The new year dawned. The sun of the new year rose, and in Trinity's streets, a long line of people headed towards the cathedral. They were all those who had left home to attend the New Year's prayer service held at the grand cathedral. Even though all of Trinity's schools were on vacation, their faith knew no pause.
Was it this time last year? Kenji had also once joined that crowd and participated in a prayer service. Dragged by the hands of three people, he was forced to attend. That was the first time in his life he attended a prayer service. And after that day, Kenji never attended a prayer service again.
The static atmosphere. The loud noise that echoed even from the slightest twist of the body. The side glances pouring from nearby. Kenji didn't like any of it. No, 'uncomfortable' would be a more accurate expression.
The people occupying the grand cathedral were all devout believers. Kenji, who wasn't particularly a believer, felt as if he had become a heretic or an apostate there. It probably wasn't a wrong feeling. After all, he didn't believe in God.
He knows a being called God exists. If that bastard hadn't existed, he wouldn't have fallen from Earth to this place in the first place. So God exists. But just because he knows that, he was skeptical about whether he must unconditionally believe in God.
What has that bastard done to deserve fervent praise and worship? There was no reason to, and he didn't want to.
"...Ugh."
Kenji detached his body from leaning against the window and stretched fully. With a creaking sound, his bones and muscles locked into place.
It might be nice to keep watching the continuous line of people in the street, but it was almost time for his assigned nurse to visit. If she saw him sitting by the window after getting out of bed, it was obvious she'd scold him with all sorts of reproaches.
Kenji hobbled to the bed and lay down on it. He hooked his left ankle onto the strap connected to the ceiling and pulled the blanket up to his chin. That should do it. Nothing to get caught on. Kenji chuckled softly and reached for the plate placed on the cabinet. A cookie made by Nagisa was captured in his grasp.
Crunch.
Taking a bite, a sweet taste spread throughout his mouth. It was less sweet than store-bought ones, but the taste wasn't bad. In fact, considering her thoughtfulness, it seemed even more delicious. He chuckled and chewed up another cookie.
While he was doing that, the time had approached 9 AM. Simultaneously, the hospital room door was pushed open forcefully. More nonsense. Kenji forcibly suppressed a rising sigh and stared at the unwelcome guest.
"...Couldn't you come in a bit more quietly?"
"We cannot be late where aid is needed. More importantly, are there any uncomfortable areas?"
A girl with lake-blue hair, long elf-like ears, and striking light green eyes. Her expression was filled with responsibility, but due to the pink nurse's uniform she was wearing, it wasn't overly prominent. However, thanks to her outstanding looks, she didn't appear ridiculous. Rather, it added to her cuteness.
Of course, all this is from an objective point of view. In Kenji's eyes, her appearance was no different from a gorilla.
Kenji trembled as he recalled her antics from a few weeks ago.
What kind of medical procedure with what purpose involves grabbing a student who came to the emergency room and slamming them onto the floor? Doing such a crazy thing and then examining the unconscious student with a serious face was enough to make everyone in the emergency room tremble with fear.
Kenji was the same. Already troubled by the Gematria incident, the sight of that gorilla standing there instead of Serina, who usually greeted him with a bright smile, was terrifying enough to slap even the most extreme horror movie thousands of times across the face.
Fortunately, thanks to patient complaints and a warning from the hospital director, such antics no longer occurred, but the fear remained the same. Although Kenji had gotten used to her from frequently encountering her after being assigned as his dedicated nurse, others had not.
As proof, look. The cat and the tin can sharing the same room with Kenji weren't they chattering their teeth and hiding under their blankets? Currently, only Kenji and she were showing their faces in the room.
"Aren't you going to pray? It's still a Trinity annual event."
"Taking care of patients takes priority. Aid where aid is needed. That is my motto."
Aomori Mine. She said that and approached Kenji. Mine carefully examined the strap hanging from the ceiling and his fixed left ankle. Although all she could see was a green mass.
"Any pain?"
"No."
"Lying is not good. Forcing yourself to endure pain only brings harm."
"No, I said it doesn't hurt."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Really, really?"
Kenji let out a deep sigh and nodded.
He wasn't particularly lying. Thanks to taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs daily, the pain had significantly subsided compared to the beginning. And even if it hurt, he wouldn't tell Mine. This crazy woman would probably say 'If we destroy the source of the pain, it won't hurt.' and pull out his ankle.
"Hmm... That's a relief. Here, today's medication. Please take it 30 minutes after breakfast."
"Yes."
"If there's any discomfort, you can call anytime. I'll come running immediately."
"...If you promise not to smash the window like last time, then I will."
"That is the fastest route though. Hmm. No choice. Understood."
After that, trivial small talk continued. What's for breakfast today, when will the doctor come, when will Serina return, why are you looking for that child, etc. After a few minutes of meaningless conversation, Mine left the room with her serious expression intact.
Only then did the two patients other than Kenji catch their breath. Those two also had dedicated nurses, but unlike Mine, they weren't as diligent, so visits were rare. They only dropped by occasionally when pressured by students from the Relief Knight Club.
It didn't matter. Kenji exhaled into the air and took out the smartphone he had put in his pocket. The one Mika bought, the same model as hers but a different color.
"...."
As if all the expressions he had made until now were false, Kenji checked his contacts with a deeply expressionless face. Mika, Nagisa, Seia, Tsurugi, Torimune, Boss. Such names scrolled up. But it wasn't the name he was looking for. He scrolled down the smartphone screen with his finger and stopped at a certain name.
[Gematria]
Kenji stared intently at that name and licked his parched lips.
Several days had already passed since meeting that man. But Kenji still hadn't made up his mind. Whether to follow him and join Gematria, or stay here and wait until the seed blossoms. He hadn't decided on anything.
Complacent. Irresponsible, and ignorant. Even though his heart had already leaned one way. He felt pathetic for not being confident about it.
'Damn it.'
Kenji sighed and roughly threw the smartphone. The phone that fell at the foot of the bed slid and hit the floor. Regardless, Kenji slowly turned his head and stared out the window.
In contrast to his troubled feelings, the sky was clear.
Goddamn it.
*
She stood in front of the mirror and checked her appearance. Her meticulously curled hair gleamed, and there were no wrinkles in her neatly worn clothes. Sniff, sniff. Just in case, she smelled her hair, but only the lilac scent of shampoo filled her nostrils. The same for her clothes and body. The expensive perfume she bought faithfully performed its role.
'Th-this should be okay, right?'
Tsurugi mumbled and nodded her head. The girl beyond the mirror made the same movement. She slightly raised the corners of her mouth, practiced smiling once more, then lifted the fruit box prepared as a gift with one hand.
On top of the box was a picture she had drawn herself. A drawing that looked like the bear doll the heroine had drawn for the protagonist in a romance drama she recently watched. Since she had spent a long time drawing it, the quality was quite decent. Enough for anyone to let out a short exclamation of admiration.
But Tsurugi trembled her eyes as if uneasy.
Wh-what if Kenji hates it? What if he shouts that he doesn't need this?
Tsurugi stomped her feet in place due to anxiety, then nodded as if having decided. Yes, Kenji isn't that kind of person. That's what she thought. She trusted a person after just one meeting. The only saving grace was that it wasn't a wrong judgment.
"Ke, kehehe."
After checking her attire one last time, she left the house. Since the New Year's prayer service had just ended, Trinity streets were overflowing with people. Originally, Tsurugi should have joined that crowd too, but she held her prayer service separately at home. Because praying with many people felt awkward.
Whatever. Tsurugi paid no attention to the students walking the streets. She moved her steps with a quick pace towards the hospital where Kenji was hospitalized.
This was the second time meeting Kenji. Because although they became friends at their first meeting, there had been no contact for several days afterward. Even when she sent a morning greeting, silent no reply. Mustering courage to call, only the automated voice saying the power was off could be heard.
Only then did Tsurugi realize. Oh, only I thought of him as a friend. He has no intention of seeing me again. She was frustrated. She thought she had made her first friend in life, but as expected, it was just that. There was no one in the world who would be close to a weird girl like her.
While thinking that and trying to sort out her feelings, around that time, contact came from Kenji. The number was different, but it was undoubtedly his voice.
The call with Kenji happened in a very simple way. A conversation where he spoke and Tsurugi listened. Kenji said that due to unavoidable circumstances, his smartphone broke and he had no means to contact her. Tsurugi said it was okay and thanked him for contacting her even now.
His voice, heard after a long time, was quite welcome. It was natural since she had only been meeting people who looked at her with fear and either ran away or stuttered, and now she could have a normal conversation with someone.
But she hadn't expected him to be hospitalized. Fortunately, it wasn't due to illness but a fracture, so it wasn't too dangerous, but the impact of the word 'hospitalization' was still significant. That's why she scheduled a visit immediately after hearing the story. Since she had never been hospitalized in her life, she was worried about him as a friend.
There were no other feelings. There was no opportunity for that either. To Tsurugi, Kenji was her one and only friend, that was all. Although the description 'precious' was added in front. It was truly an unavoidable thing. After all, anyone's first is precious.
-Zzzzzzzz.
Upon reaching the hospital entrance, the automatic doors slid open. Beyond them, medical personnel were running around. Most patients looked relaxed, and visitors were talking with the hospitalized patients. Tsurugi glanced at them briefly, then boarded the elevator.
The room Kenji was staying in was on the 6th floor, Room 608. Tsurugi directly pressed the button marked '6' and went up. With a -ding, the elevator stopped, and the closed doors slid open. With a nervous expression, she moved her steps towards the room where Kenji was staying.
At that moment, a girl with blue hair passed by her. Unlike herself, who covered her whole body in black clothes, the girl was dazzlingly bright. Her wings also resembled those of a beautiful bird. Unlike her own wings, which were shaped like thorns.
"...Ugh."
Tsurugi unconsciously let out a sigh. Just as one unconsciously shrinks when someone prettier than themselves passes by, she too shriveled up upon seeing that beautiful nurse. Feeling like it would be hard to even move if she stayed like this, Tsurugi quickly walked towards Kenji's room.
The girl with the name tag 'Aomori Mine' glanced at Tsurugi but soon seemed to lose interest and returned to the room used by the Relief Knight Club. As she was still a trainee, she didn't have time to idle around.
Tsurugi stood in front of the room where Kenji was staying. After steadying her breath once, she put on the smile she had practiced in front of the mirror. It was awkward, but it wasn't the scary face from before. This should be enough, right? Thinking that, she slid open the room door with her empty hand and entered.
Simultaneously, a lively voice could be heard.
"Kenjiiiiii, isn't your hair too long? Seems like it's about time to cut it, right?"
"Can't cut it in the hospital. But it is long. Should I just trim the bangs roughly?"
"Should I cut it for you? I used to do it often before!"
"Every time you did, Nagisa laughed. Get lost, not doing it."
"N-now I won't! I've gotten used to it too! I cut my own bangs now!"
"No wonder it looked weird. I think I could cut it better than that."
"So mean! Kenji has no delicacy!"
"I am a bit like that."
It was the voice of a girl with pink hair reaching down to her waist. A girl with beautiful topaz-colored eyes and an impressive lively atmosphere. Mixed with it was Kenji's voice. Tsurugi gulped and slowly approached the two.
Misono Mika.
She was puffing out her cheeks and kneading Kenji's cheeks here and there when she noticed Tsurugi approaching and tilted her head. —It was brief. As if all the bright appearance she had shown until now was false, she instantly wiped the expression from her face.
She got up from the bed. Kenji's eyes, looking puzzled, moved towards Mika, then turned back towards the source of the lilac scent wafting over. Tsurugi, with her blood-red pupils spinning round and round, came into his view.
"Ah, you came."
Kenji grinned and waved his hand at Tsurugi. Tsurugi also waved her hand awkwardly.
"...."
Mika watched that scene with cold eyes.