Chapter 226: One Alice (1)

It was a time that made me reflect on myself.

I made a promise to everyone.

I would never again rush into something reckless. Even if I did, I would talk it over with them first.

"I say talk it over, but I don't mean you need our permission for every little thing. We'd just like you to let us know about what's going on with you, Viktor. Even a heads-up would do."

"That's right. Sir Viktor always tries to hide his hardships. This time too, if Miss Allie hadn't told us, we'd never have dreamed that something like that had happened to you. I don't want that."

"Yeah. I want to know too. About Viktor. I don't like it when he's having a hard time."

"Idiot. That's your bad habit. Whether you're hurt, whether something is hard for you, or even if you've died hundreds of times, you just keep grinning like nothing has changed. You always try to brush it off like nothing happened. If you do something reckless, at least tell us."

"Um, we want to know too... If you're in pain, Viktor, we want to support you, and if you're rushing into something reckless, we want to worry about you. At the very least, we want to know what happened after it's all over. I don't want it to pass us by without knowing anything."

In short, they wanted me to tell them.

The girls seemed angrier about that than anything else.

"I wish you wouldn't carry it alone. I don't want to stay at ease without even knowing I might lose you, Viktor. I want to be anxious, cry, tremble, and pray with all my heart. And after waiting like that, when you return from such recklessness, I want to hold you tight. I want to soothe your weary body and whisper words praising all you've endured."

They said they wanted to cry, get angry, and laugh for me.

They said they wished I would not hide my hardships.

Hearing that, I found myself reflecting.

Who would want to laugh and chat happily without knowing their beloved was walking the line between life and death?

'I did something awful.'

I had only wanted to keep them from worrying, but that consideration must have been cruel to them.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"...I think I pressed you too hard earlier, and I'm sorry. After hearing Allie's story, my mind went blank... My emotions simply poured out in my words. You must have been suffering most of all, Viktor. I only... I wanted to tell you that you'd worked hard, that I hated seeing you suffer, and that I wanted you to rely on me, at least."

"It came across perfectly. I'm not enough of a fool to miss the meaning beyond a sharp tone."

"Don't hate me. If you hate me, Viktor, I don't know how I'll live from now on..."

"I don't hate you. A few emotional words won't change how I feel about you."

"I know. I just felt uneasy after letting it all out..."

"I admire that about you. The fact that you can look back on the past and reflect."

"...Don't you think I'm a troublesome woman?"

"Not only are you not troublesome, you're adorable."

"Then that's a relief..."

The girl exhaled in relief.

The corners of her eyes drooped.

Smooch.

The princess kissed me once more.

Still, I was worried. She seemed awfully bold with the others right beside us.

"Princess?"

"..."

"Your face is bright red again."

"It's, it's hot..."

"If you're that embarrassed, perhaps you shouldn't force yourself..."

"I, I, I'm not embarrassed!"

Had she developed some strange stubborn streak?

I had no idea why, but even that was adorable.

"......"

Meanwhile, the others stared intently at us.

They all had the look of people who had made some kind of resolve.

Under their focused gazes, I could not help shrinking back for a moment.

'What is this?'

Something felt like it was about to happen.

Not now, but soon.

* * *

Naturally, one short conversation that day did not wipe away all my accumulated wrongs.

The consequences were waiting for me.

I could only scratch my head with a strange sense of resignation.

'How should I put this...?'

The girls had begun to overprotect me.

Tremendously so.

"Viktor, there won't be any assistant duties for you for a while. When your lectures end, return quietly to your dorm and rest."

"What? But the paperwork I haven't dealt with has piled up..."

"That's an order from the Chief Investigator. Don't try to work. Rest."

"But..."

"I won't accept objections. If you so much as enter the lab, I'll be truly angry."

I was kicked out of Javert's lab.

She told me not to take on any work for a while.

"Viktor, stay still. I'll train Class E."

"Mm! I'll assist at the young lady's side as well!"

Coaching and training the Class E students had originally been part of my routine.

Rin and Ranne stepped in, saying they would handle it.

"Ah! Come to think of it, I've been considering transferring down to Class E too!"

"Yeah. I recommend it. You can spend more time with Viktor."

"How did you manage to move down, Young Lady? Please teach me the secret!"

"It's nothing special. You just need to break a few things. Let's do it together next time."

"Yes! I'd love to!"

If the school's administrators had heard their conversation, they surely would have wept.

The combination of MAX Cheerfulness and MAX Bluntness was sheer violence.

But work and hobbies were not the only things I lost.

"Um... Miss Caitlin? Still, isn't riding around in a wheelchair a bit..."

"Get on. I'll push."

"My legs are perfectly fine..."

"Get on while I'm asking nicely."

"But this..."

"Don't you want to try it? A wheelchair that goes faster than a carriage."

"..."

"If I'm pushing it, it'll be incredibly fast."

"Let's go. Does it have a seat belt?"

Having even given up the use of my legs, I joyfully raced through campus in a wheelchair.

It felt as if I had experienced a kart racing game.

Honestly, it was fun.

I wanted to ask for it again sometime.

"Um... Princess? I can at least eat with my own hands."

"Open your mouth. Didn't I say I would feed you?"

"Both my arms are fine, so why..."

"Ahh."

"..."

"Ahh."

"A-Ahh..."

"Good. You eat well."

The princess personally fed me stew.

She blew on the hot steam, then held out a spoon as though feeding a child.

It felt oddly nostalgic, which was dangerous. I felt like I might awaken to something new.

I tried to refuse, but she would not let me go until I had emptied the bowl.

"I'll... I'll help make sure you don't have nightmares for a while, Viktor."

"What? You can do that?"

"I may look like this, but I can handle the dream world now."

"Interesting. Is it like Miss Alice will drive away my nightmares?"

"It's, it's not that amazing, but... you'll sleep better."

Alice even came into my dreams.

Thanks to that, I was sleeping quite soundly.

The girls had begun their fervent protection.

Perhaps because of all this, Unknown offered an apologetic remark.

"I feel kind of sorry. It feels like I blabbed about something I didn't need to... The subject came up about you, and the conversation just continued naturally..."

"That's all right. Rather, I'd like to thank you, Miss Allie. It gave me a chance to look back on the bad habit I'd been overlooking. And since you came, Miss Alice seems brighter than usual too."

"Then that's good..."

"How are you feeling?"

"No problem. I had no external or internal injuries from the start, even when I was hospitalized. Honestly, I could be discharged right away."

"Still, you should get a thorough examination. Let's stay a few more days, until the results come in."

"You really do look after the people around you so well. You're kind. Warm."

"Is that so? Maybe I am. I grew up admiring someone like that."

"I can see why Alice fell for you. Aside from there being rather a lot of women, you pass."

Unknown seemed to have opened up quite a bit. We could now exchange casual chatter.

Whenever I had spare time, I visited her and talked with her.

Beyond the window, the season slowly drifted toward winter.

'Peaceful.'

The days were somewhat troublesome, but not unpleasant.

For a while, I savored the feeling that things might continue peacefully forever.

* * *

Yes.

I had certainly thought things would stay peaceful.

"Miss Alice...?"

"Viktor."

In my dorm bedroom, I lay pinned down with both arms bound.

The dream Alice had conjured had turned into rope, binding me tightly.

"Miss Alice?"

Alice, dressed in a shirt, straddled me on the bed.

Her blue eyes merely wavered, as if her reason had gone out.

Our breaths touched and mingled.

It was as though Alice were pouncing on me.

"Today is my turn..."

Alice clutched the hem of my clothes.

Through the thin fabric, a faint scent of skin brushed the tip of my nose.

Night had fallen, and in the dark bedroom, only her distinct blue eyes glowed faintly.

"Don't run away."

"Miss Alice? First, calm down..."

"No."

Her lips were close enough to touch, yet did not.

I could only break out in a cold sweat.

'No.'

I had not expected this development.