Doctor Lu

"Cartethyia, can I carry you?"

"Huh? H-huh?!"

The sudden question exploded like a thunderclap in Cartethyia's ears.

Her entire body went rigid, her mind going blank in an instant. The blush that had just begun to fade swept across her cheeks again, burning all the way to the tips of her ears.

Her clear blue eyes widened as she stared blankly at Wuling, three short, faltering exclamations spilling from her lips in succession.

"Both your ankles look sprained. Even if I helped you walk, hopping on one foot would be too dangerous. It'd be even worse if you fell and hurt yourself again."

Seeing how flustered and dazed she was, Wuling quickly softened his tone and patiently explained what he had in mind.

"I can carry you to the infirmary so you won't have to put weight on your injured feet. It isn't far, but if you're really uncomfortable with that, I can go get the school doctor first."

Cartethyia bit her lower lip and lowered her long lashes in a fluster.

A dull ache throbbed through her ankles, and the slightest movement sent a sharp pain spreading along her bones.

She knew that in her current state, she really couldn't make it to the infirmary on her own, even with someone supporting her.

But having him carry her in his arms was just too embarrassing.

Nearly all their classmates had left the classroom, leaving only the two of them in the empty room.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, and it was so quiet she could even hear her own pounding heartbeat.

She clenched her hands at her sides, her fingertips trembling slightly. After hesitating for a long time, she finally squeezed out a reply barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"...Th-then, sorry for the trouble."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurriedly shut her eyes, unable to look at Wuling anymore.

With her permission, Wuling carefully adjusted his posture, sliding one arm securely beneath the girl's knees and the other gently around her back. With gentle, steady movements, he slowly lifted Cartethyia into his arms.

The girl was light. Her body instinctively tensed, and her hands fluttered about helplessly. After a moment's hesitation, she finally took cautious hold of Wuling's shirtfront. Her soft golden hair hung down, and a faint, sweet fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.

Cartethyia quietly turned her burning cheeks aside and bowed her head, doing her best to keep Wuling from seeing her crimson face. Her heart was pounding wildly.

Wuling steadied himself and stepped carefully around the books and other items scattered on the floor, slowly making his way out of the classroom.

"Just a little farther. We'll be there soon."

Wuling spoke softly to reassure the girl in his arms.

Cartethyia gave a faint murmur in response.

A breeze drifted in through the corridor windows, stirring a loose strand of her golden hair.

She quietly raised her eyes and stole a glance at the profile so close to her, then quickly lowered her head again, her heart still racing uncontrollably.

Although some time had passed since class ended, plenty of students were still in the teaching building, and the sight of Wuling carrying Cartethyia made quite a few of them look back.

Wuling thought nothing of it; it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. But Cartethyia kept her head buried in his arms, afraid to raise it. To her, this was no different from a public execution.

Above them, Abu held a camera and kept taking pictures of the pair, producing a new photo almost every two seconds.

In less than four minutes, Wuling had reached the infirmary.

At the infirmary entrance, a pink-and-white artificial intelligence robot was handling reception. It seemed to be called N.A.N.A. Who knew where Star Torch Academy had gotten such an intelligent robot? It felt as though a change to its skin texture would make it just like a real person.

Seeing Wuling approach with Cartethyia in his arms, N.A.N.A hurried forward to ask what had happened.

After learning that Cartethyia had sprained her ankles, N.A.N.A quickly settled them inside the infirmary.

There was no one else in the infirmary except for a tall figure with long golden hair standing inside. Judging by his clothes, he was probably the school doctor.

"Sit here."

N.A.N.A gestured toward an empty bed nearby.

Wuling walked slowly to the examination bed, bent down slightly, and carefully set Cartethyia down on it.

The school doctor came over and spoke to the two of them.

"Hello, I'm Lu Hess, the school doctor at Star Torch Academy. You can call me Doctor Lu. What sort of injury does this student have?"

"She sprained her ankles. She tripped and fell just now."

Wuling gave Doctor Lu a concise account of what had happened, his gaze falling on Cartethyia's slightly swollen ankles.

Hearing this, Doctor Lu crouched down and spoke gently.

"Please take off your shoes and socks so I can have a look. There's no need to be nervous."

Cartethyia hesitated for a moment, then slowly bent down and tried to take off her shoes, her fingers somewhat clumsy. But the slightest movement of her injured ankles brought an immediate, sharp, dull pain. She trembled, sucked in a breath, and stopped.

"Don't force it."

The school doctor gently advised against it. "Pulling at them carelessly after a sprain can easily make the soft tissue damage worse."

Wuling stood to one side and took half a step forward when he saw this, but, mindful of boundaries, stopped a short distance away.

"Cartethyia, do you need a hand?"

Cartethyia's shoulders trembled slightly. She wanted to shake her head, but even the slightest movement brought a sharp pain. After hesitating again and again, she finally nodded gently.

With her permission, Wuling stepped forward and crouched down. He carefully untied Cartethyia's shoelaces, then supported her calf with one hand and pulled downward on the sole with the other, removing her shoe.

Then Wuling took hold of Cartethyia's sock and gently peeled it off from top to bottom, revealing her fair little foot.

He did the same with her other foot, and soon both shoes and socks were off.

Doctor Lu carefully examined Cartethyia's slightly swollen ankles, gently pressing his fingertips around them several times.

"Fortunately, it's only a mild sprain. The bones are fine, and there aren't any major problems with the ligaments either."

The school doctor straightened up and slowly gave his instructions as he arranged the medical supplies beside him.

"You'll need to apply ice for four hours to reduce the swelling. Walk as little as possible, and don't force yourself to put weight on them. The school's medical ice packs can be used for twenty minutes. When the ice melts, tell N.A.N.A and have it replace them."

N.A.N.A turned and took a gel ice pack from the refrigerator, wrapped it in soft cotton cloth, and handed it over steadily.

Doctor Lu took the ice pack and gently placed it on Cartethyia's swollen ankle.

The moment she felt the cold, Cartethyia instinctively flinched. Then she let out a relieved breath as the pain drilling into her bones eased slightly.

After giving them all his instructions, Doctor Lu went into the adjoining room to sort the medicine, leaving a little space to the two of them.

Cartethyia sat on the examination bed with her legs stretched out and the ice pack resting securely against her swollen ankle. She quietly turned her head to look at the young man standing beside her.

Sunlight streamed through the infirmary's clean glass windows onto Wuling's profile, its contours soft and clear.

The moment she recalled being carried in his arms, a faint warmth rose in the girl's cheeks again. She hurriedly looked away, lowering her gaze to the floor as her fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of her skirt.

"Will you be all right here on your own?"

Wuling broke the silence.

"I have plans with someone at noon, so I'm sorry I can't stay here with you. Will you be all right on your own? Or should I ask your roommate to come check on you?"

"I-I'll be fine. There's no problem."

Before she had finished speaking, her stomach growled at an inopportune moment.

"Are you hungry? The infirmary has a few simple nutritional meals for students who don't have time to eat because of an emergency. Don't worry, they're free."

Doctor Lu had just come out of the adjoining room and happened to hear the sound.

"Mm, then sorry for the trouble, Doctor Lu."

Cartethyia had intended to refuse, but when she heard the last part about it being free, and since she hadn't eaten breakfast and was indeed rather hungry, she couldn't resist in the end.

"Then stay here for now. I have something to do, so I'll be going. Remember to let me know when you're better."

Hearing that he was about to leave, Cartethyia felt an inexplicable trace of emptiness. She hurriedly raised her head, her blue eyes fixed on Wuling.

"Wuling."

"Hm?" Wuling stopped and looked back at her.

The girl pressed her lips together, her cheeks still faintly flushed, and solemnly gave him a slight bow.

"Today... thank you so much."

"It was just a small favor. You don't need to dwell on it."

A faint, gentle smile curved Wuling's lips. "Rest your ankles and walk as little as possible. I'll be going."

With that, he turned and walked slowly out of the infirmary.