Leaving the accident site, I returned home using teleportation magic. While I managed to save some people this time, there were also those I couldn’t save in time.

It seems that those in the cars at the front, which were hit in the pileup, were almost instantly killed. Even with the powers I inherited from the great mage, there are things I simply cannot do.

That said, it’s not so easy to come to terms with it.

“Yes, I was able to save some of the people involved in the accident, but unfortunately, a few didn’t make it.”

I was reporting the details of the accident to Mamoru-san over the phone. While he had said I didn’t need to report in, I decided to do so anyway.

“Tachihara-san, good work. Don’t think about those you couldn’t save—think about the fact that you saved those you could. If you hadn’t gone to the scene, more lives might have been lost.”

“...Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Mamoru-san seemed to be trying to console me. I understood his point, but it’s still hard to come to terms with.

“I’ll inform the police and rescue teams about everything on my end. The next step is the dashcam footage.

“For the damaged cars, the police will collect the footage during their investigations, but for cars further away from the accident, it might be difficult to retrieve. However, those cameras likely wouldn’t have captured much detail from such a distance. If any videos are uploaded online, we’ll have them removed immediately, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you. I doubt anyone could figure out my personal information from those videos, so it should be fine as it is.”

Even if videos are uploaded, there’s no way they could trace back to me just from the suit I was wearing. Mamoru-san managed to discover my identity before I created the suit, but normally, no one could connect a school uniform or face to a specific individual.

“Understood. We’ll handle everything legally, then.”

“...Yes, please do.”

I decided not to ask about any "non-legal" measures...

“By the way, when does your school start its exams, Tachihara-san? We’ll refrain from contacting you during your exam period, even if incidents or accidents occur.”

Ah, right—my school’s exams start the week after next. Mamoru-san was considerate enough to avoid contacting me during that time.

“...No, please contact me as usual. If anything, I’d feel worse finding out later about a major incident or accident I could’ve helped with.”

“...Tachihara-san, I’ve told you this before, but while helping others is important, so is your own life. Your high school exam results will affect your future. You should focus on them, at least during exam time.”

Even I understand that skipping exams would be a serious problem.

“Still, could you at least notify me? I might be able to step in after exams finish for the day. If it’s the final test of the day, I could even leave early citing illness.”

“...Alright, I’ll respect your wishes. But during your exam period, I’ll only contact you about major incidents or accidents.”

“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you, and I’m sorry for being so demanding.”

“No problem. It’s because of people like you that I want to help in any way I can. After all, it was your willingness to help others that saved my sister.”

And so, Monday came. Exams begin next Wednesday. They’re spread over three days, with three subjects each day. I usually start studying about a week in advance.

“Ugh, exams start next week…”

“But summer break comes right after! Once exams are over, it’s all fun and relaxation, so let’s do our best!”

“You’re right. Just three days of effort, and then it’s summer vacation!”

“...Easy for you two to say. Both of you are smart. I always end up with two or three failing grades and have to take remedial classes!”

It’s true that Watanabe and I are both among the top students. Unlike him, though, I’m in the go-home club. If I didn’t do well academically, it’d reflect poorly on me.

Back when I was being bullied, I channeled some of my stress into studying. At the very least, I wanted to get into a better university than those who bullied me.

Still, even then, I couldn’t beat Rohan, our student council president. He was always in the top five, while I usually ranked between 10th and 20th.

“Should we study together again? I’ll summarize the key points for you.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. It’s been a while since we studied in the library.”

“My soulmates!”

Back when the three of us hung out, we often studied together in the library after school. Abe wasn’t great at studying, so our sessions usually involved Watanabe and me reviewing the material and teaching Abe the important parts. It worked well for all of us.

This week, I was buried in exam prep every day. On a few of those days, I met up with Abe and Watanabe for study sessions. I even stayed away from the other world over the weekend.

It felt strange coming back to Japan from such a chaotic situation in the other world, but it couldn’t be helped. Once exams end, summer vacation begins, giving me plenty of time to visit the other world again.

Finally, the exam period arrived. Thankfully, there were no major incidents or accidents during this time, much to my and Mamoru-san’s relief. Once the test results are returned next week, summer vacation will officially begin!