Chapter 5: Dead End from the Start
At this critical moment—
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking came, and then the hospital room door was pushed open.
"Amamiya-san, your breakfa—"
The nurse, carrying a breakfast tray, stopped mid-sentence as she took in the tense atmosphere in the room and the four unexpected visitors.
Ayaka and the other three quickly stood up, closed their mouths, and resumed normal standing postures.
But the lingering tension in the air and Ren's deathly pale face made the nurse feel that something was off.
"Um... do you have visitors?"
The nurse asked hesitantly.
Ayaka turned around, a social smile already back on her face.
"Yes, we're the driver responsible for the accident, discussing compensation matters with Amamiya-san."
Her tone was natural and smooth, as if nothing had just happened.
The other three also turned sideways in sync, showing the nurse nearly identical smiles, their coordinated movements eerily unsettling.
Ren was breathing heavily, his back soaked with cold sweat through the hospital gown. He stared fixedly at the four of them, his heart still pounding wildly.
What... what was that just now?!
Although the nurse found the atmosphere strange, she didn't notice anything more concrete, so she said, "Visiting hours shouldn't disturb the patient's rest. Amamiya-san just woke up and needs quiet recovery."
"Yes, we were just leaving."
Ayaka nodded compliantly, then turned to look at Ren, her smile not reaching her eyes as she said, "Amamiya-san, we hope you'll seriously consider our words. We'll... come see you another day."
With that, the four filed out of the room, politely nodding to the nurse as they passed by.
The door closed gently. The nurse placed the breakfast on the bedside table, watched the four women leave, then turned back with a worried look at Ren. "Amamiya-san, are you alright? You look very pale."
Ren opened his mouth, wanting to describe the terrifying scene from earlier, but swallowed his words at the last moment.
Would anyone believe me if I said it? That human mouths had tentacle-like things inside...
In the end, he just shook his head.
"It's... it's nothing. I'm just a bit tired."
Though still doubtful, the nurse didn't press further since he seemed unwilling to talk. After helping Ren eat his breakfast, she cleaned up and left.
Once again, Ren was alone in the hospital room.
Exhausted, he lay back on the hospital bed, inevitably thinking about those four women.
"Monsters? Or superpowers?"
Ren's expression was grave.
He couldn't have been mistaken—those four women definitely had problems, and this world had problems too!
Moreover, he was certain those four women would come looking for him again.
When that happened, it wouldn't be as easy as today.
What should I do? Compromise? Just treat the 10 million compensation as money to buy my life...
Ren gritted his teeth, torn between wanting to compromise and feeling unwilling.
More importantly, those women had already exposed themselves in front of him. It wasn't about whether he was willing to compromise anymore, but whether they were willing to let it go.
Being silenced! That was the worst possibility!
Ren never liked placing his hopes in others' goodwill. He had to consider this worst-case scenario.
But what can I do if I don't compromise?
He was currently a patient who could barely get out of bed, while the other party consisted of four adult women suspected of possessing special abilities. A direct confrontation would undoubtedly be a death sentence.
My cheat... What exactly is the use of my cheat?
That long and vivid nightmare resurfaced in Ren's mind.
The month-long exam preparation experience had left the knowledge points clearly imprinted in his memory, but could such things be used in a fight?
Were they supposed to perform calculus solutions for them next time they came? He'd probably be beaten to death on the spot.
No, calm down...
Ren forced himself to take deep breaths, allowing his brain to think normally.
Don't scare yourself. The fact that they were startled away by the nurse proves that their combined strength isn't enough to instantly kill me, and their abilities lack strong concealment. After all, I'm a reincarnator with my own cheat—there's no reason to be stumped by such minor bosses!
As long as there are nurses present during their visits, I don't need to worry about being attacked. If I can hone a killing move in the dream world during this week of immobility, the success rate of a surprise counterattack definitely won't be zero.
Even stealing some hospital drugs and using high school knowledge to create lethal weapons would give me some means of resistance.
Anxiety gnawed at Ren's heart like snake fangs, the intense sense of crisis preventing him from being as lax as yesterday.
Rehabilitation training—I must intensify my efforts!
During that day's rehabilitation training, Ren pushed himself even harder than the day before.
...
"Amamiya-san, there's no need to rush like this. Recovery requires gradual progress."
Watching the sweat-drenched, gritting-teeth Ren, the nurse advised with concern.
"It's fine... I want to recover sooner."
Ren panted in response, struggling to lift his leg higher.
By the time the training ended, Ren was nearly exhausted, but physical fatigue also made it easier for him to fall asleep.
Night fell once again.
The lights in the hospital corridor grew dim, and the sounds of people gradually faded.
Lying alone in the hospital bed, the weariness of the day consumed his body. Gradually, Ren's consciousness blurred again, sinking into chaotic dreams.
For a while, only Ren's steady yet slightly fatigued breathing remained in the hospital room.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting bright strips of light on the floor.
In the deep silence of the night, the hospital room door was pushed open without a sound.
Four slender figures glided into the room like ghosts, their movements so coordinated they produced no excess noise.
The moonlight illuminated their faces, revealing features that would make Ren's scalp tingle—for the four were none other than Hashimoto Ayaka, Mikami Yui, Hatano Yua, and Momonogi Kana.
Ren never expected Ayaka and the others' retaliation to come so quickly!
They weren't giving him any time to develop!
Enmity formed during the day, and the target was to be eliminated by night!
Such decisiveness in killing—if only the antagonist in anime were this resolute, no protagonist would ever have a chance to rise.
The four women's faces showed no expression, their eyes indifferent as they stepped closer to the hospital bed, positioning themselves on either side of the headboard.
"Stingy man, if you had been more generous, we wouldn't have to go this far."
The four women looked down, their eyes pale, gazing with detached disgust at the sleeping Ren.
I saw their cherry lips part slightly, and in the next moment, dozens of slender tentacles as thin as IV tubes silently slid out from their mouths.
The tentacles glistened with a wet sheen, their needle-like tips flashing with a cold gleam as they writhed slowly like living creatures, intertwining to form bundles that connected the four into a bizarre whole.
Though the shape of these tentacles resembled common medical apparatus, their emergence from human mouths in such an unnatural manner made them particularly eerie. They quivered faintly in the air as if possessing autonomous consciousness.
Then, these tentacles surged uniformly toward Ren's mouth, invading his oral cavity. The needle-sharp tips precisely pierced the back of his tongue, the roof of his mouth, the base of his tongue, and other areas.