Part 3
Hina and Mirai came running down the infirmary hallway at Seisen.
There, sitting on a bench with puffy, tear-streaked eyes, was Akari.
Beside her, trying and failing to console her, were Jake—looking awkwardly out of place—and Shizuki, wearing his usual calm expression, though his gaze stayed fixed on Akari with a quiet, protective intensity.
"Akari, look at me! Is Touma okay?" Hina asked, her face full of worry.
Akari barely lifted her head.
"I didn't mean to... He's with the doctor now."
Without waiting, Hina pushed open the door.
Inside, Touma sat on a medical bed, sticking out his tongue like it was just a routine check-up.
Next to him stood a blonde girl—no taller than 1.40 meters—wearing a comically oversized white coat.
A stethoscope hung from her neck, and in her hands was a staff shaped like a magical wand, adorned with a red cross.
"Is this… a little girl playing nurse?" Hina asked, completely bewildered.
The girl didn't flinch. Instead, she raised her staff with flair.
"Magical Cure: Heal!" she shouted, and a soft green aura surrounded Touma, healing his minor bruises with surprising efficiency.
"Are you feeling better, little Touma?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes, doctor. I feel much better now. Thank you for healing me," he replied with a genuine smile.
The girl removed her stethoscope with dignified grace and began writing on a small clipboard decorated with bear stickers.
Everything about her—voice, gestures, presence—was absurdly adorable.
"Are you two playing doctor?" Hina asked as she stepped closer.
"So cute… Where's the real doctor, little one?"
The girl froze.
Slowly, she turned her head. A dark aura began to seep from her body, accompanied by a faint, ominous smoke.
"Tch… Who are you calling little, you brat?! I'm fourteen years old, you know?!"
Hina knelt down with a smile, entirely ignoring the threat.
"Aww, how sweet. She really thinks she's a doctor. Where's your mommy, cutie?"
Touma began frantically waving his hands behind her.
Don't. Please don't.
But it was already too late.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" the girl screamed, gripping her staff like she was about to summon divine wrath.
"I am the Chief Medical Officer of Seisen! Doctor Lieselotte Weiss!"
Hina blinked, still processing.
"Doctor…?"
Lieselotte was on the verge of a magical meltdown. Lights flickered. The air vibrated. Her staff trembled with pure indignation.
"SENSEI! CHIEF PHYSICIAN!" she shrieked in a voice far too powerful for her tiny frame. "WITH A LICENSE FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY! AND A Ph.D. IN CELLULAR BIOMAGIA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
She spun her staff like a bureaucratic wand of destruction.
"I'M THE SWISS GENIUS!THE PRODIGY OF THE ALPS!THE LITTLE MEDICAL MIRACLE!"
Hina stepped back, stunned.
"I GOT MY DEGREE WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD! TEN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?!"
She slammed the staff against the floor. A small energy field spread out in the shape of a medical cross.
"WHILE YOU WERE STILL LEARNING TO MULTIPLY, I WAS OUT HERE SAVING LIVES!"
Half in shock, Hina raised her hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Doctor Weiss! My bad! Please don't get upset—you'll get wrinkles!"
Touma sat in complete silence, thinking to himself:
And yet she healed me with something called "Magical Cure Heal…"
"Doctor Lotte… can I go now?" Touma asked, trying to ease the tension with a diplomatic smile.
"Yes, of course. You're all healed," she replied. "Though the fatigue won't disappear completely—you'll probably feel a bit sore tomorrow."
She handed him a small medical note written in colorful marker.
"Take some painkillers in the morning and, if you can… buy your girlfriend a book on manners."
Touma blushed instantly.
"W-we're not dating! We're just friends!" he said quickly, ears turning red.
Lotte stared at him for a moment, the rebellious tuft of her hair springing up like an exclamation point.
"Hmm… that changes things. Call me in a few days. Or come see me again if you feel unwell."
She gave him a wink—with complete professional seriousness.
"I like people who actually have manners," she added, sticking her tongue out at Hina like a little kid.
Touma and Hina left the infirmary, Hina still wearing a face that said "what just happened?" and Touma trying not to trip over his own feet from sheer nerves.
From the door, the tiny doctor waved at them with a triumphant smile.
As they exited the infirmary, everyone waiting in the hallway turned toward them with anxious eyes.
"Oh, come on—you're all overreacting. I'm fine. Just a few scrapes," Touma said, raising a hand like it was nothing.
"It's because the dumb American sent a message like it was a life-or-death emergency," Shizuki replied calmly, nodding slightly toward Jake.
"You ruined my nap waking me up! Now you know how it feels!" Jake protested indignantly.
"Look, the student council treasurer," Shizuki said suddenly, pointing down the hall with the same serene expression.
Jake spun around instantly, eyes sparkling.
"Where!?"
But there was no one there.
"Pff… fool blonde," Shizuki muttered without changing tone, like it was a neutral scientific observation.
"Ha… ha… so funny, ice princess…" Jake grumbled, already being gracefully ignored by Shizuki.
Touma knelt in front of Akari, who was still sitting on the bench.
"Are you okay, Akari?"
She nodded slowly, wiping her tears.
"Yeah… I just got scared you wouldn't want to see me anymore."
Touma smiled at her gently.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hate you for being strong. I should be the one working harder—to keep up with you."
"So… chin up."
Akari looked at him for a moment… then smiled shyly.
"I know," Touma said. "Why don't we all go to Tenryu and spend the day together?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And just like that, the group left Seisen Institute behind, heading off for a well-deserved break.