““…””
The hospital room grew oppressively silent.
“Uh, well, you know how these things work! I told you that Enlightenment Crystal has never been wrong, but that may not always be true! You could be the first to defy the fate it has revealed for you! In fact, I’m sure you will be!” Dr. Happ insisted.
I could tell he was only trying to comfort me. That was something an eccentric doctor like him would do only if the result was truly as hopeless as it seemed.
“…I appreciate that,” I told him, taking a deep breath to clear my head. Hoo… It’s okay. No matter how accurate it is, this is just fortune telling. I would decide my own future. No one else. That’s how I’d made it this far, after all.
“Well, that concludes your examination,” Dr. Happ said, abruptly changing the subject. “You can leave the hospital if you wish. Your body and spirit power are in perfect condition.”
“Thanks very much.”
Between my examination, our chat about Thousand Blade, and the divination, it had been an eventful ten minutes.
“I should be the one thanking you. Our time together was quite enlightening. I hope we meet again…and next time, as friends, rather than doctor and patient.”
“Ah-ha-ha, that would be nice,” I replied. “I’m sure you have many more interesting stories to share.”
“Why, of course.”
I left the room, relieved to learn I was in good health. So that’s Dr. Happ… Shii was right to call him eccentric, but he hadn’t seemed like a bad person.
Everyone was waiting for me when I got back to our hospital room.
“Are you okay, Allen?!” exclaimed Lia.
“That took a while…,” mused Rose. “Were there any issues?”
“How did the examination go, Allen?” asked Shii.
The three of them rushed toward me.
“It’s okay. I’m perfectly healthy,” I told them.
“Thank goodness…”
“That’s good to hear.”
“We can all rest a bit easier now.”
Lia, Rose, and Shii were all visibly relieved. Meanwhile…
“See? I told you Allen would be just fine,” said Lilim.
“What Lilim said,” Tirith agreed.
…the other two crunched on candy, looking as relaxed as could be.
“Oh yeah… He told me I can leave, but what about you all?” I asked.
“He said they need to monitor me for three more days, just to be safe,” replied Lia.
“Same here,” said Rose.
“I also need to stay until my spirit power recovers,” Shii said.
“Believe it or not, even I’m gonna need a few more days to recover…,” Lilim admitted.
“Apparently, I still need to rest, too,” Tirith said.
It sounded like they would all have to stay a few more days.
We spent a while chatting, happy that we’d all escaped any serious damage. The conversation focused on trivial things, like the unfamiliar hospital food and the comfortable hospital gowns, but that was perfect for now. It felt like a ritual for returning to our everyday lives after the bloody battle we had survived.
“Okay… I think I’m gonna head out,” I said to the girls.
It was half past ten at night, which meant that visiting hours were almost over.
“Will you come see us tomorrow, Allen?” Lia asked.
“I feel more relaxed when you’re here…” admitted Rose. “I’d like it if you came tomorrow, too.”
“Yeah, of course I will,” I promised.
“Good night, Allen,” Shii said.
“Good night, President,” I replied.
“Hey, Allen,” Lilim called out. “When you come tomorrow, can you bring us some junk food? I’m sick of all this healthy crap!”
“And some more magazines to help pass the time would be nice…,” added Tirith.
“Sure, I’ll see what I can find.”
I left Aurest National Hospital without telling the girls about Enlightenment Crystal’s ominous divination. There was no reason to worry them when they were already so physically and mentally exhausted.
Three days later, Lia and the others were discharged in perfect health. After momentarily returning to our dorms, everyone except for Rose gathered in a Thousand Blade classroom.
“I think Rose is putting on a brave face for us…,” I said. The others nodded silently.
Rose hadn’t shown any sign of being upset since returning to Liengard. She had to be having a really hard time after losing the grandfather she adored, but since Rose was so strong and kind, she was trying not to worry us.
“She’s so hard on herself, and tends to bottle things up, too… What should we say to her?” Lia asked, looking troubled.
“We can’t let her kindness go to waste. But how do we cheer her up?” Shii wondered aloud.
“Hmm… What if we distracted Rose by challenging her to an intense duel or something?” Lilim asked, ever a believer in solving problems with her fists.
“That’s a little drastic, Lilim. That kind of thing only works with dumb jocks like you,” Tirith said, shooting her down immediately.
After talking for a while longer, we decided that it would be best if we just acted our usual selves around Rose. If she didn’t want to burden us, it would be best to respond by keeping things as normal as possible. Still, we would keep a close eye on her, and if she seemed upset or stressed, we’d try talking to her. At least for now, that was the plan we settled on.
We also had the idea of making a grave for Bacchus in Cherin. Although his body had vanished into particles of light, I wanted something to remain of the strongest swordsman in the world. And most of all, I wanted to thank him for saving our lives. We couldn’t just make a grave for our own selfish reasons, however—we needed to prioritize Rose’s feelings.
The question is, how do we broach the topic…
“I think we should ask Rose sooner rather than later about how she feels on this matter,” Shii said.
“I agree,” said Lia.