"Now then. Since you are awake, I should let the principal know. He wanted to talk with you" there was nothing Milles could do but to wait for the door to open.
The principal entered the room as soon as the door opened.
Had he been waiting on the other side this whole time? Somehow, Milles would not think to put it past that craft old man.
"I'm happy to see that you have gained consciousness, Mr. Misha Raycraft. I hope this will serve as a lesson for you" the old man did not sound angry at him.
In fact, the old man did not sound anything but normal to Milles.
"I will try not to overexert myself anymore" Milles wanted the old man to go away but it seemed like an impossible scenario right now. The principal just sighed and entered the room, cutting Milles only exit from the room.
"Yusui, give us a little privacy please" the doctor sighed but he seemed as if he had expected that to happen. Milles almost expected him to protest but the doctor did not.
He just turned away and left the room without a second thought.
He did, however, give the principal a sharp glare.
"Now then, you can tell me the truth, young boy. I had an enlightening talk with young Miss Kathy before I decided to visit you and she had a lot to say about you. Especially about what happened in downtown sector 5" the principal's tone did not sound impatient.
But Milles knew an order when he heard one and this one was very much an order.
"Honestly, I'm not sure either. One second everyone was fighting with magic and I wanted to help and then I felt it all cut off. I thought I was the only one to experience this phenomenon but not" Milles had made sure he had an excuse should this situation ever happen.
It was not a believable one but it was not impossible either.
He just had to play it right and lead the other party toward his desired conclusion. It should not be that difficult since people liked to overthink themselves.
"The magic cut off itself? Were you in interaction with the neural system? I was not aware that you could even operate that thing, being a Type Null and all. But then again, we don't know much about you people" the endnote seemed to be filled with fascination.
Milles knew a thing or two about this issue.
It was not that Type Nulls could not use magic. They could and some had very good potential in the field as well.
But it was their body and its incapability to be compatible with magic that left them as poor targets. Prolong exposure to magic could harm them.
However, operating the neural system itself was no problem. It was just like operating a computer back in the day.
"I did try but nothing happened. The next thing I know, no one but Kathy could use magic" Milles could not tell what the principal was thinking based on his facial expression. That expression-less face worried him.
But then those eyes softened and the old man let out a sigh.
"I see. I suppose the magical system can malfunction with the Type Null. If that is true, then I would need to inform the authorities. But I'm glad that you made it out alright" Milles felt his breath ease out at the acceptance.
The principal seemed to have accepted the excuse and that was good.
"However, it does not excuse the fact that you went to Downtown sector 5 without any good reason. Would you like to clarify your thoughts about it?" it looked as if Milles was not out of trouble just yet.
But this one was easier to navigate his way out of than the previous question.
"I was not aware of the boundary between the downtown and the normal town. I will be more aware of my surroundings in the future" Milles tried to make his sound as guilty as possible.
Was his excuse good? No.
Was it believable? Much more than the previous one.
"It looks like walking into places you are not supposed to be is just a hobby of yours. Or perhaps, it is as if you cannot help it at all. A side-effect of trying to use magic? But let's count it as an accident this time and end this matter. I do not want to fill out any unnecessary paperwork about this" the principal seemed to have let the matter go.
Milles also thought it was for the best.
The discussion had ended and the principal opened the door of the room to let the doctor back in.
"Done with the interrogation? Then, can you leave my patient alone? He needs a rest" doctor Yusui sounded agitated at being forced out of the room and it showed in his voice.
The principal and the doctor talked in hushed voices at the door and Milles did his best to listen in on them.
But it was of no use. They were too far away for him to be able to listen clearly.
Whatever they were discussing in front of him, they did not want him to hear at all.
And then the principal left, leaving Milles alone with the doctor. A pissed-off doctor who seemed to be looking Milles with tired eyes.
"Would you like something to eat first or do you want to rest first? It's best to spend the night here and go back to your room tomorrow" the doctor advised and Milles knew those were the only choices he had.
But there were more important things he needed to know first.
What had happened to his bag? Had they decided to open it and check its contents? Had they found the stolen phone he had hidden in there?
If so, then why was he not questioned about it by the principal? Was the other pretending not to have noticed?
"My bag. Do you know where my bag is?" Milles asked in a calm voice. There was no need to alert the other party that his bag had anything of importance in it.
"In your room. We had someone deliver it back when you collapsed. Now stop worrying about it and rest" Milles felt himself relax as soon as those words reached him.
So he was safe.
For now.
And how the body seemed to agree with the idea of resting. All that excitement had worn him out.
The next time he woke up it was morning already. The room was empty of anyone's presence bar his own. The IV in his arm was gone as well.
There was just a note that greeted Milles once he decided to look around.
'You are free to return to your room'
There was no need to say who had written the note. There could only be one person - the doctor.
But at least Milles was free to go now. He did not want to spend any more time in the medical room if he could help it.
Also, the camera at the corner did not help him in relaxing at all. It blinked away and made Milles nervous.
"Please lead me back to my room without having to bump into anyone" Milles pleaded to the neural system.
A map instantly appeared on his phone with the location of various people on it. Hopefully, it would not look too suspicious for him to be this familiar with the neural system and its functions.
It was easy to reach his dorm room with the help of the map and make sure he did not bump into anyone else.
All Milles had to do was to look at his map and he knew it was all going to be alright. His room was untouched once he managed to reach it.
His bad was left in front of his front desk, looking relatively untouched and Milles made a beeline for it.
But his paranoia from before was not gone and he decided to check the room before.
It was then he noticed the small camera at the corner of the wall. It had been placed in such a way that it made it difficult to spot. But Milles was no idiot.
The camera was right in front of him and he felt those eyes on him.
So opening the bag and taking its contents out right now was not a possibility. He needed to look for another place before he could secure his room.
And there was only one place Milles could think of - the attached bathroom. Surely the government would not be crazy enough to place a camera at such a compromised position?
And Milles was in luck. The bathroom was relatively untouched and a safe place for him to begin working.
The phone was easy to crack into and modify. It took a whole day, but by the time Milles finished his handiwork, the phone had been transformed into a safety device.
"System, make sure no one could hack into or trace this phone. As far as the world knew, this phone does not exist"
[Understood. Erasing all traces of product #Nfyka988. Securing connection]
Finally, Milles had one thing he could use freely without consequences on his part.