Chapter 48: Therapy (1)

“Yes… as you know…”

[Sora has found a good senior.]

Truly, after everything was over and Trinity had completely stabilized, when there was enough leeway to even prepare for the upcoming Great Sports Festival, we invited Sensei to solve one remaining task for us.

Although it was a task, it was a task left to Seia-san, Mika-san, and me, so all the attendants were dismissed.

“Wow! Sensei, your praise is familiar, huh?”

“…It’s too much praise. It’s only because of us, so maybe it’s selfish.”

[It’s important to have a sense of responsibility, um, well, I recommend Millennium and Shanhaijing. To be precise, it’s the Alchemist Club of Shanhaijing.]

“Hmm… Certainly, those two would be the most reasonable…”

[But the reason why the Alchemist Club is second… I think you’ll know when you get there.]

“…Yes? Ah, yes, I understand…”

“Huh? Is there a medicine with strong side effects…?”

We asked Sensei for advice, asking if he knew of any methods to remove scars and burn marks.

We wondered if Sensei would know about this, but since he travels around various schools, he might be the right person to ask.

As if to prove that this judgment was correct, Sensei briefly pondered and immediately suggested Millennium and Shanhaijing’s Alchemist Club as solutions.

They were quite convincing solutions. Millennium was the school with the most advanced scientific technology in Kivotos.

Therefore, we had also considered that school to some extent. The Alchemist Club of Shanhaijing was a famous place, considered a sacred place of pharmacy, so it was suitable.

Sensei suggested Millennium first and the Alchemist Club second, but we didn’t have much time to spare, so we decided to proceed with both simultaneously.

The coming weekend, Mika-san, annoyingly, had an appointment with Sora-chan, so it was perfect timing. Seia-san and I headed to Shanhaijing and Millennium, respectively.

Recently, Arius’s Squad also joined as guards, so there was no shortage of personnel.

Seia-san was originally planning to visit Millennium due to the upcoming Great Sports Festival, so she was able to enter Millennium without much suspicion or trouble.

Since the Alchemist Club also sells medicine, I was able to enter as an ordinary customer.

As soon as I arrived at Shanhaijing’s Alchemist Club, I understood why Sensei said the Alchemist Club was the second solution, a backup plan.

“Hmm~ This medicine is also a failure~”

“Ueeek……”

“…What is this…”

“…It’s a mess… Is there any need to see more…?”

Several students were being used as test subjects for medicine by another, smaller student. I later heard that the small person was Saya-san, the owner of the Alchemist Club.

Side effects. The Alchemist Club’s medicines were undoubtedly excellent, to the point of defying the laws of physics… but… they had tremendous side effects.

As proof, another student lying unconscious with furry hair came into view, making me a little worried.

I wondered if it was right to give such a potentially dangerous medicine to that precious child of ours as a treatment.

Saori-san, who accompanied me as my bodyguard, asked if there was any need to see more, and I was in strong agreement with this, but… since I came all the way here, I couldn’t go back empty-handed, without any information, so I continued the conversation.

I’m sorry to Sora-chan… but… when she was half-asleep after staying up all night for three days before, I took pictures of her scars and burn marks.

It would be better to apologize properly later. I felt a strange feeling of guilt…? I felt strange, but… I’ll have to apologize properly later.

“Huum… There is no medicine purely for the purpose of removing scars or marks.”

“I see… That’s a shame… I’m sorry. Thank you for your time.”

She seemed to think for a moment, but the answer she came back with wasn’t a particularly good one. I hope Seia-san gets a good answer. It’s a real shame. While I was thinking such things…

“Wait a minute! Certainly, there is no medicine purely to erase scars, but there is a medicine that erases them in the process of its effect!”

“…? Yes? What kind of medicine is it?”

I don’t know what kind of medicine would erase scars or marks in the process of its effect, but that was enough to make me interested.

“It’s… complicated to explain… But the effect is certain!”

“Are there any points we should be careful of?”

“It’s better to prepare small clothes in advance.”

Small clothes? I don’t know what kind of medicine it is, but there’s no reason not to prepare, so I decided to take it for now. It’s a bit unsettling, so I’ll use it as a last resort.

“I’m sorry, there was no particular gain in Millennium.”

“I see, I wanted to spend it without any special trouble, but it can’t be helped.”

“It seems there was some progress in Shanhaijing, Nagisa.”

“Yes… It’s a method I don’t want to use, but… it can’t be helped. Still, I confirmed through the Knights Hospitaller that it’s not a dangerous drug, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

On the following Monday, a weekday, Seia-san and I gathered first in the Tea Party office and waited.

Seia-san said that she didn’t get any particular method from Millennium. Apparently, it was impossible for them to cleanly erase such extensive burn marks.

I don’t understand what kind of place the Alchemist Club is that they can so easily make and sell medicine that even the Knights Hospitaller have never seen before… but still, I’ll be grateful that I was able to get it.

“So… how are you going to get Sora to take it?”

“Fufu… Come to think of it, I remembered something Sora-chan did to me before, you know?”

“…Don’t tell me…”

“Fufu… Wouldn’t it be okay to be a little mischievous?”

What, wouldn’t it be okay to take a little petty revenge?

What she gave me then wasn’t drugged or anything, but it’s still true that she tricked me and made me drink something else, and I even fainted because of it, so it’s okay to be mischievous once.

“Yay! Nagisa-chan! Good morning!”

“I’m late, sorry.”

As always, Sora-chan and Mika-san enter the office together. Recently, even if Sora-chan comes to school early, she waits for Mika-san, who arrives on time, and they enter the office together.

She comes home with me, but she always wakes up late and gets ready late, so I’m worried that Mika-san, who should be a role model, might develop bad habits… Ah, this is just jealousy.

What, I have no intention of denying it. To be honest… I think I was captivated by her that day, when she remained calm even after her wing was pierced while protecting me.

She, who wouldn’t have been strange to panic first, was so beautiful, taking care of others first even while feeling the pain of her flesh burning and a hole being made in her body.

Why is that? It was the moment I felt an emotion I hadn’t felt when I saw her dressed up and neatly dressed, from her scorched and wounded self. At that time, I didn’t know that emotion well.

And that emotion continued even after that incident… and when I saw her dressed neatly and cleanly again, I was convinced. And I also thought about the wounds that must have festered inside.

So… I ended up giving her a gift. It was my suggestion to begin with. She… started shedding tears as soon as she received the gift.

That must have been it. The moment I thought that she was also human, that she also needed a place to lean on. That’s why I wanted to be the first to stand next to her.

When I think about it now, it’s a real shame. But… what, I can stand second or third.

You might say my values are a little strange, but since it wasn’t uncommon in Trinity in the past, the thought that I could do that comes first to me.

Oops, I got too carried away with my emotions and the story went sideways too much. Anyway, to get back to the point…

Recently, as summer approaches, the Tea Party has been working together in a different office inside, rather than the office located on the terrace.

It was an unavoidable choice because it was too hot and humid to continue working on the terrace.

As a result, it’s not uncommon for internal staff, not attendants, to brew tea. The indoor office isn’t as spacious as the terrace, so when the faction leaders take their seats like today, the placement of attendants is minimized.

“Welcome. Would you like some tea?”

“Ah, I’ll do it, Nagisa-sama.”

Recently, Sora-chan, who has gained legitimacy in staying with us, has always been staying with us in the office and helping with work. As a result, recently, Sora-chan has been brewing the tea we drink during tea time quite often.

Sora-chan’s tea was at an ordinary level, but recently, her level has been increasing significantly, to the point where it’s noticeable how well she brings out the taste and aroma.

It’s nice to see, so I ended up asking her more and more…

“No, I recently found a tea leaf that I like, so I wanted to try brewing it. I’ll do it this time.”

“Ah… Yes.”

I have a purpose today, so I refuse, saying that I have new tea leaves and want to try brewing them. It’s not actually new tea, but since I haven’t shown it to anyone, including Mika-san and Seia-san, I was able to brew tea without suspicion.

I brew tea with the movements I’ve repeated hundreds or thousands of times. In the process, I mix the prepared medicine only in Sora-chan’s cup. Fortunately, it’s a colorless and odorless liquid medicine.

I don’t know what kind of medicinal effect it has, but when I briefly showed it to Sensei and the Knights Hospitaller, they said it would probably be okay. Especially, Sensei smiled silently, as if he already knew about this medicine.

When I asked, he kept silent, saying that something interesting would happen, but that proved that it was a safe medicine.

“Here you go.”

“Heeh, Nagisa-chan, is this Darjeeling? You must have worked hard~”

“Oh my, you recognize it right away? Yes, I got a good one and brewed it.”

“Hmm… Certainly… it has a different scent from usual. I think it suits my taste quite well, Nagisa. Can you tell me where you got it?”

Everyone except Sora-chan gave it a pretty good evaluation, and since I spend a long time brewing tea, I was proud of my skills, which I could be confident in.

And… finally, I served the Darjeeling with the medicine I prepared in advance to Sora-chan.

“Huh? This seems to have a bit of a green tea taste… The scent is… grassy and… um… what is this…?”

“Oh my, Sora-chan, you’re the type to analyze while drinking?”

“Yes, I tend to analyze a bit when I drink tea for the first time.”

I seem to have learned something new about Sora-chan. We might get along well when it comes to tea. If Sora-chan had drunk other Darjeeling before, she might have noticed that I had put medicine in it.

It seems that it takes some time for the drug to take effect, so Sora-chan spent time without any major problems until she emptied the teacup.

It might not have been the type to take effect immediately… or maybe it wasn’t a medicine that had a particularly visible effect. While I was thinking such things…

“Um… I’m sorry, but… just… one more cup…”

“Eh? Sora-chan…?”

From the time she emptied the teacup, fatigue rapidly settles in Sora-chan’s eyes every time a document is finished. Around the time the third one was processed, Sora-chan fell asleep.

I wondered if she would collapse or something… It seems I’m the type to invite trouble just by thinking about it.

“Ugh… What to do…? Huh?”

“It’ll… probably be okay… Since Sensei guaranteed it…”

And so, we had to be in a state full of worry and anxiety for several hours.

And… when Sora-chan woke up…

We were all shocked by her appearance.

I didn’t expect this….