A Visit from Friends (1)
I had no idea where I was. One thing was certain—this wasn't my room. It didn't look like the infirmary either. The ceiling was stark white and spotlessly clean, and I could smell that distinct hospital scent lingering in the air.
I tried to sit up so I could look around, but my body felt heavy and sluggish.
"Ugh."
I had no clue how much time had passed, but it was obvious my wounds hadn't fully healed yet. My right hand kept sending sharp, stinging pain through me, and my cheek still burned with a numb, tingling sensation.
"Man, my whole body aches. And it doesn't feel like the poison's completely gone either."
Because of the poison, my entire body felt weighed down. My head was still spinning too. Still, I was definitely in better shape than right before I'd collapsed.
As I rubbed my dry face and glanced around, I noticed Lucy leaning against my hospital bed, fast asleep.
"Lucy?"
She was sitting in a chair, slumped over the edge of the bed, sleeping soundly. Wait, why was she even here next to me?
I reached out with my relatively unharmed left arm to wake her, but something felt off every time I moved. When I looked down, I saw a long IV needle stuck in the back of my left hand, with fluid steadily dripping through the line from a clear bag.
I'd figured this was a hospital, but was I the only one in this room? Hold on—if this was a private room, wouldn't that cost a fortune?
Well, at least there didn't seem to be anything seriously wrong with my body. I guess that was something to be grateful for.
As I kept clenching and unclenching my bandaged right hand, the door to the hospital room slid open.
"Hah... Vern... you're awake...!"
"It's you, Elisha."
"Vern...!!"
She was holding a plate of apples. She set it aside and rushed toward me at incredible speed, throwing herself into my arms.
"What are you doing, Elisha?"
I knew she was happy to see me again, but wasn't she a bit too close? She was a grown girl, after all... Still, it felt genuinely good to know someone had been worried about me. I awkwardly patted her back so she wouldn't feel too embarrassed.
As I kept patting her, she spoke in a serious tone.
"More importantly, Vern...!! Are you really okay? You know you've been unconscious for four years since that day!!"
What? I'd been out for four years?
My head started pounding like I'd been hit with a hammer. Had I really been asleep for four whole years because of that? Then what about the money? The family? What about the ending? What about graduation?
While I was lost in those grim thoughts, Elisha, still hugging me, added with a giggle.
"Hehe. Just kidding. But you really were out for four whole days. I'm so glad you're awake now."
Four days? I'd been using a private room for four days? That was definitely going to cost a lot. Private rooms were way more expensive than shared ones. Plus, I'd missed four days of classes. This was bad.
Still, I tried to sound calm as I continued.
"I see. So, Elisha, what about the bill?"
"The academy agreed to cover everything."
"Really?"
"They said once you're feeling better, you should stop by the headmaster's office."
That was a relief. If the academy was footing the bill, it made sense. After all, the whole incident happened because of their lax security. It was only natural they'd take responsibility.
"Thanks, Elisha. For worrying about me."
"I-It's nothing. We're friends, after all."
Her cheeks flushed just a little. Was it my imagination?
Anyway.
"By the way, why is Lucy here?"
"Oh, Lucy thought it was her fault you got hurt. She's been helping me take care of you this whole time."
Elisha finally let go of me as she spoke. So both Lucy and Elisha had been nursing me. They must've had a rough time.
"I see. I'll pay back this debt later."
"Debt? What debt? Besides us, Elin and that girl named Luna came to visit a lot. Other people stopped by too."
Elin had come as well. And even Celia had shown up? That was surprising. She always grumbled or made disgusted faces whenever we met. Still, it wasn't a bad thing. The situation had wrapped up well, and the hospital costs were being covered by the academy. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to complain about.
But I wondered if Shady was doing okay back in the room.
"By the way, Elisha. Is Shady doing alright?"
"The first thing you ask about when you wake up is her? Sigh... I've been taking good care of Shady. She's staying in my room right now, so you don't need to worry."
Wait, Elisha was looking after Shady?
"Elisha, are you really okay with that? Keeping her around?"
"...What she did as part of Requiem wasn't right. But she never got the love she deserved at the age when she needed it most, so she ended up twisted. I can understand that much."
Elisha fidgeted for a moment before quickly adding,
"I heard about her past. It reminded me of some old memories... But I haven't completely forgiven her, okay?!"
So Shady had told Elisha her story. What kind of change of heart made her open up about her past? Just what had happened over those four days?
"And even though she's all grown up, the way she acts is still like a kid. Plus, you can't just put a fully grown man and woman in the same room...! So... so..."
Even though she said all that, I understood. After learning about Shady's past, she probably couldn't just leave her alone. Elisha was incredibly kind, but she also knew better than anyone how painful it was to grow up without parents. Or maybe she saw her old self in Vern. After all, Vern had only started acting like a delinquent after his mother passed away. Until she learned the truth, she probably thought Vern had gone off the rails after losing his mom.
"Thanks, Elisha. Take good care of her."
"Well... if you're that grateful, then later maybe you could... go with me to..."
While Elisha was mumbling something, the hospital room door opened again.
When the door slid open, quite a few people were standing there. Each of them had strikingly distinct hair colors. There was Elin with her fresh, cherry-blossom pink hair, and Celia with the same deep black hair as me. Behind them stood Ron, who'd taken off his usual robe to reveal gray hair, and Lloyd with his tanned skin, golden hair, and larger build. And then there was the guy with deep black hair and vivid green eyes... Ian?
Anyway, a whole crowd had come to visit me in the hospital room.
"What brings all of you here..."
"V-Vern...! You're awake...!"
"Oh, finally up, huh? Whoa, Lucy's here too? And the silver-haired girl?"
"It's been a while, comrade! We all came for a visit and happened to run into each other on the way, so we decided to come together!"
"I heard you got attacked by someone from Requiem. Looks like you're doing better now. That's a relief."
"Vern! You're awake! I heard you were hospitalized and tagged along. Is it okay that I came? Just in case, I brought some fruit!"
What the hell was going on? Suddenly the room was packed with people. Thankfully the room was quite spacious, so it didn't feel too cramped. The sudden burst of noise woke up the sleeping Lucy.
"Mmm... Huh?! Did I... fall asleep? When did that happen?"
As she jolted awake in surprise, the massive Lloyd burst out laughing.
"Kahaha, comrade, you must be living the dream. So many people taking care of you!"
"S-So jealous... Damn it, you damn normie...!"
"Vern, I'm so glad you're awake...! I was really worried...!"
"Vern, you're something else... You're even more amazing than I thought...?"
"Wow, patient. Must be nice, huh? Surrounded by pretty girls like this?"
"Hey, black-hair! If you're just gonna keep grumbling, go home already!"
"What'd you say?"
"....."
Because of my actions, a lot of things had changed. And as a result, all these people had come to visit me. All of it was thanks to the possession. These were connections I'd managed to form through everything I'd done. We hadn't known each other that long, and we weren't particularly close, but they'd still come to see me. It wasn't bad at all.
Still, I had to say something.
"Everyone, quiet down. This is a hospital."
At my words, they all stopped talking and started watching me carefully. Some of them only now seemed to remember where we were. A few even glanced around nervously, thinking I was angry.
"Just kidding. Thanks for coming, everyone."
Then, one by one, they started speaking again.
"Vern, you made a joke?"
"Huh? Vern, did you just smile?"
"Y-You said thank you...? I-I'm the one who should be thanking you, Vern."
"Hey. Before you say stuff like that, try not to get hurt in the first place."
"Kahaha, no need to thank me. When a friend's sick, of course I have to come."
"Y-Yeah. We're friends, right? A-And sorry for being so loud... Lloyd, let's keep it down a bit..."
"Vern, I'm your friend too, right? It felt weird to come empty-handed, so I bought some fruit. Eat it with the apples over there. You probably haven't eaten anything, right?"
"Sure."
A warm breeze drifted in through the slightly open window, wrapping around me. The wind that had felt so cold earlier now felt as warm as sunlight. It was a pleasant morning.