The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 123: I’m Hospitalized Again [3]

Chapter 123: I’m Hospitalized Again [3]

The walk back to the dorms was quiet.

No one said a word.

Their footsteps were soft against the stone floor, the hallways dimly lit, and the weight of everything that had happened still clung to them like a second skin.

But out of all of them, Keira felt it the most.

The silence wasn’t just around her—it was inside her.

She kept her head down, hands clenched at her sides. The others didn’t spare her a glance, but she could feel it anyway. The unspoken tension. The questions. The weight of her own thoughts pressing in from all directions.

And guilt.

A deep, choking guilt.

Because she knew she didn’t have the right to act like a victim—not when Rin had been the one who suffered the most.

Not when he was the one lying in a hospital bed.

She thought about everything she’d done to him. The nasty rumors she helped spread. The cruel comments. The times she joined in when others mocked him—just to fit in, just to avoid being the target herself.

She’d laughed with the crowd when people called him useless.

Ignored him in the halls like he was invisible.

And yet...

When Leo turned his back on her...

When her so-called "friends" stopped sitting with her, stopped acknowledging her existence...

When the world felt like it was closing in and no one gave a damn what happened to her...

Rin didn’t walk away.

He didn’t hesitate.

He stood up for her.

He fought for her.

And today, when Ethan turned into something monstrous, when that poison started spreading and everything was falling apart...

Rin had been the first one to rush forward.

No hesitation. No second-guessing.

He knew what it would cost. He must have.

But he still chose to protect her.

Her.

Keira bit her lip hard, forcing down the burn rising in her eyes.

She knew—she knew—that Rin didn’t rush in just to save her. It wasn’t about her, not really. That wasn’t the kind of person he was.

He would’ve done it for anyone.

But the fact that he did it for her, despite everything she’d done...

That was what hurt the most.

She didn’t deserve it.

And she didn’t know how to face him now.

Ryen, who had been walking ahead in silence, suddenly stopped.

The sound of their footsteps faded as he turned to face them—Leona, Nora, and finally Keira, who brought up the rear with her eyes still fixed on the ground.

He looked at each of them, his expression unreadable in the low hallway light. The quiet hung between them until he finally spoke.

"As far as I know... Rin’s reckless. He’ll keep throwing himself into danger if it means saving someone else—even if it costs him everything."

No one interrupted.

They waited, knowing Ryen wasn’t finished.

"He doesn’t think twice about himself," Ryen went on, voice steady but heavy. "That’s just who he is. He’ll keep pushing until there’s nothing left of him. And honestly... he probably thinks that’s okay."

He paused, his eyes briefly resting on Keira.

"But that doesn’t mean we should let him."

The silence that followed was different now—thicker. Thoughtful. Maybe even a little ashamed.

Leona shifted her weight, arms folded across her chest. Her brow was furrowed—not in disagreement, but in reflection.

Nora looked away, rubbing her wrist absentmindedly.

And Keira... she didn’t even lift her head. Her shoulders seemed smaller somehow.

Ryen took a breath.

"He doesn’t ask for help. He’s the kind of person who steps in without thinking. That’s why..." He looked at them again, slower this time. "That’s why we have to stop waiting for him to save everyone. It’s time someone protects him."

No one answered.

Not right away.

But there was a quiet agreement in the way their expressions shifted.

A sense of responsibility settling in.

"Next time," Ryen said softly, turning back around, "we don’t let him face everything alone."

There was a small hum behind him.

"Hm."

Leona.

She had her arms behind her head now, eyes distant in thought.

Her view of Rin was different. She always saw him as a little timid—easy to tease, a bit awkward, always flustered when caught off guard.

But he wasn’t weak. Not really.

He was the kind of person who surprised you when it mattered. Who stepped up even when his knees were shaking. A dependable idiot, in the best kind of way.

More like a younger brother than a classmate.

"Helping him in secret, huh..." she muttered. "Not a bad plan."

Nora glanced at her and nodded slightly. Her eyes were calm, but there was something new in them—determination, maybe.

And Keira... finally lifted her head.

She didn’t say a word.

But for the first time that night, she didn’t look like she was carrying the weight alone.

In quiet agreement, the four of them kept walking.

Unspoken, yet connected by the same thought.

Rin Evans had no idea that, starting tonight, a group had silently formed—dedicated to watching his back.

Even if he never asked for it.

Even if he never knew.

----

Morning sunlight spilled in through the narrow window, casting warm streaks of light across the white walls of the infirmary room.

I blinked.

My eyelids felt heavy, like they’d been glued shut all night. My body ached, dull and stiff, as if I’d been trampled by a herd of mana beasts. Again.

It took a moment to remember where I was.

Right. The infirmary.

I shifted slightly in bed and immediately regretted it. My ribs throbbed, my legs were sore, and my right arm—well, that one felt like it wasn’t even mine.

Still... I was alive.

That was something.

I tilted my head slightly and stared at the ceiling, letting out a soft breath. The room was quiet. Peaceful. No frantic yelling, no spells flying over my head, no screaming Ethan trying to rip someone apart.

Just silence.

And me.

It was strange. I should’ve felt proud—maybe even heroic. I’d thrown myself into danger to stop someone stronger than me. Saved someone.

But instead, I just felt tired.

Not the physical kind of tired. I was used to that.

No, this was... deeper.

I kept thinking about Lena’s face last night. The way she looked at me—not like a teacher disappointed in her student, but like someone watching someone they care about break themselves in real time.

Then there was the others. Ryen, Leona, Nora... even Keira. I remembered their faces when Lena slipped up and mentioned my talent.

I messed up.

Again.

I lied to them. I had to. But still... the weight of that lie sat heavily on my chest, more than any wound I’d taken.

A soft breeze came through the cracked window, rustling the curtain. I closed my eyes and sighed.

I wasn’t sure what would happen when I left this room. Would they treat me the same? Would they act like nothing happened? Or would they start hovering—trying to protect me like I was some glass figurine ready to shatter?

Please don’t.

I didn’t want that.

I didn’t need that.

...I think.

Well anyway, it’s time to go back to the academy.

I can’t just keep lying on the bed here now can I?

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