After escaping the abandoned building, Kenji was immediately transported to the hospital with Mika and Seia's help. It was the same surgical hospital where he had surgery for a gunshot wound when he was younger. Carried on Mika's back, Kenji watched the rapidly changing scenery around them.
He wondered if girls with halos normally ran this fast, but he immediately knew that wasn't the case. Because Seia, who had been running alongside Mika, had started falling seriously behind at some point. Normally, Kenji would have been concerned about her and asked Mika to slow down, but unfortunately, he had no such luxury now.
The painkillers he had taken had worn off. The liquid analgesic sprayed on his ankle was the same. Because of that, Kenji could do nothing but contort his face in pain and groan. At his groans, Mika's steps quickened even more.
"Just hang on a little, Kenji...! The emergency room is right there!"
"...Ugh...."
Kenji gave a vague reply and leaned his body against Mika's back. A few seconds later in that state, Mika burst open the emergency room door. The nurses and doctors who had been working focused their attention on her. Mika informed a nurse who approached to guide them about the condition of Kenji's ankle.
Coincidentally, that day was a volunteer activity day for one of Trinity General School's clubs, the Relief Knight Club. Thanks to that, the normally quiet emergency room was even more deserted. There was plenty of time left to diagnose Kenji's ankle.
Following the nurse's guidance, Mika laid Kenji down on a bed. Then she plopped down on the chair next to the bed and stared at Kenji with worried eyes.
"What do we do... Are you okay, Kenji? Can you talk?"
"...Making a fuss over a mere broken ankle."
"But! But... it hurts a lot, doesn't it...."
"It's fine. It'll heal with a cast."
Kenji spat out nonchalantly and let out a soft chuckle. But contrary to his positive words, his condition wasn't that good.
Really. It fucking hurts like hell. When the bone first broke, it was somewhat bearable. During Makoto's interrogation that followed, he was maintaining a tense state, so he was somewhat okay. After receiving painkillers from Hina, it went without saying. But now, with the medication worn off and his tension gone, it felt like he was really going to die.
It was because the fracture had been left untreated for a long time.
Hopefully, he wouldn't need surgery to insert pins. Having had pins inserted several times due to a traffic accident in his childhood, that surgery was a real bitch. If possible, he didn't want to undergo it. Fortunately, it didn't come to that.
"Looking at the X-ray, it seems to be a simple fracture. But since it's been left for so long, you'll need to be hospitalized."
"No need for surgery?"
"No. It doesn't seem necessary to go that far."
At the doctor's words, Kenji let out a sigh of relief. Mika was the same. Her expression, which had been restless until now, brightened a little. Seia, who had arrived earlier, also perked up her fox ears that had been drooping to the side. It was so cute that Kenji unconsciously stroked her head.
Seia's eyes, which had relaxed as if relieved, widened roundly.
"...?! Wha, what are you suddenly...."
"Ah, sorry. Did you dislike it?"
Kenji withdrew the hand stroking Seia's head as he spoke. But before he could completely withdraw his hand, Seia's movement was faster. She shook her head vigorously and gently captured Kenji's departing hand with both of hers.
"N, no, I didn't dislike it. Rather... I'd like you to do it more."
"Heh. Is that so."
Kenji laughed mischievously and ruffled Seia's hair roughly. Her fine hair strands scattered here and there under his hand.
In an instant, her hair became disheveled, but that didn't matter at all. Every time his stroking fingers occasionally brushed her ears, Seia let out soft 'hng' moans and flinched her body. Small but continuous pleasure strangely heated her head.
"...Shouldn't you stop?"
Just as Seia unconsciously began rubbing her thighs together, Mika spat out in a cold voice. At that voice cold as frost, Kenji's hand flinched. He glanced sideways at Mika's amber eyes and withdrew the hand stroking Seia.
"...Ah."
Seia sighed regretfully with dazed, relaxed eyes. But soon, as if coming to her senses, she let out a fake cough. In Mika's eyes, Seia's actions like that appeared as nothing but fox-like tricks to steal Kenji away.
"Was it good?"
Mika asked with a sly smile. To that question, Seia was silent for a moment before making a face like a girl in love. But the voice that came from her mouth was as cold as Mika's.
"The best in the world."
"...."
For a moment, a cold current flowed around Kenji's sickbed. Damned idiot. Kenji cursed himself amidst the sudden surge of jealousy. If he had been thinking, he shouldn't have done that nonsense in front of the other girls.
Well, if he had been thinking, would he have charmed three girls? In the end, Kenji resigned himself. He lay down on the bed with a relaxed expression and gently closed his eyes. A few minutes later, a nurse came to complete the hospitalization procedures.
It was a girl with pink hair and pink eyes. 'Serina'. The name tag on her chest informed him of her name. The additional note 'Middle School 2nd Year – Relief Knight Club Observer' was a bonus.
"Um, patient. I've come to guide you through hospitalization."
"Ah, yes."
"Here is the hospitalization consent form. The contents are all written there, so please read it carefully."
"Thank you."
Kenji nodded to Serina and then read through the paper in his hand. In summary, the hospitalization period was two and a half months total, what medications would be used, what type of cast would be applied, etc. There were many other minor details, but that was the important part.
Kenji nodded and wrote his name in the signature field with the pen Serina gave him. When he returned the consent form to Serina, she smiled brightly and accepted the paper and pen.
"Thank you! If there's anything uncomfortable, please let me know anytime!"
Serina said that and scurried out of the emergency room.
Hospitalization took place about 10 minutes later.
*
After completing all hospitalization procedures, Kenji had a new splint applied to his broken ankle in the emergency room. A green cast like the ones used on Earth. It looked the same, but the strength was different. He thought it would probably remain intact even if blasted with a shotgun with a drum magazine.
After the cast was done, he headed straight to the hospital room. It was a room used by three people including him. One was a machine, and the other was a cat. The sight of things that should be in a repair shop or animal hospital lying on beds with IV drips in their arms was quite bizarre, but Kenji just laughed it off. Because when he thought about it, it was normal here.
Kenji's bed was in the corner of the room, next to the window. A decent spot. He moved his steps slowly, leaning on crutches. Mika and Seia standing beside him tried to help, but he declined. Since he had to live like this for a while anyway, he needed to get used to using crutches.
"I'll be sticking with you anyway, is that necessary?"
"Vacation hasn't even started yet, what do you mean sticking with me? Are you going to skip school?"
"Attendance is enough! Even if I'm absent from now until vacation, I won't be held back!"
"Stop it, stop. And having you stick around all the time is burdensome too."
"...Ugh. I'm worried. What if you get kidnapped again."
That was ultimately Mika's concern. Worry that Kenji might be kidnapped by someone else again. It was a reasonable concern. But Kenji let out a soft chuckle as if to reassure her.
"I'll be careful from now on, so it's fine. And this is a hospital, who would kidnap a patient here?"
Although he said that, Kenji couldn't be completely sure either. While this kidnapping was caused by the immature actions of Gehenna students, it didn't seem like only such people would come for him in the future.
Just thinking of the forces he could recall immediately, there was 'Gematria', the unknown something that informed Makoto of the rumors, and... the black animal mask machine that evoked an inexplicable sense of kinship. He couldn't be sure if he could remain safe from them without protection around him.
'The most dangerous are those machines.'
When he met the man belonging to Gematria, he felt nothing. He felt some displeasure, but that was all. Even regarding the rumors, if that was Gematria's doing, it probably wouldn't be much different from that black-clad man.
But those machines—the moment he faced them, he felt terrible terror. That sensation of being encroached upon, sinking, and simultaneously connecting was never positive. Fortunately, when he faced it again later, he felt nothing, but that didn't mean it was okay.
'...There's probably no point worrying about it now.'
In the end, there was insufficient information.
Just the first meeting. Moreover, he had a fit alone without any significant gains, and they were shattered without resistance by Mika's fist. Meaning their offensive power wasn't outstanding. But recalling how Mika swung her fist without hesitation, it seemed that damned 'Terror' didn't affect her.
The information that could be gleaned from that was that affecting emotions wasn't that thing's power. That it only affected 'me'. That was all. Where it was made, why it was made—he knew nothing about any of it.
'Damn it.'
His chest felt tight. It was a natural lack of information for a first encounter, but he still couldn't help disliking it. Kenji let out a deep sigh and lay down on the bed. A string connected to the ceiling suspended his broken foot in mid-air. Feeling some discomfort, Kenji asked Seia.
"By the way, where did Nagisa go?"
"She's currently informing the Trinity student council president about today's events. So she won't be able to visit today."
"That 'Tea Party' you mentioned last time?"
"That's right."
Trinity General School Student Council 'Tea Party'. Unlike other academies, the Tea Party is a student council run by three student council presidents. They say it's for the purpose of checking each other and simultaneously harmonizing, like the separation of powers on Earth, but whether that works well is unclear.
Whatever. It wasn't his concern.
"I'll need to buy a new phone after discharge. Need a way to contact people."
"Then should I buy one for you?"
"You? Why?"
At Kenji's question, Mika scratched her cheek as if embarrassed.
"W, well... I, I also accidentally lost my smartphone, so I need to buy a new one too!"
"Last time it was gloves, this time it's a phone? Be more careful."
"Ah, ahaha... yeah, I will."
Seia narrowed her eyes as she looked at Mika laughing awkwardly. Lost it. How brazen to lie like that when she actually crushed it into powder. She thought about telling Kenji that lie, but soon gave up. She didn't want to argue with Mika in front of the patient.
'It's about dorm curfew time soon.'
The time was already around 10 PM. Fortunately, since tomorrow was the weekend, the curfew time was longer than usual. Heading to the dorm now wouldn't be too late. Even if they were late, explaining the situation would probably get them a pass. The dorm supervisor wasn't that heartless.
"Okay, then I'll buy Kenji's phone. I can probably bring it by tomorrow at the latest."
"Alright, thanks. I'll send you the money later."
"Money is fine! Instead, grant me one wishㅡ"
"Mika."
Seia cut off Mika's words mid-sentence. Mika slightly furrowed her brow and looked back at her, and Seia continued with a calm expression.
"We should head back soon. Otherwise, we'll be late."
"...Dorm?"
"Yes. Mika, as you know, staying out without permission automatically makes weekend outings impossible. You probably don't want that, right?"
"...Sigh. I wanted to sleep together though."
Mika muttered that and looked back at Kenji.
"I'll come again tomorrow, Kenji. See you then."
"Alright, take care. You too, Seia."
"Understood. Let's meet tomorrow."
Seia said while lightly tickling the back of Kenji's hand. Mika also fiddled with Kenji's fingers before getting up from her seat.
Thus, the two left. Kenji let out a deep sigh and flopped down on the bed.
10 PM sharp. With an announcement about lights-out time, the lights in the hospital room all turned off. Each room could turn them back on separately, but none of the patients in Kenji's room moved. Because both the can and the cat were already asleep.
"....."
In the excruciating silence. Kenji stared blankly at the dark ceiling for a while, then reached his hand to the side. The wallet he had casually placed on the bedside table came into his hand. Kenji grabbed that wallet and pulled out a business card from the slot where cards were kept.
[Gematria.]
The business card clearly had that name written on it.