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Beeeeep —

Beeep —

Complete darkness.

A sharp beeping sound filled the air.

As my mind slowly started to return, I tried to make sense of the beeping.

Hmm.

I’ve definitely heard this sound before.

What was it?

— Beeeeeep… Beeeeeeep…

It’s that sound that often plays in hospital scenes in dramas.

Was it from a vital sign monitor?

I don’t know the exact name.

I feel dizzy.

How do I even open my eyes?

I can’t muster the strength.

It’s not that my body is in pain.

It just feels like all the energy in my body has been completely drained, leaving me in a state of utter fatigue.

I can picture it roughly.

I must be in some hospital, lying in a bed, hooked up to a vital sign monitor or something like that, right?

At that moment…

— Beep… Beep. Beep!

The beeping sound from the vital sign monitor started to intensify.

What’s going on?

— Beep! Beep! Beep! BEEEEEEEEEEP—!

What’s happening? Am I dying?

A chill ran down my spine.

It was like that moment when you lie down in bed only to notice a cockroach crawling on the ceiling…

I was instantly wide awake.

— Blink, Blink.

I expected to wake up in a panicked rush.

But instead, my eyes just blinked open slowly.

A white ceiling.

A hard bed.

Cold sheets.

And the smell of medicine.

As my senses returned, I blinked.

As I expected, I’m in a hospital.

But…

‘… I don’t see any machines or anything.’

Well, after all, isn’t this a fantasy world?

There wouldn’t be any vital sign monitors here…

— Beep… Beep. Beep!

The sound came again.

I turned my head toward it.

There, I saw Elena playing a flute.

“Elena, stop it already. No one’s going to wake up from that, nyah.”

“I can do it! I’ve seen someone wake up from this before, Sister!”

“… If they wake up from the noise, maybe… huh?”

Danya’s eyes grew wide as she made eye contact with me.

Following her, Elena also turned to look at me.

“See! He’s awake! I told you it works!!!”

Their shouting was brief.

Both of them rushed toward me.

“Brother, are you conscious?”

“Are you okay, nyah? We heard you collapsed in Lady Asilia’s room, and we were worried!”

Ah. That’s right.

I did collapse in Master’s room.

There was definitely a reason I collapsed, but I can’t quite remember it.

“… By the way, where am I?”

“You’re in the emergency hospital at Lichten Academy, nyang!”

“Dammit…”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

The reason was obvious.

Lichten Academy’s affiliated hospital. This place is ridiculously expensive.

Just lying here and breathing is costing me money. Money.

There’s no way this place has a social system like health insurance.

“I need to get up.”

I tried to raise myself from the bed.

But I collapsed back onto it.

“…?”

What’s wrong with my body?

Danya and Elena grabbed my arms and, with a heave-ho, helped me lie back down properly.

“They said you can’t move yet, nyah! Even if you wake up, you need to rest for at least half a day! You also need to eat the special hospital meal.”

No way.

Not the special hospital meal.

Every bite of that would probably drain my wallet.

“By the way, why am I like this?”

I remembered my heart pounding heavily before I collapsed.

“I heard… you tried to attack Lady Asilia, nyah.”

Ah, I remember now.

Danya muttered with a complicated expression.

“Well, you do have… a good body…”

As she glanced down at herself, Danya’s face took on a somewhat sad look.

I don’t know why, but I felt the need to explain myself.

“That’s not it. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Mis… misunderstanding?”

“Really. I didn’t mean anything by it with Master. My heart just started pounding on its own.”

Back then, I was definitely acting strange.

Even when Master hugged me, my… important part started swelling up.

Especially when I felt the warmth of her skin.

My heart raced, and my mind became a bit hazy, as if my reason was slipping away.

I did resist somehow, but it was certainly not typical of me.

“Did the doctor say anything about my condition?”

Lichten Academy’s affiliated hospital. It’s expensive, but their skills are top-notch.

As expected.

Danya hesitated for a moment before muttering.

“… They said it’s your mating season.”

“What?”

“They said you’re in your mating season…”

“Mating season?”

“They said it’s not too severe, but… anyway, you need to stay calm for a while, nyah. Wait here, I’ll go get the doctor.”

Danya quickly shuffled out of the room.

But I couldn’t shake off the shock.

Mating season?

Me, in heat?

◆

Doctor, what on earth is happening to me?!

… I wanted to yell that, but the doctor turned out to be a very beautiful woman.

She was a striking figure with a white coat and rimless glasses.

“The reason for the sudden collapse was that all your body’s energy was concentrated on your reproductive function. In other words, your reproductive system took control of your body. It seems you’ve entered your heat cycle.”

The way the doctor explained that my most personal area had taken control of me was calm and professional, but it only made me feel more humiliated.

It felt like my lower body was on fire…

This doctor seems like a real expert.

“So the conclusion is simple. Right now, you have a deficiency of vital energy.”

“Vital energy…?”

Why is she suddenly talking about energy?

“Vital energy. Life force.”

Haah-.

With a light sigh, the doctor pulled out a pointer she was holding.

Tap. Tap.

She struck a male anatomical model with the pointer, hitting the exact spot of the reproductive organs so precisely that it made me flinch.

But her next words were even more shocking.

“Your testicles are completely empty.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Male or female, reproductive organs are often referred to as another Dantian. You’ve completely drained the vitality stored there. Of course, it can be replenished, but… what in the world were you doing?”

At the doctor’s question, Lina and Danya, standing beside me, looked down in embarrassment.

The doctor glanced at them and clicked her tongue.

Their shoulders flinched.

“Hah… I guess it happens. With youth and a heat cycle, I understand. But…”

She then looked at me like I was some sort of anomaly.

“How could you be so reckless?”

“Excuse me?”

“Didn’t you notice? Your ability to maintain firmness should have been compromised. It would have been difficult to continue.”

“…I managed.”

“Really? Based on the research, it should have…”

Muttering to herself, the doctor’s gaze fell on my lower body.

“Hmm.”

Her eyes sparkled as if she had found an interesting subject for research.

I quickly closed my legs.

Her gaze was far too curious.

“Ahem.”

She cleared her throat and continued.

“In any case, given the situation, you’ll need to… release it regularly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Since your vital energy is completely depleted, there’s a risk of accumulating harmful energy. For the next week, you should maintain a similar interval. Otherwise, it could explode in a negative way.”

◆

I returned to the club room for now.

Unless it’s a life-threatening emergency, the academy hospital is not the place to be.

It’ll just drain my wallet.

— You have no payment to make. It’s already been taken care of.

That’s what I heard at the reception desk, which was quite the unexpected response.

Who on earth paid for me?

I had my suspicions, but I could guess. For now, rest is the priority.

As the doctor said, the most important things are.

First, complete rest.

Second, be careful not to let anything build up.

I briefly wondered how those two could coexist, but I set my doubts aside.

“More than that… this feels like an unexpected vacation, doesn’t it?”

Since my body wasn’t moving well, I couldn’t exactly go anywhere.

It was like I had been forced into a period of self-reflection.

This “no choice but to rest” situation put my usually anxious, overachieving self at ease in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.

How long has it been since I’ve been able to just lie down and relax like this?

I felt two conflicting thoughts.

One, that this wasn’t so bad, and two, that I wished time would stop right here.

Those peaceful thoughts were soon interrupted by the appearance of a woman.

“… Are you alright?”

It was my Master who had come to the club room.

It was late, the sky outside the window completely dark.

Not having a curfew—what a wonderful privilege.

Incidentally, because Elena had been so focused on looking after me, the other club members hadn’t been able to lift the curfew.

“… It seems my student’s actions were because of that heat cycle after all.”

“I’m sorry, Master. You must’ve been shocked.”

“Hmm.”

Master held her words for a moment.

Well, she had every right to be angry.

A trusted disciple suddenly acting out of control!

Even though it was due to a hormonal issue, it still felt unsettling—like I had crossed a line that should never be crossed between Master and disciple.

“Still, I knew my precious student wasn’t someone who would be ruled by such desires. But yesterday, you were clearly not yourself. I’m just glad we found the reason behind it so easily.”

Master smiled as she said that, but there was something bittersweet and slightly regretful in that smile.

Why was she making that face?

I couldn’t help but feel curious about the reason.

At the same time…

“…”

I couldn’t help but notice how prominent Master’s figure seemed. It might have been due to her martial-arts-style dress, which was quite revealing but perfectly suited to her form, making her appearance even more striking.

She crossed her legs as she sat in the chair next to my bed.

And no matter how hard I tried to avoid it, the hem of her dress lifted slightly, revealing the smooth, toned lines of her legs.

I was flustered.

“Master, I’m sorry, but could you adjust your sitting posture a bit…”

“Hmm. Are you afraid you might get aroused by looking at me, my student?”

“N-No, it’s not that…”

I mumbled my response.

It was hard to lie.

Despite my awkward reply, Master gave a bright smile.

“Did you happen to be the one who covered my hospital fees, Master?”

“Yes, that was me.”

“But that hospital is so expensive!”

“It’s not that bad. Professors get a special discount.”

Ah, right.

There was a whole system like that.

I’d even read strategies about how to “target professors” to make use of the affiliated hospital.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel entirely bad about it.”

“Sorry? What do you mean…?”

“That’s a secret.”

Master patted my head, winked playfully, and then left the room.

Once again, my heart started pounding.

The mating cycle—did they say it could last three days to a week, depending?

“… Seems like this won’t be easy to get through.”

A vague sense of unease crept over me.