The day of rest passed in the blink of an eye, reopening the busy daily routine of academy work, with all sorts of mundane events filling academy life once more.
First, a small-scale mana overflow accident occurred in a laboratory of the Department of Alchemy. It was said to be caused by a third-year student attempting to improve the stability of a Portable Explosion Potion, resulting in half the lab's glassware being coated in a layer of difficult-to-remove colorful crystals. The student and their advising professor also temporarily ended up with vibrant rainbow hair.
Next, the professor of Magical Botany announced a two-day pop quiz covering the characteristics, key cultivation points, and inter-inhibitory principles of over three hundred magical plants, drawing widespread wails of grief.
As for the Astrology elective class, heavy cloud cover last night led to the observation assignment being converted into a celestial deduction paper of over five thousand words.
Amidst the flurry of daily complaints and minor tragedies, the most eye-catching topic of gossip was none other than the injuries Greg Sass couldn't fully conceal when he returned to the academy on Monday.
Although he tried hard to act as if nothing had happened, sharp-eyed individuals could still notice a slight stiffness in his movements, the faint outline of bandages showing under his uniform, and several fading scratch marks on his face.
At Glory Cael Magic Academy, which had always placed great importance on personal appearance, this stood out quite conspicuously.
Rumors quickly fermented.
Most people naturally linked it to his past “glorious achievements,” privately guessing that enemies from his past had finally found an opportunity now that he had fallen from power, striking him in secret.
Or perhaps he had stirred up trouble outside the school and bumped into a hard wall.
In short, few sympathized with him, while most gloated or looked on with cold indifference.
However, the subsequent development of events quickly exceeded everyone's expectations.
As rumors of Greg's injuries spread, two people immediately intervened in his recovery period with astonishing enthusiasm.
One was the Second-year Representative of the Department of Alchemy, Chloe Ivy, famous for her eccentric temper and venomous tongue.
Using methods unknown, she managed to precisely appear near Greg during class breaks and lunch hours, bringing all kinds of alchemical potions said to aid recovery and strengthen the body. Her attitude displayed unreserved intimacy and defensiveness, constantly calling him “Big Brother”—the kind of address that would burn her to ashes at the hands of the FFF Inquisition.
The other was Yelena Furst, a third-year from the Student Council.
This petite Senior, who usually seemed somewhat shy, showed an unexpected persistence at this moment.
Under the pretext that “a Senior has a duty to look after an injured Junior,” she likewise frequently appeared by Greg's side with homemade bento boxes, wound ointments, and care, striving to fulfill her duty of taking care of him.
As a result, students of the academy often witnessed a wondrous sight:
A handsome, blond youth bearing injuries, surrounded on his left and right by two beautiful girls of vastly different styles.
One had slightly curly brown hair, her tsundere demeanor carrying an unquestionable intimacy; the other was petite and charming, trying hard to put on the air of a Senior yet unable to hide her blushing face.
The two often engaged in petty squabbles over issues like which recovery potion he should drink, how his wounds should be handled better, or whether he should rest or engage in light activity. Meanwhile, Greg, caught in the center of the vortex, wore a face full of helplessness.
Just like right now.
“Big Brother, here, try this! It's my newly prepared Energy-Boosting Tonic Soup. It's definitely way more nutritious than the ordinary food made by certain people!”
Holding a small silver spoon with one hand, Chloe scooped up a spoonful of golden soup emitting a strange herbal aroma, gently blew on it, and offered it to Greg's lips. At the same time, she glanced out of the corner of her eyes at Yelena on the other side, her tone laced with unreserved provocation:
“So then, you small fry over there, just how long do you intend to stay in the way? Can't you even read the mood this much?”
“S-Since my Junior is injured, as his Senior, it's my duty to take good care of him!”
Yelena took a deep breath and tried hard to puff out her small chest to make herself look more imposing, raising her voice slightly.
After saying that, as if deflating, she added in a soft mutter:
“A-And besides, who doesn't know that you people from the Department of Alchemy are the least rule-abiding... How... How could I possibly feel safe handing an injured Junior over to someone like you...”
All around, especially in the area where male students gathered, countless complex gazes filled with disbelief and intense jealousy were cast toward them.
If looks had temperature, Greg would likely have been burned to ashes by now.
“Huh? What did you say?!”
Chloe looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on, nearly jumping up as the spoon in her hand wobbled:
“You dare group me together with those small fry whose heads are filled with nothing but explosions and strange slime?! Where am I not rule-abiding or lacking in boundaries?!”
“I've never even thought about taking advantage of Big Brother's injury to secretly add a tiny bit of my specially made, colorless, odorless Soothing Potion—the kind that puts people into a state of deep relaxation and mild stupor—into his water or food!”
“Nor do I have any plans to wait until his consciousness grows hazy, use a lab cart to haul him underground beneath the Alchemy Building, and take him into my private back-up lab—the one with complete restraint apparatuses, superb soundproofing, and a full suite of physical monitoring and mana-stabilization equipment!”
“Even less would I intend to conduct a ‘thorough and detailed physical examination’ on him there, conveniently collect some necessary genetic samples, and then let him wake up naturally without suspecting a thing about what happened! I haven't considered any of these things at all!”
She spat all of this out in one breath without blushing or panting, as though stating the most ordinary matter.
Sitting between the two, Greg silently set down the fruit Yelena had handed him, a bead of cold sweat dripping from his temple.
“Really? Then when giving your example... isn't the detail of the plan described a bit too thoroughly?”
Truth be told, facing this sweet burden, Greg felt both helpless and a subtle sense of enjoyment deep down.
After news of his injuries inexplicably spread through the academy, his cheap sister and this Senior who was always easily led by his words suddenly competed to take care of him.
Although he repeatedly emphasized that they were only superficial wounds and nothing serious, the enthusiasm of the two didn't diminish in the slightest.
And so, during these few days of having to attend school while injured, Greg spent most class breaks and lunch hours forced to comfortably accept the meticulous care of two beautiful girls, as well as the minor disputes that erupted between them from time to time.
Victoria had also come to find him once because of the buzzing rumors of his severe injuries.
But when she saw Greg being waited on hand and foot by Chloe on his left and Yelena on his right—a scene fit for an emperor—especially Greg's expression that looked helpless on the outside but secretly pleased on the inside, her grey eyes immediately shot out an intense glare of disgust.
With a cold snort, without another word, she directly dragged away Silvia, who had seemed eager to join in nearby, stamping out any possibility of a three-way standoff forming.
Rate on N.U.
