After letting out a sigh of relief, Sylvie wrenched her arm hard from the narrow gap between the bed frames.
Fortunately, though her skin seemed delicate, thanks to Magic Tempering, it was actually quite tough, so there were no abrasions.
But there was an additional small problem: to pull her arm out, she had to shift the heavy wooden bed slightly.
Only after freeing her hand did she belatedly realize… this might cause that picture book to fall even deeper under the bed.
Oh no… this probably means it’ll be even harder to retrieve it now—
Sylvie squinted into the gap, squeezing her head in for a better look, but the slit was far too narrow and pitch-black inside.
She couldn’t see a thing and could only sigh in frustration.
…Oh well, hiding it deeper might be for the best.
On the bright side, at least this picture book definitely wouldn’t be found by Teacher Fleur.
“Teacher Fleur, I’m done with all my chores—”
Outside the door, Floria gently pushed it open and stepped inside again.
Sylvie sat upright on her small bed, hands neatly folded on her lap, plastering a big bright forced smile on her tense face.
“……”
Floria looked at her thoughtfully, her gaze flickering suspiciously back and forth between Sylvie’s arm and the gap in the window frame.
A faint cold sweat of guilt appeared on Sylvie’s forehead as she silently maintained her smile, afraid of slipping up.
“Sylvie, you’re still young, so you need to be more careful and take care of your health first, okay?”
“Wha—why is Teacher Fleur suddenly saying this—”
Sylvie responded confusedly.
“Hmm…”
Floria glanced toward Sylvie’s small suitcase—the look of doubt made Sylvie’s heart pound with pressure.
Although Teacher Fleur was usually kind and gentle, when she got serious, she was a terrifying presence.
Especially since she often kept up a calm and friendly facade, sometimes even appearing a bit careless and blunt, only to subtly bait Sylvie into revealing her secrets through her words.
So, if she got caught by Teacher Fleur for making a mistake… it was truly frightening.
The atmosphere in the room froze for a few seconds before Floria spoke in a reassuring tone:
“Just get everything packed so you won’t be panicking tomorrow morning and forgetting things.”
She wheeled her chair closer and gently ruffled Sylvie’s hair.
“The hot water’s almost ready. Today, you’ll wash first. Afterward, get some sleep early. Tomorrow you’ll have to get up early to handle the school paperwork.”
“Mm… okay~”
Enjoying the warmth of Teacher Fleur’s soft hand, Sylvie nodded and got up, heading toward the bathroom with a long sigh of relief in her heart.
Looks like Teacher Fleur didn’t notice anything after all.
Sylvie thought thankfully and hopped lightly into the bathroom.
… Actually, a few months ago, it was always Sylvie who helped Teacher Fleur into the bathroom to shower.
But recently, Teacher Fleur’s condition seemed to have improved.
Although she still spent most of her time in a wheelchair, she could now manage to stand and move around for short periods.
Sylvie had occasionally wondered before—Teacher Fleur’s perfectly smooth legs looked flawless… could it be that the paralysis was faked? Maybe she just pretended so Sylvie would help her bathe?
But later, according to Teacher Fleur’s own words, it seemed some kind of magic had gone out of control years ago, or a Cursed Spell had damaged her lumbar spine.
Until fully healed, she couldn’t walk for long or engage in strenuous exercise without severe back pain.
After hearing this, Sylvie felt guilty for doubting her and quietly resolved:
Even if Teacher Fleur never fully recovers, it’s fine… as long as Sylvie is here, she will never let her beloved Teacher Fleur do any heavy work!
Sylvie took on all the household chores herself; Teacher Fleur just needed to focus on healing.
What Sylvie didn’t expect was that while she hummed quietly in the shower, Floria wheeled herself out of Sylvie’s bedroom with a very strange expression.
Showering, drying hair, changing clothes—the usual routine flowed smoothly.
By the time Sylvie had changed into her pajamas and returned to the living room, it was completely dark outside.
“Teacher Fleur, I’m done washing, and I left plenty of hot water for you~”
“Mm, thank you.”
Floria smiled and turned her head in response as she sat reading in the living room.
Watching her get out of the wheelchair, steady herself against the wall, and move toward the bathroom, Sylvie inwardly grinned with delight.
“Hehe… now’s my chance while Teacher Fleur is showering!”
Sylvie, who had been sitting on the couch pretending to be idle, hurried back to her bedroom and shoved her hand again into the gap beneath the bed.
Just in case, she had brought a fork and knife from the kitchen as tools.
If all else failed… she’d just poke it out with the fork! At worst, she’d apologize to her deskmate tomorrow. After all, she was about to transfer and say goodbye to this place soon—
Sylvie thought hopefully, but no matter where she searched with the fork-wielding hand, she couldn’t feel anything.
Huh?
What’s going on?
Could it be she was probing the wrong spot?
But no matter which part of the gap she reached into, there was absolutely no sign of the picture book.
After quite a while, Sylvie still came up empty-handed.
Damn… did the picture book grow legs and run away on its own?
That’s so weird…
“Creak—”
The bathroom door opened.
Teacher Fleur must be done washing.
Crap…
Sylvie quickly hid the fork and knife under her pillow, then sat up with a jolt and hurried out of the room.
“Teacher Fleur… you finished so fast?”
“Mm-hmm.”
According to routine, the next part was Sylvie’s favorite grooming time.
So she sat upright on the sofa, nervously swinging her smooth, fair legs.
Teacher Fleur was back in her wheelchair, holding a wooden comb as she approached and gently rested her hand and the comb on Sylvie’s wet, long hair.
“Sit still, be good. Don’t move around~”
Floria’s gentle reminder came from right in front of her, making Sylvie’s heart flutter with nervous excitement.
But… maybe it was just her imagination, yet after this shower, Teacher Fleur seemed to be dressed more fully than usual.
Before, after showering, she basically only wore a bathrobe, or sometimes just her underwear while at home doing rehab exercises, holding onto the living room wall and walking slowly back and forth.
Her smooth, fair legs and alluring skin always gave Sylvie a chance to sneak peeks and enjoy the view…
But today, for the first time, Teacher Fleur wore a full set of thick pajamas?
Noticing this, Sylvie’s heart felt a little strange for a moment.
Before Sylvie could think more deeply about it, the comforting sensation beginning at her scalp grabbed her attention once again.
Floria started carefully combing Sylvie’s silver-white hair—just as smooth and silky as her own—with gentle and cautious movements to avoid pulling on the strands.
Sylvie relaxed and half-closed her eyes.
Every time Floria moved her arms, a sweet, warm rose fragrance wafted to Sylvie’s nose.
Floria’s damp, slightly curled hair fell onto her delicate collarbone, gently swaying with her slender arms and shifting body, playfully drawing Sylvie’s gaze.
Teacher Fleur… really was like a gentle and virtuous… young and beautiful mother…