Chapter 47: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 47
The morning after I mentioned wanting to be discharged, I woke up, had breakfast, and was called in by the doctor for various tests.
The test results showed that aside from my missing left arm, my body was completely fine, so I was given the green light to be discharged.
“We're discharging you because you requested it, and your condition is good, but you need to come in for regular checkups. And as I mentioned before, be careful not to get injured.”
I nodded in response to the doctor's words.
I thought it would take about 2-3 days to be discharged after the tests, but they processed my discharge the very next day after I asked. I was quite surprised by the hospital’s efficiency.
When I went to the administrative office for the discharge procedures and gave them my name, the female staff member handed me my cleaned school uniform along with two new ones.
Were these given to me by mistake?
I tilted my head in confusion and only picked up my recognizable uniform. It was easy to distinguish since it was missing the left sleeve, having been torn off by the monster.
As I was about to change clothes, the staff member took the uniform from my hands and handed me the new ones instead.
“Uh... that's my uniform...”
I said, flustered, but the staff member smiled and responded.
“These are clothes the academy asked us to give you upon discharge. No need to wear the damaged ones when you have new ones.”
Wow, two sets of such expensive uniforms!
I briefly thought about selling one of them, but then decided it was better to keep both just in case. I also asked them not to throw away the damaged uniform.
“Do you need help changing?”
I vehemently declined the staff member’s offer and ran to the restroom to change.
It took me some time to change, but I refused to get help because it would have been embarrassing to show my body.
After struggling to change into my uniform, I took the black fragment from the pocket of my patient gown and carefully placed it into the inner pocket of my uniform. I had a feeling that if I left it behind, it would somehow reappear in my room the next morning. I didn't want to experience that creepy event again.
When I returned the patient gown, the administrative office staff attached a small gem to the armband on the left sleeve of my uniform. The gem sparkled, and my empty left sleeve suddenly became filled out, appearing normal.
Huh? I was stunned for a moment, trying to move my left arm, but it wouldn’t budge.
It only looked normal on the outside. I was relieved.
“It’s an illusion magic gem. It was attached so you wouldn't stand out without an arm. There was a note from the academy with your uniform.”
The staff handed me a small note.
Seeing my name, Evande, written here and there, it was clear that it was a note from Ms. Eve.
It said to always wear the gem when going out.
Indeed, people would stare at a girl with one arm.
Grateful for the consideration, I folded the note and put it in my pocket.
After completing the discharge procedures and gathering my belongings, I left the hospital with the sun high in the sky.
Carrying the shopping bag with my uniforms over my arm, I took out my phone and opened the map.
I discovered this feature while idly browsing my phone in the hospital.
If I had known about this feature earlier, I wouldn't have been late on the first day.
The city, though not visible to the naked eye, was surrounded by a hemispherical barrier, making the city map a perfect circle.
The circle was divided into a 5x5 grid, with the city's center, District 13, as the reference point. The northwest was District 1, and the southeast was District 25.
The hospital was in District 12 on the west side, and my home was in District 15 on the east side. It seemed quite far.
It didn’t look like a walkable distance.
So, I decided to try out a fascinating transportation method not found in the real world.
Teleportation magic, simply put, instant travel.
Not far from the hospital was a blue building.
Called the Teleportation Gate, it was similar to a subway station.
It allowed instant travel from one gate to another.
Of course, in terms of teleportation, it was incomparable to subways.
At the entrance of the gate, there was a circular city map similar to the one on my phone. The difference was that each district had blue dots marking the locations of the gates.
The gate in District 15, where my home was, was near Aegis Academy.
The teleportation fee varied with distance, and traveling from here to the gate near the academy cost 12,000 gold.
Though it was not public transportation, considering the time saved, it was a reasonable price. But having never taken a taxi in the real world due to the cost, the price made my hands tremble.
One ride cost 12 숙주...
I took out my student ID to purchase a ticket and handed it to the staff at the ticket booth.
“I’d like to go to Gate 15. It's 12,000 gold, right?”
“As a hero, you can use it for free. Just take your ticket to Gate 15.”
“Oh... thank you.”
Not a discount but completely free. Nice treatment.
Happily, I took my student ID and the ticket back from the staff and queued up in front of the gate labeled 15. After the staff collected my ticket, I followed the others through the gate.
In novels, teleportation usually caused motion sickness, so I braced myself, but I felt nothing.
Did it really work? Then I saw the proof.
The people who had been in line with me were now walking outside the building.
I followed them and stepped into the afternoon sunlight.
In the distance, I saw the large academy building, a landmark of District 15.
The streets were bustling with white-collar workers looking for lunch, smiling because it was Friday.
Their smiles were from the anticipation of the upcoming weekend and the satisfaction of having made it through the week.
Seeing such an ordinary scene, my heart swelled, and I stopped in my tracks.
[Since that day, smiles were never seen in District 15.]
It was a line from the original work.
If I had done nothing, if things had gone according to the original story...
If District 15 had lost 12,493 people, those smiles would have been impossible.
I glanced at my seemingly normal but empty left arm and then looked back at the smiling people.
The slight emptiness I had felt was gone.
Feeling like I might cry if I stood still, I started walking again, smiling as brightly as I could.
Tears didn’t belong in ordinary daily life.
Another smile joined the Friday afternoon streets.
*
I climbed the stairs of the old two-story building, opened the door, and returned home.
Compared to the hospital room, it was infinitely shabby, but it seemed I still thought of it as home because I felt at ease as soon as I arrived.
I put down the shopping bag with my uniforms from the hospital and hummed as I opened the refrigerator to prepare lunch.
“Oh...”
The sight inside the refrigerator made me sigh and wiped the smile off my face.
The appropriate storage period for bean sprouts is 3-4 days.
For longer storage, they need to be kept in cold water and the water changed regularly.
And I had bought the bean sprouts last Saturday.
The bean sprouts left in the refrigerator had already gone soft and spoiled.
Such a sad thing...
It was a waste to throw them away, but eating them would probably make me sick.
I took the spoiled bean sprouts and held a funeral for them in the bathroom.
It was a cremation.
The few remaining remains were flushed down the toilet.
The only surviving ingredients were the ones for making macarons.
But could I make macarons with just one arm?
It seemed a bit difficult...
While pondering what to do, I took out the chocolates stashed in the corner of the refrigerator.
I peeled off a bunch of chocolates, popped them into my mouth, and sent a text to Leonor.
[I'll join the cooking club activities today.]
Originally, Mei had promised to make chocolates today, so I decided to go and eat since I was discharged.
I didn't know if I could cook with this hand, but I decided to handle the eating part.
With that thought, I headed to school, even though it was a bit late.
*
It seemed to be break time when I entered the classroom. The room went quiet for a moment before erupting in noise.
Everyone seemed surprised that I had come to school.
I nodded at the kids who asked if I was okay and headed to my seat. Sylvia approached me hesitantly.
“I'm sorry I couldn't visit you in the hospital...”
It seemed to have been bothering her a lot.
When I assured her it was fine, Sylvia took something out of her pocket.
“I felt so bad that I hadn't done anything for you as a friend, so I prepared this over the weekend... I was planning to give it to you on Monday. Would you accept it?”
Seeing what she took out, I thought with a wry smile that I had made a mistake.
Sylvia seemed to take my smile as acceptance and reached out.
She intended to put it on herself.
Her hand holding mine went right through.
“...Huh?”
Sylvia froze with a shocked expression.
What she had taken out was a ring.
A ring with a red gemstone in the center.
It was meant for the left index finger, symbolizing friendship.
Her hand with the same ring design passed through my hand in vain.
I had forgotten to take off the gem I received today, leading to this.
I had wronged Sylvia.
I removed the gem from the armband on my left sleeve and apologized to her.
“I'm sorry, Sylvia...”
The left sleeve fluttered empty, and Sylvia started to cry.
At least mc’s mental health seemed to have stabilized a bit, I hope she stays next to Sylvia more though as being next to Sylvia seems to calm her down
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteThat's one way to instantly make someone feel bad, heh.
ReplyDeleteDamn, it hurt even me.
DeleteThank you for the chapter.
ReplyDeleteA whole 12,493 people.
ReplyDeleteYou safed the smile of 12,493 people scarlet.
Keep that smile up you face you deserve it.
NOOOOOOO SYLVIA NOOO!! What a way to end a chapter :'/
ReplyDeleteI feel like crap, imagine being sylvia and seeing your only friend being this miserable
Thx for the chapter
ReplyDeleteshe's such a hero
ReplyDeleteIt isn't anybody's fault, this situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat MC did was successful and MC feels no regret. This much is very clear.
As for Sylvia, she didn't know, because it's true that she couldn't come to the hospital for unavoidable reasons.
So although i understand feeling bad about what happened and the gift...
What matters here is how MC sees those things, not the fact that the arm is gone and the gift can't take the usual meaning she intended.
At least MC seems to have something to push forward now.
I mean besides the people around that care.
Because it IS true that there's a feeling of alienation and that messes up the effect that care has on MC psyche a bit.
It's a fact that there's a lot that MC can't be open about with anyone.
There's even a lot the original owner of the body seems to hide too.
That has a weight, like it or not.
So it's good that there's something MC can actually SEE that makes it clear that what was done is important.
Tbh I cried when read this novel... Almost 10 times I think... I feel my mind is so weak
ReplyDelete