BDEFML 14

Chapter 14

Even if Chester seemed fine now, his symptoms might appear later, so it was best to watch over him for at least a day.

Gale nodded slowly.

“Then Chester should rest on the bed next to hers.”

“I…”

Just as Klein seemed ready to speak, Gale shook his head firmly.

“Klein and Medina, you two should leave now.”

His words made sense—everyone should return to their rooms and rest.

But Klein instinctively felt he couldn’t leave Lopez’s side.

He didn’t want to be separated from her while she struggled with fever.

Biting his lip and looking for a way to stay, he suddenly bit his own hand without thinking.

Blood dripped down, making Gale spring up in shock.

“Klein! What are you doing?!”

Gale was too startled to finish his sentence.

Medina, standing nearby, covered her mouth with both hands in horror.

“W-what are you doing, Klein?!”

She hurriedly grabbed Klein’s hand.

Then Klein held out his bleeding hand to Gale.

“I’m in pain too.”

“….”

Gale was speechless as he looked at Klein, calmly extending his hand.

Usually in the infirmary, Gale knew that Klein wouldn’t step in unless it involved Medina.

‘And yet this kid bites his own hand just to stay here…’

Despite the confusion, Klein remained shameless.

“Teacher, the blood keeps coming.”

Shaking his injured hand, Klein urged Gale to act. Gale had no choice but to get up.

“First, Medina, return to the classroom.”

“But…”

Hesitating, Medina was stopped by Chester and Klein.

“M-Medina, don’t worry, just go.”

Klein scratched his head as if it were a hassle.

“I owe her a favor for helping me before. Helping her now is paying it back…”

That would take care of the awkwardness.

Klein thought that was enough, though he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.

Chester, as if offering an excuse, added:

“I got help too, so I want to make it right.”

Gale considered leaving Medina alone but shook his head.

If he allowed her to stay, Sally and Lisa might rush over.

Those two often came when Lopez was in the infirmary with a fever.

“Medina, go for now. Klein, once your treatment is done, you’ll leave too.”

Hesitating, Medina eventually relented and left the infirmary.

Outside, Lisa, Sally, and Bill stood in a line.

Sally glared at the unwelcome Bill and whispered to Lisa.

“Who’s this brat? I told you not to hang with a 1st class kid!”

“Sally, calm down. He’s the one who stayed by Lopez’s side.”

“Lopez hated him though.”

“Right!”

Despite the criticism, Bill laughed and agreed, making Sally quietly close her mouth.

She whispered to Lisa without malice:

“Is something wrong with his head?”

“Don’t you know? He’s the only survivor from the House of Devils.”

“Ah…”

Sally finally understood and sighed quietly.

The House of Devils was where devil-worshippers lived.

Bill was the sole survivor.

Sally instinctively avoided looking at him, not wanting to give him a hurtful glance.

“And he’s smarter than us. Do you know who’s first in 1st class? It’s him.”

Lisa’s words made Sally stare at Bill in surprise.

Bill loudly corrected her:

“It’s shared! Klein and Chester are first!”

He was right in claiming he was at the top.

Klein and Chester had woken early and headed straight to the infirmary.

They flung the door open without knocking.

Gale, yawning, awkwardly closed his mouth.

After yesterday’s chaos, he knew they wouldn’t listen if told to leave, so he quietly gestured to Lopez’s bed.

“…Lopez is eating porridge inside.”

She was awake.

Klein and Chester roughly drew back the curtains.

Lopez was opening her mouth wide to eat, but froze when she saw them enter.

“….”

Embarrassed by the silent gaze of the two boys, Lopez quietly put down her spoon.

She politely requested:

“Could you come back a little later? It’s a bit much.”

Her face was still flushed from fever.

Her voice was hoarse and cracked.

Klein and Chester ignored her and sat on either side of the bed.

Lopez muttered, seeing their stubbornness:

“…I see. You want me to keep feeling burdened.”

She looked at Gale, pleading for help.

Gale carefully suggested:

“Shall we step out for a bit so Lopez can eat comfortably?”

Klein, arms crossed, stubbornly said:

“It’s not like we stop her from eating by being here.”

“I can’t swallow.”

Chester replied, understanding the problem:

“That’s because you’re sick right now.”

“….”

Seeing the two unwilling to leave, Lopez quietly continued eating her porridge.

While stirring the porridge, her eyes lit up as she found a chunk of food.

“It’s soft, eat this.”

But Chester quickly took the piece she found.

Lopez sadly stirred her porridge without it.

“I know you mean well, but that’s enough.”

Children had a tendency to read too much into one act of kindness.

‘Good thing Medina is here.’

Otherwise, she might have accidentally triggered a major “flag.”

Lopez breathed a sigh of relief internally.

“I’ve been mean to Medina all this time.”

The two boys quietly listened without replying.

‘Seeing normally quarrelsome Klein behave quietly is kind of new.’

Lopez, still speaking, continued:

“Medina cared for you both, so that’s why she saved you. There’s no special reason. If you want to be grateful, there’s just one request.”

Finally, the two opened their lips.

“What is it? We’ll do it.”

“Tell me.”

After thinking, Lopez carefully spoke:

“It’s fine to dislike me, but from now on, let’s just keep a safe distance.”

“…What?”

“You can treat me like I’m not even there, like before.”

Surprised, Klein and Chester couldn’t argue, their lips moving slightly before closing again.

“Even if it wasn’t me, someone else would have saved you. I just got there first by luck, nothing more, nothing less.”

She spoke gently, emphasizing that this wasn’t a special case, yet they seemed conflicted and displeased.

Lopez ignored their feelings.

“I hope you understand and leave now… Medina will be worried about you both. Tell her I’m fine. And thanks for taking care of me all day yesterday.”

Smiling lightly, she spoke, but the two remained seated, staring at Lopez without moving.

“Can’t you hear me?”

“….”

“….”

Even after repeating the question, the two steadfastly remained silent.

“I didn’t mean for you to treat me like an invisible person…”

Muttering to herself, Lopez slurped the porridge in one gulp like eating soup.

It didn’t taste very good.

Outside the infirmary, Klein stomped on the innocent floor in frustration.

“What’s her deal?”

Chester strongly agreed.

‘Seriously, what is she?’

Before they could even say thank you, Lopez seemed to understand everything.

It wasn’t a big deal, she said—don’t read too much into it.

Still, it’s not easy to risk yourself to save someone in that situation.

Chester clenched his fists, muttering as if protesting belatedly:

“No one else would have saved us so easily.”

As if waiting for it, Klein vigorously agreed.

“Right! Why does that idiot act like it’s easy?!”

Thinking of the sickly Lopez, Klein bit his lip.

Until now, whenever they desperately sought help, no one had assisted them.

Not even those they weren’t on good terms with.

So Lopez’s actions were incomprehensible to them.

“Treat her like she’s not there, like usual…”

Watching Chester mutter this, Klein’s chest tightened.

He shouted loud enough for the infirmary to hear:

“Yes! That’s exactly what I wanted!”

Chester nodded in agreement.