"Why isn't there a response...?"
The Section Chief muttered while scratching the back of her head. It had been about an hour since she sent the photo, but still no message had come up. The 'read' receipt was showing, but to be ignored... The Section Chief felt an unwarranted pity for Shiu. Because she vividly recalled the kind of treatment he usually received from them.
He was probably ignored regularly too. They probably didn't even allow eye contact, and speaking to them casually likely wasn't permitted either. All Trinity students act all high and mighty, but deep down they're more insidious than anyone, so it must have been like that for sure.
"Ugh, I feel so sorry for him...."
The Section Chief placed Shiu's smartphone on the desk and wiped away a tear. Watching her, Shiu let out a dry laugh. Crazy bitch. She suddenly took a picture, and now she's putting on a tearjerker drama all by herself.
"Cut the crap and roll up my pant leg. I need to check it too."
"Okay… got it…."
The Section Chief sniffled and grabbed the hem of Shiu's pants. During the process, Shiu's ankle and the Section Chief's hand made contact. It was just that, but Shiu felt a pain as if a hot iron poker was violently stirring his brain. It was because the broken bone had been left untreated for too long.
On top of that, not only was he dragged here while his broken part was held, but he was also forced to sit in a chair. It would be weird if the condition hadn't worsened. Surely it was just a crack at first, but now the pain was so severe it felt like it might be completely shattered.
"I'll roll it up."
As she spat that out, the Section Chief lifted the hem of Shiu's pants upward. Shiu checked the exposed ankle and burst into a hollow laugh.
The condition was worse than he thought. An ankle swollen to nearly twice the size of the normal one. Perhaps bone fragments were poking the muscle, as the skin was dotted with red splotches. Fortunately, it hadn't broken through the skin, but the condition was still bad regardless.
"Fuuuck."
Shiu spat out a thick curse and looked back at Makoto. She was looking at Shiu's broken ankle with a surprised expression still on her face.
"Wh-why is it this swollen...?"
"Because you fucking broke it, you bitch."
At Shiu's words, Makoto shot up from her seat.
"I-I never did that! Don't frame me!"
"You grabbed my ankle and slammed me onto the floor."
"That alone couldn't possibly break a person's bone! Even the weakest person could withstand that much!"
"Then I guess I'm not a weak person, but a fucking fragile one, shit."
Shiu let out a deep sigh, suppressing his anger.
Yeah, thinking within common sense, a bone doesn't break just from being grabbed by a hand. That was the same on Earth, and it was the same in Kivotos. For something abnormal to happen from a normal action was entirely his own fault.
That didn't mean Makoto's guilt disappeared. Even if you step on and kill an ant without knowing it dies just from being stepped on, the dead ant would be fucking unfairly dead. By a similar logic, Shiu was also fucking unfairly wronged. Who wants to be born with a fragile body?
"Sigh… Whatever, untie this. I think I need to go to a hospital or something soon."
"Uh, uhh… What do we do, Section Chief?"
Makoto said, looking at the Section Chief. Since she had no intention of hurting Shiu, she was quite flustered. But the Section Chief was the same. Even though she acted like a ruffian in Gehenna, she had never actually harmed a person before.
But Shiu didn't know such circumstances, nor did he want to know. What mattered was that they not only committed kidnapping but also caused bodily injury. A student from Gehenna, to a citizen of the Trinity district.
This was a serious incident. An issue severe enough to worsen the already bad relations between the two academies further. The fact that the kidnapped party wasn't a Trinity student but just a citizen might lessen the severity somewhat, but even so, it would only mean the worst-case scenario becoming a slightly less bad one.
From Gehenna's perspective, this was no different from being struck by lightning out of a clear sky. They didn't order it, it was just a delinquent student causing trouble once, but now their diplomacy was about to be ruined. Of course, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it wasn't exactly wrong either.
"Hi, Hina. Where did Hina go?! Where did she go at a time like this!"
"Sorasaki Hina, you bitch! How dare you dump all the blame on us and run away! How despicable!"
Just as the Section Chief and Makoto shouted like that, the firmly closed door creaked open. Beyond it, a white-haired girl entered, carrying various items.
She glanced over the situation in the room, let out a deep sigh, and approached Shiu. She then tore off the rope that was restraining his body.
The Section Chief shouted at her.
"Hina! Where did you go until now!"
"You abandoned me and left first, Section Chief."
"Hah! Did I?!"
"...Sigh. Really."
Hina narrowed her eyes as if tired and placed the bag she was carrying on the floor. Inside were various medicines. Spray-type anti-inflammatories and painkillers, disposable splints and bandages, and even a one-touch crutch. There were so many items it made you wonder if the pharmacy even sold such things.
"Are you okay?"
Hina asked, looking up at Shiu. Shiu immediately shook his head.
"No. It fucking hurts."
"...You look like it."
Hina checked Shiu's heavily swollen left ankle and furrowed her brow. Just how long had it been left untreated for the injury to get this bad? She shot a glance at the hesitating Makoto and Section Chief, then sprayed the spray-type painkiller onto his ankle.
"Tell me when the pain subsides. I'll put the splint on then. And... I'm sorry. For making you get hurt. I should have stopped them but I couldn't. No amount of apologies will be enough, but I'm truly sorry."
Hina's purple eyes turned toward Shiu. She mumbled her lips a few times, then bowed her head.
"I'm sorry...."
"...Why are you in Gehenna?"
"Huh? What?"
"No, it's nothing."
Whew.
Shiu let out a long breath into the air and met Hina's eyes. In appearance, she looked the youngest among those present, but mentally she was the most mature. Meanwhile, Makoto, who actually broke his leg bone, hadn't uttered a single apology. The one who tried to stop her and even bought medicine was offering a sincere apology.
It was a bewildering sight. To begin with, unlike Makoto or the Section Chief, Shiu didn't feel any particular emotion toward Hina.
That was only natural. There was no reason to dislike or hate her when she hadn't done anything wrong. If you thought about it, she was a victim too. Her only sin was having shitty colleagues.
'Poor thing.'
Shiu stared at Hina with the eyes of someone watching a team leader suffering with terrible team members. At that pitiful gaze, Hina tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"...What's wrong?"
"Nothing. More importantly, I think it doesn't hurt now."
"Ah, okay. I'll put on the splint. But it might still hurt if touched, so tell me if it does."
Hina lifted Shiu's swollen ankle with careful hands. It was just that, but Shiu's face contorted violently from the extreme pain. A suppressed groan forced its way past his lips. Hearing that groan, Hina made a worried expression.
"Are you okay? Should I do it again a little later?"
"No, just do it. It's bearable."
"You're not overdoing it, are you?"
"Yeah. It's fine."
"...Okay. I'll do it again."
Hina lifted his ankle again. Shiu forcibly endured the excruciating pain and spoke to her.
"And about the apology. I'll accept it on the condition that you grant me one thing I want later, and in exchange, I won't report this incident to Trinity. I won't ask for anything related to money, insurance, or sex, so don't worry. How about it?"
"Isn't that too favorable for me?"
"Do you know what I'm going to ask for?"
"Well. I don't really know, but if you're okay with that, then I'm fine with it."
Hina smiled faintly and placed the splint against Shiu's ankle.
"Thank you. For accepting the apology."
"Sure. But you deal with those two yourself. You're not thinking of letting it slide, are you?"
"Yeah. I'll take responsibility and resolve it. If I report this incident, Gehenna will probably hand down appropriate punishment. At minimum suspension, and at worst, they could be held back a year. The dignity maintenance allowance they received monthly will also disappear."
At Hina's words, the two who had been still until now jumped up.
"Hina, you bitch! How dare you betray us and collude with Trinity!"
"Hina! I, I treated you so well! Is this how you repay my kindness?!"
"Both of you, shut up. If you don't want to fight me."
Hina spat out, staring at the two with cold eyes. Then the two closed their mouths with expressions of frustration. Despite their appearances, was her combat prowess strong? Shiu was about to snicker but clenched his teeth at the sudden, horrifying pain he felt.
"Bear with it a little more. It's the finishing stage."
Hina said that and tightly wound the bandage covering the splint. With that, the splint was secured.
"It's done."
"Whew… whew… Yeah, that's a relief."
"I also bought oral painkillers, do you want to take some? They said it's fine to use them together with the spray."
"Then just one… It kinda hurts."
"Okay. Here's water and the medicine."
Hina handed Shiu two painkiller pills and a water bottle. Shiu first put the painkillers in his mouth and opened the cap of the water bottle.
It was at that moment.
-CRASH!
Suddenly, with a massive impact, a hole was blown through the wall. The entire building shook violently, and everyone inside staggered. Because of that, Shiu swallowed the painkillers dry, but he didn't even mind his choking throat and hastily turned his gaze toward the hole in the wall.
"....What the."
A person's arm was sticking out of the hole.
It was a woman's arm. Slender, and also pure white. But before he could examine it closely, the arm disappeared back behind the hole. Shiu narrowed his eyes and stared at the hole, which was about the circumference of that woman's arm. Almost simultaneously, eyes appeared from beyond the hole.
Beautiful amber-colored eyes. The moment Shiu confirmed them, he unconsciously drew in a sharp breath.
Because they were familiar.
The eyes he faced every day, the eyes that always looked at him with deep affection when they gazed at him. But not now. Those eyes were filled not with the usual affection, but with madness and murderous intent. Feeling bewildered and slightly fearful, Shiu muttered the name of the owner of those eyes.
"Mika...?"
"Found you."
Along with the voice.
-CRASH!
The wall collapsed.