Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: A Budding Change
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Was it the reign of an unshakable legend, or the dawn of a new era?
The conclusion to the legendary final match that had countless sports fans' hearts pounding... was unfortunately postponed for a week.
This was because of a serious issue with the facilities at the stadium where the finals were being held.
According to a police official, the cause was none other than a basement flood due to a malfunctioning fire suppression system.
It wasn't just a simple equipment problem; some staff members were even carried away on stretchers.
The spectators, bewildered by the absurd situation, had no choice but to look forward to the next match.
"...So that's why they flooded the place. Can they even clean this up?"
"Of course. They only released enough water to be controlled by magic in the first place. Once the Association steps in, it'll be back to normal in no time."
"That would be nice."
Of course, as the Fixers watching the situation on-site muttered, it was a cover-up by the Fixer Association to hide the truth about the psychics' involvement in the incident.
It was similar to how they'd brush off any noisy incident as a gas explosion.
Though it's questionable what meaning that holds with a war right on the horizon...
Still, it seemed the Association and the government they collaborated with had decided it was still too soon.
Furthermore, this wasn't just to conceal information, but also a pretext to control the tens of thousands of spectators.
Restricting the exits to prevent accidents in a flooding situation wasn't particularly strange.
The ulterior motive was that collecting the ticket wristbands in the process would seem perfectly natural.
‘Well, it seems they couldn't find any Debris on the wristbands they worked so hard to collect.’
Did Millain draw in and consume the Debris scattered throughout the spectator seats when she activated her enhanced form to escape with the endangered Ren?
No Debris could be found on the tens of thousands of painstakingly collected wristbands.
No wonder there were so many fragments scattered around the spot where they disappeared.
My hopes of collecting a ton of Debris to fix Tempest's heart came crashing down.
Ah, if only Tempest were okay right now, I wouldn't have to worry so much about the future.
It was more than just a shame; the immense disappointment was utterly draining. They shouldn't have gotten my hopes up!
"Uh, um... you're perfectly healthy, not a single wound. There's no need for hospitalization."
"..."
Anyway, after the incident at Tempest Stadium began to settle down.
I, still in my blood-stained dress, was taken to a nearby hospital with Raven.
Perhaps it was because my tattered clothes and the blood covering them were so conspicuous.
The scene was left to the other Fixers, and I was sent away, seemingly to recover from my injuries first.
But maybe it was because I'd changed from the embarrassing, blood-soaked dress into a hospital gown.
The doctor just looked at me as if wondering why a perfectly healthy person had come in as a patient.
The Tesseract doesn't just heal wounds quickly; it works by replacing my body with one that was never injured in the first place. So that reaction wasn't strange.
"Th-then, please wait outside for now. I'll have a word with the Association."
"...Nyeah."
After a thorough examination, I was told that no particular treatment was necessary.
I trudged out of the examination room and plopped down on a chair near the entrance.
This was the Association's private hospital within Nighthaven.
It felt like it was mainly used for VIPs or Fixers who couldn't be seen in public.
Was that why? The area was utterly silent, with no other patients, or even nurses or doctors, around.
I swayed the sleeves of my slightly oversized hospital gown and glanced to the side.
A stark white wall, oppressively windowless for security reasons, greeted me.
My body was perfectly fine thanks to the Tesseract, not a single ache.
But my heart felt heavy, as if damp cotton balls were stuck all over my body.
‘Strange. I stopped an incredibly dangerous incident in a pretty cool way... so what is this hollow feeling?’
It was a somewhat incomprehensible flow of melancholy. What was I so gloomy about?
As I closed my eyes and swung my legs, which didn't reach the floor.
Suddenly, Sabrina's disappointed face flashed through my mind.
-Yuria, are you hurt?! Ah, thank goodness...
-...I'll get going now. I don't want to be in the way. Le-let's hang out again! Sometime...
She, who likes me so much, must have been really looking forward to hanging out today.
And yet, because it was an important matter, Sabrina quietly went home, accepting that it couldn't be helped.
Of course, no matter how close we were, this incident involved psychics, so there was no other way.
I did promise we'd hang out again, but that would probably be difficult until after the war. I felt truly sorry to her.
"Why are you so down? Seriously... cheer up. Considering what you did, it wouldn't be strange for you to be treated like a hero."
"...Mwek."
Did he see me slumping my shoulders so listlessly?
Raven, who had approached silently, suddenly placed a hand on the crown of my head.
When I looked up, as if to ask what he was doing, he just shrugged lightly and sat down next to me.
Naturally, the hand pressing down on my head remained firmly stuck to the crown. How persistent.
‘Did Raven get kicked out of the examination room like me? Well, he doesn't have any injuries either... Ugh, he's shaking my head again.’
Like me, Raven was also in a hospital gown.
However, he didn't seem to have any noticeable injuries, so like me, he was more or less being left alone.
And I guess it's just human nature to move your hand around once you've placed it on someone's head.
He moved my head around this way and that, playing with it like a joystick.
He seemed to be considerate of my delicate neck, as he didn't move it enough to strain it.
Still, perhaps because my gaze was shifting all over the place, I honestly felt a little dizzy.
How long had my body and shoulders been spinning around like that?
Just as a 'nyanyak' sound started to escape my lips, Raven stopped his hand and suddenly spoke.
"What's bothering you so much? Is it because you let the psychics get away?"
"Nn-nn."
Not really. They took a huge loss before they ran away, right? If anything, it's a win for us.
As if to answer him, I vigorously shook my head from side to side.
Did he immediately figure out why I was so dejected?
Raven let out a smirk as if he'd known all along and opened his mouth.
"Then is it Sabrina that's bothering you?"
"...Yeah."
"I knew it. You seemed incredibly sorry when you saw her earlier. So that's it. It's fine, you kid. Sabrina's a pretty smart and wise girl. She won't blame you or anything."
He's probably not wrong, but... it still bothers me.
I stared at him with a sullen expression, as if insisting that wasn't the issue.
But I guess Raven, whose shamelessness is max level, wouldn't lose his composure over something like this.
He immediately followed up with something that made me blush.
"And what if you'd been worrying about Sabrina and a lot of people got hurt? You would've immediately blamed yourself with a face on the verge of tears, wouldn't you? Thinking things like, 'If only I'd done better, no one would have gotten hurt...'"
"..."
"So... hey, I wanted to say you did well. Calling me when you thought you couldn't handle it alone. I'm so proud I feel like I could give you a kiss. ...No, that's just an expression. I won't do it even if you beg me, so stop making that disgusted face. I can see it even with the mask on."
Ah, yeah. Was I being too obvious about my disgust...?
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I felt a warmth spreading in my chest and fidgeted with my hands for no reason.
Well, I think I understood what he was trying to say.
Come to think of it, I'd always tried to solve everything on my own, no matter what happened.
Even if the circumstances forced me to, he must have seen it as me trying to shoulder everything alone.
In other words, he wanted me to rely on him more, just like I did today. That's probably what he was getting at. Though the kiss part is a little gross...
Anyway, if that's the case, I get it.
As if giving him my answer, I hesitantly held out my fist.
Did the quick-witted Raven immediately understand what it meant?
After letting out a chuckle, he met my outstretched fist with his own.
"I'm counting on you from now on. I'll try to trust you and your abilities more, too."
"...!"
I-I'm the one who should be saying that! I'm going to call you so much it'll be annoying until all the danger is gone!
Hehehe, I let out the most villainous laugh I could muster in my mind as I accepted his goodwill.
It's not me protecting everyone, but *we* protecting everyone.
As that thought took over, the weight in my chest seemed to lighten considerably.
Along with the sensation of something tightly bound deep in my heart suddenly loosening.
Feeling a push from behind, I conveyed my feelings to Raven just as they were.
"...Thank you."
"What... You, you spoke?"
"...?"
Along with Raven, I froze for a moment in surprise.
Soon, in the space where we were the only two people, silence stretched on.
Something was changing, slowly, like a sprouting seed.