Beeeeep —
Beeep —
Complete darkness.
A sharp beeping sound filled the air.
As my mind slowly started to return, I tried to make sense of the beeping.
Hmm.
I’ve definitely heard this sound before.
What was it?
— Beeeeeep... Beeeeeeep...
Ah, I remember now.
It’s that sound that often plays in hospital scenes in dramas.
Was it from a vital sign monitor?
I don’t know the exact name.
I feel dizzy.
How do I even open my eyes?
I can’t muster the strength.
It’s not that my body is in pain.
It just feels like all the energy in my body has been completely drained, leaving me in a state of utter fatigue.
I can picture it roughly.
I must be in some hospital, lying in a bed, hooked up to a vital sign monitor or something like that, right?
At that moment...
— Beep... Beep. Beep!
The beeping sound from the vital sign monitor started to intensify.
What’s going on?
— Beep! Beep! Beep! BEEEEEEEEEEP—!
What’s happening? Am I dying?
A chill ran down my spine.
It was like that moment when you lie down in bed only to notice a cockroach crawling on the ceiling...
I was instantly wide awake.
— Blink, Blink.
I expected to wake up in a panicked rush.
But instead, my eyes just blinked open slowly.
A white ceiling.
A hard bed.
Cold sheets.
And the smell of medicine.
As my senses returned, I blinked.
As I expected, I’m in a hospital.
But...
‘... I don’t see any machines or anything.’
Well, after all, isn’t this a fantasy world?
There wouldn’t be any vital sign monitors here...
— Beep... Beep. Beep!
The sound came again.
I turned my head toward it.
There, I saw Elena playing a flute.
“Elena, stop it already. No one’s going to wake up from that, nyah.”
“I can do it! I’ve seen someone wake up from this before, Sister!”
“... If they wake up from the noise, maybe... huh?”
Danya’s eyes grew wide as she made eye contact with me.
Following her, Elena also turned to look at me.
“See! He’s awake! I told you it works!!!”
Their shouting was brief.
Both of them rushed toward me.
“Brother, are you conscious?”
“Are you okay, nyah? We heard you collapsed in Lady Asilia’s room, and we were worried!”
Ah. That’s right.
I did collapse in Master’s room.
There was definitely a reason I collapsed, but I can’t quite remember it.
“... By the way, where am I?”
“You’re in the emergency hospital at Lichten Academy, nyang!”
“Dammit...”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
The reason was obvious.
Lichten Academy’s affiliated hospital. This place is ridiculously expensive.
Just lying here and breathing is costing me money. Money.
There’s no way this place has a social system like health insurance.
“I need to get up.”
I tried to raise myself from the bed.
But I collapsed back onto it.
Her gaze was far too curious.
“Ahem.”
She cleared her throat and continued.
“In any case, given the situation, you’ll need to... release it regularly.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Since your vital energy is completely depleted, there’s a risk of accumulating harmful energy. For the next week, you should maintain a similar interval. Otherwise, it could explode in a negative way.”
◆
I returned to the club room for now.
Unless it’s a life-threatening emergency, the academy hospital is not the place to be.
It’ll just drain my wallet.
— You have no payment to make. It’s already been taken care of.
That’s what I heard at the reception desk, which was quite the unexpected response.
Who on earth paid for me?
I had my suspicions, but I could guess. For now, rest is the priority.
As the doctor said, the most important things are.
First, complete rest.
Second, be careful not to let anything build up.
I briefly wondered how those two could coexist, but I set my doubts aside.
“More than that... this feels like an unexpected vacation, doesn’t it?”
Since my body wasn’t moving well, I couldn’t exactly go anywhere.
It was like I had been forced into a period of self-reflection.
This “no choice but to rest” situation put my usually anxious, overachieving self at ease in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.
How long has it been since I’ve been able to just lie down and relax like this?
I felt two conflicting thoughts.
One, that this wasn’t so bad, and two, that I wished time would stop right here.
Those peaceful thoughts were soon interrupted by the appearance of a woman.
“... Are you alright?”
It was my Master who had come to the club room.
It was late, the sky outside the window completely dark.
Not having a curfew—what a wonderful privilege.
Incidentally, because Elena had been so focused on looking after me, the other club members hadn’t been able to lift the curfew.
“... It seems my student’s actions were because of that heat cycle after all.”
“I’m sorry, Master. You must’ve been shocked.”
“Hmm.”
Master held her words for a moment.
Well, she had every right to be angry.
A trusted disciple suddenly acting out of control!
Even though it was due to a hormonal issue, it still felt unsettling—like I had crossed a line that should never be crossed between Master and disciple.
“Still, I knew my precious student wasn’t someone who would be ruled by such desires. But yesterday, you were clearly not yourself. I’m just glad we found the reason behind it so easily.”
Master smiled as she said that, but there was something bittersweet and slightly regretful in that smile.
Why was she making that face?
I couldn’t help but feel curious about the reason.
At the same time...
“...”
I couldn’t help but notice how prominent Master’s figure seemed. It might have been due to her martial-arts-style dress, which was quite revealing but perfectly suited to her form, making her appearance even more striking.
She crossed her legs as she sat in the chair next to my bed.
And no matter how hard I tried to avoid it, the hem of her dress lifted slightly, revealing the smooth, toned lines of her legs.
I was flustered.
“Master, I’m sorry, but could you adjust your sitting posture a bit...”
“Hmm. Are you afraid you might get aroused by looking at me, my student?”
“N-No, it’s not that...”
I mumbled my response.
It was hard to lie.
Despite my awkward reply, Master gave a bright smile.
“Did you happen to be the one who covered my hospital fees, Master?”
“Yes, that was me.”
“But that hospital is so expensive!”
“It’s not that bad. Professors get a special discount.”
Ah, right.
There was a whole system like that.
I’d even read strategies about how to “target professors” to make use of the affiliated hospital.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel entirely bad about it.”
“Sorry? What do you mean...?”
“That’s a secret.”
Master patted my head, winked playfully, and then left the room.
Once again, my heart started pounding.
The mating cycle—did they say it could last three days to a week, depending?
“... Seems like this won’t be easy to get through.”
A vague sense of unease crept over me.