* * *
My head was still throbbing.
The uncomfortable pain was enough to make me frown instinctively.
As I blearily opened my eyes, everything in my field of vision was stark white.
I blinked slowly and let out a long sigh. It seemed my hunch was right.
There was no other explanation for that pure white ceiling.
“Is this heaven…?”
My last memory was confronting the evolved monster.
So that was how it ended.
To think I’d die so pointlessly.
I had spent all my time planning to get Chester to break our engagement just to avoid my fated death, but I never imagined I’d end up in heaven because of an unexpected incident like this.
If I’d known, I would have eaten more delicious food.
Still, if I’m in heaven, does that mean I lived a relatively good life?
“If you’re awake, get up. Stop talking nonsense.”
A voice cut through my sentimental thoughts.
“Huh?” I turned my head.
A familiar face was sitting on a bed a short distance away.
“Oh, Chester, you’re perfectly fine. That’s a relief.”
Standing in front of him was Philia, the professor in charge of medical affairs.
She patted Chester on the shoulder with a reassured expression.
“Ruite, are you awake?”
“Professor, is this reality?”
Philia burst into laughter.
Chester sighed and shook his head.
Seeing him look at me with such pathetic disdain, it seemed I wasn’t dead yet.
“Then what, am I a ghost standing in front of you?”
Philia approached me with a bright smile.
“Ruite, this is the infirmary on the first floor of Whitmore Academy. You are a student in Class 3 of the Magic Department. You lost consciousness for a while after getting caught up in an accident during the mid-term practical test. Do you remember?”
“Yes.”
After confirming that my cognitive functions were fine, Philia stepped through the partition to find some medicine.
The infirmary was divided into a ward with beds for students and a separate area for medical tools, medicine, and basic examinations.
“Did you think you were dead?”
“The ceiling was white when I opened my eyes.”
I struggled to sit up.
“I thought this was heaven.”
“You certainly have high self-esteem, thinking you’d go to heaven.”
“But I haven’t really done anything bad in my life, have I?”
When I challenged him on why I wouldn’t go to heaven, Chester sighed again.
Having been told by Philia that he could leave, Chester grabbed his school jacket and stepped down from the bed.
“By the way, Chester. Did I pass out before we even got down the mountain?”
“Yeah.”
“Then who carried me?”
“……”
I stretched my arms out, only to wince as a surge of muscle pain hit me.
“Wait, my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I feel like I was on your back…”
“Are you crazy? Why would I carry you?”
Chester, who was about to head out, shouted abruptly.
Startled, I flinched and clutched my chest.
“Fine. If you didn’t, you didn’t. Why are you yelling?”
“In the first place, why would I ever—”
Chester couldn’t finish his sentence and let the words trail off.
He watched me blink blankly for a moment, then turned and stormed out of the infirmary, slamming the door behind him.
“Oh dear, is Chester angry?”
Philia, who was coming back through the partition, asked with wide eyes.
She looked back and forth between the door and me sitting there cluelessly, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
“Yes, well…”
“I wonder what made him so mad.
He was quite calm until just a moment ago.”
I was about to explain that it was probably because of me, but I stopped.
I figured that would only lead to a string of follow-up questions from Professor Philia.
He was probably furious.
Not only did I drag him into a fight with an evolved monster, but I also used the crown of his head as a stepping stone to land a hit.
Honestly, at the time, I thought that was the only way to deliver a proper blow.
But from Chester’s perspective, having someone he dislikes do that to him… it wasn’t strange for him to be angry.
“Anyway, you must have been shocked. I was so startled when I heard the details from Professor Harold. It’s a miracle it only ended like this.”
Philia then gave me a brief explanation of my condition.
Other than the cut on my right forearm, there were no external injuries.
Luckily, it wasn’t deep enough to require stitches.
However, the reason I collapsed was that my body couldn’t handle the sudden, massive discharge of mana combined with total physical exhaustion.
Having launched two full-power attacks against an evolved monster, it was only natural that my mana was depleted.
I felt relieved when she told me there were no serious issues and that I just needed plenty of rest.
“But Ruite, there is one thing I should remind you of. You are an Omega, after all.”
“Yes.”
In terms of the population ratio, Betas were the most common, while Alphas and Omegas existed as a minority.
Naturally, this small society of students at Whitmore was the same.
Betas made up the majority, with a relatively small number of Alphas and Omegas.
However, during student years, secondary gender traits like pheromone secretion didn’t manifest strongly, so few people went around announcing they were an Alpha or an Omega.
It wasn’t that you couldn’t say it, but it was rare for someone to bring it up unless it was some Alpha bragging about their ‘superior’ traits.
Because of this, unless someone explicitly said so, people in the academy generally didn’t know who was what.
The academy also discouraged making assumptions about someone’s gender to prevent discrimination.
Consequently, the only people who knew my status were myself, my advisor, and Philia, the head of the infirmary.
“It’s not yet time for your pheromones to manifest or for major physical changes to occur, but if you become extremely physically depleted like you are now, you might develop a fever.”
Philia handed me some stabilizers and fever reducers specifically for Omegas.
“If you feel unwell at all, come to the infirmary immediately, okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I bowed to Philia and looked out the window.
It had been sunny during the test, but the sun was setting now, making way for the dark.
Philia said I could rest here if I wanted, but I told her I’d go back to the dorms.
It wouldn’t make a difference whether I was lying down here or there.
Before I left, Philia relayed a message that Professor Harold wanted to have a consultation tomorrow, so I should rest well until then.
It was likely about the incident during the test, but I didn’t want to think about complicated things right now.
Tomorrow’s problems could stay in tomorrow.
I dragged my heavy feet back toward the dormitory.
It was then that my stomach let out a thunderous growl.
Come to think of it, I had missed dinner because I was busy being unconscious.
I looked toward the cafeteria, but the lights had been out for a long time.
I had no choice but to head toward the late-night cafe.
The staff member gave me a sideways glance for coming in at such an awkward hour but welcomed me with a soulless “Welcome.”
I went to the bread display and looked around, but as expected, there weren’t many options left.
It looked like the students had already picked it clean.
Just as I was wondering if a prestigious academy should be like this, I spotted one last loaf of the bread I usually enjoyed.
Talk about luck.
Just as I reached out with a grin, a hand suddenly swept in from the side and snatched the bread away.
“Oh.”
To take the last piece of bread so quickly!
I turned my head with a look of resentment, only to lock eyes with Chester.
“What.”
As expected, his voice was curt.
I scanned Chester from head to toe.
I had wondered why he was here at this hour, but it seemed he was in a similar boat.
He must have missed dinner while getting checked out and treated.
“Chester.”
When I stared at him, he flinched and furrowed his brows.
“Say what you have to say.”
“Well, about dinner…”
I scratched my head awkwardly.
Chester stared at me as I closed the distance.
He gazed into space for a moment, then nodded as if he had anticipated my next move.
“What about dinner? You want to eat together?”
“Huh? Oh, no, not that. That bread.”
I pointed directly at the bread in Chester’s hand.
Chester looked back and forth between the bread and my finger.
“Do you like that?”
“……”
“If you don’t love it, could you let me have it? It’s my favorite bread here, and it’s the last one.”
Hearing the real reason why I’d stopped him, Chester’s fist clenched involuntarily.
I gave him my most docile, pleading look, but unfortunately, Chester just walked coldly toward the checkout counter.
I could only swallow my tears as I watched my favorite bread move further away.
I had asked so politely; he could have at least shared.
As I sighed and tried to pick out something else, something flew through the air behind me, hit the back of my head, and dropped to the floor.
“Ow.”
Startled, I rubbed the back of my head.
I turned around to see that Chester had already walked out the door, and a wrapped loaf of bread was sitting by my feet.
It was the very bread I had just asked him for—the one I enjoyed most.
The staff member looked confusedly between the door and me. I gave a sheepish laugh and picked the bread up.
I picked out a few other items and paid for them.
I was glad I got my favorite bread after all.
Clutching the bread to my chest, I headed up to my room with a light step.
* * *
