PTSD Military Chaplain of the Academy

“Haah…! Hah…!”

Chloe ran. She ran frantically.

The tree-lined path with planted trees and the surrounding scenery flashed by like a panorama. Each step she took started to make the rapidly changing scenes before her seem choppy.

Her vision blurred, then the cold night air struck her cheek and cleared her sight again. This repeated, making the surrounding landscape appear as if it was cutting off bit by bit.

“Haah…! Hah…! Huh, ugh…!”

She couldn’t even think about exhaling in a rhythmic manner, as her breath kept getting tangled up and bursting out uncontrollably. It was close to a lament.

With each inhale, there was a sigh about her situation that was too difficult to comprehend.

With each exhale, there was a lament about Sofia Sub-priest’s playful smile as she looked at Chloe.

‘I knew it….’

Chloe understood that the relationship between Sofia Sub-priest and Professor Antorelli had subtly changed somewhere along the way. To explain it a little more easily, the two were subtly flushed with emotion.

The somewhat anxious look in Sofia Sub-priest’s deep green eyes, and Professor Antorelli’s quick return of warmth to his face upon realizing her gaze.

Why? Why did she struggle to turn her eyes away and look the other way?

‘I knew it…!’

Sofia Sub-priest’s intense green eyes turned mischievously. Those eyes were directed solely at Chloe, who was hiding behind the trees.

Sofia Sub-priest knew. She was aware of Chloe’s gaze, which was spying on her and Professor Antorelli.

That gaze, which couldn’t be hidden, seemed to be creeping in an unsettling way.

“Haah…! Huh…!”

At one moment, Chloe stopped her steps and stood still, catching her breath. As she became aware of herself, she wiped away the cold sweat, and the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead transferred to her wrist and became damp.

Tonight was a night lit up by bright moonlight. Looking down at her hand, which sparkled dreamily, Chloe slowly began to breathe steadily. The hurried pounding of her heart began to settle down.

As if to say, this was enough.

“…”

Chloe, who had been staring blankly, wiped the sweat from her palm onto her school uniform. The uniform could always be cleaned over the weekend.

Her heart rose and fell steadily. As her breathing stabilized, her mind felt as if it had been cleansed, like water pouring in to wash it away.

Chloe lifted her head. Turning her gaze to the side, she caught sight of the large church situated between the dormitory complex and the Academy Main Building.

It was truly a twist of fate that the Academy Main Chapel stood right beside her.

“…Hah.”

It felt like a real game of fate.

“Hahaha….”

Chloe smiled reluctantly. The stone walls of the chapel had windows.

Beyond that dim window, Chloe wanted to look through it.

“…”

However, only her reflection, exhaling evenly, was visible in the window.

This wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do. She seemed to be completely out of luck.

A thin sigh escaped Chloe’s lips. The slight tremor was enough to represent her feelings.

“…Fine.”

Chloe nodded with a stern expression. Standing in the middle of the tree-lined path, she would likely raise suspicion in the academy’s security, but she didn’t mind it now.

“Fine. It’s fine, Sofia Sub-priest.”

Sofia Sub-priest was not there. Chloe continued to speak into the air.

“Showing such a thing to me, you thought I would be shocked and give up, didn’t you? Not at all.”

Chloe had always been persistent. To speak a bit negatively, she was a woman of strong obsession.

Once something caught her attention, she would never let it go. In other words, if something pleased her even a little, she would never let go of it.

Even if it were a person rather than an object.

“…If there’s already someone who claims it, then it would be unpleasant to stick my nose in. But….”

The corners of Chloe’s mouth twitched. Despite the unpleasantness of her bangs sticking to her forehead with sweat, she also found a somewhat not-so-bad feeling in that discomfort.

“I just have to get into their sights somehow. Even if I’m not first, even if I’m second.”

I won’t let go, as if clinging to it, as I felt it was collectively related to my own feelings.

Chloe slowly looked up at the sky. It was clear today.

In the night sky without a cloud in sight, numerous stars shone like tiny grains, and the moon, the face of the night sky, glowed pale.

The surrounding darkness seemed to blend into a whiteness, much like how it felt to gaze at Professor Antorelli.

“…Anyway, you’re so mischievous, Professor.”

Chloe smiled faintly and walked along the tree-lined path, passing the Academy Main Chapel.

Despite the heavy weight on her mind, her steps felt light as if she could fly.

* * * * *

Today is Saturday. A delightful Saturday.

And, unexpectedly, I had just woken up late after sleeping in.

“Hmm… Is it a little salty? No, this is about right….”

“…Sofia Sub-priest.”

Sofia Sub-priest had casually entered my dormitory room, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite her trespassing in real-time, I found it strangely not odd.

I stared blankly at Sofia Sub-priest’s back as she cooked while wearing an apron, the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen. She seemed quite cheerful, humming while her blonde hair fluttered around her shoulders.

Not long ago, we weren’t like this, and now Sofia Sub-priest visits my dorm every weekend, making it all too novel. It makes me reconsider my relationship with Sofia Sub-priest.

If I were to make such a remark, she would likely chuckle and say, “What are you talking about? How sudden.”

Then I would remain speechless and rise from the soft bed where I had been sitting blankly.

And, now I could not do that. Looking at the wall clock hanging directly opposite the bed, the hands pointed to eleven-thirty in the morning. Even though it was the weekend, I had woken up at a rather late hour.

Normally, I would get up at six sharp, so if anyone were to ask why I woke up around noon…

“Ugh… The night shift yesterday was pretty tough….”

“…Yes.”

Of course, it was because I had the night shift yesterday.

Due to the nature of having to stay up all night on night duty, it was customary to crash the moment I transferred shifts.

Until last year, I had a hard time sleeping despite having had the night shift. As a result, I was rather sensitive. My head was heavy as if submerged in water, feeling tired, while my body felt limp, with no circulation in my fingers or toes, yet when I tried to lie down, it was a hellish situation where my eyes were wide open.

It was due to the fear of sleeping. Even for a brief moment of closing my eyes, the terrible memories of the past would break into my mind like fragments, and if I remained awake, the screams and dying breaths echoed back all around.

So I couldn’t sleep. Until last year.

‘Perhaps the way the students found it hard to approach me was because of that.’

I didn’t mean to make excuses. I just wanted them to know that I wasn’t in good shape last year, which would explain why I had to bustle about the academy with a constantly heightened sensitivity and prickly personality.

Thinking about this inner turmoil would change nothing, as no one would understand.

“Hehe… heh….”

Even as I continued my thoughts, the humming of Sofia Sub-priest continued. It seemed something pleasant was happening.

I managed to speak up, in a voice heavy with sleep, directed at Sofia Sub-priest’s back.

“Did something good happen?”

“Hehe… yes?”

“You’ve been humming since a while ago….”

“Oh… this?”

Sofia Sub-priest turned to look back at me, scratching her cheek with a ladle in her hand.

“Hmm… I just feel like something happened.”

“What do you mean by that….”

“Oh, come on! Head Priest! If you’re awake, hurry up and wash your face!”

I had been trying to gather my thoughts while sitting blankly, but Sofia Sub-priest quickly dashed over and threw the blanket off, forcing me to shuffle off to the bathroom.

I must not have fully awoken yet, as I stumbled towards the bathroom.

“Oh, by the way, Head Priest.”

With a slender sensation poking into my back, I turned around, staring at what it was.

“Hehe… Good morning.”

There was Sofia Sub-priest, smiling more brightly than anything else.

A warm spring breeze had blown in.

* * * * *

“…Was that tomorrow?”

“Yes. I checked the letter again, and it’s tomorrow.”

I let out a heavy breath as I set down my dishes. Sofia Sub-priest’s cooking was quite remarkable, and once I started eating, it was hard to stop until I was full.

After polishing off my share, Sofia Sub-priest’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

“By the way, it seems you enjoyed the meal. It wasn’t too bad.”

“It’s always delicious.”

“You’ve already been captivated by my cooking. Just as I planned.”

“I just changed my tastes to match mine. Like I planned.”

“Puhuhu… I’ll take that as a yes.”

Sofia Sub-priest chuckled and took the dishes, refusing my insistence to help with washing up and finishing it herself. Since she made the food, she insisted she had to wash the dishes, too.

I didn’t bother to stop her. I had woken up a little sleepy and, after eating, found it even harder to keep my eyes open.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, lost in thought, Sofia Sub-priest approached me, suggesting brushing our teeth.

As we brushed our teeth, we continued the conversation we had during the meal.

“Well then, tomorrow we should move right after Sunday service.”

“It will be quite busy.”

“But there’s no helping it, right? You promised me? Until I say it’s done, you promised to attend Colonel Meijhem’s veterans’ association without fail.”

Tomorrow was the day I needed to attend Colonel Meijhem’s veterans’ association. It seemed to be on a Sunday last year as well, but unfortunately it was also on a Sunday this year, which had been pushed back once. It was an unavoidable matter since almost no one else would work on Sundays aside from me.

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“Not really.”

“You’ll get to meet Dennis-san after a long time, and you have to make sure Colonel Meijhem has perked up, right?”

“That’s true….”

Even after brushing our teeth, we had a simple cup of black tea while continuing our conversation.

“Tomorrow, I’ll do your hair.”

“I’ve gotten used to it now.”

“So you don’t dislike it?”

“…I don’t dislike it.”

“Hehe….”

Sofia Sub-priest, sitting next to me, gently leaned her head on my shoulder. A warm hue streamed in through the balcony window.

It was an event that happened on a languid Saturday.

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