This was a single-person luxury hospital room.
Not to ntion the thirty-six-inch LCD TV on the wall, the bed alone was unlike any other in the hospital, costing at least several hundred thousand Yen and exuding a unique dark aesthetic characteristic of Gothic style.
The room was equipped with air conditioning.
A soft blanket interwoven with black and red covered Emily, her small face flushed as she received an IV drip.
The large bed and thick blanket only accentuated her petite size.
Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at Emily lying on the bed, her expression surprised. "What happened here?"
"It’s just..." Katerina began, about to explain Emily’s unfortunate situation these past two days, when Emily herself barely cracked open her eyelids. Using the last bit of strength in her chest, she rasped, "Don’t talk about that."
Just saying that one simple sentence exhausted her. Pain coursed through her as if her throat were lined with blades, each word a new tornt in her hoarse voice.
Emily had insisted on these lavish hospital room modifications because she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to spend money to make herself more comfortable. After all, the late heir to the Morgans Group had given her a substantial amount of US dollars to sever ties, allowing her to spend extravagantly without financial worry. If she so desired, she could buy the entire hospital and have all the doctors and nurses cater exclusively to her.
"Basically, after a few incidents, she caught a bad cold," Katerina explained briefly, struggling to suppress a laugh.
Morimoto Chiyoda sensed there was more to the story, her curiosity piqued, but she didn’t press further in front of Emily.
She turned her gaze to Katerina and asked, "Are your injuries all right?"
"They had already healed before the doctor could even treat them," Katerina replied with a smile, though her voice still couldn’t completely mask a hint of weakness.
Morimoto Chiyoda asked curiously, "Last ti, dealing with that Cyclops didn’t wear you out like this. Was this Monster particularly troubleso?"
Katerina wore an embarrassed expression. "No, I’m like this because I had too many cold drinks this morning and got diarrhea. It only recently started to get better. It might also be because that Hanako scared in the toilet."
Recalling the earlier scene still gave Katerina a shiver. If it weren’t for the vigilance she’d developed as a rcenary—a habit she maintained even when using the toilet—that sudden shout of ’Hanako!’ followed by a lunge might have resulted in her truly experiencing the pain of being bitten by a hyena.
"That little brat actually crawled out from the squat toilet; it scared the hell out of ! After dealing with it, I had to wash my bulletproof vest vigorously to get rid of the sll," Katerina said with evident disgust. She might seem rough around the edges, but when conditions allowed, she actually cherished cleanliness and couldn’t stand dirt. She was the one who tidied up Emily’s carelessly tossed clothes and socks.
Curiosity flashed across Morimoto Chiyoda’s face. "Katerina, I’ve never seen you without your bulletproof vest. Do you look the sa as you do now?"
"Pretty much," Katerina answered vaguely. Years of wearing a bulletproof vest had made her sowhat shy about showing her true self to others. "I’ve already told Okayama everything I needed to. You really didn’t have to co see ."
"Don’t say such foolish things. Do you think I ca all this way just to ask about your condition? Hearing how weak your voice was, how could I not worry?" Morimoto Chiyoda shot her a disapproving glance. She had co in person to see if Katerina was truly all right and not just putting on a brave front.
Katerina blinked, then scratched her head. "Sorry, Morimoto, I shouldn’t have said that."
"It’s okay, I forgive you. I just didn’t expect Emily to be the one who was unwell." Morimoto Chiyoda stepped forward and placed her hand on Emily’s forehead. It was a bit hot. Her rosy cheeks resembled apples, inspiring an impulsive desire to take a bite.
Emily forced one eye open again. Her mind was groggy, and her painful throat made her reluctant to speak. Stubbornly, she turned her head away, refusing to let Morimoto Chiyoda touch her.
"Hehe." Morimoto Chiyoda gently pinched her cheek. "Alright, since neither of you seems to have any major issues, I’ll be leaving now. Contact if you need anything."
"Mhm," Katerina nodded.
Emily didn’t speak. She drifted back towards sleep, though ’sleep’ wasn’t quite accurate; it was more of a half-conscious, half-dreaming state. She wanted to fall asleep but couldn’t; she could still hear Katerina’s breathing nearby.
This agonizing feeling made Emily desperately wish Dio would appear by her side. With his abilities, she could recover in minutes.
Dio, hurry up and show up! Emily called out the hero’s na in her heart. She truly couldn’t bear the agony of this severe cold; it felt worse than death.
She vowed that once she recovered from this illness, she would work hard to strengthen her body, ward off colds, and never again suffer the embarrassnt of coughing so hard she cracked a rib. I’m not a potato chip!
I never would have thought my body had beco so fragile! Her mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts, and then, in an instant, her consciousness sank into sleep.
「...」
After being busy all morning, Aozawa, along with Kenji Kojima and the others, finally managed to display the Jade Dragon Flag and trophies on the eastern side of the Kendo Departnt Activity Room.
The cabinet had two levels, enclosed by a glass door that allowed the contents to be seen. The upper shelf held trophies and their group photos, while the lower shelf housed the Dare to Fight Award, which was displayed on a rack as if it were a sacred blade.
The Jade Dragon Flag hung above the cabinet.
"It’s perfect!" Kenji Kojima exclaid, hands on his hips, looking at the Kendo Departnt Activity Room that now housed a proud collection worth boasting about. A sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
He turned, patted Aozawa’s shoulder, and said, "Next sester, you’ll be the president of the Kendo club."
"Don’t worry, leave it to ." Aozawa wasn’t surprised by this decision; looking around the Kendo club, there was no one more suitable for the position.
Kenji Kojima stretched lazily and laughed. "Alright, let’s go. See you when school reopens!"
The dozen or so of them walked out of the club building.
From the direction of the sports field, the shouts of the baseball team drifted over. The Kendo club’s sumr of youth had ended.
However, this year’s sumr Koshien was set to begin on August 6th, and the baseball team was currently training hard to win the championship.
"I wonder if the baseball team can win the Koshien championship this year."
"It’ll be tough. In the baseball club, only Furusawa Kyoichiro is a really strong player. Getting third place is already quite impressive for them."
Chatting casually, they stepped out of the school grounds and went their separate ways.
Aozawa walked the streets alone, montarily unsure where to go.
While the ti spent hanging out with Kenji Kojima and the others could be described as unproductive, it was precisely such idleness that made Aozawa happy. If a person is happy, then perhaps wasting ti doesn’t matter after all.
Aozawa looked up at the sun, decided to find a place to get so lunch, and then test the limits of his ’Infinity Big’ ability.
Due to constraints of ti and place, he hadn’t yet tested the full extent of ’Infinity Big,’ nor was he sure what kind of superpowers it could be combined with. For instance, Transformation or Elent Replacent.
If they could be combined, my Elent Replacent ability would be even more potent than it had been in its first week. Just imagining myself as a colossal Fla Giant... that would be incredibly cool! Or an Ice Giant, a Rock Giant... Transforming into a dragon or a great roc would also be interesting. My current Transformation Ability doesn’t let change size, which makes mythical creatures like dragons and great rocs seem less imposing. If the Transformation Ability could combine with ’Infinity Big,’ their union could very likely recreate the true grandeur of mythical creatures!
Aozawa was engrossed in these thoughts when he glanced around; there weren’t many people nearby.
He decided to try using Telekinesis and ’Infinity Big’ simultaneously to see if their effects could stack.
It turned out he couldn’t make his Telekinesis grow larger. He also tried with his Defense Barrier, but there was no change; it remained its original size.
Even though objects can be enlarged, Telekinesis and the Defense Barrier can’t be. Is it because they aren’t classified as objects? What about Transformation and Elent Replacent, though...?
He pondered for a mont. That should be fine. Both Transformation and Elent Replacent are based on internal changes within my body; fire, for example, can be considered a part of my body. No matter how proficient I am with Telekinesis and the Defense Barrier, ’Infinity Big’ might not classify them as part of my body, nor as objects.
Aozawa decided to head to Ikebukuro for a al first, and then test ’Infinity Big.’
「...」
「Ikebukuro, Maid Cafe.」
The sumr sun bathed the exterior of the cafe in bright light, yet inside, there wasn’t a trace of oppressive heat. Cool air circulated throughout, refreshing every custor who entered and washing away the warmth from their bodies.
TING~
A crisp chi sounded as the welcoming maid reflexively said, "Welco ho, Master."
She then realized the young man before her looked familiar. A smile blood on her face as she asked, "Master, would you like Nashi to serve you again?"
"Mhm," Aozawa nodded.
The welcoming maid called out, "Nashi, co take care of your little master~"
Arakawa Reina’s cheeks flushed slightly at her colleague’s teasing, but she still stepped forward and said, "Please follow , Master."
Aozawa followed her and sat in a chair by the window. The cool air conditioning inside made even the bright sunlight outside seem less intense.
"Master, congratulations on winning the Jade Dragon Flag competition yesterday." Although she had already congratulated him online, now that they were face-to-face, Arakawa Reina felt compelled to say it again, her face lit with genuine joy. "I’ll treat you to this al."
"Since you’re offering, Class President, I’d be honored to accept. Please, order whatever you’d like," Aozawa said, handing her the nu.
She didn’t take the nu. Instead, she quickly jotted down over a dozen desserts and a coffee—it wouldn’t be cheap. But considering Aozawa had won the Jade Dragon Flag tournant just yesterday, she figured splurging this once wouldn’t be an issue.
"Class President, this is too much for you to spend."
"It’s no problem at all, Master. You’ve helped so many tis; this is the least a maid can do~" Arakawa Reina gave a playful wink, then turned to take the order to the kitchen.
Aozawa could only stash the money from Chitose into his personal savings, planning to use it for a future date with Iroha.
He looked away. Where should I test ’Infinity Big’?
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