Chapter 64: Terminal Illness
"It's been sent."
Hikigaya Hachiman received a short message from Fujiwara Chika on his phone; it was the photo they had just taken. The photo showed a slightly stiff Shinomiya Kaguya and a brilliantly smiling Fujiwara Chika. He could sense that Shinomiya Kaguya's mood was particularly stable now, almost comparable to the touched and happy Fujiwara Chika.
'Sure enough, she's speaking against her true feelings.'
Hikigaya Hachiman now understood: just negate what they say to confirm their true feelings, and it would almost always be right.
"What about Kaguya-san?"
Fujiwara Chika asked Shinomiya Kaguya.
This was because Shinomiya Kaguya didn't use a smartphone, but an old-fashioned flip phone from the last century. Sending short messages on weekdays was fine, but sending pictures or files was more troublesome.
"Just send it to my email as usual."
But Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly remembered Hayasaka saying that highly private things like an Ojou-sama's email shouldn't be used, as it could cause information leakage. The reality was that Ai Hayasaka knew the email address Kaguya-sama used was not a secret to the bastards of the Shinomiya main family. Shinomiya Kaguya seemed free, but in reality, all aspects of her life were under the surveillance of her elder brother, Shinomiya Oko.
"Let's forget it. I don't like taking pictures with other people anyway."
Thinking of the terrifying consequences of information leakage, Shinomiya Kaguya thought for a moment and felt she could only say such a dishonest thing.
When Fujiwara Chika heard her good friend say that, she wasn't as happy as she was before about getting a photo with Shinomiya Kaguya. This was because a photo must make both parties happy to be truly enjoyable.
'Denial-means-affirmation, that formula quickly nailed it.'
"It doesn't have to be so complicated."
Hikigaya Hachiman said to Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika. "Wouldn't it be better to just take a new picture using Shinomiya's phone?"
It was a simple matter, but upon hearing Hikigaya's words, the two who had inexplicably sunk into dejection almost instantly regained their cheerful moods.
"If we use Shinomiya's phone, we might all need to stand a little closer."
The performance of an old-fashioned flip phone was certainly not as excellent as current smartphones, and the pixel quality would definitely be low. But there was no alternative; Shinomiya Kaguya's phone was the last memento left to her by her mother.
"No problem."
"Come on, Kaguya-san.
Hachiman, you should just squat down."
Fujiwara Chika poked Hikigaya Hachiman's waist. When using a smartphone earlier, they could adjust the focus, but that certainly wasn't possible with Kaguya-san's phone.
"Kaguya-san, let's have Hachiman stand in the middle this time."
"Eh!"
Wouldn't that mean she had to stand head-to-head with Hikigaya-kun?
Shinomiya Kaguya's pupils suddenly trembled violently when she heard what Fujiwara Chika said.
'So, Fujiwara-san is a good person after all.'
Even if she had felt dissatisfied before, all of it vanished at this moment. She might have wrongly blamed her just now.
But when she realized she was about to stand head-to-head with Hikigaya-kun, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Although she had taken a picture with Hikigaya-kun just now, Fujiwara Chika was between them, so it was fine. But now, it was going to be almost face-to-face.
"Wait, me and Hikigaya-kun?"
Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but feel her heart beating exceptionally fast, so much so that she felt it was about to jump out of her chest.
"Shinomiya, are you feeling unwell?"
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at Shinomiya Kaguya suspiciously. Not only was her heart racing, but small beads of sweat had started to appear on her forehead.
"No, I'm fine."
Shinomiya Kaguya was also very surprised why her heart rate was so fast, abnormally rapid. This had never happened before. Especially when her and Hikigaya-kun's faces were almost touching, Shinomiya Kaguya felt her brain was about to crash, and she couldn't catch her breath at all. Her head started spinning, and her consciousness was blurring.
Considering Shinomiya Kaguya's abnormality, Hikigaya Hachiman did not prolong the photo session. He took four or five pictures with her phone as quickly as possible, and then they dispersed.
"All done."
After separating, Shinomiya Kaguya was able to breathe again, and her respiration stabilized. Shinomiya Kaguya returned to her original appearance, face neither red nor her heart racing, looking completely normal.
She was just inexplicably sinking into silence.
This was because, according to Shinomiya Kaguya's thinking, maybe she was already terminally ill?
It wasn't strange for Shinomiya Kaguya to be pessimistic. Her mother died early, and she died from heart disease.
For Shinomiya Kaguya, could her body's abnormal reaction just now be an early symptom of some kind of illness?
'My heart is beating so fast. The frequency is so high and yet there is no rhythm to speak of. It's clearly an arrhythmia.
'Dizziness and blurry vision. Could I also have high blood pressure?'
The more Shinomiya Kaguya thought about it, the deeper her heart sank, and the more distressed she felt.
Thinking this, Shinomiya Kaguya immediately sent a message to Hayasaka Ai.
"Hayasaka, please schedule a full medical examination for me. I feel like I might have a very serious illness."
Ai Hayasaka replied instantly; the young lady's short message was too frightening.
"???"
'Kaguya-sama was fine before leaving home. How did she end up like this by the afternoon?'
Shinomiya Kaguya's expression was extremely serious, so much so that Fujiwara Chika felt something major must have happened to her good friend. But seeing Shinomiya Kaguya's stern expression, Fujiwara Chika couldn't bring herself to speak.
This strange atmosphere only eased when the group arrived at the Newspaper Club.
The Newspaper Club only had three members in total, but they were responsible for all the broadcasting and live streaming permissions for the school. Hikigaya Hachiman stated his purpose. He wanted the Newspaper Club to publish the story of Ishigami Yu to clear the first-year student's name.
"Thank you for the trouble."
The girl wearing glasses was the president of the Newspaper Club, Shizuku Asahi, the young lady of the Asahi News Group, one of the three major newspaper conglomerates in Japan.
"You're too kind."
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's words, she quickly waved her hand and replied anxiously, "If it weren't for Hikigaya-kun and Shinomiya-san, whether I could be standing here right now would be a question."
Shizuku Asahi continued, "Our Newspaper Club will definitely cooperate with all the Student Council's instructions."
At the same time, the Newspaper Club president felt a sense of relief in her heart.
'Fortunately, her other two members weren't present, or they would probably have started interviewing again.'
After all, they were members of Hikigaya Hachiman and Shinomiya Kaguya's fan club.
As the three exited the Newspaper Club, Shinomiya Kaguya brushed her long hair behind her ear, her eyes seemingly lost in thought. Time passed so quickly that she felt her past was still vivid in her memory.
"Almost half a year has passed in the blink of an eye."
Shinomiya Kaguya felt that she had changed a lot during this past period.
Hearing Shinomiya Kaguya's words, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but recall that the first-year Shinomiya Kaguya was even colder than she was now. When he entered the school from the outside, the first thing he heard about was the reputation of the "Ice Princess Kaguya."
Now that he was actually interacting with her, she didn't feel as distant as she was originally reputed to be. Shinomiya was actually quite easy to get along with; the talk of the so-called Ice Princess Kaguya was simply groundless.
"What, what?"
Fujiwara Chika looked very interested. She seemed to have sensed something unusual from the attitude of Asahi-senpai towards Kaguya-san and Hachiman.
"Nothing."
Since it involved Shinomiya and Shizuku Asahi, the tight-lipped Hikigaya Hachiman naturally wouldn't say anything. He clearly remembered that there was a cursed spirit of approximately Grade 2 lurking in that pond. It was normal for Fujiwara Chika not to know, because Hachiman and Shirogane Miyuki had just joined the Student Council at that time, and Fujiwara Chika's whereabouts were unknown.
"Hachiman, you're stingy."
The more he held back, the more desperately curious Fujiwara Chika became.
"Kaguya-san, what exactly happened?"
Shinomiya Kaguya was still worried about her own life, but she remembered that Fujiwara-san had indeed given her some help just now, and besides, it wasn't something that absolutely couldn't be talked about.
"It was something that happened when we cleaned the pond behind the mountain."
That area has now been completely filled in. Because the drainage pipes in that area were often clogged, there were usually a lot of accumulated garbage there, so it often required manual handling. The pond was very dirty. The Student Council at the time organized a group of volunteers to clean up the trash. Shinomiya Kaguya also joined the volunteer team, cleaning up the garbage on the ground from a distance.
But suddenly, for some unknown reason, Shizuku Asahi fell into the water. Seizing the opportunity, Shinomiya Kaguya tied a rope around herself and jumped into the pond to rescue her. It was also a way to gain favor. Logically, after she rescued the other party, the other party should be grateful for the life-saving grace Shinomiya Kaguya had provided.
Unfortunately, Shinomiya Kaguya's scenario should have been perfect, but an unexpected event occurred. Shinomiya Kaguya was clearly dragging Shizuku Asahi forward, but she quickly noticed something was wrong. She seemed to be pulling not just one person but also something else. Enraged that its offering was being taken away, the unknown entity violently pulled Shinomiya Kaguya deep into the pond as well, even cutting the rope.
So, initially, it was just Shizuku Asahi drowning, but later Shinomiya Kaguya was added, making it a case of both drowning. Hikigaya Hachiman, who was at the scene, saved both of them.
At the time, Shinomiya Kaguya truly thought, It's over. She had originally wanted to gain the favor of this young lady from the newspaper family, hoping it might be useful someday. Who knew that her attempt to rescue Shizuku Asahi would put her own life at risk?
But just as Shinomiya Kaguya was about to suffocate, a man's voice inexplicably appeared in her ear.
Keep in mind, this was underwater!
"Grab my hand."
The suffocating Shinomiya Kaguya stretched out her hand and firmly grasped that hand. Soon, she felt the sunlight hitting her. Fortunately, the drowning time was not very long. Shinomiya Kaguya and Shizuku Asahi quickly regained consciousness, but Hikigaya-kun had already left by then.
Shinomiya Kaguya only learned the name of the person who saved her, Hikigaya Hachiman, from Hayasaka Ai. He was a newly enrolled student from the outside system. She originally
thought the other party was trying everything to curry favor with the Shinomiya family based on their status, just like she was trying to gain favor with the young lady of the Asahi family.
"People, they are always waiting for others to make sacrifices.
If someone is willing to get themselves dirty without expecting anything in return, then I would definitely not get along with that guy."
Shinomiya Kaguya even bet with Ai Hayasaka at the time that Hikigaya Hachiman definitely had an ulterior motive for saving her. But who could have predicted that the truth would slap her in the face so quickly?
Shinomiya Kaguya waited for three days in a row but Hikigaya Hachiman never took the initiative to come and ask for a reward, which instantly confused her. When she went to find him, who knew he would suddenly say, "You are...?"
It didn't seem like he was pretending; he clearly genuinely didn't recognize her.
This showed that he hadn't taken the matter of saving the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family to heart at all.
Shinomiya Kaguya stated her purpose. Hikigaya-kun said he didn't need any reward and asked her how she was doing and if she was okay. He was truly helping others without expecting anything in return.
Since then, the name Hikigaya Hachiman appeared more and more frequently in Shinomiya Kaguya's sight. In terms of academics, Shinomiya Kaguya had not taken first place since entering high school, always remaining the perennial second place, which made her gnash her teeth but couldn't do anything about. In daily school office life, it went without saying: no one who had worked with Hikigaya Hachiman had a bad word to say. Even Shinomiya Kaguya still held absolute trust in Hikigaya Hachiman to this day, as she, too, had received all kinds of care from him over the past year.
"Hachiman, that's amazing! To have done something so dramatic in the first year."
Fujiwara Chika looked quite surprised and also a little strange. Someone who saved two people—shouldn't they be recognized by the school? Why did it feel like no news of it had spread?
"Then why do so few people know about it?"
It was the first time Fujiwara Chika had heard about it.
"The academy needs to manage its image."
Hikigaya Hachiman replied, "The school definitely doesn't want to publicize embarrassing incidents. They strive to downplay major issues and resolve minor ones quietly."
Furthermore, no one was injured in this incident; Shizuku Asahi and Shinomiya Kaguya were only a little scared and choked on some water. Since the identities of the people involved were a bit troublesome, they certainly wouldn't promote it widely to let other students know.
The Student Council issued a gag order at the time, prohibiting the volunteers present from speaking about what happened that day. So, without Hikigaya Hachiman, the news that Shinomiya Kaguya and Shizuku Asahi almost drowned would have definitely spread everywhere.
This was Shinomiya Kaguya and Hikigaya Hachiman's first meeting. They did not know each other before that. Even now, the memory of that thrilling moment still lingers in Shinomiya Kaguya's mind, affecting her breathing and heartbeat.
Her heart rate, which had calmed down, was now accelerating at an alarming speed again. Feeling a stuffy pressure in her chest, Shinomiya Kaguya became even more certain that she was sick.
She even pessimistically concluded that her hereditary heart disease might be flaring up.
Early detection, early treatment. Shinomiya Kaguya could only comfort herself with that thought.
"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun."
The anxious Shinomiya Kaguya was already thinking of taking the afternoon off to get a complete physical examination.
"Please tell President Shirogane that I'm feeling unwell today and will be leaving early."
This abnormal behavior made Fujiwara Chika quite uneasy.
Hikigaya Hachiman, however, remembered that the last time he checked Shinomiya Kaguya's body, she was the picture of health—she couldn't have been any healthier.
"Unwell?"
In fact, Shinomiya Kaguya's muscle density was superior to that of the average person. Her athletic ability was also highly developed.
'What kind of illness could she possibly have?'
Hayasaka Ai was extremely attentive to Kaguya-sama's well-being and had already scheduled her for a physical examination at the hospital affiliated with the Imperial Institute of Technology. They had very specialized medical equipment there that could detect most genetic diseases covered by medicine, as well as some potentially worsening illnesses. Ai Hayasaka also went there for her check-ups. It was a very comprehensive large-scale hospital with outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments.
However, Hayasaka Ai was unaware that just after she had booked Kaguya-sama's appointment, a twisted, blood-stained metal cabinet was also being rushed to the same hospital for emergency treatment in the late afternoon, near the end of school.
Who would have thought that three well-built men were violently compressed and stuffed into that 1.7-meter-long, 0.5-meter-wide metal cabinet? Most of the bones of these unfortunate victims were already fractured, as if they had been violently crushed and packaged together by something terrifying and forcibly crammed into the cabinet. It was only the medical resources of that particular hospital that offered a chance to save the lives of these tragically injured victims.
Outside the operating room, a distraught boy wearing a school uniform clutched his head, his lips trembling.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
And in the shadow of this boy, an extremely terrifying monster seemed to be lurking.
At the same time, one Grade 1 Sorcerer and three Grade 2 Sorcerers, prepared by the Sorcerer Association, also arrived at this hospital.
"Isn't taking action at a hospital a bit inappropriate?"
"Heh, it's just a brat. I can defeat him with one hand tied behind my back."
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