It hurt.
In Fukiyose Seiri's subconsciousness, this was what she thought.
She knew that she was lying on a stretcher; she knew that she was being carried down an ambulance to the entrance of the hospital's emergency department.
But there was no sense of reality.
Right now, she was in a state where she was unable to tell which way was up, down, left, or right, a groggy feeling. Either it was because she was lying on the stretcher, or there was something wrong with her subconsciousness. Seemed like the adults surrounding her were shouting to confirm whether she was awake, but she didn't hear what they were talking about. To her ears, these words were like gibberish that a drunk would say, nobody could make out what he said. Among them, only the word 'heatstroke' inexplicably stayed in her ears.
Heatstroke.
It was a common illness seen during school PE lessons or school meets, so it was commonly neglected. The reason was because of rapid dehydration, and if it was severe, may have the risk of causing death.
Of course, this wasn't the first time that Fukiyose got heatstroke, so she could imagine how she fell.
But this time, there was a completely different feeling from before. Normally, when suffering from a normal heatstroke, the headache would disappear after a while. This time though, the headache didn't subside, and the pain was getting worse.
(…Ugh…)
As a member of the Daihaseisai Organizing Committee, Fukiyose had given basic emergency treatment before. Because of this, she was more aware than ordinary students that one could not belittle heatstroke.
What is wrong now? She thought.
She had gotten enough water, her body temperature was normal. It couldn't be fatigue, lack of sleep, or ill health. She had already done all the preparations to keep herself healthy, but to think that this still managed to happen.
(If so…the only thing I can think of is…)
Nervousness. Maybe?
Fukiyose thought, was I really that nervous?
Like a psychological problem, most people wouldn't feel it. If so…Fukiyose thought, she worked so hard on the preparations all for this day. If she failed here, everything would go to waste. The laughter she had when working on the preparations with the other committee members, the effort she put in to memorize the judging order, going to a café while on her way home to confirm the match schedules, all these efforts could be wiped away by 'failure'. Because of this, she had subconsciously become so nervous.
(…I'm just like an idiot…)
To impulsively work so hard, to impulsively fall down out of a sudden, to impulsively ruin the match.
Fukiyose thought, this is all my fault, I brought too much trouble to everyone else. In order to not add on to other people's burdens, I might as well quit getting involved in Daihaseisai.
(It's entirely my fault.)
But, why?
Why had that boy been shouting at her with such a distorted expression.
That was not a reaction one would have when someone had heatstroke.
That was something that was out of his predictions. It felt that this situation was completely out of what he expected. Instead of saying that it was a sudden reaction to what happened, it was more like he was well-prepared and guarded, but still let something slip by.
What did he know?
What was he regretting?
(I want to know.)
She thought.
But she was more mindful about…
(So irritating…)
Fukiyose Seiri slightly moved her lips.
What Fukiyose was surprised about was that that boy, who always looked casual, and always gave the impression that he wouldn't treat any matter seriously, would give that sort of expression.
Thinking about how that boy would continue to live with that expression for the next few days of Daihaseisai, Fukiyose inadvertently frowned.
(…I—really hate—those kind…)
She didn't really like or hate Kamijou Touma.
Frankly, to her, he was just an outsider.
But up till now, Fukiyose Seiri was a committee member who worked hard in the preparations for Daihaseisai, all to let everyone be able to enjoy themselves. This was completely unrelated to her individual likes or dislikes.
Therefore, she really didn't want him to be the only one who continued to be like this in this event.
Because this was an event that she took part in.
For this, she continued to work hard till this day.
This may sound a bit capricious.
But she still wished for this event to be a success to anyone.
The stretcher, which was carrying the groggy Fukiyose, passed through the entrance of the emergency ward, and into the building. A doctor wearing a white lab coat was waiting for her over there. The doctor had the face of a frog, causing Fukiyose to almost laugh out.
The frog-faced doctor gave a completely different feeling as compared to everyone else, as he immediately gave orders clearly.
Fukiyose, who was still groggy, was unable to hear the contents of those words clearly. Her head was aching severely, and it seemed like several gears in her thoughts were loose. Even if she tried to integrate her thoughts together, her awareness continued to worsen.
Only the words 'Severe heatstroke' continued to bounce around in her head. This was an illness that was caused by severe dehydration, and if serious, would be bad for her circulatory system. Once the balance between the amount of oxygen and nutrients was lost, it may cause the internal organs to dysfunction, and in the worst case scenario, even cause death.
The extent of heatstroke may end up leading to a high risk.
If it was serious, it may cause damage to the other body parts, like a switch being turned on and off.
Thinking up till here, Fukiyose's teeth couldn't help but clatter.
(I don't want to die.)
She thought.
Fukiyose herself was unable to understand where the fear came from. Was it because she hated this sudden headache, or the chill that spread through her body? Or was it that she didn't know what was going to happen later, that made her feel so insecure? She was unable to get rid of this feeling, while her mind was continually being tortured by these complicated feelings.
She didn't know what the people around her were saying.
And she was unable to tell how bad the state of her body was currently.
Because of this, she didn't care about anything, and just raised one question.
"…Can…I be…saved…?"
She didn't know if her voice could be heard, and she didn't even feel confident that her lips moved.
But the frog-faced doctor heard this, immediately stopped issuing orders, and stared at Fukiyose's face.
In this groggy state, when she was apparently unable to hear other people's voices, the doctor's voice clearly reached Fukiyose's ears.
To the girl lying on the stretcher, he only said one thing.
His face gave a perfect smile that would gain anyone complete trust, and said,
"―Who do you think I am?"