Chapter 4: The School Nurse in the Bathroom

“Those whose names I call, please gather your belongings and proceed to the special class dormitory.”

All the new students were gathered. It was the moment the proctor would announce their fate.

“Number one, Hoshikawa Himari. Room number one.”

“Oooooh—”

—Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Himari stepped forward and received the key card for room number one.

Sighs of envy, along with a mixture of congratulatory and jealous applause, rained down.

However, Himari’s expression remained stoic.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy. Nor did she dislike the honor of being first in her year.

It was just that something else bothered her more.

‘That school nurse….’

Dragging her suitcase towards the dormitory, Himari touched her left ring finger. She hadn’t learned any healing skills, so she had clumsily applied a bandage.

‘How did she know?’

She hadn’t told anyone about the injury she sustained on her left ring finger every time she activated her skill. The heir to the Hoshikawa family, who always had to maintain perfection and grace, had no need for weaknesses.

The only person who knew about it was her father, who had taught her the technique.

‘Did she see it?’

No, that was impossible.

If that child-like nurse was just an ordinary medic, her combat skills would be no different from an average person’s. It would be impossible for her to follow Himari’s  with her eyes, especially after seeing it only once.

Then the conclusion was—

‘—She’s a watchdog sent by my father.’

Himari bit her lip.

Her sudden decision to come to Korea was to see a wider world and gain new experiences. She had felt suffocated after living in her family’s mansion for nearly twenty years.

She knew her father disapproved, but wasn’t it too much to spy on her like this?

That meant her strangely evasive behavior was also an act.

—Click!

Opening the door to the luxurious room number one in the special class dormitory, Himari made up her mind.

‘I need to make things clear.’

“Now, here’s the list of first-year special class students.”

Morning faculty meeting.

Ruah was among the first-year teachers.

The chairman had requested that even non-core subject teachers attend the first faculty meeting of the new semester.

“Please take a look and share your thoughts on how to manage them.”

The head of the year level was a burly man who had been a renowned tank during his active days. The meeting proceeded as straightforwardly as his appearance, which Ruah found reassuring.

“As expected, this student is at the top.”

“I can’t believe she cut the punching bag in half. How many years has it been since that happened?”

“Besides Hoshikawa Himari, we have many talented students this year. Influential guilds are already showing interest.”

Listening to the teachers’ conversation, Ruah looked over the special class list that had been handed to her.

‘Just like in the game….’

Ruah scanned the list from top to bottom. Below Himari were names she had heard countless times. The first-year special class was the core group of the game’s story.

However, her gaze stopped at the very bottom.

‘Huh?’

Something was strange.

The last student in the special class, ranked tenth, was “Yoo Juju.” This unusual name was not a typo.

‘She’s supposed to be first in the advanced class.’

Ruah tilted her head.

In the game, Yoo Juju narrowly missed entering the special class. In other words, she ranked eleventh in the placement test. She had even challenged the protagonist, who had barely made it into the special class, to a duel out of jealousy.

Now, Yoo Juju was ranked tenth.

‘This is different from the game.’

Ruah gulped involuntarily. she remembered Yoo Juju’s words to the protagonist in the game.

—If it weren’t for you, I would have been in the special class!

What if this was that “if” world?

‘There’s no protagonist in this academy.’

Her heart sank.

This wasn’t something to take lightly.

The protagonist’s role was to drive the story, face the oncoming trials, and grow alongside their companions. Without them, there would be no one to solve the problems that arose. The students wouldn’t be able to confront their own issues and grow.

‘And yet, time is still flowing.’

The world Ruah was in now—Felix Academy—wasn’t a game world that paused when there was no player. Time flowed just like in reality.

This meant that scheduled events would undoubtedly occur.

The Gate incident in the academy basement, the student emergency assembly, the field training, the midterms, and the finals. The fact that the placement test had proceeded as planned was proof.

‘Then… what about the events that happen after the second semester?’

“……!”

—Screech!

As her thoughts reached that point, Ruah abruptly stood up.

The sound of the chair scraping against the floor interrupted the head of the year level, and the other teachers’ gazes turned to her.

“Nurse Han Ruah? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh… I… that is….”

Ruah fidgeted.

“I need to use the restroom.”

“…….”

The head of the year level, sensing something from Ruah’s pale complexion, readily excused her.

—Tap, tap, tap….

Ruah left the meeting room, closed the door, and ran down the empty hallway to the nearest restroom. she needed time to quietly sit and gather her thoughts.

she rushed into the restroom,

—Clatter!

Opened a stall, sat on the toilet, and locked the door.

She wasn’t here to do her business, but to organize her thoughts, so she didn’t bother pulling down her pants.

“….”

Looking at the list in her hand, Ruah bit her lip.

The game was called Hunter Hunting Academy, but the protagonist actually spent less than a year, in game time, enjoying academy life.

‘Because the Second Gate Incident occurs after the second semester finals.’

Until then, Hunters were dispatched to clear Gates wherever they appeared, but after the protagonist passed the second semester finals, the number of Gate occurrences would increase exponentially.

The same would happen on the artificial island where the academy was located. Unclosed Gates would overflow, and monsters would pour out. The protagonist and their companions had to save Felix Academy from the ensuing disaster.

‘The ultimate goal was to lead the protagonist’s party, defeat the boss monster occupying the academy, and restore peace.’

But now, there was no protagonist.

Overflow, defeat, death. A despairing future unfolded in Ruah’s mind. The entire artificial island, home to the academy, would become a monster nest, and everyone, including Ruah, would almost certainly die.

‘I don’t want that…!’

Without the protagonist, there would be no one to train the companions—

“…….”

‘—Wait a minute.’

A thought struck Ruah, and she looked up.

‘Companions… so, if I train the students, we might have a fighting chance?’

“Yes…! There’s no rule that says we have to die!”

Strength suddenly surged through her. If there was no protagonist, Ruah could train the students instead.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy with her social anxiety, but it was far better than dying to monsters.

‘Only I can do this.’

Ruah was the only one in this world who knew the future. She was also the only one who could prevent the disaster.

she had no choice.

“Alright!”

Just as Ruah let out a determined yell—

“What is… alright?”

“?!?!”

A low voice came from right outside the stall door. Ruah barely suppressed a scream and clutched her chest. It was a miracle she hadn’t fainted.

“…….”

Ruah quietly lifted her feet and covered her mouth, trying to pretend no one was there. But it was too late.

“I know you are there.”

“I-is that… student Hoshikawa Himari…?”

Ruah finally responded. she had PTSD from Himari’s gaze, but talking to her with a door between them felt a bit better.

“Yes.”

“Are there no other stalls…?”

“No.”

A polite yet cold voice. Ruah fidgeted, wondering if she had done something wrong.

“I have something to tell you, so I followed you.”

“Did it have to be in the restroom…?”

“This is the only chance to meet you… without other people around.”

Ruah tilted her head. she couldn’t understand why Himari wanted to talk to her.

‘This is the first time we’ve met since the test.’

“O-okay. What is it?”

“Do you know… where you are?”

“Huh?”

‘It’s a restroom.’

Why was she asking something so obvious?

“Do you not know… why I am here?”

“I’m not sure….”

“Do not play dumb!”

—Bang!

“Eek!”

The stall door rattled violently. For some reason, Himari seemed angry.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll think about it again…!”

Ruah hurriedly apologized and retraced her steps to the restroom.

She left the meeting room, walked down the hallway, spotted the restroom, and entered the door on the right—

“—Ah.”

Ruah realized her mistake.

Out of habit, she had entered the men’s restroom.

—Ding-dong, ding-dong.

At that moment, the bell signaling break time rang throughout the school. Soon, she heard the footsteps of students leaving their classes.

‘I’m…fucked.’