Four days later, I was discharged from the hospital. But as I left, I had to drag a perfectly healthy Haruka out the door with me. She kept kicking and screaming, crying, “Please! Just a little bit longer!”
“Can’t we just spend one more night here?” she begged. “C’monnn!”
“Not a chance. That’s not how this works. You’re not sick or injured. You’re the picture of perfect health.”
“You never know, Kyou! Maybe I’m really sick, and we just don’t know it yet…”
“You’ve got some nerve saying that after making a doctor examine you just because you didn’t ‘feel like going home.’”
“Hey, I got permission from the nurses and Mr. Szilard, didn’t I? And they checked me out and everything.”
“Okay, yes. But you’re so healthy the doctor couldn’t find a single thing to justify keeping you there. They were shocked at how healthy you are.”
“Yep!”
Well, then, it should be obvious you can’t stay. No one in the world needs to be in that hospital less than you do.
“We can’t cause the hospital any more trouble than we already have. And I want to go home already.”
“…Jerk.”
“This is pretty basic stuff, Haruka.”
To be totally honest, I didn’t want to owe Szilard any more than I already did, so I was pretty set on leaving. But, as they say, silence is golden.
Either way, one thing was certain—James Szilard was a peculiar man.
His hand might have been forced, but he’d still reached out to us under false pretenses and practically chased Jupiter out of his clan and into our party. But at the same time, he’d done everything in his power to help us cleanse Keraunos and pulled out all the stops to give Jupiter a proper send off.
I was grateful to him, but I also kind of hated his guts. I felt pretty bad about how much he’d done for me, but I was also pissed off about the crap he’d said during the press conference. Basically, I couldn’t figure out how the hell to feel about the devious yet smooth and handsome hero. He wasn’t just “tough to pin down”—you could come at him with a hundred thumbtacks and he’d just laugh it off with his trademark hah-hah-hah!
So when he told me “the hospital stay is on me, so think of something else you might like as a proper reward,” I decided to ask for something really, really excessive. That said, I still wanted to stay in the good graces of Szilard, Eliza, and everyone at Rosso and Blu.
And so, when that one heroine finally joins their clan, well… Heh-heh-heh…
“You’re thinking of something creepy, aren’t you?”
“Am not!”
I was just gonna ask for her autograph, so I could frame it and hang it up somewhere! I’m a true gentleman, after all!
I couldn’t exactly start screaming my love for Dungeon Magia from the rooftops, though, so I tried my best to change the subject. Just a little bit of a course correction.
“Totally unrelated, but boy, oh boy has it been hot lately, huh?”
“Boo! C’mon, Kyou, that was terrible. You’re way too obvious!”
How?! The weather is the single most relatable conversation topic there is!
“The sky’s been so dry and clear lately. I guess the rainy season’s already almost over.”
“Oh, wow. You’re really just gonna keep going, huh? You’ve got nerves of steel.”
“The sky’s so blue! And the clouds are so white!”
“Ran out of commentary, did you? You sound like a kindergartner.”
We kept up our silly back-and-forth as we crossed the parking lot.
It wasn’t long before I made eye contact with someone I knew.
“I’m here…to pick you up,” said a small girl with silver hair and red eyes. She was wearing a white summer dress and a straw hat.
“Jupi! Yaaay!” Haruka’s eyes sparkled as she hugged the girl with all her might. “I’m finally out, Jupi! Safe and sound!”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Haruka.”
Uh, she’s been okay literally the whole time.
Jupiter turned to me next. “I’m glad you’re out of the hospital, too, Kyouichirou. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks to everyone’s help. It was nice to kick back and relax for a bit.”
The tiny girl gave a strange little nod. Her face was as blank as ever.
“What about Fumika and Albi?” I asked.
“They’re at home getting the party ready. They sent me to be your guide.”
Our guide, huh? That’s a pretty important job for such a little girl.
“All right, guide away. You’d better make sure we make it back safely!”
“I can do it,” she said, slapping her tiny palm against her chest.
I caught a glimpse of the look in her eyes as she gazed up—she was full of confidence.