things out as time was gradually ticking.

This won’t do. I have to step up.

“Leah, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

I approached Leto and helped him. Leto looked at me confused, but then nodded his head and coughed awkwardly.

“Cough. Cough. I think I have a fever.”

As I got closer and touched Leto’s forehead, he became startled. Then, he coughed even harder, blatantly displaying that he was sick. Leto, even though you seem perfect, you’re really bad at acting.

Not to mention that awkward cough, even his lack of expression was not convincing. He had a poker expression when he coughs.

“I-Is that so? Actually, it doesn’t matter if you’re sick……It shouldn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t think so.”

At the man’s words, Leto snapped. Everyone became bewildered when Leto insisted that he was sick.

“What should I do? I need one more person.”

I thought my part-time job would be ruined at this rate, but Senior Jimbo took off his capelet.

“I’ll do it.”

“What? You didn’t agree even when I begged you so much……!”

“So, you have a problem?”

When Senior Jimbo asked bluntly, the man quickly smiled and replied, ‘No.’

“Alright then, both of you may enter the lab.”

And so, the two test subjects were decided. After escorting us to the lab, the man started briefing us as he gave out the consent form.

The experiment was not as grand as I thought. As he had said earlier, after wearing the sleeping goggles, we would have a physical examination again and it was all over. However, there may be strange conditions, so Senior and I carefully read the consent form before signing it.

“B-By the way……How much will I get?”

The most important thing was money.

“Oh, I’ll pay you in advance. You’re not going to run away with it, are you?”

“Of course!”

What do you see me as……?

The man held out an envelope of money to Senior Jimbo and me. Surprisingly, when I checked it, it was the exact amount needed for the travel expenses. A smile naturally grew on my lips at the unexpectedly large amount, but I felt a stinging gaze somewhere. When I looked up, Leto was looking at me with an aloof expression and his arms crossed. Feeling embarrassed, I immediately erased my smile and wore my lab clothes.

It was a white sleeveless shirt and beige cotton trousers. After entering the dressing room, I put on the lab clothes and entered the laboratory. There, several students in white lab coats were already waiting to help me with the physical examination.

“Would you like to be examined first, Miss Pierre?”

It started with basic tests such as height, weight and blood type. During the examination, I saw Senior Jimbo who had changed his clothes. His arms were all exposed in the lab clothes, and his fine muscles, which weren’t visible when he was wearing his school uniform, were clearly exposed.

While the female seniors were buzzing around as they stared at Senior Jimbo, he scratched his head nonchalantly and headed to the examination room.

“I have muscles, too.”

Then Leto, who was waiting beside me, muttered.

“You have muscles?”

“……Can’t I have them?”

“But I’ve never seen them before!”

“W-Why would I show it to you?”

He had a point.

I wanted to chat more with Leto, but I also had to do other tests.

After several tests, I was escorted to a completely empty room without Senior Jimbo or Leto. It was a small room with only one bed. There was a slightly musty smell in the room with white ceilings and an off-white wallpaper. It was dim and quiet, so I felt like I could sleep well.

“Then, shall I go in?”

They handed me the sleeping goggles and told me to put them on and sleep for an hour.

“I’m going in……”

“No. Only Miss Pierre can enter this room. Student, please sit outside and wait until an hour has passed.”

Leto tried to stay with me but was stopped by a woman.

The door closed. I was left alone in the room. In the room without a window, only the faint sound of passing time could be heard. I held onto the sleeping goggles the woman gave me and crawled up the bed. 

The bed was a lot softer than I expected. When I pulled the blanket up to my neck and wore the sleeping goggles, my body felt drowsy. My eyes quickly shut. Unlike my initial frightened feeling, I fell asleep rather quickly.

Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.

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I had a dream for a long time. It was about my old memories. An innocent girl who loved books. Her black hair was different from what I had now, but the straight bangs were all the same. It was a girl with a happy family in an ordinary household who was engrossed with reading horror novels for a long time. She especially enjoyed reading a novel called <How To Recognise A Murderer>.

Those scenes flashed through my mind like a flashlight.

— It’s not his fault. Stop it.

Who is it? Who is talking?

I was crossing the crosswalk as usual when I heard a loud honk in front of me. Turning my head, I saw a truck heading towards me. A large truck slammed me and instantly made a huge sound. 

I felt my body falling, my head was heavy and my chest felt stuffy. I wanted to live.

— Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

A loud alarm went off. My heart was beating wildly and I could feel the heat in my body. I breathed out heavily. I felt uncomfortable as the sweat on my body made the clothes cling to me. But more than anything, my complicated head stifled me.

I quickly got up and threw the sleeping goggles that blocked my eyes to the ground.

“Briseis!”

“Bree!”

Familiar voices echoed around me. My vision, which was not very visible, gradually became clearer. I heard an alarm and saw people surrounding me. Among them, Leto, who was holding my arm and urgently calling my name, caught my eyes.

I grabbed his arm and lowered my head again.

“What did you do to my friend!”

“N-No. We didn’t do anything……”

Leto’s voice echoed again. They really didn’t do anything. I just had a strange and bizarre dream. As time passed by, the loud alarm went off. As my breathing calmed down, the heat in my body did as well.

The tight grip I had on Leto’s arms relaxed. When I raised my head, his gaze caught my eye. Everyone was looking at me with worried eyes.

“Ah, I’m alright.”

My voice cracked and I became startled.

“……I’m really fine, so we can continue.”

“Stop.”

It was Senior Jimbo who cut my words. He rose up and opened his mouth.

“The agreement says we’ll receive compensation if there’s a side effect, so you’ll pay more won’t you?”

“Oh, uh……”

“It also states, ‘The entire experiment will be terminated.’ so we can leave.”

Senior Jimbo reprimanded his friend.

“Y-Yes.”

“Get up, Bree. Let’s go to the infirmary.”

“I’m really fine……”

“Let’s go.”

When Senior Jimbo spoke firmly, I shut my mouth and eventually nodded. Senior Jimbo skillfully got me out of the bed and supported me. Leto also clung to my side and held my arm. I’m really fine, though……

No matter what I said, it didn’t seem like anything would change these two men’s minds. After reassuring that I was fine to the medical students, who apologised endlessly, I exited the laboratory. It felt like the tightness in me had loosened. 

Anyway, I realised now. I died in a truck accident. That’s why I reincarnated.

I wasn’t sure why I died and was possessed in the <How To Recognise A Murderer> book, but it seemed that there must be a reason behind it. For example, to prevent Leto’s massacre.