Both Shun and I had overlooked one thing.
That was what would happen if I, with my mobility restricted, ended up in Saya's hands.
"Don't do it, Saya!"
In the Eastern Alchemy Society laboratory, I earnestly tried to persuade her.
"Calm down! Don't let your desires cloud your judgment! Don't do something irreversible!"
"Fufufufufu! Shun has already proven that the rejuvenation secret medicine has no side effects, so stop resisting and obediently cooperate with my experiment, sensei! Since you made me lose such precious experimental data, compensate me with your body!"
"Calm down, calm down! Saya, think about it carefully. If I turn into a child, I might be even more mischievous than Shun, you know? You'll be forced to take care of me and won't even be able to continue your experiments. Would that really be good?"
Hearing that, Saya froze for a moment.
Then, she actually got even more excited!?
"What would shota-sensei be like? Fufufu~ That's also part of scientific research. Anyway, stop refusing already! Didn't sensei promise to cooperate with my experiment?"
That was clearly just polite talk! And what scientific research, it was obviously just satisfying her own desires!
While lamenting how dangerous Kivotos people were, I still ended up taking Saya's rejuvenation secret medicine.
If I had shown strong resistance, Saya definitely wouldn't have forced me.
But I really did say something like that, and I was also a little curious what would happen if I actually turned small.
After taking the medicine, time slowly passed.
"…How is it?" Saya looked at me nervously. "Do you feel anything changing?"
"I think… maybe yes… maybe no…?" I replied uncertainly.
Saya frowned slightly and waited a bit longer.
"That's strange. When it happened to Shun, she already started feeling heat and slight pain by now… is it individual differences?"
Or was it being treated as poison and blocked by Hifumi's authority?
However, after I removed the cross necklace and even took another bottle of the rejuvenation secret medicine from Saya and drank it again, nothing still happened.
"It definitely can't be a problem with the medicine…" Saya muttered.
"Then it must be a body constitution issue. Is it sensei…? Or Shun…?"
I could only regretfully accept the fact that the side effect of this medicine probably did not work on me.
However, just as I was thinking about which authority might be interfering, the soft, smiling female voice of Madman's Insight suddenly rang out.
["Vow made here, until eternity."]
The next moment, it shifted into a cold tone, though the voice itself remained almost unchanged when listened to closely.
["Never say never."]
…Was that a split personality?
In any case, having escaped disaster, I used the excuse of testing a concentrated version of the dreamlike secret medicine, or rather what should now be called secret pill, to borrow Saya's usual overnight bedding in the lab. I lay down again together with my fellow sufferer Nezusuke and drifted into sleep.
When I woke up again, the pain from my sprained ankle had completely disappeared. My body had fully recovered. The only regret was the few days of lifespan consumed in seconds when activating my authority, which could not be restored.
But there was nothing to be done. In emergencies, some small sacrifice was worthwhile for the sake of student safety.
"Sensei, you're awake?" Saya asked with interest. "Did you have a nice dream?"
I nodded sincerely.
"Yes. I dreamed of Saya when she was a child."
Saya's face slightly turned red.
"What are you saying? You've never even seen a photo of me as a child."
That was true, but Nezusuke had seen it.
In Nezusuke's dream, the miniature elementary school version of Saya being forcibly fed the rejuvenation secret medicine by the medical genius Nezusuke was quite adorable.
In any case, since my injuries were healed, I followed the original plan and asked Saya about basic medicines. In the evening, I went with her to the Black Tortoise Promenade and ate delicious knife-cut noodles, ending my trip to Shanhaijing and returning with new medicines in hand.
However, on the train to D.U., I suddenly remembered something worth checking.
Me: Kokona-chan, are you okay?
Kokona: Don't call me Kokona-chan!
Kokona: Mmm…! Sensei, perfect timing!
Kokona: That child named Shunling from earlier today, do you remember her?
Me: Of course. What about her?
Kokona: Shunling isn't even at Plum Blossom Garden! Where did she go?!
Me: I don't know?
Me: Did something happen?
Me: Kokona-chan, you're not thinking of taking revenge on her, are you?
Kokona: N-No way!
Kokona: As a mature lady, how could I possibly do something like that?
Kokona: She actually told Shun that I was talking bad about her behind her back!
…Does this child's definition of "lying" have some kind of problem?
Me: That's actually called reporting someone, since you did say bad things about Shun, right?
Kokona: I didn't!
Kokona: Waaah…! Everything I said was just well-known facts!
After thinking for a moment, I took a quick screenshot.
Kokona: A-Anyway! It must be that Shunling said something strange in front of Shun!
Kokona: Waaaah, tonight all the other children get pancakes made by dear sister, but I don't…!
Me: That's kind of cruel from Shun…
Me: Speaking of which, did you properly apologize to your sister, Kokona-chan?
Kokona: Huh? I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I apologize?
Kokona: The one who should apologize is my sister, for believing other children's words and not giving me pancakes!
Haha, then she had it coming.
Saying bad things about Shun in front of her, and then still refusing to admit it afterward, Shun was already being very lenient.
Me: I think it would be better if you apologized to your sister.
Kokona: B-But I didn't do anything wrong…
Me: A refined lady does not dwell so much on who is right or wrong.
Me: You don't want your sister to stay angry, do you?
Kokona: Uu… "Sister"…
Me: And maybe Shun actually saved a portion for you, just waiting for you to apologize first?
Kokona: …!
Kokona: Sen-sensei, you're right. As expected of a lady, I should be more forgiving even if my sister was wrong.
Kokona: I'll go make up with her right now. Thank you, sensei.
Kokona: And also! Don't call me Kokona-chan!
Me: No need to thank me. Go on, Kokona-chan.
Kokona: Uu…! I hate you!
Seeing this, I quickly took a few more screenshots and sent them together with the previous ones to Shun, just in case Kokona tried to twist the truth again.
After receiving the reply, I nodded in satisfaction, put away my phone, and retreated into the shadows, my deeds unspoken.