A Strange Ceiling
“…It’s a strange ceiling.”
I never thought I’d actually say something I’d wanted to say at least once.
It was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
“…I’m familiar with that face.”
“Haa… The moment I opened my eyes, what on earth is that supposed to mean….”
“It’s a familiar auntie…….”
“…Yah.”
When I slowly turned my gaze to the side, the magic auntie was looking at me with eyes full of worry.
If I moved just a little closer to Team Leader’s side…
“Ms. Batori and Ms. Saran, and Miss Eun-hwa are here too? Um… It’s a bit embarrassing.”
A woman with white hair, a woman with black hair.
A girl with two horns sprouting from her head, a woman with a forked tongue at the tip that takes on snake-like form… and a woman with fox ears.
All of them continued to gaze at me with eyes filled with worry around my hospital bed.
This feeling of being under intense stares was the exact situation created by the classmates who used to tease me endlessly back in high school whenever I talked about my powers.
I suppose the attention then wasn’t this overwhelming either.
I wonder if it’s just my mood making it feel like the stares of those bullies who used to hurl insults at me were nothing compared to these four.
“…Haa.”
“Haa….”
“…….”
Baek Eun-hwa and Batori sighed while looking at me, while Saran simply stared at me.
I didn’t know the exact reasons or intentions, but I suppose they were all full of various complaints about my actions anyway?
Of course, that didn’t mean I was actually injured.
I had simply fallen from fatigue.
I hadn’t lost my memory, and I remembered Batori’s voice as she worried about me in the end.
In a rather comfortable state, unlike the genuine concern of the four.
“Hehe….”
But if I spoke as if I felt even slightly at ease in this situation, all of them would surely join forces to scold me.
Especially Batori, who had carried me herself.
She would definitely feel even more strongly about it.
“Haa… I suddenly got a call from the junior heroes and was surprised. I never imagined it would come to this.”
“Haha….”
“Is the person in charge okay? Any pain in your body?”
“I’m fine. It’s really just that my stamina ran out a bit.”
“I told you not to overexert yourself with me.”
I had clearly explained the real reason to Baek Eun-hwa, but it felt strangely awkward that she was even more insistent.
Team Leader, Batori, and Baek Eun-hwa were all like this.
It was a bit embarrassing, I wanted to hide, and in the end it might have been better to just faint a little longer before waking up.
But that thought was only a thought, and the next thing I knew, it was my turn to speak with Saran.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Um… Well, you can’t just ignore people in trouble, can you? I didn’t think it was impossible, and I believed it was worth a try.”
Saran’s words were quite different from Batori or Baek Eun-hwa’s.
Her expression showed a strong curiosity about the reason behind my actions, which surprised me a little.
She could speak like this even in this situation.
Of course, regardless of what I had done, I couldn’t give her a clear answer.
Perhaps it would be better to offer some kind of reason rather than the boring, tedious, pretentious nonsense from the past?
Now was the time.
Instead of those stories, I was thinking in my head about how to deal with the current situation.
“By the way, who gathered everyone like this? I only asked Ms. Batori to help and told the others to come to the department store quickly.”
How did it end up like this?
When I last regained consciousness, I only saw the tall Batori.
The others had been completely absent, right?
It was natural for me to be curious why two people were involved.
“Ms. Batori called everyone?”
“I, I only left messages to some of the people in my contacts.”
“Ah, I see.”
If that was the case, it made sense.
Everyone’s contacts were usually saved, and Saran’s phone number was in Batori’s contacts, after all.
I understood why she had gathered everyone.
However, besides that, what I still didn’t understand…?
“So why the VIP room? Except for the bed I’ve been sleeping on since I was born, I’ve never used something this nice… And the hospital bills, who exactly did all this?”
“I did. It’s not like money was an issue anyway, and there were four people waiting. We couldn’t use a regular room.”
…Is that so?
As Baek Eun-hwa said, she wasn’t lacking in money.
“What did the doctor say? Just that excessive fatigue caused you to lose consciousness?”
“He said something very close to that.”
“Ahaha….”
“Because you don’t exercise much, your skin is too soft, and the pressure you put on it caused strain on your bones too.”
“Ah….”
“And you’re a twenty-one-year-old woman with way below-average stamina.”
“…….”
Hmm, I don’t think I ever applied for a health checkup…
What?
What the hell…?
I never applied for a health checkup, so how could this conversation come up…?
Why is it that only incomprehensible stories keep coming out in a completely normal situation.
Because it felt too unnatural, I decided to change the subject somehow.
Naturally, since everyone had gathered because of me, the topic that came to mind was my discharge.
“Since I’m starting to feel a little better now, it’s already evening…”
…How long had I been lying there unconscious?
In the process of speaking, I finally understood why the four of them were worrying so much.
It wasn’t just losing consciousness; I had been unconscious for nearly half a day.
They had no choice but to worry about me.
There was no way to explain away the evidence that was so plainly laid out about why I had ended up like this.
Since it was getting late evening, I suggested that after we all shared dinner, each of us should go home.
Otherwise, the awkward atmosphere would just continue?
Fortunately, it seemed they understood that I wasn’t in a truly serious condition, so maybe that’s why.
“This high-class Chinese food is rare for me. Team Leader, you too?”
“Usually we don’t even eat fancy dishes during after-work dinners?”
“Mm, you’re right.”
We had brought everyone to the good Chinese restaurant nearby.
It wasn’t just serving noodles; it had a much wider selection of meal options, so everyone could enjoy it.
“Charlotte. You have to be more careful from now on.”
“Ah……”
“You’re not even an awakened person capable of fighting, so why did you do that?”
“Haha….”
“You only have hypnosis, and that alone won’t work in a fight. You’re not even physically strong, so why did you think you could do what a hero is supposed to do?”
“Ahahaha…….”
While waiting for the food, Saran’s words slowly approaching me made me feel incredibly tense.
It wasn’t abnormal or anything.
It was just a normal story…
“Haha….”
“If you know, answer me. Don’t laugh.”
“Neep….”
Because Saran had spoken so seriously and with such weight, I unconsciously tensed up a little.
After all, she was clearly much more senior than me.
Her impression was also quite blunt and cold, which made me feel even more so.
Actually, the part where her words were factual was huge.
Even I thought it was a bit of a crime to do something pointless when I wasn’t capable of fighting.
From now on, I had to avoid situations like today as much as possible…
Of course, I hadn’t intended to do it from the beginning.
“…….”
It was a bit frustrating.
But I had no choice but to stay silent.
If I spoke, I would surely be scolded mercilessly by the people sitting at the same table.
“Yes. Your ability isn’t bad, but it has no real use in combat. Please be careful.”
“Haha….”
“Charlotte, even the heroes are saying this. You should start thinking a little, okay?”
“I know…”
Right after Saran’s words, Baek Eun-hwa and Team Leader began speaking one after another.
The more I couldn’t express my disagreement.
I had already come to the conclusion that even a little objection would lead to a huge backlash…!
“I’ll walk as carefully, gently, and quietly as possible….”
So the only thing I could say was this.
Of course, someday, if I saw a child like this one again, crying alone after losing her mother, I would probably help again.
But promises are made to be broken, right…?
Especially since there was nothing more difficult for me than leaving a child alone.
“…….”
If I went back to what happened earlier that day, I would surely still try to find the child’s mother from above.
Probably, definitely.