A Certain Magical Index: The Primal Spirit Descends to My Side

The classroom fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even noisier discussion. Everyone in the classroom became restless upon hearing the name, for no other reason than that the surname Chonggong was extremely rare throughout the country.

"Mio Takamiya...?"

"So that's really her name..."

"When I introduced myself, I thought it was a joke..."

"But it's so rare... I can't believe someone actually uses this kind of name in real life..."

Saten Ruiko sat in her seat, her gaze fixed on the gray-haired girl on the podium.

"Alright, alright, everyone quiet down~" Teacher Xiaomeng spoke in her sweet voice, calming the students down.

Mio Takamiya stepped forward, her gray eyes slowly lifting. She didn't take any notes or write on the blackboard; she simply scanned the entire classroom with her calm, almost transparent eyes.

"Everyone here... has been lying in a hospital bed for more than three days."

The classroom suddenly fell silent. A few people shifted their bodies subconsciously, as if they had been touched upon something they didn't want to recall.

"You lost consciousness because of the 'Imagine Master,' and your bodies underwent changes that you could not see during the long period of stillness."

Mio Takamiya's voice was calm as she turned and wrote on the blackboard, her handwriting as precise as a textbook. "Your muscles will begin to atrophy if they are not used. This process is faster than you think; in just three days, the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscle fibers will begin to decrease. If it lasts more than a week, the soft tissue around the joints will become stiff. If the coma lasts more than ten days, the risk of falling after resuming walking is three times that of an ordinary person."

"The fact that you are sitting here today indicates that your recovery has met the discharge criteria. However, this does not mean that your bodies have returned to the state they were in before you fell into a coma."

Saten Ruiko unconsciously clenched her fingers. She remembered that when she first woke up, she felt dizzy even sitting up in bed, and her knees trembled when she took her first step. At the time, the nurse said it was normal, and she didn't think much of it.

But now, listening to the other person list things out in such a calm tone, she suddenly realized that everyone sitting in this classroom had experienced the same things as her.

"So today's lesson won't cover the textbook. Instead, I'll talk about three things you need to pay attention to." Mio Takamiya placed her hands on the table.

"First, muscle strength recovery takes time. Your limbs, especially your lower limbs, may only have about 70% of the strength they had before you fell into a coma. This means that actions that you normally take for granted may now overload your muscles. Running, jumping, lifting heavy objects, or even standing for long periods can cause muscle strains or joint injuries. In the next one to two weeks, you must warm up more thoroughly than usual before engaging in any physical activity."

"Secondly, your sense of balance may have decreased. Prolonged bed rest can affect the sensitivity of the vestibular system, so people who have just been discharged from the hospital are prone to dizziness, unsteadiness, and disorientation. Always hold the handrail when going up or down stairs. Don't look at your phone while walking. Students who cycle to and from school are advised to walk or take public transportation for the next few days."

A soft sigh escaped someone's lips in the classroom, but it was quickly suppressed.

"Third, and most importantly..." Mio Takamiya paused, but her words kept everyone in the classroom from looking away.

"You might think that you're all better now. You can walk, run, and live a normal life, so there's nothing special you need to pay attention to. But those subtle damages in your body, such as micro-tears in muscles, slight misalignments in joints, and the fact that your nervous system's reaction speed hasn't fully recovered, are accumulating in places you can't see."

"If you push your bodies too hard in the next two weeks because you feel 'okay,' there's a high chance of secondary injury. The mildest injury could be a muscle strain, which can recover with a few days of rest. But if you fall and break a bone, or miss a step on the stairs due to dizziness, you'll have to go back to the hospital."

"So when you feel unwell, such as dizziness, fatigue, joint pain, or a rapid heartbeat, please tell us immediately. Tell your teacher, your classmates, and the people around you."

Mio Takamiya showed no change in expression despite the applause. She simply stepped back to the side of the podium, giving her seat back to Ms. Komoe.

"Ahem~" Teacher Xiaomeng cleared her throat, a hint of barely perceptible emotion in her voice, "Thank you to the special lecturer for the wonderful explanation! Everyone, please remember what you just heard! Your health is the foundation of learning!"

She glanced at the clock on the wall; the hands were already pointing to eleven. "Alright, it's almost lunchtime! Everyone worked hard this morning! We'll meet again at 1:30 PM for a practical lesson led by another teacher!"

A sigh of relief and the sound of chairs being pulled out filled the classroom. Saten Ruiko stood up, stretched, and found the morning's classes much easier than she had expected, even leaving her wanting more.

"I'm so tired..." Akemi's voice was weak and listless. She slumped on the table as if all her bones had been removed, her cheek pressed against the cold surface, her eyes half-closed. "I feel like my body has been hollowed out..."

Saten Ruiko couldn't help but laugh at her appearance. "What are you doing, acting like an old lady..."

"If I am an old lady, then you are the old lady's granddaughter..." Mingmei mumbled with her eyes closed, too weak to even lift her head.

Saten Ruiko reached out and poked her cheek. The soft, warm touch was there. "Get up. What if you collapse first?"

"I can't take it anymore..." Akemi rolled over, resting her other cheek on the table. "Let me sleep like this forever..."

Saten Ruiko watched her friend's completely resigned expression, and her shoulders trembled even more violently—a smile that couldn't be suppressed when seeing her best friend make such an exaggerated move. She pursed her lips, trying to stifle her laughter, but the curve of her lips just wouldn't go away.

Her gaze unconsciously followed the gray-haired girl who was tidying up the podium. She wanted to go up and say hello, to thank her savior again, but the girl had already walked out of the classroom with Teacher Xiaomeng.

"Never mind..." she muttered to herself, then turned to look at Akemi and the others. "Let's go have lunch."

"Okay!" Mingmei jumped up from the table, full of energy. "I'm starving!"

Saten Ruiko followed the crowd out of the classroom and into the corridor. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting bright strips of light on the floor. Following the signs, she found the direction of the cafeteria, but froze the moment she pushed open the door.

The spacious canteen was empty; the roller shutters at the windows were all pulled down, and through the gaps, one could see that it was pitch black inside. The stove was covered with a dust cloth, and the pots and pans were neatly stored on the shelves.

The cafeteria is closed.

"No way..." Saten Ruiko stood at the door, looking at the scene before her, unsure of what expression to make.

"Huh? Why isn't it open?" Akemi peeked out from behind her, equally dumbfounded. "Is it closed for summer vacation?"

"It's so unreasonable that the cafeteria isn't open at this time..." Mako complained. "It's during tutoring period, they should at least prepare lunch..."

"I didn't bring any money..." Xiao Mu said softly, feeling her pockets. "I was in such a rush to leave that I forgot my wallet..."

Saten Ruiko patted her schoolbag and realized she hadn't brought her lunch. "I'll think of something..." she muttered dejectedly, then turned and walked towards a corner of the cafeteria.

The cafeteria wasn't completely empty; in a corner seat by the window sat a girl who looked somewhat familiar.

The woman was wearing a plain short-sleeved shirt and a dark blue skirt with several creases. She sat there quietly, with a lunchbox wrapped in a cloth in front of her. What was most striking was her bangs, which completely covered her left eye.

Saten Ruiko remembered her; it was she who used a stun gun to shock people in the schoolyard before, and then drew thick eyebrows on them. Even Saten Ruiko was unfortunately hit once, and it took her several days to remove the shock.

In the classroom, the girl sat in the row by the window and hardly spoke to anyone. She seemed to be a student like Saten Ruiko and the others, attending this special tutoring session for some reason, but Saten Ruiko didn't know which school she came from or what the reason was.

"Um..." Saten Ruiko tentatively took two steps closer, "You didn't bring lunch either?"

The girl looked up, a slightly flustered expression on her face. She quickly lowered her head, covering her bangs with her left hand. Her face flushed, she replied, "No... I brought it."

After she finished speaking, she looked down at the lunchbox in front of her, then at Saten Ruiko's empty hands, and hesitated for a moment.

"If you don't mind, Saten-san... we can eat together." Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being overheard. Saten Ruiko paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Really? Thank you so much! You've been a huge help! By the way, you are…" Saten Ruiko thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered the girl's name from her memory. "…Shigefuku Shoho-kun, right?"

"Yes~" Shigefuku Shoho smiled and pushed the bento box in front of Saten Ruiko, gently opening the lid. The bento box contained a variety of dishes: fried chicken nuggets, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), cherry tomatoes, stir-fried broccoli, and a small ball of rice sprinkled with sesame seeds. The portion was indeed quite generous, enough for two people to share.

"Wow, did you make all of this yourself?" Saten Ruiko pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, her eyes lighting up.

"Hmm..." Chongfu Shengfan nodded, took out a pair of spare chopsticks from a compartment in the bento box, and handed them to her. "Please use these..."

Saten Ruiko took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fried chicken, and put it in her mouth. The crispy skin wrapped around the juicy meat, and the seasoning was just right, neither too salty nor too bland.

"So delicious..."

"Thanks…"

A faint blush rose on Shigefuku Shoho's face, and her eyebrows relaxed slightly, softening her overall demeanor. She looked like a shy newlywed wife being praised, which made Saten Ruiko feel a little embarrassed.

The two were eating lunch in a quiet corner of the cafeteria, with sunlight streaming in through the window and casting warm patches of light on the table.

"Is Shigefuku here for tutoring too?" Saten Ruiko asked casually while eating rice, but regretted it as soon as she said it.

As expected, Shigefuku Shoho's chopsticks paused, and her voice lowered. "Um... it's because of 'Imagine Mistress'..."

"Ah, it's alright, it's alright!" Saten Ruiko quickly waved her hand, "I'm already very happy to be able to eat together."

Shigefuku Shoho looked up, glanced at Saten Ruiko for a few seconds, then nodded slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips. "Thank you..."

The two continued eating. Saten Ruiko said some trivial things, and Shigefuku Shoho listened quietly, occasionally nodding and occasionally letting out a soft "hmm".

She didn't say much about herself, but Saten Ruiko could sense that she was simply not good at talking, or rather, not used to talking to people. That cautious kindness—sharing her bento with a stranger, listening quietly to others, and blushing slightly when praised—gave Saten Ruiko an indescribable feeling.

After finishing her meal, Shigefuku Shoho tidied up her lunchbox and carefully wrapped it in a cloth. She stood up and gave Saten Ruiko a slight bow. "I'll head back to the classroom now."

"Yes! Thank you so much, Shigefuku-kun!" Saten Ruiko also stood up. "Let's have dinner together again sometime!"

Shigefuku Shoho paused for a moment, his voice still soft, but with a hint of warmth that was barely perceptible. "Okay..."

-

When lunch break ended, Saten Ruiko returned to the classroom and found several classmates gathered together discussing something. She went over to listen.

"I heard that the afternoon practical class will be taught by that PE teacher..."

"Huh? That guy's a security guard..."

"Really?"

Saten Ruiko paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched her full stomach. She had a feeling the afternoon training would be difficult; was eating this much really the right choice?

"Alright, hurry up and go to the playground! The teacher won't wait for you!"

Saten Ruiko nodded, then turned and ran towards the playground. The sun was shining brightly, and the wind, carrying the sultry heat of summer, brushed against her cheeks. After a few steps, she looked back.

The playground echoed with Aiho Yomi's loud whistle and commands, along with the students' sighs of despair. As she ran out of the school building, she saw Akemi and the others already being herded onto the track to start running.

"Rinko! Come quick..." Akemi shouted at her, "This teacher is really strict!"

Aiho Yomikawa stood by the track, arms crossed. "Go for it! You can rest after the last three laps!"

Saten Ruiko ran onto the playground and joined the running group. The wind whistled in her ears, and the sound of footsteps echoed neatly on the track. As she ran, she looked at the other students.

"Hey! Students over there! Don't look around while you're running!" Aiho Yomikawa's voice was as loud as a megaphone. Did she really just shout it out?

Saten Ruiko quickly turned around and quickened her pace. The summer breeze blew through her hair, warm and pleasant, carrying the scent of sweat and grass.