The Awakened Prince and Hidden Scores

‘Ugh… Where am I…?’

A faint frown creased his brow as Prince Aoyama, who had been lying on the hospital bed for a long time, slowly opened his eyes, murmuring as he gazed at the pristine white ceiling.

“Hey! The Prince is awake!” Yamada, who had been leaning against the wall, exclaimed excitedly, announcing the good news to everyone around them.

“That’s wonderful, it’s a relief he’s alright.”

“Oh, I thought the Prince would never wake up again!”

“We were so worried.”

…

A collective sigh of relief swept through everyone gathered around the bedside, with some girls even shedding tears of overwhelming emotion.

Even though I was certain he hadn’t suffered any serious harm, seeing this scene—as if a long-slumbering hero had finally awakened—made me instinctively breathe a sigh of relief for him.

“Now, now, everyone, there’s no need to be so worked up. I’m perfectly fine. I merely fainted upon seeing my own blood; it’s nothing serious.” Prince Aoyama, now fully lucid, quickly assessed the situation, propping himself up and offering reassuring smiles to his classmates.

Approximately two hours prior, Prince Aoyama had surged into that dreadful classroom, shielding Leidi and me beneath him, bearing the brunt of the impact alone. Subsequently, he had forcefully kicked away tables and chairs, carrying each of us out with one arm. It seemed he had been grazed by something sharp during their escape, and upon noticing the blood on his body, he had collapsed abruptly, a slightly dazed expression on his face.

Following this incident, the school had been completely locked down, and all students were mandated to cease classes. Students from both Class D and Class A, implicated in the event, had accompanied Prince Aoyama in the ambulance to the nearest hospital, anxiously awaiting news of his well-being.

“You truly are brave. Weren’t you afraid at all back then?”

Pushing open the door, Leidi and several teachers entered, having just finished handling the necessary paperwork.

“I’m quite robust; a couple of bumps won’t hurt me. More importantly, Colt and ‘Little Sister’ aren’t seriously hurt, are they?” Prince Aoyama smiled at Leidi, then extended the same smile to the worried teachers.

“Thanks to you, our clothes are merely torn in a few places, and we didn’t even suffer a scratch. My sister and I would like to thank you profusely for your bravery.” With that, Leidi bowed respectfully to Prince Aoyama.

“Is that so? How wonderful. If either of you sisters were to be injured, it would be a loss of global proportions.”

‘Ugh… Just moments ago, I thought he was quite heroic. But after waking up, he’s back to his usual smooth-talking, flirtatious self… All my admiration has vanished.’

“I apologize, everyone. This incident occurred because I didn’t trust your words earlier. Please forgive me, teacher.” The math teacher, standing beside Leidi, bowed deeply to everyone in the hospital room.

“Teacher, you haven’t experienced what we have firsthand, so we understand. Please, raise your head. You did nothing wrong. Right, everyone!” Leidi gently placed a hand on the teacher’s shoulder, looking directly at the students.

“Yes, Teacher, please raise your head.”

“The teacher did nothing wrong.”

“If it had been me, I wouldn’t have believed it either.”

“Teacher, you worked so hard. Please don’t blame yourself.”

…

One by one, everyone echoed Leidi’s sentiments.

After all, the teacher truly was blameless; he had simply fulfilled his duties. Despite our fearful defiance in demanding to attend class with Class A, he had not rested since the incident. From urgently evacuating students and swiftly contacting relevant authorities to managing various hospital procedures, he was undoubtedly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“Thank you,” the teacher murmured, raising his head again, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, yet his expression had brightened considerably.

At that moment, after a brief consultation, a few other teachers addressed the group.

“Everyone, the school has already contacted the relevant temples and shrines. Until this matter is fully resolved, you will not need to attend school. The school will notify you when classes resume.”

While not having to attend classes might typically be cause for celebration among students, not a single trace of joy graced anyone’s face at that moment.

“Prince Aoyama, the hospital staff has confirmed that aside from a few scratches, you have no major issues and are cleared for discharge.”

As she spoke, the teacher handed something to Prince Aoyama, who was propped up on the bed; it was likely his medical records or discharge papers.

“Understood, thank you, Teacher.” After a quick glance at the stitched and bandaged wounds on his body, Prince Aoyama slowly got out of bed.

“Everyone else is also free to go home. If transportation is needed, the school will arrange it for you. Those who require it can register with me shortly.”

“Understood, thank you, Teacher.” A chorus of voices replied. Everyone bowed deeply to the teachers, expressing their gratitude for their tireless efforts.

****

“Colt, are you also being picked up by family?”

The three of us sat together on the edge of the flowerbed in front of the hospital, when Prince Aoyama directed this question our way. Apart from us, everyone else had already departed.

“Yes. Are you perhaps being picked up by Princess, Prince Aoyama?” Leidi replied with a smile.

“In broad daylight, my sister can’t exactly drive like *that*. It’s probably one of the staff from ‘Beethoven’ picking me up. Honestly, I’m quite surprised; I fully expected her to make me take the train home myself,” Prince Aoyama remarked, waving his hand with feigned humor.

‘Wait, so Princess is Prince Aoyama’s sister?! They don’t look alike at all! Are they not blood relatives?’

‘And this conversation implies Leidi already knew Princess was Prince Aoyama’s sister? She never told me!’

“If you talk like that, your sister might get upset, you know,” Leidi teased him lightly.

“Heh heh, well then, to prevent my sister from getting upset, perhaps both of you could grace ‘Beethoven’ with your presence and contribute a little to our sales figures soon? My sister would be absolutely delighted.”

With that, Prince Aoyama tilted his head, looking in my direction.

“My sister also hopes ‘Little Sister’ can join her for a delightful chat about cooking.”

‘Uh…?’

‘What does that mean? Could he—?!’

“Unfortunately, he already figured out you could communicate in Japanese during your second meeting. He’s just been putting on an act this whole time.” Leidi poked my arm and chuckled.

…

…

‘Oh, my, my goodness…’

“That’s so mean, both of you… Why do I feel like I’m the only one who was kept in the dark?” Since it’s already out in the open, I might as well speak in Japanese. There was a hint of resignation in my tone…

“The Japanese spoken by ‘Little Sister’ is as captivatingly melodious as her beautiful appearance,” the Prince said, propping his chin with one hand and smiling at me with keen interest.

“Do you genuinely intend to have a proper conversation with me…?” I murmured, a faint, wry smile gracing my lips as I pressed a hand to my forehead, signaling my sudden weariness.

‘This guy is a total flirt-master…’

“It’s rather surprising how similar you two sisters are in rejecting me; it truly wounds my heart,” Prince Aoyama lamented, covering his face with both hands, feigning a sorrowful expression.

‘It’s a bit comical…’

“Since you already know, there’s no need to exert yourself pointlessly…” Leidi shot Prince Aoyama a scornful glance, her meaning unmistakably clear.

“So, may I inquire about my current score, Colt?”

‘Huh? What score? What are they talking about?’

“Did you think it would be high just because you played the hero? You’ve only just scraped back to the passing mark.” As she spoke, Leidi held up three fingers to him.

‘What does that mean? Three points? Three points is passing?!’

“Princess’s standards are truly rigorous. At this rate, even a knight, if not a prince, guarding her side might just flee.”

‘What in the world are you two talking about?! “CHOKER” doesn’t have an “interpretive translation” function; please show me some consideration!’

“It’s a pity, but my knight would never run away. Correction: he has nowhere to escape but to me.”

‘Can’t you two just speak plainly?! Do you think everyone’s an academic genius?!’

‘Someone please tell me!’