Descending Into A Novel-Chapter 91:Ellen’s Care

Raymond wanted to die.

Okay it wasn’t that serious, but he really really wanted to be elsewhere right now. Literally anywhere except the current academy hospital room he was in.

Yes, the academy had a hospital. Not just any hospital, but one of the best in the world.

The academy had 2000 something students alone, with so many teenagers with powers. Injuries were about as common as grass, with could usually be fixed by going to the academy infirmary. But the hospital was for the much more serious injuries, usually reserved for the upper years returning from missions.

The reason for his current predicament—noticing his anxiety, asked worriedly.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

Dammit, it’s because of you!

Raymond’s head mentally flashed back to yesterday.

---

"Why are you trying to leave?"

---

’AHHHHHHHHHHH!’

He screamed internally.

Raymond didn’t even know why he did that himself. Refusing to part from Ellen’s warmth. Holding onto her so tightly like some child hugging a stuffed animal.

He could feel the blood rushing to his face, his memory working against him in this moment as it kept replaying every moment and every small thing down to the tiniest details. His own clingy behavior...

’AHHHHHHHHHHH!’

He screamed internally again. Clutching his throat, choking himself slightly. His blood pressure shooting through the roof as he remembered everything he did yesterday.

"I want ice cream."

With his acting skills honed by years of travelling, playing it off as him merely wanting ice cream was light work.

She pursed her lips, the disapproval clear on her face.

After waking up, the people in charge of checking his health couldn’t help but notice his blood sugar levels were unusually high for someone who had just woken up from a seven month long coma...

Naturally, Ellen had gotten in trouble for it. Because she shouldn’t have fed something like that to him.

"Please?"

Raymond pulled out his secret weapon again.

Staring at his suddenly pitiful face, Ellen was immediately hit with a Critical mental attack! She stood no chance. Her body moving to order ice cream for Raymond before her mind could recover and her logic return.

Even though Raymond wasn’t actually craving ice cream at that moment, he wouldn’t say no to it ever.

Happily shoving spoonful after spoonful, he tried his best to ignore his memories of yesterday. Which was difficult to do—in fact, it actually made him remember it more clearly.

Trying to not remember something is easily the best way to remember something, Raymond was unbelievably tempted to use magic to wipe that part of his memory away.

His only comfort was that he didn’t reveal everything to Ellen—well he revealed mostly everything. His brother, William. His mom. Anna. Being forgotten. Most of his life was actually quite boring. His childhood was spent entirely in the palace, and after finding his tower. He had lived there in isolation until the war.

But he hadn’t revealed Sophia, mainly because he wasn’t ready yet.

He rubbed his forehead with his knuckles. Trying to relieve the headache that was starting to form.

"You have some around your lips."

"Huh?"

"There’s ice cream around your lips."

She handed him a tissue, only to frown when he missed it.

"Give it back."

Snatching the tissue back from him, she forcibly held his head with one hand while wiping his mouth with the other.

She did it in such a smooth motion, Raymond barely processed what was happening until a few seconds later. Which caused his mind to go blank temporarily. Her hands preventing him from moving his head. Her laser focused eyes seemed to bore a hole into him.

"Ewen, yor two ruff."

With her holding his head so tightly by his cheeks, and with the tissue occasionally entering his mouth. He could only mumble his complains.

"Stop moving so much then."

Just then, the door to his room quietly closed without making a single sound.

Outside, a man with greying hair wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had only entered in order to check up on Raymond’s health, but seeing the two interlocked like that (he could only see the silhouettes through the curtain). He immediately closed the door and left.

He had gotten this job after years of hard work! He wasn’t about to let some scandal ruin his career!

Kids these days were really bold...but said kids were also the only daughter of the Grace family and the only person to ever have a potential score over 100!

Leaving the VIP ward, he proceeded to put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. He wasn’t about to let some other poor bastard ruin their future just because they had witnessed something they shouldn’t have.

Unaware of the misunderstanding that had just occurred. Ellen grabbed his ice cream from him. Holding out a spoon to his mouth.

"Here, say ah."

If Raymond was surprised before, he was stunned now. The rapid fire set of events and the two emotions combining to make him fully dumbstruck. His body freezing in place due to what had just happened within the last minute.

Even as he opened his mouth and let her feed him. Reminiscent of a mother bird feeding its chick. Raymond couldn’t help but wonder.

’...what?’

***

The door to Raymond’s ward opened again. A white haired, blonde and black haired trio of boys strolling into his room. Their conversation filling the room with noise. Each speaking over the other as they showed their concern for him.

More like only Thomas showed his concern. Arthur seemed happy only because it was a Monday, and by visiting Raymond. He could skip class like Ellen. Zachary as well seemed to only be following them rather then trying to offer support. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I’m glad to see you’re doing alright"

Thomas set down a small basket on a table next to the window. Taking out several packaged baked goods.

"I brought along some snacks I thought you might like."

Raymond could shed a tear at Thomas’s kindness. For the past two days, he had been on a strict liquid-only diet. He didn’t even actually get to eat it, they literally just pumped it directly into his stomach so he couldn’t taste anything.

"I’ll take a pastry then."

Arthur and Zachary both sat down on the couch in his ward, staring at the blanket and pillow that had been neatly folded.

"Has Ellen been living here?"

"Yep, she just stepped out to help get a few of my things."

Thomas handed him a chocolate pastry that he eagerly dug into, the crispy and crunchy exterior. Soft, fluffy interior. Sweet chocolate throughout. The only strange part was that it was shaped as a heart.

"Why is this shaped like a heart?"

"I made it with my baking partner in the Baking Club."

...this dense bastard.

He supposed it wasn’t his fault he was dense. He had only been living among humans for a few years. But damn it, seeing his expression that seemed to say ’what’s wrong with that?’. Completely oblivious to everything.

Raymond made eye contact with Arthur who was lounging back. His eyes suddenly opened wide as he and Raymond mentally communicated through their gazes.

"Finally! Someone else who understands!"

His previous lazy look disappeared completely as he bounded over to Raymond who was still on his bed. Their mutual understanding creating a friendship in seconds.

Fake wiping his imaginary tears, he woefully described everything.

"You have no idea how hard it was for me...even Zachary doesn’t get it! Seeing all these girls throw themselves at him. When I have to work so hard...!"

Arthur casually pushed Thomas away slightly. Exaggeratedly explaining his struggles throughout the year. Raymond was actually in awe at how amazing his memory was when it came to things like this. Granted, he was actually the smartest in the group (second with Raymond now.) and in terms of grades he was also the best (third with Ellen but she had future knowledge!).

But with his...troublesome demeanor. It was easy to forget his intelligence when he used it for other things. Doing stuff like moving the entire second floor of the class A dorms onto the mountain in the academy nature district tended to give you that kind of reputation.

Zachary stared in confusion at the sudden friendship between Arthur and Raymond.

He asked them, "When did you two get so close?"

"You don’t understand! The signs were always there! Remember when we had to fight with no mana and you beat me up so badly I was bruised and sore for days?"

That didn’t seem like a sign of friendship to Raymond, but whatever floated his boat he supposed.

"I couldn’t even explain my struggles to the others. Noelle is always surrounded by others and she doesn’t care. Ellen and Audrina also don’t care. Lucy just laughed at it when I told her, and Cador doesn’t even talk!"

Truly, Arthur had been suffering for a long time. Forced to witness as countless girls flirted with Thomas while he was completely oblivious to everything. Raymond mentally patted him on the back.

"Meanwhile, this girl I’ve been talking with...i don’t even know how to describe our relationship anymore. One day she’s flirting back, the next she’s completely ignoring me!"

"A situationship?"

"A what?"

"Like a situationship, it could go friends or dating like the in between stage."

"That’s the perfect description! Did you experience the same thing as well?"

Unbeknownst to Raymond, the term situationship didn’t actually exist in this dimension. So he had just coined the term based on what he heard from when he was on Earth.

Raymond shook his head.

"I’m not allowed to have relationships. Also, I’ve been living in an orphanage and then at the Grace mansion. Where would I possibly have the opportunity for something like that?"

He had actually been in a situationship before, that managed to turn into him and her dating. But it was weird for someone like him to be involved in these kinds of things. He was supposed to be only sixteen after all!

Arthur showed a small amount of sorrow on his face. "That’s sad, someone like you deserves better."

"Eh, I don’t really care."