Chapter 17
952words
The moment I stepped into the classroom, I immediately felt dozens of complex gazes mixed with curiosity, sympathy, gossip, and awe. The mental comments running through my classmates' minds were also unprecedentedly colorful and diverse.
"Look! Ayashiro-kun is here!"
"His face is still so pale... is that illness really that serious?"
"I heard he was coughing up blood at home over the weekend, and Kurosawa and Sato took care of him for a day and night!"
"Seriously?! What kind of harem light novel development is this?!"
"Not just that, I've also heard that Kurosawa confronted those delinquents from outside school to protect Ayashiro!"
"...Where are you all getting this information from?"
I could feel my migraine coming back.
The rumors had evolved into a version I couldn't even comprehend anymore.
"Ai! Are you alright? Do you need me to help you?" Yui was the first to rush over, with "overprotective" written all over her face. She even tried to take my schoolbag, which wasn't even heavy for me.
"I'm fine, Yui," I wearily avoided her hand. "I'm much better now."
"No way! Rin said you're a priority protection target right now, we absolutely can't let our guard down!" she said with a serious expression.
I turned to look at the other side of the classroom. Rin was sitting at her desk and gave me a slight nod as a greeting.
But the voice in her head was giving me real-time reports: "Report, partner, I have completed threat scanning of all personnel in the classroom, no anomalies detected. I have designated classmate Sato as a 'Level One Support Personnel,' responsible for providing close-range life assistance to you, to compensate for my limitations in certain social situations."
…What kind of weird settings have you been programming into Yui?!
I sat down at my desk, mentally and physically exhausted, just wanting to play dead.
Then, I saw in my desk... an extremely neatly bound file folder with documents inside.
The cover was printed in the largest bold font—
**《Collaborative Protection Plan for 'Partner' Ayashiro Ai V1.0 (Top Secret)》**
My mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.
With trembling hands, I opened this so-called "protection plan."
The first page was a table of contents.
"Chapter One: Daily Behavior Standards", "Chapter Two: Diet and Nutrition Management Plan", "Chapter Three: Emergency Response Protocols", "Chapter Four: Assessment and Management of Peripheral Interpersonal Relationship Risks"...
How is this a protection plan? This is clearly... a captivity manual, isn't it?!
I turned to Chapter Two and saw detailed regulations about diet.
"...Consumption of junk food exceeding 100 calories is prohibited, daily intake must include at least 5 vegetables of different colors, recommended recipes can be found in Appendix One..."
I flipped to Appendix One and saw food recipe charts drawn by Rin herself, as precise as architectural blueprints, listing everything from "Monday Breakfast: High-calcium low-fat milk with whole wheat fiber biscuits" to "Sunday Dinner: Deep-sea fish oil enhanced muscle-building meal set."
At the bottom of that chart, a line in red pen noted: "Note: All recipes above can be replaced with 'Complete Nutritional Recovery Meal' as the optimal solution."
My vision went black, and I almost fainted on the spot.
Just as I was about to tear up this terrifying document, Rin's mental transmission sounded again.
"This plan is the optimal solution based on a comprehensive analysis of your life data from the past 17 years, aimed at extending your average lifespan by at least 15%. If you have any objections, we can engage in 'friendly negotiations between partners' regarding specific terms."
"Friendly negotiations?" I seized on this key phrase.
"Yes," she replied, "For example, if you can complete the first stage of basic combat training within a week, I might consider replacing the 'nutritional recovery meal' in your diet with 'standard tamagoyaki' as a reward."
...This girl has already mastered the "carrot and stick" approach to perfection!
I looked at this absurd yet touching "protection plan" that revealed her awkward concern in every detail, then glanced at Rin who was "handing over" some precautionary notes to Yui not far away.
Sunlight poured in from the window, falling on the side of her face, making her cold features appear somewhat softer.
The threat from the "Ouroboros Consortium" had not disappeared.
That man called the "Professor" also hung over me like a sword, ready to fall at any moment.
My future would certainly not be peaceful.
But for some reason, my heart was no longer filled with the fear of the unknown and disgust at my own abilities as before.
Because I was no longer alone.
I had a "human weapon" partner who would risk her life for me.
I had a kind and cheerful childhood friend who worried about me.
I even... had acquired a "Care Manual" that was terrifying yet somehow reassuring.
"Hey, Rin." I closed the folder and said to her through thought transmission.
"What is it, partner?"
"After school today, teach me combat techniques," I said. "I want... to eat tamagoyaki soon."
Rin's body paused almost imperceptibly.
And then, I "heard" it.
From her heart that always operated like a precision instrument, came a hint of... an accelerated, light-hearted beat due to joy.
"Received. Training plan, generating immediately."
Outside the window, the wind blew across the playground, bringing the scent of grass and sunshine.
My high school life, perhaps from the very beginning, had deviated from the track of "tranquility."
But thinking about it now, this daily life full of complaints, crises, and... clumsy protection.
Seems, quite not bad after all.
(The End)
