*Kiyoko Sasaki's POV*
//July 20, 2040//Friday//
"U-Urgh…"
"Big Sis!"
I woke up inside the clinic and immediately heard Kanade's worried voice when I opened my eyes. Everyone was around me with a delighted look on their faces.
How long was I asleep? The last thing I remembered was when I passed out after I fought Hyakuzawa in the Arts Room.
I accumulated a lot of damage, and I remembered what I felt that day. My body was hurting to the point that it felt numb, my throat was in excruciating pain, and my bones were fractured.
But for some reason…
"SASAKIIII!!! YOU'RE AWAKE THANK GOODNESS!!! YOU HAVE BEEN ASLEEP FOR THREE DAYS!!!"
Raku hugged me, and I was surprised by my condition.
Did he just say that I was asleep for three days?
I thought the injuries that I got from Hyakuzawa were bad. But, I couldn't feel any pain from them at all.
"M-My injuries…"
When I tried speaking, my throat suddenly hurt. It seems to me that my broken windpipe hasn't healed yet. But still, I was surprised. In just three days, most of my injuries have been healed.
"Oi, Raku. Sasaki just woke up. Don't startle her like that."
Asahi pulled Raku's hoodie from behind.
"Ahahaha… I'm sorry. I was just happy that Sasaki is awake."
I noticed something strange when I saw those Raku and Asahi. I remembered back then that they have received a lot of injuries, but for some reason, they looked fine.
I stood upright, and rested my back on the headboard of the bed. I am still confused about why I'm fine despite what happened to me.
"Your injuries are still recovering so don't remove the patches that I put on your injuries. Your arm is almost healed so I removed the cloth supporting it earlier.
Kanade took something out of her medicine kit. She gave me a cup of water and some medications.
"Drink this, Big Sis. I made some medicine that will heal your windpipe. I couldn't do anything while you are still sleeping, and this can only be taken orally."
I picked up the medicine and got the cup of water that Kanade was giving to me. When I drank the medicine, I was surprised by how effective it was.
It suddenly healed my throat, and I couldn't feel that sharp pain anymore when I was breathing.
"Aaaah…"
I tried producing a sound with my voice, and the vibration coming from my throat doesn't hurt anymore.
"Amazing…"
I couldn't believe how effective that medicine was. Then that means that my injuries were also…
I also tried moving the arm that was broken before, and I didn't even feel any pain at all. Even my injuries that were patched up to don't hurt that much.
"Aaaaahh… I'm sorry if I couldn't treat your windpipe right away, Big Sis. The only thing I could treat is your injuries. Aaaahhh… I'll make a better medicine next time."
"No, Kanade. You have done a lot. Making my injuries heal in just a short amount of time is amazing enough. Even my bones are already healed."
"See! I told you that you are already amazing, Kanade!"
"Aaaaaahhh… Don't compliment me like that, Megumin… I still have a lot of things to learn." Kanade said with a worried look on her face.
"Cheer up, Kanade! You're already amazing!"
Ichika and Megumin hugged Kanade from beside, and Kanade was being squished in between by the two girls who were hugging him.
I looked at Asahi, and Raku one more time. I noticed that all of their injuries are healed as well just like mine.
"Thank you, Kanade."
I knew it. Kanade was the one who did all of the treatment for the three of us.
"Umm… Y-You're Welcome, Big Sis…"
Kanade gave me a gentle smile, and I did the same thing to her.
Honestly, At her age, she is already on par with the greatest doctors there.
"How are you feeling, Sasaki?" Ichika asked.
"I'm fine, and it's all thanks to Kanade."
"When we watched Kanade do the treatment for the three of you. I was really amazed! She looks like a different person when she gets serious."
"Aaaaahhh… I told you that I'm not that amazing, Megumin…"
Everyone looks fine, and well but there is someone who is missing. I couldn't find him because there were curtains beside me, and I couldn't see the whole room.
"Do you know where Kei is?" I asked.
"Seriously, Kiyoko."
As soon as I ask where the guy I am asking for was, he opened the curtain and showed up beside me.
"How did you do that? You're a beast."
I looked at Kei, and he also has a lot of patches all over his body just like me.
"How are your injuries, Machida?" Kanade asked.
"I'm fine."
"Machida just woke up a few minutes earlier. Damn, you two are really a match made in heaven because the two of you woke up on the same day."
*SMACK*
"O-Ouch…"
As usual with Raku's jokes, I lightly punched his arm because of what he just said.
So Kei also woke up today, huh? Maybe he pushed himself when he was talking to me back then when I am trying to decide whether to help Hyakuzawa or Asahi and Raku.
But what was his question all about?
"A beast? What do you mean?" I asked him.
"I just checked Hyakuzawa's injuries earlier after I got out of bed. Signs of heavy impacts on his chin, and neck. A serious bruise on his brachial plexus. And even a flesh that was torn off on his hand. I heard from Kanade, Megumin, and Ichika when they went to the Arts Room after a few hours when you went there, you, and Hyakuzawa are unconscious on the floor. How did you beat him back then?"
After what Kei said, all of their attention was focused on me. They were curious about what I did three days ago.
I understood why they are looking at me that way. Hyakuzawa is the strongest person here inside right now, and there is no doubt that anyone can beat him in a fistfight.
Then three days ago, I have beaten the strongest man here inside.
But, the reason why I have beaten him is pretty simple but is impossible to be convincing for them.
"I just watched a lot of videos of self-defense on the internet in the past."
"Huh?"
Just as I expected, someone has a violent reaction to what I just said. Raku was dumbfounded at my reason, and he started scratching his head.
"Don't tell me that was just videos from self-defense? You were fighting like a professional martial artist! The kicks you even pulled back then when you entered the Arts Room were insane!" Raku said.
"I just watched that from an action film."
"YOU'RE LYING!"
"N-No… I'm not…"
Raku still has that face of not getting convinced at my explanation of how I pulled those moves against Hyakuzawa.
"When I was in middle school, someone tried assaulting me when I was going home by myself. I don't have someone to rely on nor even have a family to protect me so I was an easy target, especially to those who hold a grudge against me because of my knowledge. Luckily, that man was pursued by the police officers when he almost attacked me. After that incident, I tried watching a lot of self-defense videos, and in just a short amount of time I mastered all of them."
"Damn… I'm sorry to hear about that…" Raku said with guilt.
"No, it's fine."
I mean that was years ago, and learning those videos has benefitted me.
"But it is impossible for you to learn all of those things when you are just still in middle school." Raku said.
"I haven't told to the two of you since both of you were busy fighting Hyakuzawa, but Kiyoko has a special ability called Photographic memory."
"Huh?"
"Kei is right, Raku. At first, I was confused why I can learn something that I have seen for the first time quickly. I found out afterward that this ability can recall or do something perfectly or what you can call as photographic memory."
"So you do know that you have that kind of ability, and that is why you are confident in fighting Hyakuzawa alone, Kiyoko?"
"I don't have the time to explain myself so I tried attacking you exactly how Hyakuzawa did back then, and I was right that you understood it right away from that punch alone."
"You really are amazing, Sasaki. I still couldn't believe that you have beaten Hyakuzawa."
"Megumin was right. We are fine right now because of you." Ichika said.
"N-No! It's also thanks to Raku, and Asahi for holding him off."
"Hehehe… Of course, you can count on us, Sasaki!"
"Sigh… You were beaten in a pulp back then, Raku."
"O-OI! DON'T BRING THAT BACK UP, ASAHI!"
Some of us started chuckling at what Asahi just said. That's right, a lot happened three days ago, and all of them are fine.
But one person is not here, and I am worried about him despite what he did to all of us.
"Where is, Hyakuzawa?" I asked.
Some got serious, and some were worried after I asked that question.
"Hyakuzawa is resting on the other side of this room, Big Sis. But for now, he is in good condition, but he just needs some time to rest. The injuries that you gave him were fatal, and it might take a few more days before he wakes up."
I was glad that Hyakuzawa is fine, but I should probably apologize to him for what I did when he woke up.
"So, what are we going to do once Hyakuzawa wakes up?"
When Kei asked that question, everyone went silent as we began to realize what will we do next when the one who became hostile to us the most woke up.
I looked at each of us, and all of them, and they surely have a different feeling about this than the rest.
Raku looks the most worried out of all of them. Megumin looks concerned, and Kanade was scared.
"How about you, Sasaki? You are the one who defeated Hyakuzawa in the first place, and you are the one who is trying to bring all of us together. What will you do?" Asahi asked.
I was feeling the pressure because all of them are waiting for my answer.
After hearing from Kei about Hyakuzawa's past a few weeks ago, I understood why Hyakuzawa shows hostility towards us. Kei and I understood why he was acting like that, but everyone else aside from the two of us doesn't know about Hyakuzawa's story.
Some of us are scared, some are worried, and some are even concerned about him. What Hyakuzawa did have a negative impact on all of us.
But…
He was probably suffering as well in this place. Even though he went insane, and tried to kill us. He was also a victim, and he had his own reasons why he was acting that way.
I have decided.
******** TO BE CONTINUED ********