Ch.137Chapter 21. Year-End (1)

When I came to my senses, it was Wednesday.

And as soon as I woke up, the hospital erupted into chaos.

The nurse who made eye contact with me immediately ran outside to call a doctor, who then bombarded me with all sorts of questions.

From what I gathered, when I first arrived at the hospital, I wasn’t a priority. I understand. The wounds on my body disappear instantly as time passes.

The injuries of those who came in with me must have been much more serious, so it made sense that they were treated first.

However, seeing that I wasn’t waking up despite having no apparent issues as time passed, the hospital staff must have thought there was a problem with their treatment.

“So you’re saying you don’t feel anything unusual?”

“…Yes.”

When I nodded in response, a look of clear relief spread across the doctor’s face.

“Let’s run some tests anyway.”

“…But when can I be discharged?”

The doctor seemed eager to take me for CT scans and MRIs, but I had more important matters to attend to.

From the moment I regained consciousness, there was a good chance nothing was wrong with my body. Tests would probably just be a waste of time. The results would simply come back “normal.”

Rather, I just wanted to be discharged quickly.

If today was Wednesday, that meant final exams were next week.

No matter what, I didn’t want to miss the exams and waste my vacation.

“What? Discharge?”

But the doctor looked bewildered when he heard my request.

“It would be better to rest and observe your condition a bit longer rather than discharging you immediately.”

Come on, as a doctor, shouldn’t he understand how important exams are? Though I suppose it could be problematic to just release a patient who wants to leave, given his profession.

But I didn’t need to argue further.

“…Let the child do as she wishes.”

That voice came from beyond the door that the doctor hadn’t fully closed when entering.

Mr. Miura was standing there.

Hmm, he looks really unwell.

Even his wrists and neck visible outside his loose hospital gown were wrapped in bandages, and he even had an IV drip in his arm.

He seemed able to walk on his own, but he was pulling an IV stand beside him.

Unlike me, he’s not someone whose wounds heal just by staying still.

“But—”

“More importantly, I’d like to have a conversation.”

The doctor fell silent at Mr. Miura’s words.

After looking back and forth between me, the nurse beside him, and Mr. Miura outside the door, he finally sighed deeply, scratched his head, and said:

“Alright, let’s observe a bit more this afternoon. Even if you’re discharged, I think it’s better to run some tests.”

“…I’ll do the tests then.”

The doctor’s expression brightened a bit at my words.

“Yes, after the tests, if there are no issues, we’ll proceed with discharge. But if any problems arise, come back to the hospital immediately.”

When I nodded, the doctor finally left with the nurse.

Mr. Miura, who had been standing aside watching them leave, only entered the room and closed the door after they were sufficiently far away.

Then he approached me and sat in the chair beside the hospital bed. Judging by his grimace as he sat down, he probably shouldn’t be moving around like this.

What should I say?

Honestly, asking if he’s okay seems inappropriate when he clearly looks far from it. Of course, he looks much better than the last time I saw him. But just because the bleeding from the hole in his lung has stopped doesn’t mean he’s “okay.”

“…Are you feeling alright?”

It seems Mr. Miura had similar thoughts.

He was probably too far away to see my condition at the time, but he must have received a report as soon as he regained consciousness.

…Come to think of it, the doctor’s intense reaction might have been because of Mr. Miura. After hearing the situation, he would have been curious about my condition.

Given the circumstances, Mr. Miura’s interest was also the government’s interest. I don’t know how high up he is, but he was someone who acted on behalf of an organization.

Perhaps my status had been elevated to something like a VIP.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I see.”

Mr. Miura looked at me for a moment before speaking.

“First, I want to apologize for following you without saying anything.”

“…How did you follow me?”

“In the way professionals do. I can’t tell you the details, but there are several methods to observe silently from a distance while approaching from different directions.”

That’s intimidating.

Well, in spy movies, the audience needs to know who’s following whom, so they might act more conspicuously, but in reality, it’s crucial not to be detected.

I’m not sure how many strategic assets they used. And I tried not to think about it. There’s no point in knowing; it would only make my head spin.

“…”

I wonder what Mr. Miura thought of my lack of response.

Judging by how he slowly opened his mouth after staring at me silently, he seems to be gauging my reaction too.

“In the end, it turned out to be meaningless.”

Considering the situation, Kosuzu must have used Satori to extract information from government people. She was probably planning to exploit the situation in reverse.

That’s likely why she brought along a weapon-level entity capable of throwing an entire village, or even a nation, into panic if she wanted to.

She knew Koko and I would somehow resolve the situation, so she was buying time.

“Our people are disguised and infiltrated in various places. But… just yesterday, most of them were found dead. The other side didn’t even try to hide it.”

“…”

And those people were probably all known to Mr. Miura. Since the information was extracted from him.

I don’t know who wanted Satori, and I don’t want to know. They’re surely high-ranking individuals who don’t care how many subordinates die.

Probably, those at the top will try to pin the blame on Mr. Miura.

Moreover, since this world can’t be made public, claims of wrongful dismissal won’t work. It’s a world that exists beneath ordinary reality, one that regular people should never know about.

“Is Mako okay?”

I asked.

Mr. Miura stared at me intently.

“Does Mako know about the current situation?”

“…She visited the hospital. I think she was contacted before I woke up.”

“…”

“Mako will be fine. She’s a strong child.”

I think so too.

“However, she didn’t see you. Your hospitalization… only a few people know about it yet.”

“But I couldn’t go to school.”

“We told them you were sick, but no one knows the details.”

Well, if the government wants to control the situation, that’s probably the best approach. Just don’t say anything.

“But that doesn’t mean no one came. …If someone could understand the situation without us telling them, they’ve already visited.”

There was a face that easily came to mind.

She’s probably at school now.

“…”

“I won’t tell you not to resent us. We’re the reason you’re here.”

“I don’t resent you.”

I would have heard the information even without these people. Kosuzu was moving to find it.

In fact, that might have been the starting point. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that Kosuzu set up the entire situation.

“…I see.”

At my response, Mr. Miura sighed deeply.

*

Every time I’m hospitalized, I notice how much time drags in hospitals.

Well, there’s not much to do here.

No computer, no gaming console, and not even books unless you bring them. There might be a library somewhere in the hospital if I looked around, but I didn’t feel like doing that.

In the morning, I underwent tests like CT and MRI, received another examination from the doctor, and was told that there didn’t seem to be any issues at present.

Then I returned to my room and sat there blankly.

Should I insist on being discharged right away?

Hmm, but I also felt a bit lazy to move immediately.

Isn’t that right? Since I’d been unconscious for days, my last memories were too vivid. It felt like all that trouble happened just a few hours ago.

Maybe I should just sleep until discharge.

While I was contemplating this, someone visited.

“…”

“…”

It was Kagami.

Neither of us said anything for a long time.

I was hoping she would say something first, but it seemed like she might remain silent indefinitely, so I spoke up.

“How’s the situation?”

Even after my question, Kagami remained silent for a while, then:

“I’m sorry.”

She abruptly answered like that.

“…Huh?”

“My sister’s response was too quick. Before we could extract our people.”

“Ah.”

She seems to have interpreted it as that topic.

Well, that’s important too.

The issue is that I’m not yet in a position to be considered part of the Order. Certainly not someone high up within it.

I don’t know how I’m perceived in a symbolic sense.

“And… I was the one who created that situation. If I hadn’t come to you and spoken…”

“Then a tremendous number of people would have died.”

That’s probably why Kosuzu brought that monster there.

It was an opportunity to eliminate all humans present if I couldn’t stop it or if I wasn’t there, even if it would take time for me to stop it.

I’m glad Yuka wasn’t there. I was right not to invite her.

“Is Koko okay?”

“She was here all weekend and went to school today. She’ll probably come straight here after school.”

I’ve done something regrettable to Koko.

Creating such a situation during what should be the most enjoyable time of the year.

Well, I didn’t have a choice.

“…And you? Are you okay?”

“…”

Kagami didn’t answer that question.

Fortunately, it’s not that she’s angry and refusing to speak. She probably just didn’t have anything to say.

“So, other than that movement, there’s no other activity yet?”

“Even if there were, we’ve lost our means of knowing. Conversely, they probably have ways to know when we move.”

That’s… troubling.

I sighed deeply.

Can’t we prevent next year’s Hyakki Yagyō in advance?

…In the original work, how did the behind-the-scenes story unfold? There, it wasn’t me but ‘Kotone Kurosawa,’ and there was no Koko.

If Mr. Miura had died there, the story might have gone in a completely different direction from what I’m experiencing now.

For now, I can’t tell how those influences will flow.

“…”

There were probably many casualties. No one wants to tell me, and I didn’t ask.

Oh, but aside from that, this is really awkward.

I’ve had trouble understanding how my relationship with Kagami has changed lately.

It’s not friendly, there’s still distance, but there’s this strange atmosphere of being ambiguously closer.

That makes it a bit more uncomfortable.

“…Um.”

Growl.

As I was about to say something, that sound was heard.

Ah, I see.

I haven’t eaten anything by mouth since I fainted. If a lot of time had passed, they might have inserted a feeding tube, but nutrients can be supplied through IV fluids for a few days.

However, I removed that IV by my own will after I woke up. The doctors reluctantly agreed after seeing that there was nothing immediately wrong with my body. After all, the patient’s will is most important in treatment.

So, I’m completely empty inside right now.

Only after hearing the sound did I realize I was hungry.

“…Would you like something to eat?”

Kagami asked.

After thinking for a moment, I nodded.

“Is there anything specific you’d like?”

“…Let’s go with bread.”

At my words, Kagami nodded and stood up.

*

“Kotone!”

A few hours after I had lightly filled my stomach.

Koko entered the hospital room crying out with a voice full of tears and pounced on me.

Then she hugged me tightly with both arms.

“…Are you okay?”

“Should you be asking that?”

Yuka, who came to visit with Koko, placed a plump plastic bag on the bed and said.

I could ask.

But still, I’ve seen that Koko’s body is fine, so there’s no need to dwell on such details.

Koko finally detached herself from me and sat down, and Yuka brought a chair next to her and sat down as well.

“Here.”

Yuka handed a piece of bread to both Koko and me.

What I received was a soft castella. Coincidentally, it was the same bread that Kagami had bought.

I don’t dislike it. I like castella. And it had been a while since I’d eaten anyway.

There must be a reason why both of them chose the same bread. They probably picked something soft out of consideration for me, who hadn’t eaten proper food for days. Though I hardly felt those days passing.

“And this.”

Yuka placed something on my lap as I was eating the bread.

It was a notebook.

Inside, it was probably filled with dense notes.

“You missed school for several days. The teachers summarized the key points you’ll need for the exams.”

“…”

“What?”

When I stared blankly at Yuka, she tilted her head.

“No, just…”

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“I thought you might ask something.”

“Is there anything to ask?”

Yuka spoke as if it was absurd.

“I guess you were doing something physical without telling me again, and ended up in the hospital, right?”

“…”

“And, here.”

Yuka opened one of the notebooks and said:

“This part is important. The teacher said it will definitely be on the exam, so memorize it. You didn’t have proper time to study from the weekend until today, right?”

“…”

I couldn’t respond to Yuka.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask. I’ll teach you. I’ll help you wholeheartedly with exam-related matters.”

After contemplating for a long time what to say:

“…Thank you.”

That’s all I could answer.

“That’s what friends are for.”

Yuka replied so nonchalantly.

*

Yuka also helped with my discharge preparations.

In truth, there wasn’t much to help with.

The clothes I had been wearing were ruined again, and I hadn’t left any belongings there at the time.

But that doesn’t mean preparations weren’t needed at all. I needed clothes to wear when leaving, and I had to buy new shoes. Yuka prepared all of that for me.

…I didn’t meet any other friends. Not even Mako.

Well, Mako might know her father is here, but she probably doesn’t know I’m here.

Fukuda and Yamashita are probably curious about my situation too. I’m a bit worried about the flood of questions I’ll face when I go to school tomorrow.

“By the way, Yuka.”

As we were leaving the hospital, I looked at Yuka’s bulging bag and said:

“What’s with that bag?”

At first, I thought she brought a larger bag for my clothes, but even after taking out my clothes, the bag was still quite heavy.

“Of course, I’m planning to stay at your place until the exams are over.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

And I looked at Kagami, who was still sitting silently in the corner of the hospital room.

“I’ve already arranged everything.”

Yuka said with a radiant smile.

“Did you know? Academic performance significantly influences class assignments. I don’t know the exact details, but it seems advantageous to have similar grades if we want to be in the same class.”

Is that so?

Isn’t it about mixing students evenly?

But I don’t know anything about class assignments in Japanese schools, so I have nothing to say.

“And I’d like to be in the same class as you next year. The classes you missed during those three days, and the after-school study sessions we used to have. We need to make up for all of that before the exams, right?”

“…”

I looked at Kagami again.

Kagami slightly avoided my gaze.

“That’s why I told you, right?”

Yuka said with a grin.

“I said I’d help you wholeheartedly with exam-related matters, didn’t I?”

So that’s what she meant.

“…Or, is my presence bothersome?”

“…”

At Yuka’s words, I felt the most bewilderment I had experienced since meeting her today.

I looked at Kagami once, then at Koko.

But neither of them helped me. They just stared at me, as if wanting to hear my answer.

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

“No, it’s not bothersome.”

Could it be bothersome?

No, the moment I find Yuka bothersome probably won’t come.

Not just Yuka.

How could I dislike someone who wants to help me just because they’re my friend?

…For a while after coming here, I thought I was an unlucky person.

There were too many issues to resolve right in front of me, and I felt a bit of malice in all of them.

But thinking about it now, I wonder if I’ve ever received help from so many people in my life.

…No, I have.

After my entire family died, there were relatives and friends who wanted to help me in any way they could.

I just shut myself away in despair, and gradually faded from their memories.

But Yuka didn’t just stand by and watch me shut myself away.

“Right? Let’s go then. Studying is best done in a comfortable place. Oh, should we buy some meat for dinner on the way?”

“Meat!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled at Yuka’s words.

I looked at Kagami again.

Kagami just silently bowed her head to me.

“…”

I waved my hand slightly to Kagami, then turned around.

Yes, for now, we were able to prevent the worst-case scenario.

Let’s be satisfied with that and rest a bit.

There are things to do.

Yes, I should avoid repeating a year, shouldn’t I?