Episode 80 – Hospital (1)

Hospital (1)

“You must have been surprised, Dean.”

In Dean Theia’s lab. After the special activity was over, Theia’s students were chattering in the lab.

“Beison. Do you know who that kid is?”

When the assistant professor asked, Beison shook his head.

“I’m not sure. He just popped out of nowhere. But his grade is D-.”

Shion Ascal of Endex. The name of the senior who solved Dean Theia’s riddle in just one minute.

“D-? Does that make sense? How could a D- solve that? It’s a miracle that he’s still on the college board with that grade.”

It’s not F, but it’s no different from F. Even in Endex, if it’s a D-, it’s unlikely to pass the college board.

Beison leaned back in his chair.

“Exactly. Maybe he had some kind of enlightenment during the vacation… It took me 10 minutes to solve it.”

“But he solved it in just one minute.”

“Exactly.”

Even so, one minute is too fast.

“Even if you know to erase the overlapping parts, it normally takes at least 10 minutes to find the overlapping circuits.”

Although it’s a Magic Spell for riddles, it actually works. It’s not a fake Magic Spell.

Therefore, you first analyze the circuit diagram, find the circuits shared between Magic Formulas… I thought it would take at least 30 minutes for such a process.

Assistant Beison mumbled.

“Maybe he’s someone who’s done a lot of nonsense? He seems to have some sense in handling circuit diagrams.”

The assistant professor countered.

“But his grade is D-?”

“…Exactly.”

In the end, it comes down to the average grade.

No matter how close to nonsense the riddle is, you need to have a certain level of understanding and knowledge about circuit diagrams to solve the problem, and a D- student wouldn’t have that.

The assistant professor pointed to [Theia’s Office] in one corner of the lab.

“Thanks to him, the dean has disappeared.”

Dean Theia Esil. She, who was promoted to dean this year, unlike previous deans, is still not giving up her professorship, lab, and research activities.

Rather, she is presenting more faithful and abundant papers, research, and Magic Spells to the world than ever before.

“But, he seemed like a fan of the dean?”

Beison mumbled.

“A fan?”

“Yes.”

When he stood at the podium, Beison was slightly surprised. His eyes were very bright as he looked at Theia. He made no attempt to hide his emotions.

Thanks to that, Beison analyzed about 80% of his inner thoughts.

Excitement, anticipation, desire, pleasure, longing?

He probably misread the longing part.

“My 「Spectrum」 reacted on its own.”

Beison’s Spectrum is related to emotions. It’s also a human lie detector.

“Really? Well, the dean is as famous as any superstar.”

Bang──!

Suddenly, the door opened wide. The dean’s students quickly stood up from their seats.

The dean was right in front of them.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Theia looked at them gently and nodded.

“How did the mana stone injection rate experiment go?”

“Ah. It’s still in progress. Depending on the progress……”

“If it’s in progress, why don’t you go and see?”

“Yes!”

The ones who answered quickly scurried out of the lab.

“……”

The lab was empty. No, it was a lab from which everyone had been chased away.

Theia, left alone, muttered under her breath, biting her lip.

A fan, of all things.”

The idea that the guy whose future dream is to be Libra’s knight is her fan is not even a funny matter.

Theia took a seat where her students had been sitting. She picked up a piece of paper from the desk. It was her riddle, her Magic Spell.

Senior Shion Ascal had solved it in a minute.

“……Why does it have to be Libra again.”

Her pride was slightly hurt, but as a riddle maniac, she was rather pleased.

There had to be someone who could solve the problems well, for it to spur the motivation of the one who created them.

“Funny.”

She forced a smile.

______________________________________________________________________

4:30 in the afternoon.

“Hey, bro. I’m in front of Senbil. Oh, do I need to take a bus?”

Thanks to the special activities ending at just the right time, Kain and Asher were preparing to crash a college students’ party.

“We’re going. We’re definitely going! Ah~ I should have driven. Are there many seniors from our Grizzly Hall there?!”

Kain was excited, but Elise was not interested.

She had a drama practice to rush to.

“Of course, bro! I’m forever a Grizzly Academy member!”

For reference, an academy refers to a swordsmanship dojo. Grizzly Academy is considered a top-tier swordsmanship dojo.

“……Elise. Are you really not coming? Layla and Asher are going. That Mel jerk is coming too. It’s been a while since we had a middle school reunion.”

Kain, who had hung up the phone, spoke.

“I’m not interested. Why don’t you call him?”

Elise pointed somewhere. Kain, who looked in that direction, grimaced.

“Damn it. Are you joking?”

A guy standing alone, quietly looking at his phone.

Shion Ascal.

“Erick is coming today, how can we invite that guy?”

“I mean I’m not going either.”

Elise shrugged her shoulders. Kain scratched the back of his neck and tried to persuade her.

“Really? You used to like Erick.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Elise was dumbfounded.

She first met Erick when she was eight years old.

As Kain said, she had a very brief, very slight crush on him.

In her emotionally immature childhood, she was attracted to his outstanding looks and noble demeanor.

But not now.

It’s not that she dislikes Erick, but she dislikes the Aventagher family. Such a large family would try to subordinate any woman.

“Everyone liked Erick when they were young.”

Layla chimed in. Elise shot back at her.

“Why are you alone again? Soliette must have gone somewhere quickly, right?”

Layla had paired up with Soliette without saying a word today. So Elise had spent the whole day with Brown.

“Ooh~ Elly, are you jealous~?”

“Hmph. Is that so?”

“That’s right~ I only have Elly~?”

Layla clung to Elise with a beaming smile. Elise pushed her away.

“Then I’ll go. You guys go on your own.”

“Ah, Elly, are you really not going? It seems like it’ll be fun.”

Layla’s eyes widened. Elise pointed to the road of the university campus.

“I’ve already called a car.”

A sedan was already there.

“I have a drama schedule too. You guys have fun.”

“Oh right, the drama… Should I practice too, Elly? Are all the kids coming?”

“Only the second act kids. You die in the first act, so you don’t need to come.”

Elise sent a text message while answering.

[Hey. I’m going to practice for the drama today. Come and watch.]

[I’ll send you the address.]

Then she glanced at Shion nearby.

He definitely received a message, but he didn’t check it. Rather, he frowned as if annoyed. It’s unbelievable.

“……Elly, did you upset him again? Shion said I have a very important role too?”

Layla blocked her view.

“Sorry. I have to go.”

Elise, who apologized casually, walked towards the sedan and sent another message.

[Not replying? Are you coming to watch the drama practice or not?]

Of course, his storyboard is enough, but still, he’s Shion Ascal, the writer. He should come to watch the drama practice at least once.

……Honestly, I’m curious how he solved Theia’s riddle so quickly.

But no matter how long she waited, there was no reply. Should she go and tell him directly……?

“Where did he go?”

He suddenly disappeared. Elise looked around and sighed.

Why am I the one looking for this monkey-like person first?

Elise got into the sedan alone.

“Have you arrived, Miss?”

“I’m going to the theater.”

“Yes.”

She leaned her body against the car window. The sedan started smoothly.

But then.

“……Huh?”

Someone was sitting at a bus stop not far away, inside the university.

It was Shion Ascal.

Why does he keep catching her eye?

Her mood worsened significantly.

Just then, he got on a bus.

Bus 253-A. Elise takes public transportation once every six months.

“……I told him to come and watch the drama practice.”

Watching his back, Elise spoke to the driver.

“Do we have some time until 6 o’clock?”

“Yes. We do.”

“Then shall we follow that bus?”

“Yes.”

The driver didn’t ask why, but she explained anyway.

“He’s our drama writer. But he doesn’t come to the theater.”

It’s not actually stalking. It’s more like chasing a writer who is neglecting his duties.

The sedan chased after the bus.

The bus ran for quite a while, and Shion Ascal didn’t get off.

“……It’s going a long way.”

“It’s an express bus. Please relax.”

“I see there’s such a distinction in buses.”

Elise waited with the mindset of going for a drive.

“Haah…”

She dozed off while looking at the peaceful suburban scenery.

“Miss.”

“…?”

At the driver’s words, Elise blinked her eyes open.

“We’re in Asan. The writer has gotten off.”

The bus was stopped at a station, and Shion Ascal had finally disembarked.

But where is this?

Elise inadvertently looked ahead. A scenic mountain range. In the middle of a forest dyed with the crimson of the sunset, a modern building stood.

[Aden Medical Center]

Aden Medical Center.

“…?”

She tilted her head.

This place is a top-tier family hospital operated by Libra.

But why is Shion Ascal here?

“Uh…”

She was lost in thought for a moment.

A relapse? Impossible. If his leukemia relapsed, he wouldn’t be able to sneak around the college board.

Perhaps he knows a patient here? That seems a bit more reasonable.

Ding-

[Trash: No time today. Have a place to go.]

Suddenly, a reply came from Shion Ascal.

“He’s really late…”

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Whether his leukemia has relapsed or he knows a patient here.

“I’ll turn the car around.”

Either way, it’s a side she doesn’t particularly want to know.

It’s a personal matter of Shion Ascal’s that she doesn’t need to bother with.

Above all, if asked whether she desperately hopes for him to live or die, Elise would rather hope for his death.

“Shall we go straight to the theater?”

“Yes. I have to practice. Without the writer.”

Elise dislikes Shion.

Very much so.

The reason is probably because of his leukemia.

The very bad memory of her father being disappointed in her is related to that…

“Keep today’s events a secret. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Yes. Understood.”

______________________________________________________________________

In the suburbs of the capital, Edsilla, a little outside the overcrowded city, there is a quiet outskirts called ‘Asan’ with a very scenic [Aden Medical Center].

It’s a hospital sponsored and operated by Libra. Although the scale itself is woefully inadequate compared to Edsilla National University, the quality of treatment and personnel themselves are of the highest level on the continent, an elite medical center.

[“No time today. I have a place to go.”]

After sending a reply to Elise, I entered the hospital.

The clear air circulated calmly inside. I approached the desk in there and stated my name.

“I’m Shion Ascal.”

“Ah, yes. You have an appointment with Professor Yu Hains. You can go to the consultation room in the Yu Hains section on the third floor.”

Libra Medical Center is quite unique. Not only is it strictly by appointment, but the internal structure is divided by professor’s names, not by medical subjects.

After all, for the wealthy, the name of the doctor is the most important.

[Professor of Magical Diseases: Yu Hains]

I entered the Yu Hains section on the third floor. A nurse first confirmed my name.

“Mr. Shion Ascal, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You may go in.”

He opened the door to the consultation room for me. I hesitantly entered.

In the entirely white space, a single man was seated.

“Shion Ascal.”

Yu Hains. This man, with his dark hair falling to his shoulders, is the top authority in the field of magic diseases, including Cancer of the Magic’s Core.

He looks to be in his late twenties to early thirties, but his career is impressive.

“You’re young. Sit down.”

He said, sizing me up from head to toe. It felt strange to be spoken to informally right off the bat, but I sat down in front of him anyway.

“Cancer of the Magic’s Core is strongly suspected… Have you been diagnosed at a hospital?”

“Yes.”

“Cancer of the Magic’s Core can only be confirmed with a test, but you do have Cancer of the Magic’s Core.”

“…Excuse me?”

I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He said that a diagnosis can only be confirmed with a test, but then he said I have Cancer of the Magic’s Core?

Yu Hains explained.

“It’s my 「Spectrum」. I can’t explain it in detail, but I don’t need equipment like MRI or X-ray.”

“….”

I was momentarily dumbfounded.

Well, an authority should have this level of special ability. It makes sense why he would speak informally at our first meeting.