"...It's a normal sprain. Orthopedic."
At the Medical Emergency Club, after Sena finished examining me, her usually expressionless face actually showed obvious surprise and relief.
What was that supposed to mean!? It's not like every time I come here, it's because of food-related reasons!
I grumbled to myself, but the next moment, as she skillfully applied medicine and wrapped my right arm in bandages, she said:
"It seems, Sensei, that you've recovered quite quickly... from your previous injury."
Realizing I'd unfairly misunderstood her, I felt a little guilty and smiled.
"Yeah. Not to brag, but my healing ability is actually pretty good."
Sena's voice grew quieter, as though she'd noticed something that displeased her.
"Even if you heal faster than ordinary people, please don't push yourself too hard. You didn't have this much gray hair before."
My heart skipped a beat. Her words struck me like a wake-up call, leaving me deep in thought.
Looks like I really should find time to dye my hair.
Even though that was what I was thinking, I still repeatedly promised her I'd be careful, partly because I was worried she'd get rougher with the bandaging and make it hurt.
"Um..."
At that moment, Fuuka, who had accompanied me, cautiously asked,
"Sensei... Were you injured before...?"
The news that I'd been shot hadn't been widely spread, considering the potential impact.
Especially for someone like Fuuka, who spent all her time diligently tending to her own little corner of the world, there was no way she would know.
I waved it off.
"It's fine. That's all in the past now."
"...Who did it?"
Suddenly, someone spoke from beside me.
Haruna narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. Her voice carried unmistakable danger.
"Where's the one who hurt Sensei?"
The girls of the Gourmet Research Society all looked angry, except for Izumi, who merely looked flustered as usual.
I was genuinely worried that if the news got out, even if Saori and the others were eventually released from prison, they'd end up being hunted down every few days by the countless girls who had feelings for me.
When that happened, should I stop them... or just let Arius Squad get chased around?
It was a difficult choice.
Better to keep it a secret.
Still, rather than dodging the question, I had a better idea.
Faced with the girls' questioning, I said nothing. I simply looked at them with a faint smile until, as though remembering something, they awkwardly looked away...
Except for Izumi, who continued staring at me blankly.
I couldn't help sighing in defeat and gave up.
That silly girl genuinely seemed unaware of who had caused the sprain I had now.
It all started when the Gourmet Research Society proudly declared they were going to show off their cooking skills.
Izumi accidentally dropped the eggs she was carrying, sending them scattering across the floor. When she fell, she also knocked over the cooking oil they'd brought.
Junko rushed over to help, but failed to notice the floor beneath her. She slipped, flailed wildly, and screamed as she lunged forward.
Akari caught Junko, only to realize she herself had stepped into a puddle of oil and couldn't stop. She crashed straight into Haruna, who had no time to dodge.
I had been watching the whole thing with amusement.
Unfortunately, I was standing too close, and Haruna, desperately grabbing at anything as she fell, pulled me down with her too.
To be honest, thinking back on it now, I strongly suspected she'd taken the opportunity to cop a feel.
I just didn't have any proof.
Then I ended up tangled together with the girls of the Gourmet Research Society, all while Fuuka watched us with dead-fish eyes full of indescribably complicated emotions.
As we struggled, someone slammed into the cupboard, shattering who knew how many bowls and plates. At the same time, a bag of flour stored on top fell down, filling the room with clouds of dust that made everyone cough uncontrollably.
Combined with the egg all over Izumi from the beginning, according to the girls, we all looked like takoyaki.
Especially after someone accidentally ignited an open flame.
In the end, squeezed in the middle by four panicking girls, enduring the ordeal with tears in my eyes while swearing I'd make them pay for this someday, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my arm.
In short, the Shittim Chest is explosion-proof.
It is not joint-lock-proof.
And that's how things ended up like this.
There was also the little incident where Iori, who had rushed over after hearing the explosion while on patrol, saw the scene before her and mistakenly thought we were engaged in some kind of bizarre group play. Blushing furiously, she tried to arrest every single one of us.
But it was better not to mention such an embarrassing episode.
In any case, after borrowing the School Lunch Club's shower to clean ourselves up a little, I was escorted here by the girls.
...Come to think of it, why did it feel like every time I visited this infirmary, it had something to do with either the Gourmet Research Society or the School Lunch Club?
Only now realizing this, I couldn't help falling into thought.
After quickly finishing the treatment, Sena reminded me once more.
"Sensei, your injury isn't serious, but for the next few days, please be careful not to overexert yourself."
I readily agreed.
At first, I'd been thinking I could simply go back, sleep for a while, and if that wasn't enough, open a Mystic ability to recover quickly. But under Sena's golden eyes, which seemed capable of seeing straight through people's hearts, I inexplicably started feeling guilty.
Until I recovered, I'd better follow the doctor's orders properly.
After leaving the infirmary, the members of the Gourmet Research Society exchanged glances for a while. Finally, Haruna, as club president, cautiously spoke.
"Um... about those fried eggs... Should we... keep making them?"
"You're still thinking about making fried eggs?"
Fuuka looked at her in disbelief.
"The kitchen's already a complete mess because of the flour dust explosion. There's no way dinner can be served as usual anymore... We might not even be able to serve tomorrow's lunch..."
At that point, sadness overwhelmed Fuuka.
"I told you not to touch anything..."
Haruna, however, cleared her throat and, completely disregarding her own responsibility in the matter, comforted her.
"No one wanted things to turn out like this. But what's done is done. All we can do now is accept reality and look toward the future... Ah, I have an idea!"
Her tone became noticeably persuasive.
"Since you can't serve dinner tonight anyway, why not go to Schale and cook something special for Sensei as an apology? Besides, Sensei injured his dominant arm, so it'll be inconvenient for him to eat, won't it...?"
The rest of the Gourmet Research Society immediately nodded in agreement.
For certain people, the beads on their abacus were practically hitting me in the face.
Besides, why did they make it sound like Fuuka, who had been the victim the whole time, had somehow done something wrong too?
Unfortunately, Fuuka, who had feelings for me, fell for it completely.
The moment she realized that was even an option, the black-haired girl froze. Then, as though imagining something, her cheeks flushed red. She shyly asked,
"Um, S-Sensei... Would you happen to be free tonight...?"
I truly couldn't bear to let innocent Fuuka fall into the Gourmet Research Society's trap.
But I could bear disappointing adorable Fuuka even less!
"I'm completely free!"
I answered immediately before asking with concern,
"But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you, Fuuka?"
"Ehehe... It's okay. Juri heard the student cafeteria exploded again, so she said she'd come back to help!"
...Juri.
All I could say was, I hoped the cafeteria would still be able to open normally by tomorrow at noon.
Still, since Fuuka trusted her junior enough to leave things in her hands, I naturally wasn't going to say anything.
"How nice."
Haruna suddenly remarked. Her snake-like tail swayed behind her as she smiled.
"In that case, let us join you too!"
Fuuka shivered.
Her eyes instantly regained their clarity, and she looked at Haruna warily.
"Wait. What are you trying to do?"
Haruna responded with a remarkably sincere look.
"I simply want to apologize to Sensei as well. Or could it be... that you want to keep Sensei all to yourself?"
With that accusation thrown at her, Fuuka was left speechless.
"Don't worry, Fuuka. We'll really do our best not to cause any trouble this time."
Akari promised.
"And we'd also like another chance to make it up to Sensei. ☆"
As she spoke, she lightly licked her glossy red lips, making my heart inexplicably skip a beat.
Junko was also eager to prove herself.
"Sensei, what happened earlier was just an accident! I may not be as good as Fuuka, but I'm confident in my cooking too! I definitely won't disappoint you!"
"I still think that high-end restaurant overlooking the night skyline sounds like a great choice!"
Izumi said dreamily, swallowing her saliva.
Her uniquely inspired suggestion was unanimously ignored by everyone else.
"...Sigh. Sensei, what do you think?"
Fuuka sighed and asked for my opinion.
"It's fine."
I patted my chest with my left hand.
"No matter how many people there are, I can handle it."
Thank you, Ako.
If one day I manage to protect the peace of Gehenna, or even all of Kivotos, you'll definitely deserve part of the credit.
Fuuka hesitated for a while longer.
If she denied the Gourmet Research Society's right to come to Schale and "apologize," she'd also be denying her own reason for doing the same.
At last, she made up her mind.
"...All right."
She reluctantly agreed before adding,
"But you'll only help with the simple prep work. Leave the rest to me."
Haruna smiled triumphantly and exchanged a glance with Akari. As though afraid Fuuka might change her mind, she immediately accepted.
"Hehe, it's a promise."
Only then did I suddenly realize.
This had been part of their scheme all along!
Not only would they get to visit my home, they could also enjoy the gourmet meal Fuuka carefully prepared.
Such cunning truly befitted master strategists.
Of course, Junko probably genuinely wanted to show off her cooking in front of me, and Izumi sincerely wanted to experience a high-end restaurant. But they were perfectly happy with this outcome as well.
As the only one who saw the whole picture, and as the beneficiary...
No, as a Sensei who cherished his students, I naturally wasn't going to expose them.
Although Fuuka seemed to subconsciously feel that something still wasn't quite right, she didn't dwell on it and instead asked,
"In that case, should we invite Juri over later too?"
That was only proper.
I happily agreed.
Now that we'd settled on having dinner together that evening, the next step was buying the ingredients.