Tou woke up in a hospital. It was a Wednesday afternoon. Upon waking up, he first noticed the sunlight shining through the window, illuminating all the dust particles. Then he observed the wires and tubes attached to him. In all of his years, he had never had to go to the hospital, because of how competent he was.
"My streak… "
There were a few thoughts he had.
Such as,
Who found my body, and sent me to the hospital?
It could only be Ailsa or Marco. But I don't think that's likely. If I sent them off that harshly, would they come back?
Tou raised his hand to feel at his neck. Their was, surprisingly, a very shallow cut. His attempts had not succeeded.
His eyes scanned the room.
A sharp object would suffice. A pencil, anything. He could use nearly anything as a weapon. But there's nothing. Great displeasure could be seen in his eyes.
For the next hour, Tou devised a plan to try and ill himself.
At the end of that hour, the door swung open. Standing their, was Ailsa, still in her school uniform. Marco held both of their bags.
He saw worry in even Marco's face.
"You've really outdone yourself," he said.
Ailsa ran toward him, hugging him as if he was trying to escape, or flee. But he wasn't. He simply hugged her back, his arms wrapping around her very slowly.
So it was them… of course. It was you guys who sent me to the hospital.
Tou let out a sigh of relief.
"This sick bastards smiling," Marco chuckled.
"Huh?
"I… I guess I am."
He hadn't even realized it.
"Don't do anything like that again, Tou. W-whatever it was. Don't put yourself in harms way. And if you're ever feeling down, or feeling as if things couldn't be any better, talk to us, alright?!"
It was now that Tou saw her face, riddled in tears. She sniffled.
Damn it… Ailsa.
Marco stood at the doorframe, with a relieved smile.
The next three days flew by slowly and grudgingly, as Tou spent his time in the hospital being nursed back to health. The main problem was that he had lost a good amount of blood, so it was nothing that some magic and medicine couldn't fix.
He was admitted out of the hospital on Saturday.
Standing there, waiting for him was the blonde haired Marcus, that he had always been acquainted with. He was dressed a little bit more modestly than usual, but his face couldn't shake off the delinquent vibe.
Tou was still in his hospital gown, walking toward him with crutches.
"Alisa's taking the medical test today."
"I see."
"… Come on. Let's go out and eat. It's a Saturday, after all," Marcus softly smiled.
The ends of his lips curved, slowly. Like a tug at his face. The scenery looked especially beautiful today, different flowers of various vibrant colors blooming. Even the grass seemed a little more luscious.
"Yeah. Let's do that. I'm pretty hungry anyways. Hospital food is alright, but I know the bakery is so much better. Haa… I'm salivating, just thinking about how it's gonna taste in my mouth…"
Marcus laughed.
Tou's hairs stood on end. He heard the familiar sound of an arrow, zipping through the arrow. The trajectory indicated that it was meant for Tou. However, due to the positioning, it charged toward Marcus.
Cerat… this is one of his tricks again, isn't it?
I don't have to waste my time.
His body moved instinctively. A strong desire to protect his friend overwhelmed him. He walked toward, shoving Marcus to the side.
[Cast: Stone Form]
His body hardened. His skin became a grey color, and if you were to feel at his cheeks, it would be rough, like cobblestone, or even akin to sandpaper.
The arrow collided with his petrified hand, to his surprise. Cerat's eyebrows shot up. His eyes immediately traced the arrow's route.
The shot came from far into the forest above the town.
Tou's body immediately returned to it's original form. With the state he was in, maintaining something like that would be hard, let alone tracking down the assailant and taking the out.
Marcus slowly got up, dusting the dirt off his back. He groaned.
"What was that?"
"… It's nothing, sorry. I didn't mean that."
The arrow moved way too fast. Even he didn't realize. Tou came to this conclusion. came to this conclusion.
"You always love playing rough, huh?" Marcus grabbed Tou, rubbing his knuckles on his head. Tou screamed out. Of course, he laughed, a smile on his face.
This is not good.
Someone is out for me.
It would've been fine if it was just me, but, it's as if they're purposely trying to involve my friends.
"The sun is still out. The day is bright. Let's get something to eat, Tou. Just the two of us. A boys day to enjoy."
Tou nodded. What ensued was just as he spoke of, a day where it was just the two of them. Tou changed into regular clothes, still holding his clutches. They played, swinging at the playground as if they were still children. After this, they stopped at the bakery.
"Two loaves of sweet bread," Marcus requested at the front of the store, sticking two fingers out. The receptionist wrote this down. After waiting some time, they were given the loaves and they sat down. The hungry Tou wasted no time. Seeing his friend in that type of state naturally made Marcus laugh.
"I can't imagine what they must've made you eat in their, Tou. Seeing you devour all this food so eagerly,"
Tou stopped for a moment. Not to respond, but to catch a breath. However, he still spoke anyways.
"Nothing good. I tell you, that was probably the worst part of it. And then, I was so very bored. They handed me the most uninteresting magazines ever."
"You're just saying that because it wasn't an erotic magazine."
"…"
"You're really easy to read. Well, how are you feeling, anyway?"
"I feel completely drained. Mana is hard to circulate right now. My muscles feel tired to add onto that."
"Ailsa will definitely be pleased to hear that you're doing well. Sorry we couldn't visit during those three days. She studied relentlessly, and I was off to visit my sick grandfather."
"It's fine. I assumed you guys had your reasons."
"Well, in that case, I'm glad you aren't angry."
Marcus finally began eating his bread.