After steadying my hands, I carefully and gently finished wrapping Iori's wound, then helped her straighten her clothes as well.
According to Iori, this outfit was simply troublesome to put on. Personally, however, I found that claim highly questionable.
For all I knew, it was just another trick to let me "take advantage" of her so she could turn the tables and take advantage of me instead…
The waters of Kivotos were far too deep. I couldn't grasp them, but I still had to wade in the water.
"…Thank you for helping me."
Iori thanked me sincerely. "I've always thought you were a weird adult… but when it counts, you can actually be pretty serious."
I cried injustice. "I'm always in serious mode when it comes to you, Iori!"
"Your 'serious mode' is pouncing on people to lick their feet!?"
"That just proves I have the proper attitude and am willing to accept punishment."
"I don't get it! You're still super weird! Just die, you pervert!"
Seeing that Iori was still so lively even while injured filled me with relief.
Still, I reminded her, "Maybe spare my life for now? Sena just said you shouldn't do any strenuous activity for a while if you want to recover quickly."
"Tch…" Iori clicked her tongue. "True. I finally got the bandage wrapped properly. If it comes loose… guess you're lucky."
"That's nothing to worry about," I declared resolutely. "No matter how many times, as long as you need me, I'll help!"
Iori suddenly flustered again. "Idiot (Tsun)... I wouldn't deliberately get hurt just to have you treat me!"
…Did I say anything about deliberately getting hurt?
I tilted my head in confusion. The girl in front of me seemed to be the one thinking strange things.
Considering that Iori and Ako seemed to get along well, could it be birds of a feather flock together?
Or maybe it was contagious. Either way, same difference.
"But…"
After a brief pause, Iori spoke again, as if having sorted out her feelings. She smiled at me. "If there's a next time, um… please take care of me again."
That innocent smile warmed my heart. I nodded and returned her smile. "Yeah. Leave it to me. It's a promise."
"…Yeah. A promise."
Iori stood up from the bed. "Then I'll head out?"
I asked casually, "Do you have something else to take care of?"
"No, it's a day off after all. There aren't that many troublemakers today. I just want to go home and rest. What about you, Sensei?"
"Nothing. I'm pretty free too."
Completely missing the hint, Iori nodded. "Then see you next time."
With that, she left the infirmary wearing a refreshing smile.
I couldn't tell whether she was playing hard to get or if she was genuinely just that pure.
When silver hair and crimson eyes overlap, what kind of color would that produce?
In any case, since Iori had left, I could finally take care of some private matters.
I skillfully pulled the still-warm card from my chest pocket.
——
Conversion Ability: "Ode of War and Fire"
Description: The holder may expend stamina to unleash a battle cry. The effect of the battle cry is proportional to the user's level of anger.
Source: Successful conquest of Iori
——
Simple-minded, hot-tempered, and always giving off the feeling she'll end up at a disadvantage, so why is even the ability description so similar?
"Punishment is but a facade, destruction is the true nature."
The whisper murmured in my ear. As usual, I recorded it and ignored it.
Looking at the densely packed lines of text on my panel, I felt a sense of accomplishment, but also another thought.
If only, someday, these complicated abilities with similar effects could be merged and simplified a little.
But the card was clearly not that considerate.
After confirming that Sena was still outside on standby and wouldn't be back anytime soon, I messaged Fuuka and Juri to let them know I was safe. In return, I received their enthusiastic invitation as they wanted to make up for what happened at noon.
Judging by the sky outside, it was indeed almost dinner time. Though still slightly traumatized, after much hesitation, I ultimately couldn't bear to disappoint my students and agreed.
As it turned out, my worries were unnecessary.
Perhaps because of the earlier mishap, the two of them had learned their lesson. That evening, they served me a light, stomach-friendly yet still delicious dinner.
During the meal, I tried asking Juri exactly what extra step she had taken while making the juice to produce such astonishing results, but her answer left me speechless.
She had simply washed the fresh fruit she bought… and put it into the juicer.
"So what exactly is the 'love' you added?"
"S-Sensei! Please don't ask such embarrassing questions next to Fuuka-senpai!"
Juri whispered in a panic, glancing toward Fuuka, who was washing dishes and hadn't noticed, before continuing in a small voice:
"It's that kind of feeling… you can't see it or touch it, but it definitely exists…"
The corner of my mouth twitched. For some reason, I was reminded of a certain Master (Meistro) of Gematria two months ago explaining to me how the amusement rides could move on their own.
Could this girl… have unconsciously used a similar technique in her cooking…?
The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Under normal circumstances, after understanding Juri's earth-shattering culinary skill, I should have kept a respectful distance from her food from now on.
However, a new idea occurred to me.
"Besides affection, are there other levels of love?"
Juri looked a little shy. "Ah, yes. If it's deeper, there's respect for Sensei… and, um… longing…"
I see. After calculating the total time I had been unconscious, I reached a conclusion:
With my current defensive and recovery abilities, I was merely a diner who could handle Level Three Affection.
Once I obtained a new similar ability, I could use Juri's love-infused dishes to roughly estimate certain data that would otherwise be too abstract to measure.
I nodded with satisfaction. "When there's a chance, let me try your cooking again, Juri."
"Eh? R-Really? That's wonderful! When the time comes, I'll definitely give it my all!"
Seeing how happy she was, I couldn't help but feel a trace of guilt.
But on second thought, if by some stroke of luck I didn't pass out on the spot next time, wouldn't that mean I'd finally be qualified to evaluate her true skill? In that case, it would be a complete win-win situation.
In any case, with nothing better to do, I lingered in the student cafeteria for a while longer before bidding farewell to the two girls from the School Lunch Club and preparing to return to Schale for work.
But just like last night, when I reached the center courtyard of the campus, I caught sight of distant lights glowing ahead.
For reasons I couldn't quite explain, something stirred within me, and my steps unconsciously shifted direction.