Klein had wanted Medina to stop getting close to Lopez.
And now Lopez herself was offering to make that happen.
There was no reason to refuse.
So why...
Why was he irritated?
The two boys rubbed at their furrowed brows and trudged away from the infirmary in silence.
Bill took the snack he'd received that day and headed for the infirmary.
As soon as the door slid open, Gale pointed toward Lopez's bed with the ease of someone who had done this many times already.
"She's awake."
"Okay!"
Bill marched confidently toward the bed.
Pulling back the neatly drawn curtain, he found Lopez sitting up.
Her cold hadn't fully healed yet, so she was still wearing a mask.
"Cough, cough..."
Standing in front of her, Bill proudly pulled out a cookie.
"You can't eat this."
"Yep! Watch me enjoy it."
Crunch!
Lopez slowly raised her hand.
"Teacher, could you please throw Bill out?"
Bill giggled.
Without a word, Gale escorted him outside.
Apparently satisfied after teasing her enough, Bill left without resistance.
The moment he disappeared, Sally and Lisa approached Gale as if taking turns in a relay race.
"Teacher, can we go in?"
"You said no last time and made us leave. Are we getting kicked out again?"
Lisa looked up at him hopefully.
Gale chuckled and opened the door.
"You might catch her cold, so just say hello and leave."
Only then did Lisa and Sally beam.
Entering the room, Lisa immediately asked worriedly,
"What happened? I heard there was a fire and you saved Chester... but are you really okay?"
Lopez opened her mouth to answer.
Sally beat her to it.
"Wasn't she just sticking her nose where it didn't belong again?"
Lisa shot her a glare.
"I wasn't asking you. I was asking Lopez."
"Can she even talk? Her throat probably hurts."
"Hey! Are you trying to start a fight?"
"What? I'm telling the truth!"
The two girls climbed onto the bed and began bickering over Lopez's body.
Crushed beneath them, Lopez raised her hand.
"Teacher, please remove the two children who refuse to care for the patient."
That made two requests.
Eventually, Gale dragged the squabbling girls out and shut the door.
For a brief moment, it felt as though a storm had swept through.
Taking care of children really isn't easy.
Shaking his head, Gale sat back down.
Peace finally settled over the infirmary.
It lasted less than a minute.
The door opened once more.
Assuming another child had come to visit, Gale glanced over.
Then he shot upright in shock.
"M-M-Megan!"
His entire face brightened instantly.
After closing the door behind her, Megan greeted him politely.
"Hello, Teacher. Everything going well?"
"Of course!"
Gale hurriedly offered her a chair.
Watching him fuss awkwardly, Megan lowered her voice.
"I-It's not that I doubt your skills..."
She hesitated.
"It's just... Lopez hasn't gotten better."
After drenching herself in water and running into a burning building, Lopez had been suffering from a fever for over a week.
Megan couldn't stop worrying.
Especially because Director Watson refused to spend money on sick children.
Treatment cost too much.
This time, he'd even gone so far as to say that if Lopez didn't recover soon, they should secretly abandon her in the mountains.
As though she were an object instead of a child.
Megan could never forgive him for that.
She couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Yet she also had no way to remove him.
Even if she reported him to an inspector, she had no evidence.
And the local inspector has already been bribed.
There was one inspector known for his integrity.
But without proof, approaching him would only put her at a disadvantage.
And I can't exactly take all the children and run away with them.
Watson would sue her immediately.
So all Megan could do was help from the shadows.
"I bought some medicine that's supposed to be good for colds."
She glanced nervously at Gale.
"A friend at the temple helped me get it cheaply..."
She worried it might sound as though she didn't trust his treatment.
A more prideful person could easily take offense.
Instead, Gale lit up.
"Megan, thank you!"
His eyes sparkled.
"If you tell me the cost, I'll reimburse you."
Seeing his sincere gratitude, Megan sighed in relief.
"No, thank you, Gale."
"Not at all. I know how much you care about the children."
His face suddenly turned bright red.
"I-I-I think that's v-very admirable."
Flustered, Gale grabbed the medicine and hurried toward Lopez's bed.
Then he noticed her.
Lopez was staring at him through half-lidded eyes.
"AAAH!"
"..."
Lopez looked at him calmly.
Embarrassed by his own scream, Gale scratched the back of his head.
"S-Sorry. Since when were you awake?"
When Megan stepped into view, Lopez immediately lowered her head.
"Teacher Megan..."
Her voice softened.
"Thank you so much... for doing this for me."
"No, Lopez."
Megan approached the bed.
Gently brushing aside the sweat-dampened hair stuck to Lopez's forehead, she whispered,
"...I'm sorry this is all I can do for you."
Watching Megan's blurred figure through feverish eyes, Lopez made a decision.
The next director of Sunflower Orphanage should be Megan!
"That's why Medina will never choose you! You're the one who's going to be abandoned!"
The shrill voice of a child made my eyes snap open.
Rubbing away the remnants of sleep, I pushed myself upright.
"...Seriously? First thing in the morning?"
What an unpleasant dream.
Maybe it was because I had slept in the dormitory again after so long.
The girl's voice still seemed to ring painfully in my ears.
That line had originally been spoken by Lopez to Chester in the novel.
After being hurt by Lopez's schemes, Medina ended up relying entirely on Klein.
And Chester started feeling left out.
Meanwhile, Lopez approached Chester because she wanted revenge on Klein.
When Chester rejected her, she lashed out with those cruel words.
And because of that...
"Really? Then let's see who's the one that gets abandoned."
Chester had snapped back sharply.
Then he used Lopez to attract Medina's attention—and succeeded spectacularly.
Meanwhile, Lopez got herself into trouble again.
As punishment, she was demoted all the way to Class 3.
Not long afterward, she was adopted by terrible parents and spent the rest of her life miserable.
Why am I dreaming about that now?
By the original timeline, that incident should've happened ages ago.
I hadn't said anything to provoke Chester.
So he wouldn't use me this time.
I even saved him. Surely not.
At the very least, I probably wouldn't get disgracefully demoted because of someone else's scheme.
Still... the original story might try to correct itself somehow.
I needed to find a way back to my world as quickly as possible.
The problem was that the orphanage strictly forbade children from leaving.
Even after all this time, I still hadn't found a solution.
I need to get back.
If my real body was in a coma, my finances weren't an immediate concern.
But if enough time passed...
Someone might decide to pull the plug.
I have to find a way out of here.
Even if I have to sneak out.
I was busy making my bed while thinking furiously when Medina approached.
"Lopez, are you feeling better now?"
"I'm okay. Thanks for worrying about me."
The medicine Megan had brought from the temple had worked wonders.
Three days later, I was completely recovered.
My hand was still bandaged.
But according to Gale, there wouldn't even be a scar.
And I can move it just fine.
Medina clenched both fists and spoke determinedly.
"If anything bothers you, tell me! I'll help!"
"Just saying that is enough."
Because if I actually accepted your help, those two boys would never leave me alone.
Smiling, I finished making my bed.
Afterward, we headed toward the cafeteria.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand tightly from behind.
Bill.
The tiny green-haired troublemaker.
"Morning, Bill."
"Morning, noona!"
I still hadn't figured this kid out.
Maybe he was innocent because he was young.
Or maybe he was secretly a menace.
Either way, he was exceptionally good at teasing people.
I hadn't forgotten how he'd come to visit me while I was sick—
Only to eat cookies in front of me.
"How's your hand?"
Chester had somehow appeared beside me.
His voice was noticeably gentler than usual.
I smiled lightly.
"I'm fine."
"..."
His eyebrow twitched.
What?
Was smiling suddenly illegal?
If being friendly was such a crime, I'd stop.
As I nervously tried to figure out what I'd done wrong, Chester abruptly looked away and started walking ahead.
"It's because you smiled."
Bill immediately hit the bullseye.
"What? What's wrong with me smiling—"
Before I could finish speaking—
My foot caught on something.
"Ah—!"
And I crashed forward.
