Chapter 41

When I woke up, the ceiling of the infirmary was above me.

The strong smell of medicine stung my nose.

It seems I was saved. It's been a while since I was brought here.

"Hmm... ouch..."

I tried to get up despite the intense pain running through my body, but it was impossible.

The damage to my body was greater than I expected.

However, it seems that Senyaku-san treated me thoroughly, as various parts of my body were wrapped in bandages.

"Hey, don't move. That leg is no good. It needs to be amputated."

"Eh...?"

"Hahaha, just kidding."

The person who suddenly said something scary in my ear was, as expected, Senyaku-san.

"Senyaku-san, your jokes are really harsh."

She, dressed in a white coat, still had dark circles under her eyes and had her hands in the pockets of her coat.

Her usual style.

"I'm sorry, sorry. But I'm glad you woke up. Your bones were all broken, Shizune.

To be honest, it was a hassle to treat you."

"I'm sorry... How long will it take to heal?"

"If I were to treat you non-stop, it would take a week. But since that's not possible, it will take about two weeks."

Two weeks. This is painful. I won't be able to go to school for a while.

"That's Sigh, right? He's the one who brought you here."

"Yeah. She apparently did something reckless too. She was here until just now, but she went somewhere."

"Is that so?"

Rōru... school, I guess.

I looked at the clock in the infirmary and realized it was 9:30.

I can't just take a break when I'm on leave.

"Well, I have other patients to see, so I'll be off. Call me if anything happens."

"Understood. Thank you."

Senyaku-san nodded at my response and left the infirmary.

As I watched her leave, Boss entered the room in her place.

I closed my eyes.

"How are you feeling, Shizune?"

"Of course, I feel terrible, Boss."

He chuckled and shrugged.

Even though I almost died, the atmosphere is quite light, but it's becoming our usual interaction.

Recently, Boss's reckless orders and missions have increased. But according to Kuroken and the others, I'm quite favored by Boss.

I don't mind that. However, I can't understand why my name has also risen in the Self-Defense Force.

"You apparently killed one of the 'Couple'."

"Couple? Oh, you mean that duo?"

"Yeah, especially the woman was a pain to deal with. Good job."

I was supposed to complete the mission.

That guy was too troublesome. If he hadn't been there, I could have definitely killed Sadi too.

What kind of trick did he use to switch places?

Was it an application of his ability to pull things out?

"If they say they're going to cause trouble, they'll probably attack soon.

Even with one of them gone, their resolve won't waver."

"Nurseryrhyme... What kind of group are they?"

"Well... In a word, they're a group of people who use their abilities to cause chaos. Their purpose is unknown. They might not have a clear goal since they only take meaningless actions. From their personalities, their reasons for action are often just for fun or personal grudges."

"What is that...?"

They're a real nuisance.

"It's fine when they cause trouble for the Self-Defense Force, but it's a hassle when they target us.

It's one of the organizations I want to eliminate."

"...What do they plan to do with the monsters they're gathering?"

"Monsters...?"

"They were talking about it. There's someone in the group who can bring things out and put them away. I think this person is managing the monsters they've gathered.

They said they still need more and that the capacity isn't enough, so they plan to gather more.

By the way, didn't we talk about this on the phone?"

"...Yeah, that's right."

You must have been half-asleep, Boss.

You definitely don't remember this.

"I see..."

"If they plan to scatter the monsters in this city, it's no laughing matter."

This city is important for Anonymous. If this city falls, the organization won't function as a core.

"It's possible. I'll pass this information to the Self-Defense Force and have them respond."

"By the way, do they know that Anonymous's headquarters is in this city?"

"I don't know."

I don't know... If they know, it could be quite serious.

This time, they targeted this city specifically, so there's a possibility they know.

"Well, it's typical for them to attack without warning. This time, they came to the headquarters for the first time, but it was probably by chance.

They won't have figured out this base so easily."

"That's true."

"I'll handle this matter appropriately. You focus on healing."

"Understood."

"See you."

Boss left the room, flipping his black coat.

The door slammed shut.

The infirmary suddenly became quiet.

I can't move, so there's nothing to do.

I once had an injury and was hospitalized, but it was really boring.

There's a TV in this room, but I can't turn it on since I can't move my arm.

I'll go to sleep.

Just as I closed my eyes, another visitor appeared in the room.

This person approached from the front of my room, sprinted, and kicked the door open, saying:

"I'm here to finish you off, Shizune!"

What a troublesome person.

I can't help but sigh.

This person is too free and hard to handle. I'm not really bad with them, but dealing with them in this situation is really tiring.

"Desuko-san, can you go home?"

"Of course not! I'm here to give Shizune a fatal injury that won't heal in two weeks!"

"Stop it, seriously."

They might really do it.

"It depends on your attitude, Shizune."

Why is that?

"If you do that, we'll break up, break up."

"Wh-What!? Break up!?"

"Yes. So stop it."

"Umm... Okay. I don't want to break up."

"Then go home. As you can see, I'm not in a state to play with you."

I tried to guide Desuko to leave, but it was in vain. For some reason, she slipped into my bed.

What is this person doing?

"...What are you doing?"

"Sigh is coming soon, so I'm hiding."

"Sigh?"

"Yeah. Don't tell her I'm here. If you do, I'll punch you in the stomach."

They're planning to play a prank again.

Well, Sigh will probably handle it easily, so it's fine.

"Okay. I'll play along, but please go home after this."

"Got it."

I sighed again and closed my eyes.

After a while, Sigh really appeared in the room.

She had a supermarket bag in one hand and was in casual clothes, which was unusual.

Her long black hair was tied up high, a higher ponytail than usual.

Her silky black hair swayed rhythmically, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Good morning."

"Yeah. ...Hmm? I can smell Desuko. Did she come here?"

"Yes."

She's hiding in the bed, trying to be stealthy.

To be able to tell by smell, she really is a partner.

"Sigh, thank you for helping me yesterday."

Yesterday, or rather, just a while ago.

"Don't worry about it. It was a good decision."

"You arrived just in time."

"I happened to be outside. If I had been at the hideout, it would have taken longer."

"You're the best. By the way, what's in the bag?"

I can see some cabbage and leeks...

"Oh, this? It's ingredients."

Sigh said this while taking out meat and other things from the bag and putting them in the room's refrigerator.

"...? What are you doing?"

"I'm going to take care of you until your injuries heal."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I have some free time."

Really?! I'm glad I got injured!

...No, wait.

Rōru might get angry. What should I do...? Rōlu doesn't seem to think highly of Sigh.

"But only while Rōru is at school.

You must be bored alone, right?"

That's a very attractive offer. I'm really bored alone, so just having someone to talk to would be a big help.

Just as I was about to accept the offer, Desuko, who was hiding in the bed, made a fake cough.

"Cough! Cough!"

"..."

Sigh's sharp gaze pierced through me. She approached my bed and suddenly pulled off the blanket.

There, a naked Desuko appeared.

"Ah! Our relationship is finally exposed!"

What a low-quality prank. I thought they were just moving around, but they were undressing.

"You two..."

Sigh's eyes darted around in confusion.

To clear up the misunderstanding, I looked Sigh in the eye and spoke slowly.

"It's not like that, Sigh.

I know you understand, but Desuko did this on their own.

As you can see, I can't move at all. Do you believe me, Master?"

"...I guess. I understand."

Sigh said this and grabbed Desuko by the collar.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Sigh threw Desuko out of the room and slammed the door, locking it.

From the other side of the door, I could hear "Baka, Baka" and Desuko running away.

Sigh glared at the door for a while, then slowly turned and approached me.

The strange pressure made me swallow hard.

It's scary when she approaches me silently like this.

"It's only 10:00. I'll take a nap until noon."

Sigh, who had come to stand in front of me, said this and flopped down next to me.

"W-What!?"

"Go to sleep. ...There, there."

Sigh gently stroked my head.

"..."

This is the Sigh who lets me be affectionate!

I tried to hug Sigh, but the intense pain and bandages all over my body prevented me from moving.