Edmund, who had been maintaining silence, suddenly jumped out from behind Rutger. Rutger was about to ask him to step aside when he decided against it.

Anita couldn’t be left alone here for even a moment. However, the infirmary was still closed, and taking her to the male dormitory was out of the question. So, if he wanted to at least provide some emergency treatment, he had to make use of this guy.

“I need a first aid kit. Ice or a splint would be great.”

“Huh?”

Edmund dumbfoundedly muttered.

“The first aid kit is next to the janitor room.”

While scrutinizing Anita’s ankle closely, Rutger added, “If you find ice or a splint, bring them too.” It felt awkward to ask Edmund for help, especially considering his absent-minded state, but there was no other choice. Rutger felt more uneasy leaving Anita with him.

Rutger rubbed his forehead as he saw Edmund stumble while walking, hitting the building entrance. Alcoholics, anyway.

After a while, Edmund came back with the first aid kit. Although he couldn’t find ice, he brought a cold towel, which was better than nothing.

Rutger took off his coat and covered Anita with it. As the cold subsided, her face relaxed a bit.

Rutger wrapped a cold towel around Anita’s ankle. Her brow, which had straightened, furrowed again.

“Hold on a little longer.”

He muttered unnecessarily, even though he knew Anita was already sleeping comfortably. After what seemed like an eternity, he peeled the towel from around Anita’s ankles. It seemed to have improved compared to earlier, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility of his delusion.

While engrossed in nursing, Rutger suddenly realized that the surroundings were too quiet. He lifted his head and he burst out laughing. Edmund was now lying on the grass.

Do he have to take care of that guy too? Rutger sighed quietly.

He applied ointment to soothe the swelling on Anita’s ankle and wrapped it with a bandage. After finishing the treatment, he carefully lifted Anita. Being careful not to jar her injured ankle.

Naturally, the dormitory supervisor for the girls’ dormitory didn’t let Rutger in willingly. She looked Rutger and the one he was carrying, Anita, up and down with a disapproving expression.

However, the supervisor was an old man with white hair. Perhaps thinking it was unreasonable for me, with not-so-good joints, to carry Anita by force, he reluctantly led Rutger to the first-floor infirmary.

Rutger gently laid Anita on the infirmary bed. He tried to place several pillows under Anita’s ankle, which was bandaged, for elevation, but before achieving his goal, he was chased away under the stern gaze of the supervisor.

***

The clean coat without any pattern reminded Anita of someone she knew well. However, after thoroughly searching through the memories of last night, the likelihood of that seemed very slim.

Examining the coat briefly, Anita concluded that it belonged to an adult man. So, the probability of it being Edmund’s was high.

Trying not to strain her painful ankle, Anita moved with the support of the wall and noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. She glanced around with eyes that seemed to have changed somehow. It wasn’t her room.

Before Anita could figure out where she currently was, the door creaked open. Entering without a proper introduction, a white-haired doctor forcefully made Anita lie down on the bed.

Then, he examined her.

“Thanks to the first aid, your recovery should be quite fast. There don’t seem to be any issues with bones or muscles, so don’t worry. Rest is the medicine, oh, and no alcohol, no alcohol!”

The doctor, seeming incredibly busy, poured out his advice and left abruptly after packing up his medical bag. Only when the door made a banging sound as it closed did Anita snap back to reality.

Since then, Anita had been trapped in the infirmary for a whole day. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad. The throbbing ankle aside, the pounding head and queasy stomach made Anita tired. However, the ankle saved her from going to class.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, it was clear. If Anita had entered the lecture in this state, she would have either collapsed or vomited during the class. The aftermath was too severe.

It might be hasty to draw a conclusion after just one attempt at drinking, but Anita decided she would never touch alcohol again. The antics of last night aside, the hangover was too much to handle.

The magical potion that Edmund had mentioned had a very short duration, and it didn’t offer a fundamental solution.

The next day, Anita could finally leave the infirmary. The ankle wasn’t completely healed, but the pain was less than before.

As Anita was getting ready to pick up the books for today’s lectures, her eyes fell on the black coat. After hesitating for a moment, Anita decided to take the coat. She would return it to Edmund later and express her gratitude.

When Anita was discharged from the infirmary, the dormitory supervisor warned her with a displeased tone not to create any excuses for the man to enter the dormitory. Oh, she also needed to apologize.

Edmund must have been tired too, taking care of her like that.

It was unfortunate, but the last memory Anita had was collapsing in front of the dormitory as if she had fallen asleep.

Not remembering made it hard to figure out how to apologize. Well, they say you don’t appreciate something until you lose it. Memory was indeed precious. Anita crossed the campus, one arm laden with a heavy bag and the other with a jacket, still unsure of how to apologize.

The book, which usually didn’t feel particularly heavy, was as heavy as a lump of iron today. The building that seemed to be just a few steps away appeared to be elusive, as if it were a mirage, every time Anita struggled to take a step.

Walking with a limp on one leg, she couldn’t manage to pick up any speed. Frustrated by the slower pace than a snail’s, Anita boldly thrust her right foot forward.

“Ah!”

A suppressed scream escaped from Anita’s mouth. She couldn’t believe that she had just slightly twisted her ankle. At the very least, it felt like a broken bone. If this pain wasn’t the sensation of a broken bone, then what on earth could it be?