Chapter 176: A Visit from the School Nurse

Chapter 176: Chapter 176: A Visit from the School Nurse

Chapter 176: A Visit from the School Nurse

After arranging time off from both St. Alder and The Full Moon Lounge, Cyrus Calder finally had nowhere he needed to be.

He ate a few snacks from the kitchen to settle his stomach, then opened his diary and compared the newest entries against what he could still remember.

There was a small amount of loss.

Nothing serious.

A few details from older memories felt thinner than before, but there were no sudden missing years and no major gaps he could identify.

That was good enough.

Once Cyrus finished checking, he looked down at himself and sighed.

Then, despite knowing he would dislike it, he went into the bathroom and took a hot shower.

The heat did not help much.

Without enough Frostborn suppressants in his system, the biological reaction he normally kept under control had come back far more aggressively than expected. His mind kept producing unwanted images no matter how firmly he tried to redirect his attention.

Rhea appeared in one memory.

Daphne appeared in another.

Even when Cyrus closed his eyes, the darkness did not stop his imagination from supplying faces and fragments he would rather not think about.

He hated it.

This was not something he could simply reason himself out of.

His body was reacting according to Frostborn biology, and whatever part of him operated on instinct did not care whether the rest of him found the situation inconvenient.

Cyrus frowned.

The real problem was not his body.

The real problem was his bloodline.

Then he corrected himself.

No, the real problem was Isolde.

And maybe the two women who had created several memories he would have preferred not to possess.

Apparently using suppressants for so long had made the rebound feel worse now that his supply was nearly gone.

Cyrus did not even have the concentration to alter his hair back to its usual dark color.

After several minutes of growing increasingly irritated, he made a decision.

His body shifted into its younger Frostborn form.

Then Cyrus immediately pulled out a mathematics workbook.

If biology refused to cooperate, he would drown it in equations.

It was an old solution.

Not a perfect one, but reliable enough.

The younger form reduced some of the physical intensity, while difficult exercises gave his mind something else to focus on.

For more than two hours, Cyrus worked through problem after problem.

Functions. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Equations.

Proofs.

By the time he finally put down his pencil, his thoughts were filled with numbers rather than anything troublesome.

That counted as success.

As long as he stayed away from certain parts of the internet and avoided giving his imagination unnecessary material, he could probably survive the rest of the day without much difficulty.

Cyrus checked the time.

It was almost noon.

His phone had accumulated several messages from classmates asking whether he was feeling better.

He answered enough of them to avoid causing concern.

Then he opened a delivery app.

A month ago, he had barely known how to use one properly.

Now he scrolled through restaurants with the confidence of someone who had already developed strong opinions about delivery fees.

Cyrus eventually ordered a large serving of fish in pickled mustard broth.

The pictures looked excellent.

While waiting, he opened a game on his phone.

The graphics immediately impressed him.

The characters were detailed, the environments were enormous, and the game allowed him to wander almost anywhere he wanted.

Cyrus barely understood half the systems, but he did not need to.

Exploring the map was enough to waste time pleasantly.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

Cyrus reluctantly stopped playing.

Before answering, he returned to his normal adult appearance.

He walked toward the entrance and opened the door.

Before it was fully open, he noticed a familiar fragrance.

Cyrus paused.

Then he saw who was standing outside.

His brows drew together immediately.

Vera Sable smiled at him.

She held a large container of the exact lunch Cyrus had ordered.

"I heard one of my students was sick, so naturally I came to check on him."

Cyrus said nothing.

His eyes moved toward the food in her hands.

Vera noticed.

"This?"

She lifted the container slightly.

"I happened to run into the delivery guy downstairs. We were coming to the same apartment, so I helped him out."

The satisfaction on her face suggested she considered the entire thing very clever.

Cyrus reached for his food.

Vera smoothly moved it out of reach.

His expression flattened.

"What do you want?"

Vera looked innocent.

"Nothing unusual. Is it strange for a school nurse to visit a sick student?"

She tilted her head.

"I even brought medicine."

Cyrus stared at her.

Vera’s smile became mysterious.

"There is only one tiny problem. I’m a little hungry too."

She lifted the lunch again.

"Would you mind letting your teacher eat with you?"

Cyrus answered immediately.

"You can keep it."

Vera blinked.

Cyrus started closing the door.

He would rather lose lunch than reward this behavior.

Vera apparently still believed food could control him too easily.

That assumption was insulting.

Cyrus Calder had survived much worse than missing one meal.

The door shut.

For half a second, the hallway became quiet.

Then the doorbell exploded into noise.

Vera pressed it repeatedly with the determination of someone who had no intention of leaving until she got what she wanted.

Cyrus stood inside and stared toward the entrance.

The ringing continued.

He eventually opened the door again.

His expression was considerably colder.

Vera met his eyes without flinching.

"Let me inside. I actually have something important to say."

"You can say it from there."

For once, Vera’s playful expression faded slightly.

Her voice became more serious.

"I wasn’t the one who reported your job to the dean."

Cyrus’s face barely changed.

"All right."

Vera waited.

That was it?

She frowned slightly.

"I’m telling you the truth."

Cyrus gave a small nod.

"If that is all you came to say, then I heard you."

His hand moved toward the door again.

Vera felt a strange irritation rise.

"I haven’t lied to you before."

Cyrus looked at her.

Vera continued, "At least not about something like this. I had no reason to report you."

Cyrus remembered several occasions when Vera had been selective with the truth, but arguing over definitions would accomplish nothing.

He remained calm.

"I understand."

The door continued closing.

Vera reacted immediately.

She reached out and tried stopping it with her hand.

Unfortunately for her, their physical strength was nowhere close.

The door kept moving.

Cyrus noticed her fingers near the frame and stopped before they were caught.

Vera had already braced herself for pain.

When it never came, she looked down.

Cyrus stared at her through the remaining opening.

A trace of helpless amusement entered his eyes.

She knew perfectly well a closing door could hurt her hand, yet she had still tried blocking it.

For someone who enjoyed acting clever, Vera occasionally made remarkably poor decisions.

"I can prove I wasn’t the one who reported you."

Cyrus paused.

Vera immediately seized the opportunity.

"I’m serious."

Cyrus considered her for a moment.

"Take your hand away. I’ll open the door again in a minute."

Vera narrowed her eyes.

Her voice dropped.

"You had better not be lying to me."

Cyrus actually laughed softly.

That response made Vera even more suspicious.

Still, she withdrew her hand.

Cyrus closed the door.

Then he went straight to the nightstand.

The final two suppressant pills were waiting there.

He swallowed both.

The amount was not enough to provide full control for long, but it was better than speaking with Vera while his Frostborn biology remained completely unrestrained.

Only after taking them did Cyrus realize something else.

When he first opened the door, his hair had still been white.

He had not bothered hiding that detail at all.

Then again, Vera already knew what he was.

There was little point pretending otherwise with her.

Cyrus returned to the entrance.

He opened the door just as Vera lifted one finger toward the bell again.

She lowered her hand without embarrassment.

Cyrus stepped aside.

Vera entered carrying his lunch as though she had been invited normally from the beginning.

Cyrus closed the door behind her.

He did not offer her a seat.

"How are you going to prove it?"

Vera placed the food aside.

"Come closer."

Cyrus’s eyes narrowed.

"That is your proof?"

"Come closer first."

Her answer was brief.

Then her appearance began changing.

Dark hair faded into ash-gray.

Her eyes turned gold.

The Bloodborn transformation settled across her features.

Cyrus moved toward her cautiously.

He did not forget what happened the last time Vera fed directly from him.

If she suddenly lunged, he only needed to prevent her from getting his neck.

As long as he did not lose his strength immediately, he had no reason to fear her physically.

He could not overpower Daphne.

He could not reliably overpower Rhea.

Vera was different.

Bloodborn strength was hardly impressive.

If she tried anything reckless, Cyrus was confident he could handle her.

He lowered his eyes slightly while approaching.

His attention accidentally lingered for a moment on Vera’s long legs.

The last two suppressant pills had taken some of the edge off his condition, but clearly not enough.

Cyrus immediately redirected his focus.

Manageable.

That was all.

Then, in the exact instant his attention slipped, Vera moved.

Her striking face suddenly filled his vision.