I regained my senses and realized it was Wednesday.
And right after I woke up, chaos erupted in the hospital.
The nurse whose eyes met mine immediately ran outside to fetch a doctor, who then bombarded me with a flurry of questions.
From what I gathered, it seemed that when I first arrived at the hospital, my case wasn’t a priority. I understood that. The wounds on my body vanish almost instantaneously with time.
The injuries of those who came in with me must have been far more severe, so it was natural for them to be tended to first.
However, seeing me, who showed no particular symptoms as time passed, they likely assumed there was something wrong with their procedures.
“You mean to say you still don’t feel anything unusual?”
“…Yes.”
As I nodded in response, the doctor’s face clearly relaxed.
“Then let’s start with some tests.”
“…Well, when can I be discharged?”
It seemed the doctor wanted to take me right away forCT scans and MRIs, but I had more pressing matters at hand.
It was quite possible that, by the time I regained consciousness, there was nothing wrong with my body. Any tests would be a waste of time. The results would just come back as ‘normal’.
What I really wanted was to get discharged as fast as possible.
The fact that today was Wednesday meant that next week was the start of examinations.
As much as I’d want to skip and enjoy my break, I didn’t want to miss my tests.
“Excuse me? Discharge?”
But the doctor looked utterly flabbergasted at my words.
“Rather than immediately discharging you, it would be better for you to rest a bit longer and be observed.”
Doesn’t a doctor know just how important exams are? Then again, considering their job, just releasing a patient who insists on leaving could cause problems.
But there was no need for me to resist further.
“…Please do as she wishes.”
A voice came from the other side of the not-quite-closed door as the doctor entered.
It was Miura’s father.
Hmm, he looked like he was in quite a bit of pain.
He had bandages wrapped around his wrists and neck peeking out from his loose patient gown, and he even had IV drips attached to his arm.
He looked like he could walk on his own, but he was dragging along a hanging IV stand.
Unlike me, he wasn’t the type to heal simply by being still.
“But—”
“More than that, I’d like to have a conversation.”
At Miura’s words, the doctor fell silent.
Glancing between me, the nurse beside him, and Miura outside the room, he eventually let out a deep sigh, scratched his head, and said,
“In that case, let’s wait a bit longer this afternoon. I believe it’s still best to run some tests, even if you’re discharged.”
“…In that case, I’ll do the tests.”
At my reply, the doctor’s expression brightened a little.
“Alright then, after the tests, if all goes well, we can proceed with your discharge. But if there are any problems, you must come back to the hospital right away.”
As I nodded, the doctor finally went out with the nurse.
Miura, who had stepped aside to let them pass, waited until they were sufficiently far away before entering the room and closing the door.
Then she came over and sat down in a chair beside my bedside. The grimace on her face indicated that she likely shouldn’t have been wandering around like this.
What should I say?
Honestly, it seemed too awkward to ask if she was okay, given how unwell she appeared. Of course, she looked much better than the last time I saw her, but just because the bleeding from her lung had stopped didn’t mean it was fine.
“…Are you okay?”
It seemed Miura was having similar thoughts.
She was probably too far away at the time to see my situation directly, but she must have received a report as soon as she regained her senses.
…Thinking back, the doctor’s intense reaction might have been due to Miura’s involvement. She must have been worried about my condition after hearing about the situation.
Given the circumstances, Miura’s concern in the government seemed important too. I didn’t know how high up she was, but she was definitely someone acting on behalf of an organization.
Perhaps my status had risen to something akin to VIP.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“That’s good.”
Miura glanced at me for a moment before saying, “First of all, I want to apologize for following you without saying a word.”
“…How did you follow me?”
“I followed you in a way that experts do. I can’t share the details, but there are several methods to observe silently from a distance and approach from different angles.”
That’s creepy.
I guess in spy movies, the audience needs to know who is tailing whom, but in real-life, you absolutely cannot get caught.
I couldn’t tell just how far they had gone in utilizing strategic assets. And honestly, I didn’t want to think about it. That’d just make my head dizzy.
“….”
I wondered what Miura thought about my lack of response.
As she quietly stared at me and slowly opened her mouth, it seemed she was also gauging my reaction.
“In the end, it’s turned out to be meaningless.”
Considering the situation, Kosuzu must have used Satori against people from the government to extract information. She probably intended to turn that situation to her advantage.
If she put her mind to it, she could bring forth a weapon capable of plunging a village, or maybe even an entire country, into chaos for a while.
To give myself time to manage the scenario, Koko and I would resolve everything.
“Our people are disguised and infiltrated in various places. But… just yesterday, most of them were discovered as corpses. The opponent didn’t even try to hide it.”
“….”
And those people were probably nearly all ones that Miura knew too. Since it was information extracted from her.
I had no idea what those wanting Satori were thinking. They likely had no clue either. Surely those were some upper echelons of people up there. They wouldn’t care if a few people down below died.
Probably, up top, they’d throw the blame on Miura.
Moreover, this game is in a place where the public can’t be informed, so chatter about wrongful dismissal would go unheard as well. It existed behind the scenes of a normal world, a world ordinary people must never know about.
“Is Mako okay?”
I asked.
Miura was silently gazing at me.
“Mako knows what’s going on right now.”
“…She came by the hospital. I think she was contacted before I woke up.”
“….”
“Mako should be alright. She’s a strong girl.”
I thought so too.
“However, she didn’t come to see you. Very few people know you’re in here…”
“I haven’t been able to go to school.”
“They said you are sick, but no one knows the details.”
Right, if the government was trying to control the situation, that would be the best method—saying nothing.
“But that doesn’t mean absolutely no one came here. …If there are those who can grasp the situation without being told, they’ve already been.”
Several faces easily came to mind with just a bit of thought.
They were probably at school now.
“….”
“I won’t say don’t hold a grudge. The reason you’re here is because of us.”
“I don’t bear a grudge.”
After all, even without these people, I would have heard the information. Kosuzu had been moving to find that.
That might have been the very spark too. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say Kosuzu orchestrated the whole thing.
“…I see.”
At my answer, Miura let out a deep sigh.
*
Every time I’m hospitalized, I realize there’s so much time on my hands.
Well, there should be something to do in a hospital after all.
With no computer, game console, and not even a book unless I brought one, it couldn’t be helped. If I looked around the hospital, there might be a library somewhere, but I had no desire to dive into that.
I underwent CT and MRI scans in the morning and received news from the doctor stating nothing seemed to be wrong for now.
I then returned to my hospital room and sat there blankly.
Should I just push for discharge?
Hmm, but actually, I felt kind of lazy to move right away.
I hadn’t been in that fainted state for a few days, and my last memory felt way too vivid. It felt like I was very recently put through all that hardship, just a few hours ago.
Should I just sleep until I’m discharged?
While I was pondering this, someone visited me.
“…….”
“…….”
It was Kagami.
Neither of us spoke for quite a while.
I wished she would’ve said something to break the silence, but as things stood, I thought if I stayed quiet any longer, we might not speak at all. So, I decided to speak first.
“What’s the situation?”
In response to my words, Kagami stayed silent for a moment before saying,
“I’m sorry.”
That was so sudden.
“…Huh?”
“Your sister’s response was far too swift. Before we could extract our people.”
“Ah.”
I understood she was referring to that side of things.
But that was important as well.
If there were problems, I wasn’t exactly in a position strong enough to claim belonging to the organization. I surely wasn’t anyone of influence within it.
How it was being received symbolically, I had no way of knowing.
“And… I created that situation too. If I hadn’t come to find you and not said anything…”
“If you hadn’t, people would have died in droves.”
Kosuzu likely brought that monster to that place for that very reason.
Even if I wanted to prevent it, it would take time, and if I were absent or unable to stop it, they’d have an opportunity to wipe out everyone present.
I thought it was fortunate that Yuka wasn’t there. It was a good thing she wasn’t caught up in this mess.
“How about Koko?”
“I’ve been in and out of here all weekend before going back to school. She’ll probably swing by here right after school.”
I felt bad for Koko.
Putting her in such a situation during what should have been one of the most enjoyable parts of the year.
Well, I guess there wasn’t a choice.
“…And you? Are you okay?”
“….”
Kagami didn’t answer that.
Thankfully, she wasn’t angry or quiet out of shame. I figured she just had nothing to say.
“Then aside from that movement, there haven’t been any other movements?”
“If there are, I wouldn’t know. Conversely, they definitely have ways to know about our movements.”
That’s… a big issue.
I sighed deeply.
I suppose there’s no way to prevent the upcoming Hyakki Yagyō.
…If this were the original work, how would the backstory have flowed? There, instead of me, there would’ve only been ‘Kurosawa Koto Ne’ and no presence of Koko.
If Miura’s father had died there, I wondered if the story would have taken an entirely different direction from what I was currently experiencing.
I didn’t know how the consequences would flow from here on.
“….”
There were probably many who died. Nobody wanted to say anything to me about it, so I didn’t ask.
Ah, but putting that aside, this situation feels really awkward.
These days, I’ve had a bit of difficulty understanding how my relationship with Kagami had changed.
It wasn’t exactly friendly, yet the distance felt strange, like we’d grown somewhat close.
Maybe it was making things even more uncomfortable.
“…Um.”
growl
Just as I was about to say something, that sound rang out.
Ah, right.
I hadn’t eaten anything since I fainted. If time had passed significantly, they probably would’ve inserted a feeding tube, but a few days were manageable with just IV fluids.
But I’d removed that IV the moment I woke, since the doctors also reluctantly agreed seeing there was nothing wrong with me. After all, the patient’s will is paramount in treatment.
So right now, I was completely empty.
Only after hearing that noise did I realize I was hungry.
“…Do you want something to eat?”
Kagami asked.
I thought for a moment and nodded.
“What do you feel like eating?”
“…Let’s go with bread.”
At my words, Kagami nodded and got up from her seat.
*
“Koto Ne!”
Hours later, after filling my belly lightly, Koko burst into the hospital room, her voice thick with tears.
And she wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“…Are you okay?”
“Why do you ask me that?”
Koko, who had come to see me, along with Yuka, sat down on the bed while putting down a hefty plastic bag as she spoke.
Well, she could ask.
But even so, seeing that Koko was in one piece, I didn’t feel it necessary to scrutinize the matter.
Once Koko finally let go of me, she took her seat, and Yuka also procured a chair and sat beside her.
“Here you go.”
Yuka handed each of us a piece of bread.
What I received was a soft castella. Coincidentally, it was the same type of bread Kagami had brought.
Not that I disliked it. I liked castella. After all, it had been a while since I last ate.
Both of them probably picked the same bread for a reason. They likely chose something soft for me since I hadn’t been able to eat real food for days. Although I almost hadn’t noticed that those days had passed.
“And this.”
Yuka placed something on my lap as I enjoyed the bread.
It was a notebook.
It must have been crammed full of notes.
“You missed school for several days. The teachers summarized the key points necessary for the exams for you.”
“…….”
“Why?”
As I stared blankly up at Yuka, she tilted her head.
“No, just…”
After a moment of thought, I said, “I was expecting you to ask something.”
“Is there anything to ask about?”
Yuka replied, sounding incredulous.
“You just went and did something reckless without saying a word and ended up in the hospital, right?”
“…….”
“And here.”
Yuka opened to one of the pages and said, “This is important. They said this part will definitely be on the test, so make sure to memorize it. You didn’t have any time to study from the weekend until today.”
“…….”
I couldn’t say anything in response to Yuka.
“Feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t know. I’ll be sure to assist with anything related to the exams.”
I pondered for quite a while on what to say, and finally, I replied, “…Thanks.”
That was all I could say in the end.
“No need to be formal among friends.”
Yuka replied without a hint of concern.
*
Yuka also helped with my discharge preparations.
In reality, there wasn’t much to prepare.
My clothes had become unusable again, and I had none of my belongings from before.
However, I still needed some preparations. At the very least, I needed clothes to wear when I left, and I also had to buy new shoes. Yuka took care of all that for me.
… I didn’t get to see any friends other than Yuka. Not even Mako.
Well, Mako must know her father’s presence here but wouldn’t know I was around.
Fukuda and Yamashita were probably wondering about my condition right now. I worried I’d be bombarded with questions when I returned to school tomorrow.
“By the way, Yuka.”
As I exited the hospital, I glanced at her bulky bag.
“What’s with that bag?”
At first, I thought maybe she brought a larger bag because of my clothes, but after she pulled them out, the bag felt quite heavy.
“That’s obviously because I’m planning to stay with you at your house from today until the exams.”
“…….”
I lost my words.
And then I looked over at Kagami, who had been quietly seated in the corner.
“I’ve wrapped everything up.”
Yuka said with a dazzling smile.
“Did you know? Class assignments are pretty influenced by grades. I can’t say for sure, but it seems having a similar score can give you an edge in being placed in the same class.”
Is that so?
Aren’t they supposed to mix everyone up?
But then again, I knew nothing about class assignments in Japanese schools, so I had no room to comment.
“And I also want to be in the same class as you next year if possible. Because of missing three days of school and not getting the lessons, and all the study time after school together, I have to make up for all that before exams, right?”
“…….”
I gave Kagami another glance.
Kagami averted her eyes from mine.
“So, like I said?”
Yuka smiled brightly as she spoke.
“I’ve said I’d do my utmost to help with exam-related matters?”
Was that what she meant?
“…Or do you find it bothersome I’m doing this?”
“…….”
From Yuka’s words, I felt the greatest bewilderment I had since meeting her today.
I looked at Kagami once more and then over at Koko.
But both of them weren’t offering any help. They just stared at me as if they were awaiting my answer.
After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.
“No, it’s not bothersome.”
Could it possibly be bothersome?
No, the moment I would think of Yuka as bothersome, it’d probably never come.
It wasn’t just Yuka.
How could I possibly dislike someone trying to help me just because they’re my friend?
…I’d thought I was really unfortunate when I came here.
There were so many problems in front of me, and it felt like there was a hint of malice in all of them.
But now, as I reflected, I couldn’t recall a time when so many people had offered me their assistance.
…No, there was.
After all my family members had perished, there were relatives and friends who desperately wanted to help me.
I just locked myself away in despair and gradually faded from their memories.
But Yuka didn’t just sit back and allow me to wallow.
“Right? Then let’s go. Studying is best done in a comfortable place. Ah, by the way, while we’re at it, should we buy meat for dinner?”
“Meat!”
Koko’s eyes sparkled at Yuka’s words.
I looked back at Kagami.
Kagami merely lowered her head quietly toward me.
“…….”
I gave a tiny wave at Kagami, who stayed that way before turning back around.
Yeah, for now, I managed to avert the worst situation.
I should be satisfied with that and take a breather.
There are things to do.
Yeah, I definitely need to avoid failing.
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