Home/I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family/ch61

Chapter 61

Ber froze stiff beside Kaien's shoe.

Of all people.

If she had to run into someone, why him!

In her panic, even the impulse of spring's power vanished. She knew she needed to escape, but her body wouldn't move.

"......"

His pale, sallow skin and dark hollows beneath his eyes. A thinner, more slender build than other boys his age.

Those descriptions always accompanied Kaien in the original. But the Kaien before her now—

Had good color, no dark circles, and wasn't particularly slender.

Isn't that broader than most his age?

Louis was a year younger, but he was naturally healthy and had trained in swordsmanship since childhood—and Kaien's shoulders seemed broader than Louis's...?

There was no need to search for Kaien's marks—one look was enough.

He's the picture of a healthy young man!

The certainty that she'd already changed the original plot two years ago only made her head throb more.

Meanwhile, Kaien stared intently at the animal that had appeared before him.

A small creature about half the size of his shoe. White fur, long ears, legs longer than those of an ordinary rabbit.

An Arctic hare.

Kaien was momentarily transfixed—then the rabbit began pressing its head with its front paws as if in pain.

"Are—are you okay?"

Kaien quickly crouched down to check on the rabbit. The rabbit, clutching its head and squirming, let out a pained cry.

Startled by the sound—the first rabbit cry he'd ever heard—Kaien urgently reached out. His fingers brushed against the white fur as he tried to lift it. At that moment, the rabbit's back stiffened.

Soon, it began trembling—a reaction unmistakably filled with fear. Perhaps it smelled the wolf. It felt like just yesterday he'd been mocked for not even smelling like a predator, let alone a wolf.

"It's all right."

Smiling, Kaien said quietly.

"I'll take you to the infirmary."

At his careful touch and voice, Ber was bewildered.

"I don't intend to hurt you. So please don't be too frightened, okay?"

A gentle smile and a sweet voice.

Beyond surprise, she was baffled.

...Something.

His vibe was so different from the original Kaien.

Soon, the tension left Ber's body. Confirming the rabbit had relaxed, Kaien carefully lifted the small bundle of fur.

Kaien walked quickly, yet her vision didn't blur—he was carrying her that carefully.

His hands were cold. That coolness seemed to soothe her heated body, and Ber unconsciously rubbed her back against his palm.

The throbbing in her temples, the burning fever, the tightness in her chest—all seemed to ease.

Ber closed her eyes. Her body swayed gently, as if on calm waves.

Soon, consciousness faded.

"......!"

Her awareness returned.

Sitting up, she quickly looked around. A curtain was drawn around the bed she lay on.

The infirmary.

Checking herself, she'd returned to human form. Since she'd been undressed, she covered her upper body with the blanket—just as the curtain opened.

"You're awake."

It was the nurse—the same one from two years ago.

"Is anything bothering you?"

Ber nodded silently.

There was nothing bothering her. The headache, fever, and breathing difficulties had all vanished.

Why had it suddenly improved again?

Even after two years of training spring's power, it remained a mysterious force.

"Do you remember? You animalized in the garden, they said. You had quite a fever... Hmm, you seem better now."

The nurse checked Ber's forehead briefly and smiled.

"Here's your uniform and shoes. The friend who brought you here picked them up."

Ber gave a brief thank you and took the uniform and shoes. The nurse drew the curtain for her to change.

After dressing and opening the curtain, the nurse smiled and handed her something.

A document resembling a visitor log—apparently for recording students who visited the infirmary.

"Since I'm often away on weekends, it was lucky I was here."

"...I'm sorry."

Ber apologized out of courtesy as she filled out the log.

"Nothing to apologize for. Come to the infirmary anytime you're unwell. And as a beast-person, it's normal to animalize occasionally when tired or sometimes for no reason—especially in adolescence. So don't be embarrassed."

It was a warm explanation, but sudden animalization was all too familiar to Ber. So she wasn't embarrassed.

Pallas had once offered an uncharacteristically comforting remark—it was inevitable as long as she harbored spring's power.

"Yes, thank you."

Ber bowed and handed over the completed log.

Taking it, the nurse met Ber's eyes—then gasped as if realizing something.

"You're that girl, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

"Don't you remember? Well, that day was eventful. You brought an animalized beast-person to the infirmary and collapsed in front of it."

At the nurse's mention of that day two years ago, Ber's fingertips twitched.

"I didn't know you'd entered the Academy. Is your health better now?"

When Ber nodded quietly, the nurse sighed in relief and said:

"Your name is... Verdiana. Oh my, come to think of it, the black wolf student you brought in that day was the one who brought you here today. I suppose you've repaid each other. Do you know his name? He's a third-year—"

"Ah, I know."

Ber cut the nurse off hastily and ran out of the infirmary.

"I'll thank him later myself—bye!"

Running frantically to the dormitory, Ber swallowed dryly.

If the nurse had only just recognized her, Kaien likely still didn't realize—that she was the one who had brought him to the infirmary that day.

Maybe it was lucky we met when I was a rabbit.

He might have seen her face two years ago, after all.

But even if he had, he wouldn't think she'd cured him—curing an incurable lung disease overnight was unbelievable even to her.

So I just need to avoid him from now on.

Biting her lower lip, Ber tried to calm her anxious heart.

---

The lung disease he'd been diagnosed with as incurable—had healed overnight.

Since then, Kaien's circumstances had drastically changed. He'd fully secured the heir's position that had seemed about to slip away, and his father's new wife and her son could voice no objections.

Because Kaien's swordsmanship skill had become undeniable—truly befitting the next marquis.

After being declared fully recovered, Kaien had undergone grueling rehabilitation every day. Once he could move like a healthy person, he devoted himself to swordsmanship training—and quickly reached a level that satisfied his father.

Even now, he didn't know the cause.

Who, what, and how had led his broken body to recovery—none of it had been revealed.

Only one thing was certain: that day, two years ago, when he'd collapsed after clashing with Raoul—his illness had been completely cured.

But Kaien was simply glad. A healthy time, whether by chance or by necessity. He wanted to burn through it—to be recognized as the perfect heir, and to extract an apology from his father for bringing in a new wife.

And so today, he was returning to the dormitory after a pleasant weekend of training.

Walking along the shortcut, something suddenly caught on his foot, and he stopped.

Looking down, he saw a white bundle of fur—a small animal.

An Arctic hare.

Identifying it, Kaien's mind drifted to the old legend he'd once clung to.

A dubious legend that Eostre's next incarnation, if born, would be an Arctic hare beast-person.

Why was that legendary animal rolling on the grass of the Imperial Academy?

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