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I immediately rushed over to check on Nova’s condition.

“What in the world is this insane amount of wounds…?”

As I quickly peeled off his clothes, blood soaked through the tightly wrapped bandages, freshly tinted and puddling underneath.

How on earth did he manage to stop the bleeding! No, that’s not what I should be thinking right now.

“First things first, I need to staunch the bleeding! The first aid kit!”

With that, I dragged Nova out of the bathroom and frantically searched the room.

“Ugh… where… where is it…!! Found it!”

I discovered a square metal case beneath the bed. Thinking it was the first aid kit, I opened it immediately.

“What the…? What is this?”

Inside was not a first aid kit filled with medical supplies and bandages, but a black gun instead.

“Why is this… here… And this gunpowder smell… It’s been used recently.”

I glanced back and forth between Nova and the gun, feeling a bit confused, but there was no time to waste. I tore Nova’s shirt draped over the closet, pressed it against the wounds, and carefully recited the spell.

Teleportation.

*

Realizing that the infirmary wouldn’t cut it, I made my way to the largest hospital in Melian. After waiting for quite some time right outside the surgery room, I dashed to the doctor once he finished.

“How is his condition?!”

“Somehow, we’ve saved his life, but he absolutely needs to rest for a month.”

“Is that so…”

Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief; it was a blessing he wasn’t in danger. With that amount of blood loss… it wouldn’t have been weird for him to have died from excessive bleeding. What on earth happened… why did this happen so suddenly… he was perfectly fine just yesterday.

“Has he regained consciousness?”

“He’s in a critical state requiring absolute rest. Are you his guardian?”

“Yes, Nova and I… we’re family!”

Nova’s parents lived far away and wouldn’t be able to come. So, naturally, that made me the only guardian… I wasn’t lying.

“In that case, I will guide you to the patient’s room.”

“Got it, thank you so much for saving Nova.”

I bowed my head repeatedly and followed the doctor to the designated hospital room.

*

“This is…”

Wait, didn’t I collapse in the bathroom? Is this the hospital?

If that’s the case, then Stella… this is definitely going to get discovered, dammit.

Before long, the hospital room door opened, and Stella entered.

“Oh, Stella, it’s nothing to be worried about, but thanks for helping out.”

“Nothing to worry about…?”

In that moment, I realized I had misspoken.

I could see the tears welling up in Stella’s eyes.

Then she charged at me, and I thought I was going to get hit, but she hugged me tightly instead.

“You idiot! How can you say that right now!”

“Stella…”

“If I had been any later, you could have died! What on earth happened to you?! No, more than that, if you’re hurt, you need to tell me!”

Her grip on me was shaking.

“Why… are you hiding this from me… you can tell me!”

“…! Stella, this is…”

With trembling hands, she pulled out the modified gun I had made.

“What the hell is this? Did you go kill someone or something?!”

To think she would find out about this too, what could I even say to explain?

I don’t want to involve Stella in this; no way.

“It’s just a gun I bought that could be useful for hunting monsters.”

“Then what about the silencer that was in the case with it?”

“…”

Right, Stella is a reincarnator; she’s someone who said she had fought in wars before. There’s no way she wouldn’t know.

“The Desert Eagle 50. I don’t know where you got the blueprint to make this, but it’s an incredibly dangerous gun. If it hits, it could crush a skull in half.”

I had no excuse left to give. I hung my head like a sinner at that moment when I felt warmth in my hand.

“Nova, I trust you.”

“…Huh?”

“I know you, Nova. You’re not someone who harms others; there’s definitely a reason for this.”

Her blue eyes, entrancing and gentle, seemed to pull me in.

“Even if you were a villain… well, I’m on your side.”

“You…”

“So I’d like you to tell me… I really hate it when you get hurt without saying a word…”

With that, Stella lowered her head and took my hand in hers. The strength in her small grasp trembled with worry.

“I can’t stand losing someone anymore… please, please don’t leave me…”

This… is my fault. I definitely should have explained it to her.

After all, their aim is Stella, and she naturally has to know about this.

I explained everything about those guys and my ties with them.

*

“Nova… you went to the hospital, huh…”

“Yup, it’s definitely because of that incident yesterday…”

“Serena, do you know something?”

Seeing Shia’s curious expression, Serena thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well… I was told not to tell Nova, but since it seems you already found out, I’ll share it.”

Shia was astonished after hearing Serena’s account.

“Oh my god… So you two went and picked a fight with that enormous organization?”

Over by, Lucid shook his head.

“Not just that magician, but even your girlfriend… you’re completely out of your mind.”

“Hey, that tone is a bit too much, don’t you think?!”

“By the way, I thought you two weren’t dating.”

“Oh my, Serena, didn’t you know? They recently started dating!”

At that, Serena jumped up in surprise.

“Really?! No wonder Nova seemed to be smiling a lot recently…”

Shia seemed to find it amusing and smiled faintly.

“Oh ho~ Lucid seems quite flustered; could it be…?”

“W-What?! I have no interest in what those commoner adventurers do!”

Serena muttered to herself, laying her head on her hands.

“What a waste… then did I hand over that potion for no reason… should I just take it back…?”

Shia turned to Siel and asked.

“Siel, what do you think?”

“What about?”

“Nova and Stella are dating now, don’t you have any thoughts on that? You used to hang out with Nova, training together and all.”

Expecting an interesting reaction, Shia was met with a dull expression that showed no emotion from Siel.

“Not really, I just find it fun to spar with Nova.”

“Hmm… but if they’re dating now, you might not be able to do that anymore?”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing that, Siel revealed a hint of emotion.

“That’s… a little disappointing.”

“Do you… have feelings for Nova?”

“Hey, Shia, that’s a bit rude, don’t you think?”

“What’s the big deal? Serena, this is a good opportunity to talk and get closer!”

Even so, to jump right in like that was quite bold for Serena, who found it tough to say even a word to others, aside from Stella and Shia.

‘She really is quite sociable… I hope I won’t be left behind like this…?’

Since the time in the Magic Tower, Serena had been suffering from low self-esteem. She felt uncomfortable seeing Shia bond with someone besides herself. Though she did have other friends, Stella felt more like an object of admiration, and Nova was the opposite sex, making conversation difficult.

Shia was the person she felt the closest connection to, so the current situation was uncomfortable for her.

“I don’t really like him in a romantic sense, but I do think of him as a dependable comrade.”

“Well, it certainly feels reassuring to have him on your side. I teamed up with him during the entrance exam; it was great. It felt like he would figure something out no matter what.”

“Oh! That’s true; it does feel that way.”

Against a criminal of the continent’s worst kind, they fought at least as equals.

During combat, it felt as if he understood everything and made everything work.

Serena could relate to that sentiment.

“Well… I’ll admit he has some skills up his sleeve…”

At first, she didn’t like him, but ultimately, Lucid acknowledged that it was thanks to Nova that he passed his midterm exam in first place, so he couldn’t discount him.

After a while of chatting, Shia clapped her hands.

“How about we all go visit Nova in the hospital?”

“Do you think Stella would mind?”

“What’s the big deal? We’re just visiting as classmates.”

Lucid grinned and agreed with Shia’s idea.

“That sounds fun… spying on what they’re doing and surprising them would be entertaining too; seeing that magician’s face would be priceless.”

“Hey… do you hold any bad feelings toward Stella?”

“Bad feelings? Of course. The first time we met, we were happily greeting each other, and she threatened me with a meteor, then during the test, she pummeled me without mercy. I thought I was really going to die; it’s hard not to hold a grudge.”

“Ah… right.”

“You’re going too, aren’t you, Siel?”

Without hesitation, Siel nodded.

“I want to ask Stella if I can borrow Nova for a spar.”

“Well, that seems unlikely, but let’s go check it out.”

*

“So, you fought that Ned Orion and ended up like this?”

“Yeah, I have to kill that guy for sure.”

After listening to my story, Stella sighed deeply.

“I have a lot to say, but I’ll keep it to myself since I don’t think you’ll listen anyway.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But you should know that next time you face that organization, you’re fighting together with me.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t you dare go solo and get yourself hurt; if you do, I’ll lock you in the basement and keep you there.”

“…That sounds a bit scary.”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“…Yes.”

“Very well done.”

Stella smiled and ruffled my hair.

“But what is this?”

“Uh? That’s…”

Stella pulled out the pink potion I had received from Serena that evening.

How do I even explain this…?

I just took it just in case.

I swear I had no malicious intent behind it!

I was merely curious about the potion’s effects in this world, but if Stella finds out I got it from Serena…

[Hmm, are you planning to use something like this on me? You pervert.]

The thought of her backlash and disdain was horrifying.

“It’s just a drink! It’s mine, so give it back quickly!”

“What?! Why are you being so hostile… I’m just thirsty, so I’m gonna drink it!”

“Absolutely not!”

In a hurry to snatch it back, I tripped and collided straight into Stella.

“W-What?”

The potion slipped from her hand, soaring into the air, and plummeting down.

At that moment, the hospital room door opened, and several people came in.

“Nova, we’ve come to…”

Boom!

Pink smoke erupted from the shattered potion.

The smoke billowed out like a mist, filling the entire hospital room.

“Cough, cough! What the… Stella, are you okay?”

As I tried to rise and check on Stella, I felt something grab my wrist tightly.

“Hehe♡”

“Stella…?”

“Nova…♡”

The voice I heard was somehow alluring and different from her usual tone.

Just then, multiple voices came from the door.

“Nova…♡”

“Nova..♡”

“♡..”

“…Is this for real…?”

This feels like it’s going to be a disaster…!

 

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