Running into an injured Iori in the Medical Emergency Club's infirmary was, in truth, nothing out of the ordinary.
As the Field captain of the Gehenna Prefect Team, and with a personality that leaned toward recklessness, Iori almost always charged into action first in every operation. Unlike Hina, she did not possess the power to take on hundreds alone, and given how frequently incidents occurred in Gehenna, getting injured was practically inevitable.
Although the Prefect Team had its own health officer and infirmary, looking across all of Gehenna, the Medical Emergency Club's surgical skills and medical facilities were unquestionably the best.
"So why is Sensei here?"
From behind the curtain, Iori, who was receiving treatment, spoke to me. "Did you get hurt after being dragged into some incident?"
From her seemingly casual tone, I keenly sensed a hint of tension.
Just as I was about to answer, I was interrupted by a pained groan.
Then came Sena's calm voice. "Bear with it a little. It will hurt a bit."
"Why say that only now? And I was in the middle of talking to Sensei."
Iori complained, but Sena said nothing.
I had a strong suspicion that someone had chosen this timing on purpose.
"I just ate too much," I replied vaguely. "I'm fine now."
"…What? Did the Gourmet Research Society drag you into some kind of eating contest?"
Iori muttered, then didn't pursue it any further. How easy she was to appease was plain to see.
A moment later, the sounds of treatment from the neighboring bed stopped, and Sena instructed her, "The injury isn't serious. Avoid strenuous activity, and it should heal by tomorrow morning."
"Oh, thanks. Then…"
At that moment, a sharp ringtone sounded.
Sena answered the phone. "Hello? It's me. Yes, I understand. I'll be right there."
Then she said to Iori, "Field Captain, can you handle the rest on your own?"
"Hah? Are you underestimating me?"
"I see. Then I'll leave the clean bandages here. Please help yourself."
After speaking with Iori, Sena came over to my side and said with mild surprise, "Sensei, your recovery speed seems much faster than I expected. You may leave at any time, or you can choose to rest here a bit longer, but please remember to take your medicine on schedule for the next few days."
…Just what kind of thing was the 'love' mixed into Juri's juice?
The moment I thought about it, my stomach began to throb faintly again.
After giving her instructions, Sena hurried off.
And so, only Iori and I were left in the infirmary.
"Mm…"
From the other side of the curtain came rustling sounds, along with the girl's muffled groans.
Judging from what had been said earlier, Iori now seemed to be wrapping bandages around herself. I had no idea where she was injured.
"…Sensei, are you still feeling unwell?"
"Ah, no. There's just something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Hm? What is it?"
Since I had run into Iori here by chance, there was no need for me to make a special trip to the Prefect Team headquarters.
I explained the whole sequence of events regarding last night's cafeteria explosion to Iori. After listening, she fell silent.
After quite a while, she sighed. "Is she an idiot?"
I nodded in agreement. "She's an idiot."
"Honestly… well, thanks for reporting it, Sensei… mmh…"
Hearing her let out another strange groan, I asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Iori answered with some difficulty, "Well… my hands can't quite reach, so wrapping the bandage is kind of hard…"
Her hands couldn't reach? Where exactly was she hurt?
As I was thinking that, I heard her hesitate before saying, "If it's okay, could you help me wrap the bandage, Sensei?"
My spirits instantly lifted, though my mouth said, "Th, that might not be appropriate, right?"
"Is that so? If it's a hassle, then I'll just—"
"Ahem! But since it's from my important student's request, I can't just ignore it! So please, let me help!"
In other words, it wasn't that I had impure thoughts. This was Iori's initiative. I forced down the corners of my mouth and said this righteously.
Iori's focus, as expected, was a little off. "Im, important student…!? S, Sensei, what kind of weird thing are you saying! Geez, don't overthink it. Just get over here already."
Faced with such a request, I was always one to comply readily.
"I'm coming in, okay?"
After getting her response, I pulled aside the obstructive curtain, only to be completely stunned by what I saw.
"What's with that look?" the dark-skinned girl said, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and irritation. "You're not thinking something weird, are you?"
…Seeing this, how could anyone not think weird thoughts?
I swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "So, the place you're injured is…?"
"Didn't I say?" Iori asked strangely, then answered. "My back, my back. It's in an awkward spot, so it's hard to do it alone…"
And that's convenient for me to do it for you!?
Iori, you got me good. I really thought you were a standard, innocent Gehenna girl. I never expected you to lie in wait for me like this.
Earlier, I had been thinking maybe her arm was injured and it was inconvenient to manage one-handed. So this was the kind of inconvenient it was.
Looking at the back in front of me, only loosely wrapped in bandages, even I didn't know where to start.
"How long are you planning to stare?" Iori urged impatiently. "Hurry up."
"H-here I go!"
Gritting my teeth, I decided to just go for it.
However, the moment I pulled the bandage tight, I nearly lost my composure from a cute yelp.
"Hey, don't make strange noises!?"
"Eh!? What's strange about them!?" Iori said urgently. "It just itches a little! Stop talking and keep going. The bandage is going to loosen."
Wasn't this all Iori's own fault? Overestimating her courage and underestimating her own innocence.
I complained inwardly, took a small breath to steady my nerves, and continued wrapping the bandage around the girl.
Even so, my hands trembled slightly. My fingertips would occasionally brush against the girl's smooth skin, provoking more muffled groans that only made me more flustered. I was completely caught in a vicious cycle, fumbling for a long time without making proper progress.
Finally, as if she could no longer endure it, Iori said softly, "If it's Sensei, I don't mind being touched…"
Turning her head slightly, the girl gazed at me with eyes like red gemstones, filled with both shyness and resolve.
"So please, do it properly, all the way to the end…"
"…Yeah."
I hesitated no longer.
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