The day after the transfer exam, I woke up to find myself lying on a bed, completely wrapped in bandages.
After a short nap, my magic power had recovered enough, so I used a bit of healing magic to reconnect the remaining broken bones. Thanks to the painkillers they were giving me through an IV, the pain wasn’t too bad, but once they wore off, it’d definitely start hurting again. Better to just fix it now.
(I’m used to pain, but being in constant pain still sucks…)
Anyway, today’s the day Hikari comes back.
「I really wish I could’ve gone to meet her…」
Given the state I was in, there was no way I could go meet her. Besides, trying to walk around with my body still a mess would basically be announcing to the world that I was doing something reckless.
「And more than that, if she saw me like this, she’d definitely freak out. Still… maybe I could get discharged today or tomorrow somehow…」
As I was entertaining that impossible idea, there was a knock at the hospital room door.
Before I could even answer, the door opened, and my mom stepped inside. She was holding a large Boston bag in one hand.
「Oh, you’re awake today, Yuuki. Good morning. I brought you a change of clothes.」
「Good morning. Oh, right… I guess I would need a change of clothes…」
All I had been thinking about was how to get out of this place as soon as possible…
Mom stepped into the room and set the bag down on the luggage rack. Then she pulled out the room’s folding chair, sat down, let out a small sigh, and started talking.
「Seriously… Yesterday, Tsuzuri-san suddenly showed up at the house, got down on her knees, and told me you were in the hospital with full-body fractures. I was shocked, you know?」
「Ugh… Sorry, Mom.」
「I was surprised at first, but once I heard the story, it made sense. You got hurt trying to save someone, right? Just what I’d expect from your father’s son.」
「Wouldn’t that make me both my father and mother’s son?」
My father’s a special rescue squad member. My mother’s a nurse. My grandfather served as a medic during the war, and after the war, he and my grandmother ran a small countryside clinic. Helping others kind of runs in the family.
「I brought you a change of clothes, some toiletries like a toothbrush, and since you’re probably bored, I also packed your laptop and handheld game console. So just take it easy for now.」
「Okaaay… not that I can really use them since my fingers are injured too.」
「Oh, in that case, you don’t need the game console, then.」
「Hey, hey! That’s not what I meant!」
Mom started putting the game console back into the bag to take it home.
「No, no! I’ll play it once I’ve healed up a bit!」
「Yeah, yeah… Oh, right. Also, make sure you contact Hikari-chan, okay? She called me in a panic because she couldn’t get through to you.」
「Ugh… So Hikari already found out…」
I really wanted to keep her from seeing me in such a pathetic state…
「Of course she did. A lot of people are worried about you, you know? Anyway, where is it?」
「Ah… It’s in a locker at the exam site.」
「Got it. Where’s the key?」
「It’s a combo lock… I think I set it to 5525.」
「Understood. I’ll contact Tsuzuri-san about it.」
「Thanks.」
「Alright, I’ve got a night shift coming up, so I’m heading out now.」
「Ah… Thanks for everything, Mom. I’ll explain more next time.」
「Make sure your father’s there when you do. He’ll be home soon.」
「Got it.」
「I’ll stop by in two or three days to swap out your clothes. If you’re discharged by then, your father will come too.」
「Okay.」
Once I replied, Mom left in a hurry.
After that, I managed to eat lunch one-handed. Then I booted up my laptop to check out the latest news.
As for the exam… Ah, there it is.
There’s no mention of what really happened. Apparently, the official story is that an “ogre” appeared during the exam and was taken down by the Self-Defense Force. Tsuzuri-san probably handled the cover-up.
Other than that… nothing particularly interesting in the news.
I guess I’ll kill time by watching some anime on a streaming service… Maybe I’ll finally get around to watching Legend of the Galactic Her ○ es or something…
Just as I was setting it up, I heard a knock at the door.
「Come in.」
When I called out, the Takanashi sisters and Tomoe-chan stepped into the room — along with a woman who closely resembled the sisters and a towering, muscular man with a gaze sharp enough to kill someone.
「Hey there, Haru—」
「「Yuuki-san!!」」
「—Ghyaaa!?」
Before I could finish my greeting, the two of them leapt at me, making my still-healing bones creak under the pressure… Owww!!
It hurt like hell, but since they were crying their eyes out, I couldn’t exactly shove them away. I just had to endure it… Actually, no, this hurts too much. Time to use a bit more healing magic.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
They cried for about ten minutes before finally settling down.
「Alright, alright. You two — Yuuki-san has been making a really pained face this whole time trying to endure it. You should let go now.」
「Ugh… I’m sorry, Yuuki-san…」
「I’m sorry, onii-san…」
A woman, who was probably their mother or older sister, pulled the twins away. They apologized right after.
「It’s okay. More importantly, are you two hurt at all?」
I’d already used healing magic, but there was always a chance the fight had caused some lingering damage.
「We’re fine! Thanks to you, we’re feeling great!」
「Yeah! No issues at all!」
Seeing them looking so lively warmed my heart. I’m really glad I pushed myself back then.
「Hey, you two. Introduce yourselves properly first.」
「「Okaaay!」」
「I’ll go first! I’m Takanashi Haruka, 16 years old! My favorite things are Yuuki-san, my family, and Tomoe-chan! My dream is to become Yuuki-san’s wife!」
…Did she just drop a bombshell?
「Ah, no fair, Haruka!」
「First come, first served!」
The sisters ignored my reaction and started bickering with each other. Then, the woman who pulled them away earlier shot them a glare, and they quickly straightened up.
「Ahem. I’m Takanashi Touka, also 16! My favorite things are Yuuki-oniisan, my family, sweets, and Tomoe-chan! My dream is to become Yuuki-oniisan’s wife too!」
…That’s another bombshell…
「Next is me. I am Tsumugi Tomoe. My favorite things are Haruka-chan and Touka-chan… a-and… nothing else! I also like wagashi!」
She glanced at me for a moment before looking away. Must’ve been my imagination.
Come to think of it, wagashi makes sense — Tomoe-chan is a little… well-rounded in certain areas, and she has this refined aura like she’s from a prestigious family.
Once the three of them finished introducing themselves, the two adults stepped forward.
「Next is me. I’m Takanashi Himeka, the twins’ mother. I am deeply grateful to you for risking your life to save them.」
As Himeka-san spoke, she and the others bowed deeply.
「No, really! I would’ve died too if I hadn’t fought back in that situation. Besides… if those two hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have survived either…」
Honestly, that fight was dangerously close.
Haruka blocked the initial strike that could’ve been fatal, and Touka delivered a decisive blow while keeping the enemy distracted. If they hadn’t been there, I definitely would’ve lost.
「And this is…」 Himeka-san prompted the man standing beside her.
「Nice to meet you. I’m Takanashi Shuuji, Himeka’s husband and the twins’ father.」
Shuuji-san had a rugged face and bowed his head slightly. But he was still looking at me with those piercing eyes.
「Sorry about him. He’s completely hopeless when it comes to social skills because he’s been focused on martial arts his whole life.」
「Yeah, Dad, your scary face is going to make onii-san nervous～!」
「…!?」
Shuuji-san’s eyes widened in shock.
Shuuji-san looked visibly shaken by Touka’s words. Himeka-san quickly stepped in to cover for him.
「He may be quiet, but he’s really grateful to you, Yuuki-kun.」
After that, I introduced myself properly, and we all sat around chatting while snacking on the sweets they’d brought as a get-well gift.
About an hour later, Shuuji-san suddenly spoke up.
「By the way… which one of my daughters are you planning to marry?」
Shuuji-san… why are you digging up what we were all trying to ignore? And why are your eyes even sharper than before…?
「Uh… I literally just met them yesterday…」
「I know. But my wife and I got married after three days.」
「Three days!? That’s… pretty fast.」
「She pushed me into it.」
「Of course I did! He saved me when I was about to get into an accident. In that moment, I just knew I could entrust my life to him! My instincts were right, weren’t they?」
Wow… that’s a thing that actually happens?
Anyway, I should probably give a clear answer too…
「Ehto… I’m not really thinking about marriage right now. Plus, I already have someone I like…」
「I see… Haruka, Touka, what will you do?」
Shuuji-san turned his sharp gaze toward his daughters.
「I’m not giving up!」
「Me neither! I’ll make him fall for me!」
Both of them responded with unwavering determination, meeting Shuuji-san’s gaze head-on.
「I see…」
Shuuji-san took his time processing their responses before turning back to me.
「Kaminagi-kun, my daughters are willful, stubborn, and free-spirited. But they’re precious to me. Whether you choose them or not, please… take the time to look at them properly. That’s all I ask.」
With those words, he bowed his head respectfully.
「Ugh… but…」
Just as I was struggling to find the right words, the hospital room door suddenly burst open.
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