By the time Ryoko finally let go, Hikigaya already looked like he was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolling up as he twitched.
"Hikigaya..."
"Hikigaya!"
"Hikigaya-kun... hurry, take him to the infirmary..."
As his consciousness faded, Hikigaya felt like his body had sunk into a dream he couldn't wake from. He could hear their voices, he could see their worried faces, but he couldn't move at all.
'Wait... is this that so-called "life flashing before your eyes" thing?'
...
When he opened his eyes again, he was already lying on his own bed in his room. He slowly lifted his hand. That suffocating feeling...
Yeah, he was still alive.
It all felt like a dream, yet it was too real—his breathing was still heavy and hard.
Maybe because she noticed he woke up, Tadokoro let out a sharp gasp. She quickly covered her mouth, so it wasn't too loud, but it still startled Hikigaya.
Tadokoro Megumi: "Hikigaya, you're awake! Thank goodness..."
She kept wiping the tears at the corners of her eyes. In her clear gaze, there was nothing left but worry.
Hikigaya's sharp eyes were scary. Even though he had just woken up, he immediately noticed the lucky charm bag in Tadokoro Megumi's hands. She had probably been praying for him this whole time.
Not wanting the mood to get too heavy, Hikigaya asked softly, "So, how did the celebration party go?"
Tadokoro Megumi let out a sudden laugh.
"At a time like this, you're still worried about the party? At least care about your own health first, you idiot, Hikigaya."
"Yes, yes, Mama Tadokoro."
"What kind of nonsense nickname is that? I'm not anyone's mom." Her face turned red as she pressed her hands against her thighs, looking very awkward.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't hold back another laugh.
"But you know, this really turned out to be the shortest celebration party we've ever had!"
"Well, after what happened, that makes sense."
"Hikigaya, I'm just glad you're okay."
Those heartfelt words truly reached him.
"How about the others?"
While playing with her bangs and avoiding his eyes, Tadokoro Megumi said, "Since the doctor said you need to rest quietly, too many visitors would bother you. After thinking it over, we decided it would be best if I took care of you."
There was no way she could admit that she had actually volunteered to take care of him... some things were better kept to herself.
Even though Hikigaya noticed she was hiding something, he didn't press. Still, this accident had made one thing very clear to him.
A real Shokugeki battle drained far too much stamina. There would probably be more of them in the future, and this whole accident had only happened because he ran out of strength.
Plating, speed, physical strength—he had so much more to work on.
At this school, everyone had their own strong points. Tadokoro Megumi specialized in country-style cooking, Mito in meat dishes, Yoshino with animals, Ibusaki with smoking techniques. But him? He wasn't good at anything. He had a long, long way to go.
For now, he'd start by training his body.
Setting a simple goal like that even surprised Hikigaya himself. In the past, he never would have bothered with something that seemed so meaningless.
"By the way, how's Ryoko doing?"
Suddenly remembering the kind older girl who had almost lost him, Hikigaya couldn't help but worry. Since his collapse was caused by his own lack of stamina, the last thing he wanted was for her to blame herself or feel sad.
When he asked, Tadokoro Megumi froze for a moment, but quickly answered.
"Ryoko... I've never seen her cry that much before. She's probably resting in her room now, after everything that happened. But Hikigaya, you're really kind—you're still worrying about others."
"Well, it wasn't her fault, so I don't want her to feel guilty. And I don't want her to carry a scar in her heart because of me."
"What's this, Papa Hikigaya now?"
"Not a chance."
The two of them shared a small smile, but then came a crisp knock at the door.
"Knock knock..."
"Come in."
When the door opened, it was Isshiki-senpai. Today, he was back in his proper uniform—after all, with a patient here, it wouldn't be right for a senior to act too casually and leave behind the wrong impression.
When Hikigaya finally woke up, Isshiki gave him a heartfelt smile.
"Thank goodness, Hikigaya-kun, you're finally awake."
"Sorry for the trouble, Isshiki-senpai…"
"No, no, I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn't dragged you to the celebration party, this wouldn't have happened."
Tadokoro Megumi, standing nearby, spoke up for Hikigaya: "Geez, Isshiki-senpai, you really are something. You always sneak into Hikigaya's room in such a weird way. If this was a girl's room, you'd totally be called a creep."
Isshiki: "Hahaha, even I wouldn't go that far."
Hikigaya: "Honestly, this is my fault. It happened because I couldn't keep up physically. So neither you, Isshiki-senpai, nor Ryoko-san need to feel guilty."
Isshiki: "Hikigaya-kun, you're really kind… but even so, I have to apologize properly."
He bent down. Isshiki Satoshi, the Seventh Seat of Totsuki, spoke seriously:
"I'm truly sorry, Hikigaya-kun. And thank you—for protecting the Polar Star Dorm."
This sudden seriousness left Hikigaya completely stunned, frozen in place.
Isshiki then raised his head, walked over to Tadokoro Megumi, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently led her out of the room.
As he left, he said one last thing:
"I'll leave the two of you alone for now."
"Eh?"
Before Hikigaya could react, Isshiki had already taken Tadokoro Megumi out. The door closed with a click, and then Ryoko slowly walked over.
Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were so swollen it was shocking. Just like Megumi had said, Hikigaya had never seen Ryoko cry this badly before—clearly, this wasn't a joke.
She stopped in front of his bed, then stepped closer and suddenly bowed deeply in the quiet room:
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya… I… I didn't mean to."
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