Chapter 23: Hugs

"Ngh...!" An intense pain cut through the slumber enveloping Shido. He pressed a hand to his forehead. As far as he could tell by touching it, his head wasn't cut open—no lumps or bumps. The sensation was more like a dull ache. Gradually pushing upward from the depths of his brain. He groaned for a minute before opening his eyes to a ceiling adorned with an assortment of pipes of various sizes. He finally realized he was lying in a bed. "Where am I...?" He blinked several times and took in his surroundings. Beds were lined up at regular intervals, and around each of them was a curtain partition. He knew this space. He had woken up here once before. This was the medical office of Ratatoskr's airship Fraxinus. He slapped the side of his head lightly to wake his dazed brain as he sat up. "Ow-ow..." He grimaced. It wasn't just his head; every joint in his body hurt. For some reason, he felt something weird with his lips. Had something touched them before he passed out? But that concern quickly became secondary for a simple reason: A familiar face was leaning up against his bed, one on one side and the other on the other side of the bed, fast asleep. "Tohka, Hikaru...?" Both sisters—Tohka Yatogami—and Hikaru Yatogami—showed no sign of having heard him call their names. Each shoulder rose and fell regularly as they inhaled and exhaled the soft breath of sleep. "What are Tohka and Hikaru doing here—? No, wait. What am I—?" he muttered but was cut off by the door opening. Two pairs of feet stepped inside. "...Mm? Oh, so you're awake, Shin?" asked a twenty-ish woman in a chestnut military uniform. Ratatoskr analyst Reine Murasame with distinctive dark bags under her eyes and pale skin that hinted at a life spent indoors. "Reine? And—" Shido glanced behind her. A girl on the edge of adolescence was standing there, almost hiding behind the older woman. Her unnatural blue hair and beautiful sapphire eyes were veiled beneath a wide-brimmed straw hat. Her left hand was covered by a comical-looking rabbit puppet, and she flapped this hand from time to time. "Oh, Shido," the puppet crooned. "You're fine, after all? Can't believe I wasted my time worrying about you." "I'm glad...you're okay," the girl said, no louder than a mosquito buzzing. "Yoshino, you're here. What on earth is going on...?" "Ahem." "O-oh, sorry. Hey, Yoshinon. You came, too, huh?" Shido flashed a smile at the disgruntled puppet before turning his gaze back to Reine. "What am I doing here?" "...Mm. We brought you when you passed out after the battle with Kurumi Tokisaki." "...!" Kurumi Tokisaki, the girl who had suddenly transferred to Shido's school—a Spirit. The moment her name came out of Reine's mouth, the faint throbbing in Shido's head became a stabbing pain. "R-right!" The events of the previous day were suddenly vivid in his mind. "Wh-what happened after that?! Tohka's just sleeping, right? She's not hurt or anything? And what about Kotori?! She showed up all of a sudden—and like, what was that?! What about Origami?! She was beaten up!" "...Calm down, Shin." "Ngh. Oh yeah. And what happened to Mana?! I lost sight of her halfway through the fight! She's okay, right?! And Kurumi! She's alive, right?! And everyone at school—and H—karu! She was about to fight kotori. She just sleeping too right—and!" Shido stopped there. To be more accurate, he was stopped there. Because Reine was hugging his head tightly. "Mm! Mm?!" he cried through closed lips. "...There, there." Reine gently stroked his hair. Shido's focus was more on the warm chest his face was shoved up against. He tapped her arm to signal his surrender. A few seconds later, she finally released him. "...Have you calmed down?" "H-haah..." He sighed before raising questioning eyes. Reine nodded. Behind her, Yoshino was covering a red face with one hand, staring at him between her fingers. "...You can relax. Everyone's fine. To my knowledge, there were no deaths. Although the local hospital was overwhelmed. AST members came to recover Origami Tobiichi and Mana Takamiya and likely transported them to the SDF Tengu Hospital. They've got medical Realizers there. Kurumi took advantage of the chaos and fled. Tohka is as you can see. She was also injured, but she insisted on staying here and taking care of you. She just fell asleep because she was tired. And as for Hikaru—" reine stopped as she noticed a sign that hikaru had woke up "It seems like it's about time for me to leave. Hikaru will tell you the rest. Don't stress yourself so much, Shin," she finished as she left. Shido's eyes kept following Reine until she was out of his sight. "...!" Shido clenched his teeth and his fists. He hadn't been able to settle anything. He'd talked about how he was going to save Kurumi and how he'd save Mana, how he would help hikaru to overcome her problems, but he hadn't managed to do anything at all. Mana had been seriously injured by Kurumi; Tohka, Origami, and students at school had been dragged into the fight, and he has no idea how the situation between Hikaru and kotori ended up. He still hadn't even been able to lock away Kurumi's and Hikaru's power. "Dammit!" He punched the bed in frustration. "S-Shido?" Tohka woke up upon feeling Shido's punch. "Oh! Sorry, did I wake you up?" Shido said as he scratched the back of his head. "SHIDO!" Tohka shouted as she launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. Shido returned the hug as he patted her on the head, "I'm sorry, I made you worried again." Tohka let go of the hug to look him in the eyes. "How dare you make me worried like that. You were asleep for a whole day. I thought you would never wake up again," she finished as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Mmm?" Hikaru's eyes began to open, as the noise was too much for her to continue sleeping Her eyes widened as she saw Shido finally waking up. "...!" She launched herself at Shido, grabbing both his shoulders and fixing him on the bed. "What's my name?" she shouted at him. Both Yoshino and Tohka were at a loss for words about Hikaru's sudden behavior. "Huh? Wh—what??!" "SAY MY NAME!!" she shouted again. "Hu-mm... Hikaru?" Upon hearing her name being called, Hikaru let out a sigh of relief and let her body fall on top of Shido's. "Thank God you remember! You lost consciousness for a whole day. I thought you would forget about me," she said, her words filled with relief. However, Shido was too distracted by the soft figure above him to pay attention to her words. Hikaru's long, flowing hair cascaded down in gentle waves, framing her peaceful face. Her lashes were long and curled, resting delicately on her smooth skin. He could feel her chest against his, as two soft things rested on him. His face turned as red as a tomato. "Hikaru?! Wha--" "that's unfair" Shido's confused words were cut off as Tohka spoke up. "I want to do that too," Tohka said as she raised both her hands, ready to launch herself at Shido. Shido realized what Tohka was about to do and panicked, "N-No! Tohka, wait! Don't-...GEE!" But it was too late, as Tohka was already on top of him, "hi-hi-hi-hi" a joyful smile on her face. Shido felt like he was about to lose consciousness from the pain. "Come in, Yoshino, it's your turn," the rabbit puppet in Yoshino's hand commented. "...!" As he heard those words, he raised his hand, saving what was left of his body. "B-ut shido-san seems to be in pain," A hint of a smile appeared on Shido's face as he realized he might survive, but it didn't last. "What are you talking about, Yoshino? Look, Shido is raising his arm, telling you to come too." "N-o that's not what it means—" he tried to speak, but his voice wasn't high enough for Yoshino to hear. "If that's what Shido-san wants," Yoshino finished as she launched herself at Shido. "... GA!" a defeated noise left his mouth as his hand started to fall to the bed, just to land lifeless there. Noticing the motionlessness of Shido's body, the girls raised themselves to see what was wrong. White eyes, with the mouth wide open, "he lost consciousness again!" they said in unison. As the boy slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of the ceiling adorned with an assortment of pipes of various sizes, once again. He remained motionless, keeping his gaze fixed on the ceiling. This time, he wasn't as confused as the first time. "It seems you love to lose consciousness," a voice commented near him. Shido turned his attention to the source of the voice, only to find Reine sitting on a chair beside his bed. She appeared to be reading a book titled "Kabbalistic." Shido started to move his head, searching for something or someone. "Where—" "I sent them to the residence after I punished them. They were causing trouble, after all," she answered before he could finish his question. "What kind of—" "You don't have to know, Shin," she interrupted, closing her book as she stood up. "We have something to do now. I believe you want to meet your sister, right?" 'Is she angry or am I just imagining it?' he thought. He shook his head, getting rid of unimportant thoughts, and focused on the main issue. "...Follow me," Reine turned around slowly, and Shido folded the blanket down to his feet, put on the shoes laid out next to the bed, and stood up. Perhaps because he had been on his back for so long, he felt a little dizzy. "...Are you okay? Maybe it would be better to rest a—" "No, I'm okay. Take me to Kotori." Reine narrowed her eyes as if assessing him, but soon let out a small sigh and nodded. They started walking together. His feet echoed down the narrow hallway of Fraxinus. After they'd gone some distance, he frowned, he still didn't know the full story after all, and hikaru didn't tell him anything as reine said she would Noticing his change in expression, Reine asked, "Is there something wrong?" Shido nodded, "Can you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness? Hikaru didn't tell me anything she didn't have the chance to..." "Hikaru and Kotori ended up fighting," Reine responded. "...!" Shido had expected this outcome, but he hadn't hoped for it. "For our good luck, the fight ended up without any deaths. We found both Hikaru and Kotori on the ground, unconscious and unharmed," Reine explained. Shido sighed in relief as he found out no one was harmed. "...Here we are," Reine said as she stopped in front of a door. Shido looked at the door and gasped. Although he had been aboard the ship a number of times, he was not particularly knowledgeable about the internal configuration of Fraxinus and had never been given an actual tour. Reine stood in front of the electronic panel to one side of the door, entered some numbers, and then held up the palm of her hand. "...Analyst Reine Murasame." The panel made a small beep, and the large door split in two and opened. "...All right. Come." Reine stepped inside. Shido gulped audibly and followed her. He frowned. It was a strange room. The front and back were separated by a glass wall, and the space beyond the wall was entirely different from the space on this side. The front area where they stood was something along the lines of a dim laboratory with all kinds of equipment crammed into every available space, while the back area was set up like a normal apartment. It was almost like a cage to confine and monitor a ferocious beast. Inside this strange room, Kotori was sitting on a stylish chair on the other side of the glass partition, gracefully drinking black tea. No longer clad in her Astral Dress, she was wearing her usual street clothes. Shido let out an unconscious sigh of relief at his little sister looking entirely normal again. "Kotori!" he called, but she gave no sign of having heard him. "...Sounds from this side won't reach her. Shin. You go alone from here," Reine said and walked over to what looked like a door at one edge of the glass wall. Shido dipped his head in thanks before stepping inside. (...) Reine entered a room that resembled her own office. The spacious and airy room had high ceilings and walls made of rough-hewn stone. The air was cool and damp, with a faint scent of must and old books lingering in the air. Sitting at the center of the room was a massive oak desk, adorned with intricate carvings and brass fittings. Upon the desk was a mountain of unfinished documents. She sighed as she sat down in her chair, her mind fluttering between the documents. As she was lost in deep thought, contemplating where to start, a knocking sound on the door grabbed her attention. "Enter," she said, not bothering to see who it was. A woman who seemed to be in her middle age excused herself inside, she was Carrying some documents A middle-aged woman entered, carrying some documents. Despite her feminine figure, she was dressed in a well-tailored businessman's suit. The suit was stylish and made of a charcoal gray jacket and straight-legged pants in high-quality wool. The crisp white dress shirt and glinting cufflinks completed the professional look. "The fights between Kotori and Hikaru have been analyzed as you commanded, Murasami-sama," the woman reported. Upon hearing this, Reine slowly raised her head and extended her hand to grip the document. "Good job. Did you find out if what she said about nuclear radiation was correct?" she asked as she began to skim through the pages. "It wasn't nuclear radiation, Murasami-sama. It was a different kind of radiation," the woman replied. "UVB radiation," Reine said as she continued reading. "Yes, Murasami-sama. It seems that Hikaru-san used UVB radiation to poison Kotori-sama. It has a similar effect to nuclear radiation if someone is exposed to it too much. Though it's still less deadly" "Interesting," Reine said as she stood from her chair and began pacing around the room, still reading the document. "UVB radiation is a type of ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength between 280 and 320 nanometers. It is one of three types of ultraviolet radiation, with UVA and UVC being the other two. UVB radiation is a natural component of sunlight. UVB radiation has both beneficial and harmful effects on the human body. One of the most important benefits of UVB radiation is its role in the production of vitamin D in the skin. When the skin is exposed to UVB radiation, a chemical reaction occurs that converts a cholesterol compound in the skin to vitamin D3, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and other bodily functions," Reine recited, raising her eyebrow. "I see, that's the trick," Reine murmured to herself, her eyes still fixed on the document. "However, prolonged exposure to UVB radiation can have detrimental effects on the body. Sunburn, causing redness, pain, and skin peeling, is the most common consequence of excessive UVB exposure. Long-term exposure to UVB radiation can also lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which can impair the function of internal organs such as the kidneys. Moreover, UVB radiation has a relatively short wavelength and high energy, making it primarily absorbed by the skin's outer layers. Consequently, it can damage DNA in skin cells, causing sunburn, premature aging, and an increased risk of skin cancer." As she finished reading, Reine placed her finger on her chin, noticing the newcomer had something to say. "You may speak," she said. "Thank you, Murasami-sama. It appears that Hikaru assumed that the body of a spirit is not fundamentally different in terms of how vital organs function. She used the entire process to her advantage, but the significant part was how she mentally manipulated Kotori-sama. Although Kotori-sama could easily detect Hikaru's deception and devise a counter-plan, Hikaru-san exploited Kotori-sama's love for her brother to her advantage." "I see. She is quite intelligent. Did you find anything new about her angel?" Reine inquired. "Unfortunately, no, Murasami-sama." "I see. You may leave now." The woman bowed her head and departed as the door closed behind her. Reine returned to her chair, the document still in her hand. "Another individual who can use their brain. That is quite disconcerting news," she muttered as she returned to her other document.