Extra - A Brother's Warmth
Fortunately, the diagnosis showed no serious injuries.
Even so, the shock of facing an Outer had left quite a few bruises both large and small, along with considerable neural fatigue. There were even visible signs that he had hit his head somewhere.
Because of this, the doctors repeatedly recommended further tests in case there were any hidden problems, and in the end both Yuto and Yuzuki agreed to remain hospitalized for the time being.
The hospital stay that followed was surprisingly relaxed.
Faint sunlight spilled through the window, and in its gentle glow Yuzuki lay half-reclined on her bed. She had unfolded the attached tray table, spread out her textbooks, and was quietly studying.
Her diligent appearance suited her perfectly. It matched the image she had shown at Dracore Academy so well that it felt completely natural.
Come to think of it, in Yuto’s memories Yuzuki had always been a fairly studious and intelligent girl. The only complication was the subtle awkwardness between the siblings.
Yuto lay there, staring blankly at her for a while before finally speaking.
“Teach me some of that too.”
Yuzuki, who had been absorbed in her studies, lifted her head with a startled expression and blinked.
“...Huh? Teach you?”
“Yeah.”
“Um… well, then… come over here.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Yuzuki slid her books slightly to the side to make room.
Yuto sat up from his own bed and moved over to hers.
At such close range their breathing mingled softly. Was it his imagination, or did her fingers tremble a little as she turned the page?
Yuzuki stared down at the textbook she had been reading, then suddenly asked him.
“Why the sudden interest in studying…?”
Yuto shifted his gaze to the textbook and answered honestly.
“When I sat in on that class last time, I couldn’t understand a single thing. That’s why.”
Yuzuki nodded quickly, as if that made perfect sense.
“...That’s true. Since you transferred in midway, there’s no way you could keep up with the foundational material.”
She closed the page she had open and flipped all the way back to the beginning of the book.
When Yuto asked in confusion, “What are you doing?” Yuzuki replied with a slightly pouty tone.
“You asked me to teach you. You probably don’t know anything, so I have to start from the beginning.”
“Won’t I just end up bothering you?”
“I was only reviewing anyway.”
After that day, Yuzuki’s attitude softened—there was no other way to describe it.
She still had her prickly side, but now even that felt endearing. It finally felt like he had a little sister.
“...This section seems like a good place to start.”
Yuzuki opened the textbook and began explaining the basic concepts step by step. The fundamental structure of a Dracore, the theory of Sensory Sharing, the stages of Coupling—all of it.
There were so many new terms that Yuto’s head quickly became overloaded, but Yuzuki remained calm and patient, repeating each point carefully until it sank in. Thanks to her, the parts that had been confusing gradually became clear.
After listening to her detailed explanations for about an hour, Yuto looked at her face and murmured quietly.
“...You’re surprisingly good at teaching. You really do seem like a teacher right now.”
“Hmph. I’ve always been good at this kind of thing. That’s why the other kids ask me for help a lot.”
“Do you tutor people at the academy too?”
“...Well, sometimes?”
So that was why everyone treated her like a proper young lady.
The girl who usually only grumbled and complained now sat calmly explaining concepts and turning pages with small, precise gestures. It felt strangely unfamiliar, yet the way she occasionally brushed her hair back with a hint of pride was pure Yuzuki.
Seeing her like this… it really hit him that she had been a high-school girl just the other day. There was still a trace of youthful innocence in her movements.
While he was thinking that, Yuzuki muttered.
“...More importantly, you’re following along better than I expected. At this rate you’ll catch up to where we are pretty quickly.”
“...Um. Thanks?”
“...What’s with that questioning tone?”
“Nothing… just saying.”
Yuto swallowed a laugh. Her way of speaking was still the same, but it had definitely grown much gentler.
After exchanging a few more words, they decided to take a short break.
Yuto thought about returning to his own bed but ultimately stayed seated beside her.
He was quietly reviewing what he had learned when a question occurred to him.
“By the way, they mentioned there are theory exams at the academy. Is it bad if you do poorly on them?”
In the anime, scenes of the characters taking tests appeared fairly often. The results were usually brushed off with casual comments about who did well and who didn’t.
After all, the main focus was fighting Outers.
Exams had always felt like mere story events inserted for pacing. On screen they were just lighthearted moments of laughter and chatter. He had wondered whether theory tests even held any real meaning.
“To be honest, they don’t mean much. Still… if your scores are too bad, it can create disadvantages later when you retire and try to get promoted in related fields.”
“...Retirement, huh. That feels pretty far off right now.”
“Yeah, it does. That’s why most people don’t take them too seriously. We’re not trying to become scientists, after all. There’s no need to memorize every tiny detail of the theory.”
After that the conversation paused for a moment. Yuzuki slowly turned a page with her fingertips, then suddenly turned her head. Her gaze brushed across his face at an angle.
“...Hey, Yuto. There’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“What is it?”
Yuzuki pressed her lips together for a second, then spoke in a low voice.
“Why did you suddenly decide to become a pilot? As far as I know, you never cared about any of this before. You’re not about to give me some grand speech about the future of humanity or anything, are you?”
“....”
He had no idea why she was asking this now, but how was he supposed to answer?
If he were completely honest, none of it had come from some noble resolve or grand sense of duty.
He had simply wanted to know how he would feel when those endlessly repeated anime scenes became reality. More precisely, he had been curious about the warmth of a woman’s body, the tight confines of the cockpit, and the sound of her breathing.
But the moment he voiced that truth, he could already imagine how Yuzuki would look at him. Even he knew it was nothing but pure personal desire.
So he put on a thoughtful expression, genuinely troubled about what to say—right when a knock sounded at the hospital room door.
Both of them turned to look. It was Yuzuki’s classmates—the girls who were always with her at the academy.
The female students standing at the threshold peered inside hesitantly, then spotted Yuzuki and waved.
“Yuzuki! We came to visit. Can we come in?”
“Ah… yeah. Come in.”
Yuzuki seemed to want to hear Yuto’s answer first, but she could hardly ignore her friends who had come all this way.
“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“I think I’m fine now. Thank you.”
At her friends’ concern, Yuzuki smiled softly, looking genuinely grateful.
Thanks to the perfect timing, the answer that had been on Yuto’s lips vanished without anyone hearing it.
The hospital room filled with bright, lively chatter. Short bursts of laughter and lively voices overflowed like a group of high-school girls sharing the latest gossip. A light, energetic atmosphere swirled through the air.
Yuzuki laughed along with them without pretense, yet she felt relieved.
Good thing my brother isn’t here right now.
Maybe his recovery was fast, or maybe patients simply got thirsty easily—Yuto had gone off alone to buy drinks, saying his throat was dry.
That meant he was currently absent from the room, which was truly fortunate for Yuzuki.
Having this kind of conversation with her friends in front of him would have been… impossible for someone with her personality.
Of course, she was grateful to Yuto.
Immensely grateful… but she had no idea how to express it. She simply didn’t know what to do.
....Ah.
It was then that Yuzuki realized something. Come to think of it, she had never actually said thank you to him.
It would have been perfect to say it when he first woke up, but at the time he had suddenly started acting strangely and she hadn’t been in the right state of mind.
No, if he was awake he should have just said he was awake—why had he suddenly started stroking her hair…?
She felt her face growing hotter and hotter.
Yuzuki quickly turned her eyes away in front of her friends.
The sensation of her brother’s hand gently stroking her hair right after he woke up kept coming back to her. For some reason that warmth had stayed lodged in her mind.
“...Huh? Yuzuki, are you okay? Your face is really red.”
“I-I’m fine! I just… I’ve been lying down too long, so I got a little dizzy!”
Yuzuki waved her hands frantically, trying to brush it off.
Her friends exchanged puzzled glances.
“Anyway, we should probably head out soon. Visiting hours are almost over.”
“Hmm… has it really been that long already?”
They had been chatting with her friends for so long that time had flown by. When she checked, it was already evening.
“...Yuzuki. Will you be able to come back to the academy next week?”
“I think so. The doctor said there were no major injuries, thankfully. As long as I recover properly, I should be able to return to normal life without any problems.”
Her friends nodded in relief at Yuzuki’s words.
“Then we’ll see you next week. You have to come!”
“Yeah. Thank you. I’ll definitely be there next week.”
Yuzuki smiled gently.
Her friends waved lightly and began heading for the door one by one.
Just before stepping over the threshold they turned back and waved brightly once more.
“Thanks for coming today. Get home safely, everyone.”
Yuzuki offered a small farewell, clutching the edge of her blanket.
Once the hospital room door closed slowly and the sound of laughter faded into the distance, the room grew quiet again.
After her friends left, the hospital room became as still as if it were holding its breath.
Yuzuki felt cold sweat break out on the hand gripping the blanket.
The air suddenly grew heavy.
The realization that she was alone in the quiet hospital room crept strangely under her skin.
The laughter her friends had left behind now felt distant, and the wallpaper bathed in moonlight looked cold. The empty space of the bed someone had vacated felt overwhelmingly large.
An unpleasant chill rose from deep inside her body.
The fear spread without reason. The absurd thought that something beyond the rift might still be watching her made her breath catch.
The sound of tearing metal plates, something shrieking, the sensation of her own blood flowing hotly.
Memories of that day surged back mercilessly.
When she forced her eyes shut and opened them again, her vision overlapped between the hospital room and the shattered interior of the train car.
The hair on her body stood on end and her breath stopped. Her body froze solid. Terror crawled coldly up her spine and into her brain.
She tried to swallow but her throat felt seared shut.
She tried to lift her hand but her fingers only trembled, strength draining away.
Deep in her heart, she suddenly understood.
This wasn’t just a memory. It was a nightmare that still hadn’t ended. She had not yet fully escaped what happened that day.
Yuzuki struggled to suppress her shaking breaths.
But the fear tightened around her chest. The tips of her fingers grew cold with sweat, and her throat turned dry.
Then, at that moment—
Her phone vibrated with a low buzz.
With trembling hands Yuzuki picked it up. The short message on the screen felt like it was dragging her back to reality.
Yuzuki took a steadying breath as she looked at the message, then unconsciously pressed the call button.
The ringtone sounded a few times before Yuto’s voice came through.
“Why? Calling all of a sudden. Is something wrong?”
Yuzuki’s words caught in her throat for a moment. The fear gradually receded, replaced by a wave of embarrassment.
“It’s nothing… Just…”
“Just?”
Yuzuki took a quiet breath and murmured in a small voice.
“...An ion drink… please buy one for me.”
Yuto answered after a short pause.
“...Got it. I’ll be back soon.”
When the call ended, Yuzuki gently set her phone down.
Her body was still trembling, but it was different from before.
The moment she heard her brother’s voice, the icy lump in her chest began to melt. It felt as if the terror that had been creeping down her back was disappearing.