[Zero's Pov]
"Don't force it too much. If the other part's vessel feels like your mana is infringing it won't accept it, so the first step is always to create resonance."
Though I couldn't say I had too many problems getting the hang of healing, it still wasn't something I didn't need to practice. So far, I had only managed to be able to use [Bubble Bandage] adequately, meaning I was still far from being able to conjure the 'miracle's' that I wanted to.
However, even with Dr. Smith reminding me about what I should be focusing on as I tried to use a swirl of water to heal the cut on his arm, it still wasn't something that was all too easy to figure out. Still, after some attempts, the small swirl started to do some good work, slowly patching up the tiny wound.
Standing up, Dr. Smith was once again impressed by my quick progress, "Nicely done. It appears that it won't be long until you can use that swirl as a spell. Sarah, you can also stop now. Unfortunately, our time seems to be up for the day, so if you wouldn't mind, could you please go on ahead? I have some things I need to talk with Zero about."
"Sure."
With the princess leaving the completely white room, and the doctor still sitting on the familiar chair, I had no choice but to wait and see what he wanted to talk about. After the last incident at the club, I felt like our body had already completely recuperated, so I didn't think it was about that.
Nor did I think it was about the suggestion he had made so many times already, the offer to shut down the mana circulation in my body to forcefully stop the breakdown of the cells.
After the golden-haired girl had left the vicinity, it didn't take long until he opened his mouth, talking about something that he was clearly hesitant to speak about.
"Say, Zero... You know about the thing that Ms. Turner spoke about to your class earlier? The thing about going to the border?"
'Ah, so that's what it was.'
The looming threat of monsters starting to approach the border, the situation that Jessica had told me that I would be forbidden from joining on the off-chance that Ainu would be deployed to assist the military forces stationed there.
Nodding, I didn't feel a need to pretend like I didn't understand what he was insinuating, "I'm assuming it is very likely that Ainu is going to send teachers and students there to help?"
"Haaa... Yes, right now that does seem very likely. And from what I've heard from Ms. Turner, you are already aware that we will not allow you to come with us. No matter what you say, there is no..."
"I understand. I will stay at the academy."
"...what?"
Surprised by the fact that I didn't go full saint mode on him, I didn't have any particular reason to argue against the fact that they wanted me to stay behind.
"I said, I understand. I will not be going with the others even if they are dispatched. Although I feel a bit guilty about hiding, I can also recognize that I have been acting recklessly lately."
Though I was intrigued by the fact that such a large event was going down, it wasn't something that I cared about all too deeply. It wasn't necessary for me to fulfill any of my goals, nor was it something that I was particularly worried about.
The teachers at Ainu were strong, many of which I didn't think I could defeat even if I used all of the skills I had available, with the prime example being Jessica. Even if I didn't know the true extent of her power, I had a feeling that she was very much specialized in fighting.
A fact that was very much exaggerated by the fact that she had an origin in one of the hidden families.
'Come to think of it, I still don't know much about those families. With Jessica using telekinesis, she is probably using the Psion Manual, so one of the houses should be using it as their main Manual. But what about the other families?'
I had no idea to what extent I would have to interact with those hidden houses but I also knew that it wasn't a bad idea to attain some understanding of what they could do. And the easiest way to know this was to gain knowledge of what Manuals they were using.
"I see. Then, it's all good. Also, you won't have to worry about your classmates. There is no way the principal would allow his students to be put on the front, after all. And if you have already accepted the situation, I have no reason to keep you here."
"Alright, I'll see you late then, Dr. Smith!"
With a happy smile, I also departed from the classroom, eager to make my way back to my apartment for a bit before I needed to get ready for dinner. With today being Thursday, I couldn't say that I had spent a lot of time with my newfound friends, but today we had decided that we would at least eat together.
Walking through the halls of the academy, I was met by the blushing faces of some older female students as well as the smug smiles of the males who only looked at my height. Still, I didn't care. Because right now I was letting Zero get the school life that he so desperately sought after.
For some reason, all of my classmates had been incredibly busy even during the evenings with things that they didn't want to tell me about. Now, it wasn't hard to figure out that Stella was probably training her ass off as she probably felt herself to be too weak.
And truth be told, she was. Not that her current power wasn't a bit above average. No, she was weak because she wasn't using her Manual in an effective manner.
Sadly, this wasn't something that was just showing its signs in the present. Instead, it was something that most likely would escalate in the future, where she would inevitably fall further and further behind no matter how much she practiced.
From what I had seen, her specs appeared to be quite similar to Arthur's, where she was incredibly well-balanced even if her physical traits were currently dominant because of the way she was training.
This meant that there was absolutely no reason why she couldn't specialize in other ways of fighting that weren't tanking. I didn't think a pure mage type would be too fitting, but something akin to a magical swordsman would probably fit her quite well.
In a moment of weakness, I couldn't stop the thoughts of James from showing up just as I exited the building.
'I might have to throw her away, I guess.'
==========
"Zero! Over here!"
Entering the academy restaurant, a shrill voice quickly snatched my attention and pulled my eyes to the direction where my friends had already taken a seat in the corner.
Stella, Robert, Caroline, and Akane were all already sitting there dressed in their student uniforms, smiling as they saw me arriving.
Walking up to the table, I also allowed Zero to put on a very genuine smile, a smile that truly showed how grateful he was to have found some people to spend his days with.
"Hello! I'm sorry for being late, I had some things to talk about with Dr. Smith."
Unfortunately, as soon as I mentioned the name of my doctor, a tangible sense of stiffness soaked the air, as all of them were seemingly thinking the same thing. Quickly waving my hands, as I realized my mistake, I tried to dispel their misunderstanding.
"Oh, it was nothing about my body. My body is completely fine now!"
Even with me trying desperately, their sights were still filled with skepticism. Understandably so, but it was at least enough for them to not mention it. So, sitting down, I tried to change to subject to something more fun.
"So, what do you guys think about next weekend? Our first dungeon dive! Aren't you guys excited?"
Next week, we were going to go do the first dive for the freshmen, a dive into one of the artificial dungeons inside of the academy. The dungeon? Of course, it had to be something to do with goblins, so we were going to a dungeon they called the Goblin Cave.
Sadly, the atmosphere only got worse after I mentioned the dive, with both Stella and Thomas looking down at the table instead of responding.
'Thomas as well? But he shouldn't have a reason to be self-conscious?'
As stated before, I could understand Stella feeling bad to some extent, but I truly couldn't understand why Thomas might feel similarly.
Luckily, Caroline stepped up to the plate with a smile.
"I think it will be fun, as long as I get to go with you, Zero!"
This week, she seemed to have cemented the way she would approach Saint Zero. She no longer hesitated in trying to get along with me, however, it was clear that she wasn't looking for a super close relationship.
"No! I should go with Zero!"
Suddenly, Stella was brought back to life, feeling threatened by the aggressive approach by Caroline. And just like that, it didn't take long until we were chatting happily about next weekend, and about how our weeks had been.