Chapter 27: Endless Apples and Unspoken Worries

“El?”

“Ugh, yeah…?”

The atmosphere in the room had turned as cold as Celian’s expression. Her eyes, unfocused, looked terrifying.

“What do you think your life is worth, El?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“If your life is in danger, you should just run away!”

Ah, so that’s what she meant. Celian was angry on my behalf, worrying about me. I’m sorry for making her worry, but at that time, there was no other choice.

“But President Presia was using magic. I couldn’t run away.”

“You were the one in danger!”

“If one of us is going to be in danger anyway, you should have just run away…!”

Of course, if I had run away and left Presia behind, maybe I could have survived somehow. But even so, she wasn’t a stranger, and I couldn’t just leave Presia behind. If I went back in time, I would make the same choice.

“No, that’s just who you are.”

Celian sighed deeply, her focus returning to her eyes. Well, I guess the immediate crisis is over, right?

“Sigh, fine. If you can’t do that, then you need to have the strength to back it up. I was too naive in my thinking. Once you’re healed, we’ll train together. Got it?”

I was already training with Celian. We frequently sparred and honed our swordsmanship. Of course, since Celian was better than me, she mostly went easy on me, but I never thought the gap was insurmountable.

“Though, it seems like you’re already fully healed…”

“No! Even if your wounds are healed, you’re still a patient, so just lie down!”

Celian forced me back down on the bed and stood over me, staring down at me for a moment. Then, she began fidgeting as if she was deep in thought, furrowing her brow, glancing at the door, standing up and sitting back down again. She couldn’t seem to stay still.

“Celian? What’s wrong?”

“Sigh, it’s nothing. Other people were worried too, so I can’t just be selfish. Wait for a bit.”

At my question, Celian got up again and disappeared out the door. By the way, since this was a private room, the hospital room was quite luxurious.

I briefly worried about the cost, but then realized that this was the academy’s infirmary, and since I got injured while working on academy business, I shouldn’t have to pay for it. If they ask for money… well, I’ll just pray that President Presia gets me out of it.

Go, President Presia!

I was lost in these thoughts for a moment when guests entered the room once again.

Of course, it was the familiar faces from earlier: Celian, Anne, and Yuri. It seemed like Celian had brought Anne and Yuri back after they stepped out for a bit. I immediately sat up and greeted them.

“Ah, welcome.”

Though I spoke casually, it felt natural, as this was practically my room while I was here.

Yuri entered carrying a basket of fruit. What is all this about, I thought.

“Are you really okay?”

Anne asked, though her question was directed at Celian, not me.

“Yes. I’ve already checked everything. You don’t need to worry.”

“I see, then?”

What had they been talking about? After hearing Celian’s response, Anne walked briskly toward me and stood beside my bed. I smiled at her as she approached, and then…

*Squish*

“OH?”

Anne pinched my cheek with both hands.

“Hey? Ahh, does it hurt? Haha! Really, it really does!”

I tried to grab Anne’s hands, which were pinching my cheek, and protest about the pain, but she showed no sign of letting go. She pressed down harder with her fingers, and by the time it actually started to hurt, she finally released my cheek.

“OH?”

Tears welled up as I rubbed both cheeks, ready to complain, but when I saw tears in Anne’s eyes, I couldn’t say a word.

“You idiot! Do you know how worried we were?”

Unlike a shout, Anne’s voice was filled not with anger but with concern. It wasn’t just Presia and Celian who were worried about me. Anne and Yuri, too, were worried about me much more than I realized.

“Anne…”

“Seriously… I wanted to yell at you, but when you look like that, I can’t be mad.”

Anne’s voice still quivered, and I reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“Why are you crying? If it were the old Anne, you’d be teasing me with a smile right now.”

“Geez… what are you saying?”

“Yeah? If I see your midterm grades, you’d be the idiot…”

I clamped my mouth shut at the sharp glare from Anne’s eyes. At this point, the message was clear. No need to dig myself deeper into trouble.

“Seriously… because you’re a patient, I’m letting you off easy. Even if it hurts after being pinched, you have to endure it! We suffered more than that.”

Looking back at Celian and Yuri, both of them nodded in agreement.

There weren’t many people on my side in the hospital room.

“Celian and Anne… oh! I brought fruit; do you want some?”

After finishing our conversation with Anne, Yuri lifted up the fruit basket she was holding. The basket was almost too extravagant, given my current state.

“Yeah. After sleeping and waking up, I guess my stomach was empty. This is perfect.”

The three of us took seats around the room. Yuri sat closest to me and pulled out an apple from the basket.

“I’ll peel it for you; just wait a moment.”

“Thanks.”

Yuri took the knife and skillfully peeled the apple, cutting it into slices and arranging them neatly on a platter. Anne then took a fork and gave one slice to Celian and one to herself. They each ate just one piece before setting the fork down again.

Then it was my turn. I reached out to take the apple slice speared on the fork.

Whizz

As soon as my hand moved, Yuri’s hand with the fork pulled back, away from me. I tried reaching again, but her hand retreated even further.

“Here, you’re a patient, so just relax. Let me feed you.”

When I looked at Yuri quizzically, she pushed the forked apple slice close to my mouth.

It felt a bit awkward, but when would I ever get the chance to be pampered like this by someone so beautiful? I opened my mouth obediently and took a bite.

Nom, nom, nom

After three bites, the slice was completely gone. It was incredibly sweet, worth the luxury look of the fruit. As I savored the taste,

Swoosh

The apple slice was pushed forward again.

Even though there was still some apple left in my mouth, I couldn’t refuse Yuri’s kindness, so I quickly swallowed the remaining apple and accepted the new slice she offered.

Nom, nom, nom

Just as before, I bit into the apple slice and savored its sweetness,

Swoosh

?

“Hey, Yuri? There’s still some apple in my mouth…”

Squeezed

Before I could say anything, Yuri took advantage of the moment my mouth was slightly open and shoved another piece of apple in.

“Hey, Yuri? I said…”

I had no choice but to bite down and, trying to say it was okay,

Swoosh

Still, the apple slice was thrust toward me.

For some reason, an alarm in my instincts was blaring. I glanced over at Celian and Anne, but both were deliberately turning their heads as if pretending not to notice.

Turning my gaze back to Yuri, she gave me a small smile.

She smiled, but…

Squeezed

Since I wasn’t opening my mouth, Yuri started to press the apple against my closed lips with more insistence.

With no words spoken, I quickly swallowed the remaining apple in my mouth and took another bite of the apple she offered.

Only then did Yuri pull the fork away and spear a new slice of apple, offering it to me again…

Squeezed

The apple slice touched my lips, and cold sweat began to run down my back.

At this point, I could tell that saying anything would not end well for me. Fine. Just eat and deal with it. One apple won’t hurt, right?

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch

So, every time a new apple slice was offered, I swallowed it as quickly as I could, chewing it down without hesitation.

Crunch, crunch

Finally, the last apple slice. I was eating hastily, not fully enjoying the taste, but since it was the last piece, I slowly chewed it and savored the flavor.

Swoosh

And once again, the apple slice was pushed toward my mouth.

?

Looking at the platter, I noticed that the apple slices had been neatly arranged, looking fresh and carefully cut.

This was supposed to be the last piece, wasn’t it?

I looked at Yuri with a confused expression, but she just smiled at me without answering. It didn’t seem like Celian and Anne had cut them either. When did…

Squeezed

Just a moment’s delay, and Yuri pressed the apple slice against my lips once more.

Crunch, crunch

It felt like something bad would happen if I didn’t eat it, so I quickly accepted the piece. As I chewed and swallowed, I glanced over at the fruit basket.

It still had piles of fruit that looked expensive, just like before.

Haha, there’s no way I’m going to eat all that right now. Right, Yuri?

I nervously shifted my eyes between the fruit basket and Yuri, but Yuri just silently smiled at me and held out another apple slice.

…No, right?