I never thought I would have a day where I would ride to school in a limousine...
It was a bit overwhelming, and since there was a portal right near Astra's mansion, I thought about just walking, but when Sylvia asked, "Don't you want to go to school with me?" I just obediently got in.
If she says it with such a pitiful expression, I can't refuse...
For that reason, when Sylvia and I entered the classroom together, the children's gazes suddenly focused on us.
Stiffening from the sudden attention, Mei quickly approached and asked.
"Scarlett! You were sick all day, right? You were so sick that you couldn't even contact the school, are you okay now?"
"Ah, um... I'm fine now."
I immediately understood the reason and answered.
After being rescued from being kidnapped, when I came to my senses, my phone was filled with missed calls and messages from the school and Mei.
They were asking why I didn't come to school and what had happened to me, so I lied and said I was sick.
I couldn't tell them that I was a created experiment related to a witch and had been kidnapped, so I had no choice but to lie.
In any case, it seems I caused a lot of worry.
"Hmm... Miss Scarlett, were you very sick? Was it because of the aftereffects of the surgery for the prosthetic arm?"
Jesse, who followed behind Mei, sniffled and clung to me.
"Don't worry, it's not that. I just suddenly felt a bit unwell."
"That's a relief, but... still, don't overdo it for a while. I'm worried you might suddenly collapse..."
She seemed to calm down a bit when I stroked her head, but it seemed my image had become that of a sickly child because I had been late before.
Thinking about it, if I'm on a deadline, being sickly might be appropriate?
...I'm not the heroine of a tear-jerking story, and what's the point of having a sickly attribute for someone like me?
Anyway, similar worried voices burst out from the other children who seemed to agree with Jesse.
"Right, don't get sick. Everyone is worried about you!"
"Um, if you have any troubles, let us know, and we'll help."
Daniel and Andre's voices were particularly loud.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by the flood of worried words, I waved my hand and sat down. Yoon Siwoo, who was sitting at his desk and looking at me, gave a slight greeting.
"...Did you have a good weekend?"
"Yeah, it was okay."
When I answered appropriately, Sylvia, who followed me and sat down, glanced at Yoon Siwoo.
Sylvia, who had been glaring at Yoon Siwoo, leaned closer to his desk and seemed to be quietly talking to him.
Oh... Honestly, I thought there wasn't much progress between them, but they must have gotten quite close without me noticing.
Being able to watch the main character and heroine from the front row is a privilege, isn't it?
Expecting a scene where they both blush and talk to each other, I was mentally tearing open popcorn when Sylvia's face started to turn red.
But it felt a bit different from what I expected.
She looked angry no matter how I looked at it...
Still, the main character and heroine often get closer after a disagreement, so I decided to stay quiet.
*
"...Yoon Siwoo, now that you've done such a thing, you will take responsibility, right?"
Yoon Siwoo, who had greeted Scarlett in the classroom, suddenly approached and answered Sylvia, who asked in a small voice.
"What do you mean by responsibility?"
"That... what happened with Miss Scarlett yesterday. I know the general idea, so don't pretend and answer clearly."
At her words, he tried to maintain a calm expression despite the urge to stiffen and recalled what Scarlett had said before they parted yesterday.
"I asked you to keep it a secret from others, especially Sylvia. She would definitely be sad if she knew I asked you for that. Got it?"
But Yoon Siwoo couldn't help but remain silent when Sylvia, who somehow knew, pressed him to confess.
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Ugh...! You can't pretend you don't know after doing something like that?"
"I really don't know what you're talking about."
When he answered, Sylvia, who seemed angry, blushed and muttered.
"You, how can you be so irresponsible..."
I couldn't understand why she was so angry, but it was clear she was upset with him.
After a moment of thought, Yoon Siwoo knew he wasn't good at lying or making excuses, so he didn't say anything to Sylvia, who was angry.
To keep the secret, as Scarlett had said.
*
"Anyway, Miss Evande, even if you were sick, you should have at least sent a text. Do you know how worried the teacher was about what happened to you?"
Before getting the prosthetic arm, I was a pickled radish, so it felt like it had been a long time since I participated in training.
Teacher Eve, who was giving me one-on-one training to help me get used to the prosthetic arm while the other students were doing group practice, said this.
Feeling exasperated, I lay on the ground, catching my breath, and complained.
"...Isn't it a bit too harsh to treat someone who was sick like this?"
I had just cleared 17 rounds of the teacher's summoning magic, "Monster Wave Defense," where the number of monsters increased with each round.
Thinking it was inappropriate for the person who forced me to create a 17-to-1 legend to say such a thing, I said so, and Eve said with a look of exasperation.
"Miss Evande, even if they are low-level monsters, can someone who was sick take down 17 monsters alone? You seem healthier than before. I thought you'd struggle around the 10th round."
Her words were so convincing that I closed my mouth obediently.
Even if it was to get used to the sensation, I was initially quite surprised when she told me not to rely on my abilities and to use my body as much as possible to fight the monsters.
But when I actually tried, I ended up using just a bit of flame on my hand and fought through the monsters in a melee.
It felt like I was more comfortable using my body than I was before, rather than being healthier.
...Why is that?
"You said you were afraid of fighting monsters not long ago, but now you don't seem to hesitate at all. Hmm, did you overcome it by fighting mid-level monsters?"
Eve muttered, looking at me.
I had a rough idea of why fighting had become easier.
Now, I felt much less resistance when fighting monsters.
I wasn't sure if it was because of the experience of fighting mid-level monsters or because I realized I was always resisting something more terrifying than monsters, but the delay caused by my resistance seemed to have decreased.
After all, my body was designed to fight monsters.
With a short lifespan, it wouldn't make sense if I couldn't do this much.
Even if I'm not yet familiar with fighting techniques and using my body properly, I think I could become a decent combatant if I train hard and get used to applying my abilities.
Compared to kids like Yoon Siwoo, it's nowhere near, but Eve seemed satisfied, smiling.
"This is a complete pass. I was worried that you might have trouble adapting to the prosthetic arm, but it seems you don't need to. You're at a level where you won't die easily in a real battle."
"...Is that so?"
"Well, unless it's a special case like last time, you probably won't face real battles often! But if you do, never let your guard down. Miss Evande, you promised not to die last time, right? If you die recklessly, I'll follow you to hell and scold you!"
Eve said brightly, but I knew she was serious more than anyone else, so I smiled bitterly.
She was the one who grieved the most when students died in the original story.
Though she looked young, she had been a teacher for a long time and cared for her students more than anyone.
She earned the nickname "angel without wings" by donating most of her wealth, which she earned through her abilities, to heroes' welfare and children who lost their parents to monsters.
Therefore, when she was found dead in the original story, all the surviving heroes were deeply shocked.
Although I prevented her from grieving by saving the students who were supposed to die in the gym, I felt a sense of debt for not being able to keep the promise not to die.
So, I answered, hoping Eve would live.
"Then, don't die either, teacher. Don't let your guard down anywhere."
Eve burst into laughter, finding my words amusing, and said.
"Ha ha ha! Miss Evande, are you telling the teacher not to die? Oh, I've died many times. I'm known as one of the world's best illusionists."
Feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, I slightly rolled my eyes, and Eve, laughing, crouched down and stroked my head.
"Hehe, but it's nice that a student is worried. Got it. Let's both not die. So, Miss Evande, to not die, you need to train harder, right? One more round?"
"..."
Eve, like a PT trainer, created 18 monster illusions in front of me.
I fought 18 monsters intensely.
18.
*
Even after a considerable rest before lunch, I felt drained and my