episode_0051

By the way, where am I?

It’s definitely not my room here.

But it doesn’t seem like the infirmary either.

The ceiling is very white and clean.

And I can smell that distinct hospital scent.

To look around, I struggled to sit up from the bed.

“Ugh.”

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

But I could tell that my injuries hadn’t fully healed yet.

My right hand felt numb with occasional stinging pain.

And the tingling sensation on my cheek hadn’t faded.

“Man, my whole body aches. Did all the poison get flushed out?”

Perhaps due to the poisoning, my body felt heavy overall.

My head still felt dizzy.

But definitely better than right before collapsing.

As I washed my face and looked around,

I saw Lucy leaning against the bed where I lay, fast asleep.

“Lucy?”

She was sitting on a chair, leaning on the bed, sound asleep.

Wait, why is she next to me?

Trying to wake her up from her slumber, I attempted to nudge her with my relatively okay left arm.

But each movement brought discomfort and unease, so I glanced down at my left arm.

A long needle was inserted into the back of my left hand, with IV fluids dripping through it.

Clear liquid dropping steadily down a long tube from the transparent bag.

I had anticipated being in a hospital, but was I the only one in this room?

Wait, isn’t a private room super expensive?

Well, at least there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with my body for now. That’s fortunate.

As I clenched my bandaged right hand, feeling the throbbing pain, the door to the room began to open.

-Creak-

“Gosh, Bern.. you’re awake!”

“Elisha?”

“Bern…!!”

She was holding a plate of apples.

Setting the plate aside, she hurried over to me and embraced me tightly.

“What are you doing, Elisha.”

It’s nice to see her again, but isn’t this a bit too close? This tall girl…

Still, it’s truly heartwarming to know someone cares about me.

I awkwardly patted her back to reassure her.

While doing so, she continued speaking in a serious tone.

“But, Bern..!! Are you really okay? You’ve been asleep for four years since then!!”

Wait, what?

I’ve been asleep for four years?

Huh.

It felt as if I’d been hit on the head with a hammer, intensifying the headache.

Was I out for four years because of that incident?

Then, what about money? Family?

No, what about the ending?

What about graduation?

Lost in these serious thoughts, Elisha, who was hugging me, added:

“Hehe. Actually, that was a lie. But you were asleep for four days since then. Still, it’s a relief that you woke up.”

Wait, just four days?

I’ve been in a private room for four days?

That means a lot of money must have been spent.

Plus, I must have missed several days of classes.

This is a big problem.

However, I tried to stay calm and replied,

“I see. So, Elisha. What about the money?”

“The academy decided to cover all expenses for you.”

“Is that so.”

“But they want you to come to the principal’s office after you recover.”

Thank goodness.

The academy is supporting me.

Well, considering the incident that happened due to the academy’s lax security.

It makes sense for them to provide support.

“Thank you, Elisha. For worrying about me.”

“No worries. We’re in this together.”

Her cheeks seemed slightly flushed as she said that. Was it because of the mood?

Anyway.

“But why is Lucy here?”

“Oh, Lucy thought it was her fault that you got hurt. She’s been nursing you alongside me,” said Alicia, finally releasing me.

So Lucy and Alicia have been taking care of me.

It must have been tough for them all this time.

“I see. I’ll repay this debt later.”

“What debt? Besides us, Ellen and Luna also visited frequently. And other kids came too.”

Ellen came as well.

But the fact that Sylvia came too is surprising.

Always giving us attitude or looking disgusted whenever we met.

Anyway, it’s not bad.

The situation has been resolved well, and the hospital expenses are covered by the academy.

Well, I guess it’s not so bad.

But I wonder if Shady is doing okay in the room?

“By the way, Alicia. Is Shady doing alright?”

“You’re looking for her as soon as you wake up? Ugh… Shady is fine under my care. She’s staying in my room now, so you don’t need to worry.”

Wait, Alicia is taking care of Shady?

“Alicia, are you sure it’s okay to have Shady with you?”

“…That kid may not have made the best choices by joining Requiem. Being deprived of love at a young age twisted her. I can understand to some extent.”

As Alicia said this, she quickly added,

“I’ve heard about her past. It brought back old memories… But I haven’t completely forgiven her, you know?!”

Did Shady share her story with Alicia?

What kind of change in mindset led her to open up about her past?

What on earth happened over these four days?

“And acting tough just because she’s grown up is childish. And it’s not right to put grown men and women together in one room…! So… So…”

Even though she says that, we all understand.

After learning about Shady’s past, it must have been hard to leave her be.

Alicia may be very kind, but the pain of having no parents is immense.

She knows that better than anyone else.

Or maybe it reminded her of the old Bern.

Bern started his delinquent act after his mother passed away.

Until she knew about Bern’s circumstances, she probably thought he went astray after losing his mother.

“Alicia, thank you. Take good care of her.”

“W-well, if you’re that grateful, maybe we could… together…”

While Alicia was saying something, the door of the ward began to open again.

-Creak

As the door opened, quite a few people were visible there.

Each had distinct hair colors.

Ellen with cherry blossom pink hair, Silia with dark black hair like mine.

And behind them, Ron with gray hair after taking off his usual robe, and Lloyd with a large build and golden skin.

And Ian with dark black hair and deep green eyes… Ian?

Anyway, many people came to my ward.

“Why are you all here…”

“Be-Bern…! You’re awake…!”

“Oh, you’re finally up. Hey, there’s Lucy and the silver-haired one too, right?”

“Long time no see, comrade! We all came for a visit today, and coincidentally, we ended up coming together!”

“I heard you were attacked by a member of Requiem. Looks like you’re… okay. Thank goodness.”

“Bern! You’re awake! I heard you were hospitalized, so I came to check on you. Is it okay if I’m here? Just in case. I brought some fruits too!”

Wait, what’s going on?

Suddenly, a multitude of people started filling up the ward.

Even though the room was quite spacious, it was starting to get crowded.

As the ward quickly became lively, Lucy, who was sleeping, woke up.

“Hmm… Huh, did I… fall asleep? When did I fall asleep?”

As she woke up with a start, Lloyd, the butler, began to laugh heartily.

“Hahaha, Sir, you’re quite fortunate. There are so many people taking care of you by your side.”

“I’m… envious… Darn it, feeling like such a real loser!”

“Bern, it’s truly fortunate that you’ve woken up…! I was extremely worried…”

“Bern, you’re amazing… You were even more incredible than I thought…”

“Oh, patient. Are you feeling better? Surrounded by pretty schoolgirls?”

“Hey, dark-haired one! If you keep grumbling like that, just leave!”

“What did you say?”

“…..”

Due to my actions, many things have changed.

Because of that, many people came all the way here to meet me.

All due to possession.

It could have been a connection that was meant to be because of my actions.

It hasn’t been long since everyone met me.

Not that close, but they came to see me.

Not bad.

Still, I should say something.

“Everyone, quiet down. This is a hospital.”

Upon hearing my words, they all stopped what they were doing and started to gauge my reaction.

Some realized once again that this was a hospital.

There were also those who needlessly fidgeted around, thinking I was angry.

“Just kidding. Thank you all for coming.”

Then, one by one, they began to speak up.

“Bern, joking around?”

“Huh? Bern, didn’t you just smile?”

“Th-thank you…? I-I’m more thankful. Bern.”

“Yeah. Before saying that, make sure not to get hurt anywhere.”

“Haha, no need to mention it. If a friend is sick, of course, we should come.”

“Y-yeah. We’re friends, right? A-and sorry for being loud… Lloyd, let’s lower our voices a bit…”

“Bern, am I a friend too? I felt a bit awkward just coming, so I bought some fruit. Let’s eat this apple and this together. You probably haven’t eaten anything.”

“Sounds good.”

The warm breeze coming in through the slightly open window began to envelop me.

The chilly wind from earlier… now feels warm like gentle sunlight.

It’s a pleasant morning.