Chapter-01 · EP-015

Episode 15: Nurse's Office

After leaving the dungeon, I was taken to the nurse's office as a precaution.

I took off my T-shirt and sat on a chair while the school nurse, Professor Jonouchi, checked my injuries.

Since my injuries were completely healed by the potion, Professor Jonouchi was essentially just confirming it.

The school nurse, Midori Jonouchi, was a young woman. She was beautiful. It was very embarrassing to have a pretty woman staring at my body. She was probably in her twenties, but I wasn't sure. Maybe she was a bit older. You're not supposed to ask a woman her age.

My homeroom teacher, Majima, explained the situation to Professor Jonouchi and then went to report to the academy administration. Sendo and Enoshima had gone back to the classroom, not wanting to crowd the nurse's office with too many people, but Murasakimura had stayed as an escort.

"You're fine. The broken foot has healed perfectly, and there's no trace of the burns. As expected of a Rank 4 potion."

Hearing that, I put my T-shirt back on. Murasakimura stood silently behind me the whole time.

"Still, that was quite an ordeal. I wonder if it's the first time since the academy was founded that someone got such a serious injury, breaking a bone on the very first day?"

"Th-that's a rather dishonorable new record, isn't it…"

I said, feeling embarrassed.

Then Murasakimura, who had been standing behind me, suddenly spoke up.

"Please forgive me, Ichinose-kun."

"Oh?"

I was flustered by the sudden apology.

"It's my fault you got so seriously injured because I panicked and pushed you. I didn't mean to do it. I'm truly sorry!"

He said, bowing his head.

I thought for a moment about how to respond.

"W-well, don't worry about it."

The words that came out were rather light.

Come to think of it, the reason I had fallen off the cliff and gotten injured was because this guy had panicked over a slime dropping from the ceiling and shoved me.

Thinking about it properly, I wanted to yell at him, but with everything that had happened—the past life memories, the Acid Slime, the potion—I no longer really cared about the cause of the fall.

Besides, blaming Murasakimura now wouldn't accomplish anything.

"You forgive me…?"

Murasakimura asked in a strained voice.

"It's not about forgiving or not. You went to call Professor Majima for help, didn't you? If you guys had abandoned me, who knows what would have happened by now. So you actually saved me. Thanks."

"I would never abandon you! More importantly, we all went to get Professor Majima without even considering what might have happened to you down there. I should have sent the other two to get help and gone down to rescue you myself…"

"Well, you can use that as a lesson for next time."

It seemed Murasakimura was filled with guilt over having caused me to fall. To be honest, I didn't really care anymore.

Seeing me grinning nonchalantly, Murasakimura seemed confused.

Professor Jonouchi spoke to him.

"If he's forgiven you, that's good, isn't it? Some people would hold a grudge, take revenge, or spread nasty rumors. You have to choose your party members carefully. You've found a good friend."

"Huh? We're not friends…"

I denied Professor Jonouchi's words with all my might.

"You're not?"

"No, we're not. I just didn't have anyone to party with, so I happened to join his for today."

"Why are you denying it so strongly?"

Frankly, I didn't want to get too involved with this Murasakimura guy.

After all, he had strong anti-noble sentiments and had even picked a fight with all the nobles in the academy during the entrance ceremony.

I didn't care about nobles one way or another. I just wanted to enjoy dungeon exploration.

If I got too friendly with Murasakimura, I'd just make more enemies.

"I see. If we were friends, you should have been able to trust that I would definitely come to help you. But because I wasn't your friend, I ended up making you worry. I'm sorry…"

What was that? Was he a gloomy guy?

Anyway, this guy was such a pain. I definitely didn't want to become friends with him.

Professor Jonouchi also looked at Murasakimura as if wondering what he was saying.

Just then, there was a knock at the nurse's office door.

"Excuse me."

Two female students entered.

Our gazes shifted toward them.

"What's wrong? Are you injured?"

"No, I heard that a D-Class student who got injured in the dungeon today came here… Are you that person?"

The one speaking was the female student I'd seen in the plaza before the entrance ceremony.

It was Hikaru Kujo from A-Class.

"Yeah, that's me… Why?"

Why had she come to see me? I had no idea. If anything, I wished she wouldn't talk to me. This girl was number two on my list of people I didn't want to get friendly with, right after Murasakimura.

"You're the one? Nice to meet you. I'm Hikaru Kujo from A-Class."

"Ah, yeah, I know. I saw you arguing with this guy before the entrance ceremony."

I said, pointing at Murasakimura.

Murasakimura looked at Hikaru Kujo with a very complicated expression.

"You're… Murasakimura-san, right? I was rude earlier. Come to think of it, you were there too… Anyway, what's your name?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm Shirou Ichinose from D-Class."

"Ichinose-san. Is it true that you were injured today and used a Rank 4 potion?"

"Has word already spread?"

"I heard it from Mei. And… is it true that if you obtain another Rank 4 potion, you'd be willing to sell it?"

"Mei?"

Looking, I recognized the short-haired girl standing behind Hikaru Kujo.

"Oh! She's that girl from earlier! I remember now. You didn't even give your name back then."

"I'm sorry, I was just so surprised to hear about the Rank 4 potion. I'm Mei Kisaragi."

The girl named Mei bowed.

"She's my attendant and my best friend."

"I see. Yeah, I said that. But I doubt it'll happen again. Something like that only drops once in a lifetime, right?"

"Even if it's just a possibility, that's fine."

"Ah, well if that's okay. But why do you want it so badly? In the academy dungeon, you rarely get seriously injured, right? Wouldn't a Rank 1 or 2 be enough?"

"That's true. But for nobles, possessing high-rank potions is a status symbol."

"I see. But if that's the case, can't you just buy one?"

"Rank 4 potions rarely appear on the market. Even if my family is fortunate enough to obtain one, it would probably be given to my brother first."

"I see. So you want to secure any potential lead you can. Okay, I get it. Well, if I get one, I'll sell it to you, young lady."

"Really? Thank you! If you do sell it to me, I'll pay double the market price."

"Oh! That's generous! Then I really should have come back without using it, hahaha. By the way, what is the market price?"

At my question, everyone in the nurse's office fell silent.

Professor Jonouchi was the first to speak.

"You used it without knowing the price of a Rank 4 potion?"

"Huh? Is it super expensive?"

I asked nervously.

"Super expensive is an understatement. The academy's buying price is 10 million yen."

"Eh?! I used up 10 million yen in an instant?!"

Everyone stared at me with cold eyes as I stood there in shock.