Chapter 42: Teacher, You’re Not Dead!

“Ugh…”

Polaris groaned in pain as she turned over on the hospital bed, accidentally tugging the IV tube administering alchemical healing potions.
The needle shifted inside her, jolting her awake with a sharp sting.

“What’s going on… I’m not dead?”

Struggling to sit up, Polaris realized she was in a hospital room.
She scanned her surroundings for clues about her location.

Turning to her left, she noticed a figure wrapped entirely in bandages.
Thankfully, the IV pole was long enough.
Polaris climbed out of bed, barefoot, and approached the neighboring bed to see who this “mummy” was.

“Is this… Jin Yan?”

Through the small window of gauze covering the figure’s face, Polaris glimpsed a strand of red hair and a serene face that looked almost lifeless.

Her gaze shifted to the headboard, where an information panel confirmed:
Name/Codename: Jin Yan, Age: 16, Condition: Fractures, Location: Tongzhou City Mage Corps Hospital.

How did we end up in the east side of the city? Polaris scratched her head.

She glanced at her IV pole, noticing it was mobile, and dragged it to the window on the left side of Jin Yan’s bed.

Whoosh!

Pulling back the curtain, she saw the sky outside, still dim, with occasional cool breezes.
Given the summer weather, it was likely around 6 a.m.

Breathing in the fresh air, Polaris couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of life and her fortune to still be breathing.

But fresh air was enough for now—Jin Yan was still bedridden.
Thinking of this, Polaris closed the window and drew the curtain.

Though a magical girl could probably handle a cool breeze, who could be sure?

Polaris returned to her bed, lying down and wiggling her feet, clad in white stockings.
Noticing the stockings were intact, she recalled how her clothes had been torn in multiple places during the battle with the fly-beast and worm-beast at the abandoned site.

Yet now, they were pristine, as if fresh from the factory.
She tugged at the tip of her stocking, watching it snap back.
Magic is too versatile.
Her injuries had healed well, and her ceremonial outfit was fully restored.

But who saved me?

Polaris tried to recall the soft, fragrant embrace she’d fallen into during her daze—like her mother’s.
Could it have been Mom?

She shook her head after some thought.
Her mother was just an ordinary university professor, still on her honeymoon with Dad, not yet back home.
It couldn’t have been her.

Then… Lu Ming?

Polaris pictured Lu Ming, lying in the rubble, limbs broken, body pierced by steel rebars.
There was no way she could have caught her falling from the sky.

Teacher Lu Ming was so badly injured, bleeding so much…

Polaris curled up, frightened, her white-stockinged feet fidgeting restlessly.

Teacher Lu Ming is probably dead.

Teacher Lu Ming… I was just starting to see her differently. I never got to thank her for saving me from falling, never got to talk properly with her, never got to learn from her lessons…

And now, there’s no chance left.

As Polaris mourned Lu Ming, the sound of the doorknob turning echoed through the room.

Hearing it, she quickly lay flat, stretching her legs to feign the image of a good patient.

When she turned toward the door, her breath caught, and she sat up again.

It was Liu Lian, carrying a basket of fruit.

“Liu Lian, how did you know Jin Yan and I were here?” Polaris asked, puzzled.

Realizing how foolish her question sounded, she quickly added, “I mean, I’m really glad you came to visit us.”

“It’s only right,” Liu Lian said with a smile, placing the fruit basket on the bedside table and pulling a chair to sit beside Polaris.

“It’s a good thing you had something else going on that day.
Did you hear about us getting attacked by the worm-beast?” Polaris asked.

“Of course I know,” Liu Lian replied.

“Then… do you know how Teacher Lu Ming is?
Is she… still alive?” Polaris asked cautiously.

“She’s very much alive,” Liu Lian said, lifting one of Polaris’s feet and gently massaging up from her ankle.

“Hey, Liu Lian, what are you doing?!” Polaris yelped, startled.
She hadn’t expected the refined and gentle Liu Lian to do something so bold.

“Stop, it tickles!” Polaris bent her knee, trying to pull back her stockinged leg.
Liu Lian, seeing this, let go cooperatively, satisfied that Polaris’s injuries had mostly healed.

Old habits from checking Lu Ming’s injuries, Liu Lian thought.
Hope Little Moon’s daughter doesn’t hate me.

“Sorry, I just wanted to check if your injuries were healed,” Liu Lian said apologetically.

“You can’t just—ugh, never mind,” Polaris shook her head.

“Do you know… what happened to Teacher Lu Ming?
Is she alive or… dead?”

“If she’s dead… where’s her body?”

“I want to see her.”

To Polaris’s flurry of questions, Liu Lian responded with a single sentence:

“Teacher Lu Ming is alive and kicking,” she said with a smile.

“No way! You’re lying!” Polaris’s emotions flared, but she quickly calmed down, burying her head and hugging her knees.

“She was clearly dead. Why would you say that to comfort me?”

Lifting her head, eyes moist, Polaris apologized to Liu Lian: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

Her tears stained the white stockings on her knees.

Seeing this, Liu Lian’s heart ached.
She sat on the bed, hugging Polaris and stroking her back.

“It’s okay, I forgive you,” Liu Lian said.

Click.

The door opened again, and a familiar voice from Polaris’s memory rang out.

“Hm? Polaris, you’re awake. Come eat breakfast.”

Polaris looked up, incredulous, at a slightly shorter, younger, and cuter version of Lu Ming, dressed in a more adorable style.

“Teacher Lu Ming, you’re not dead…”

At her words, Lu Ming’s smiling face froze for a moment, but she maintained her expression, handing Polaris a bag of steamed buns and a thermos of chicken soup.

“I’m tough to kill. I got lucky,” Lu Ming said lightly.

“But you were so badly injured…”

“It’s a miracle,” Lu Ming interrupted.

“Notice anything different about me?” Lu Ming twirled in front of Polaris.

“You look younger… and cuter?” Polaris wiped her tears, stroking her chin in thought.

“Not just that,” Lu Ming said, stopping her twirl.
She extended her right hand to her chest, where grayish mana gathered, forming a delicate, palm-sized scythe in her grip.

“Now, call me Magical Girl Abyss.”

“I’ve awakened as a magical girl,” Abyss said to Polaris.