It did not matter who supported him. It was not as though there were designated people responsible for helping someone walk. Which was exactly why Chester’s words were enough to make Colin look puzzled. Faced with that gaze that clearly said he did not understand, Chester finally seemed to come back to his senses and flinched slightly at the shoulders. Even so, he said nothing and grabbed hold of the collapsed Ruite’s arm.
With the help of the classmates nearby, he managed to hoist Ruite onto his back without much difficulty before leaving the classroom.
Leaving the murmuring classroom behind, Chester quickened his pace. Feeling the labored breaths against his back, he unconsciously clicked his tongue. His condition had been bad enough for him to be burning up like this, yet he had continued sitting through lectures?
Suddenly, the image of him dozing weakly throughout class came to mind.
“……”
Should he call this stubborn, or just stupid?
Even while clicking his tongue, Chester tightened the grip supporting Ruite as much as possible and quickly descended to the first floor.
There were two infirmaries within the academy.
The First Infirmary handled ordinary examinations and treatment for students, while the Second Infirmary specifically cared for students with Alpha or Omega secondary traits.
Philia, who oversaw both infirmaries, generally stayed in the First Infirmary. So students who had business there first entered the First Infirmary for consultation with Philia, and if the matter involved their secondary trait, they were then moved to the Second Infirmary.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chester immediately pushed open the door to the First Infirmary. Philia, who had been organizing medicine on a shelf, startled and turned her head.
“What happened?”
“Ruite Everhart from Department of Magic Class Three collapsed. He seems to have a pretty high fever, so please examine him quickly.”
Quietly repeating Ruite’s name to herself, Philia let out a soft “ah” and briefly glanced at Chester.
“I see. Then could you lay him down on this bed? And you may leave after that.”
“Shouldn’t he be taken to the Second Infirmary instead of here?”
Philia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Usually, people did not know one another’s secondary traits. Of course, particularly close friends sometimes shared them, but such cases were rare. That was why even professors who knew students’ secondary traits were obligated to maintain confidentiality.
Philia, too, had deliberately avoided mentioning the Second Infirmary in front of Chester in order to protect the student’s private information.
Yet now Chester was asking whether Ruite should be moved to the specialized Second Infirmary.
“I know he’s an Omega too, Professor.”
“I see. Then please move him to the Second Infirmary.”
Chester laid Ruite down on the empty bed. His face was even redder than before. Approaching them, Philia skillfully examined Ruite’s condition and began taking appropriate measures.
Fortunately, after several minutes under her care, Ruite’s expression gradually began to ease.
“What caused this?”
“Hm? Ah, you mean Ruite?”
“Yes.”
“Usually, when an Alpha or Omega develops a severe fever for no reason, it’s because of a heat cycle. But your pheromones haven’t begun secreting yet, and your bodies are still developing according to your secondary traits, so it isn’t time for heat cycles to appear yet.”
Chester already knew that. Which was why, when he had first seen Ruite collapse, he had vaguely assumed it was a cold or fever.
But the more carefully he looked, the more instinctively he understood.
This was not caused by ordinary illness. It was related to his secondary trait.
“Ruite’s pushed himself too hard recently because of what happened during the practical exam. I heard he used excessive magic then. If we’re looking for the root cause, that loss of vitality from overusing his magic is probably it.”
According to Philia, for those born with secondary traits, fevers caused by such issues were unexpectedly common until their bodies had fully matured.
“Especially for Omegas. That’s why I personally prepared stabilizers for him too… though it seems he never took them. He’s probably just not used to needing medication because of his secondary trait yet.”
Still, this outcome was fortunate enough, Philia added with a long sigh of relief.
Ruite was sleeping deeply. His sweat-soaked hair was left in disarray. Chester let his gaze linger briefly on the sleeping face before turning away.
“But Chester, you already knew about Ruite’s secondary trait? I didn’t realize the two of you were close enough to share something like that.”
“……I don’t know because we’re close.”
It was a statement that could easily be interpreted in a meaningful way, but Philia did not pry further. It was simply intuition developed from years of working as a professor.
“Anyway, good work. The medicine’s taken effect, so Ruite will probably sleep a bit longer before waking up. Professor Harold should arrive soon too… would you like to stay a little longer?”
“There’s no particular reason for me to.”
With a slight bow of his head, Chester left the infirmary.
Watching his retreating back, Philia tilted her head. When he had burst through the infirmary door carrying Ruite earlier, he had clearly looked urgent. But now, turning away without hesitation, he seemed entirely different.
After thinking quietly for a moment, Philia covered her mouth and laughed softly.
***
By the time Chester returned to the classroom, the final lecture had already started. Perhaps the classmates had explained the situation, because the professor said nothing despite Chester arriving late.
He opened his textbook, picked up his pen, and raised his head. He tried to focus on the professor diligently explaining the lesson, but strangely, none of it entered his ears.
His eyes kept drifting toward the empty seat beside him.
The materials and textbook Ruite had used during the previous lecture were still scattered across the desk.
In the end, Chester failed to properly concentrate until the final morning lecture ended. As the classmates began gathering their belongings one by one, Colin suddenly turned around.
“Chester, where’s Rui?”
“At the infirmary.”
“Is he okay?”
When Chester nodded, Colin let out a long breath of relief.
“That seriously startled me earlier. He said he thought he should go to the infirmary because he felt really bad, then suddenly collapsed.”
Apparently, while Chester had gone to consult Harold, Ruite had been on his way to the infirmary when his fever worsened and he collapsed.
“I heard a lot of people have been catching colds lately. Did Rui collapse because of that? Anyway, I should probably go visit him too.”
Colin hurriedly gathered his belongings and sprang to his feet.
Ruite was currently in the Second Infirmary because of his secondary trait. Naturally, Colin—who thought Ruite had collapsed from a cold—did not know that.
If Colin visited the infirmary and saw Ruite lying in the Second Infirmary…
There was a chance he might vaguely realize Ruite was an Omega.
“……”
“Hm? What is it?”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Chester unconsciously grabbed Colin’s wrist as he was about to leave the classroom.
For some reason, the idea of Colin learning Ruite’s secondary trait irritated him.
“Professor Philia said the important thing is for him to rest because of the fever. He fell asleep after taking medicine too, so I don’t think going would accomplish much.”
The lie flowed out smoothly before he even realized it. At the very least, Philia had never said anything about needing rest.
“Ah, I guess that’s true. Hm… then I should hold off on going. I’ll see him tomorrow anyway.”
After thinking it over, Colin nodded as though convinced.
“See you tomorrow, Chester.”
After giving a casual farewell, Colin headed toward the back door.
Chester remained seated, staring at Colin’s retreating figure. For some reason, Colin’s broad shoulders and tall frame particularly bothered him today.
“Colin.”
“Hm?”
“……Never mind.”
Even at that somewhat absurd exchange—calling him over only to say it was nothing—Colin merely smiled.
Once Colin left and he was alone in the classroom, Chester shook his head and covered his mouth with a troubled hand.
Just now, he had almost asked Colin about his secondary trait without thinking.
Whether he was an Alpha.
But even he could not understand why he had suddenly become interested in someone else’s secondary trait, much less why he had wanted to ask.
At least within this academy, asking about someone’s secondary trait could be considered rude, and Chester himself knew that atmosphere well.
Yet despite that, he had nearly done something so unlike himself.
Lately, he truly felt frustrated because he kept acting in ways even he could not understand.
“Ah.”
And the same thing was happening now.
He had definitely left the classroom intending to naturally return to the dormitory, yet when he came to his senses, he was standing in front of the Second Infirmary.
He had already brought the collapsed Ruite safely to the infirmary. As a person, he had done everything he needed to do.
So why had he come here again?
There was no reason for him to remain in the main building now that lectures were over.
Just as Chester was about to turn back toward the entrance of the main building, he paused.
Right. Since he was already here, checking on him once more should not matter. He had personally brought him here after all, and if Ruite’s condition worsened, it would leave an unpleasant feeling behind for no reason.
After glancing around once, Chester carefully opened the infirmary door.
Philia was nowhere to be seen through the slowly widening gap. It seemed she had stepped out for the moment.
Then Chester, who had been about to step inside, abruptly froze.
Because Ruite—whom he had assumed would still be fast asleep—was sitting up on the bed.
Though it looked as if he had only just woken up. His hair was tousled, and his eyes were barely open. Perhaps because of the sweat, he had changed clothes and was now wearing the comfortable garments provided by the infirmary instead of his uniform.
The pale skin visible through the slightly loosened collar showed far too clearly.
Still dazed, Ruite frowned hard enough for wrinkles to form around his eyes, as though something felt uncomfortable. Pressing tired eyes with one hand and letting out a small yawn, he simply looked… defenseless.
And from a distance, Chester quietly watched that sight and felt utterly unfamiliar with himself.
Because for a brief moment, seeing that defenseless Ruite, the thought crossed his mind that he looked cute.