Taking Her Home
"Take care over there, Sion."
"Yeah."
Sion and Nao exchanged goodbyes at the center of the Magic Tower's teleportation circle. Seated side by side in their wheelchairs, they couldn't face each other directly, so they settled for nodding in mutual acknowledgment.
"And please take good care of Sion, Director Hope."
"Of course."
"But really, convincing Sion to come with you... how on earth did you manage it?"
"Psychological therapy is part of rehabilitation, after all."
I'd agreed to keep the reason for Sion's rehab a secret from Nao. Sion didn't want her involved in the battle two years from now. The story about the gate reopening and the Demon King invading was a lie, but from my perspective, it was better if as few people as possible knew the truth.
"Nao, Naooo..."
"Huh? Sion?"
Suddenly, Sion reached out her arms toward Nao and tried to stand. Nao barely managed to catch her as she lurched from the wheelchair, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Nao... I'll get better, I promise I will... Hwaaaang~"
Buried in Nao's arms, Sion rubbed her face against Nao's chest and burst into childlike sobs.
"That's right. We'll push through together."
Nao held Sion without a hint of surprise or panic, simply stroking her hair soothingly.
It seems like this isn't her first time seeing this.
Sion was usually listless, showing little emotion. But every now and then, she'd express feelings in overwhelming bursts. It had only been two days since we met, so I needed more observation, but that meant I had to carefully note every reaction she showed.
"Once your body's healed, we'll walk the empire's famous rainbow flower path in the palace together. We'll bask in the spring breeze as petals rain down on us, greeting passersby with smiles, listening to songs praising the hero, and reclaiming everything you deserve. Someday, for sure... we'll welcome that day together. Got it? Sion?"
"Nao..."
Nao smiled warmly, speaking calmly of a hopeful future. Comforted by her touch and voice, Sion fell silent, eventually letting Nao guide her back into the wheelchair.
"See you later."
"Yeah."
The farewell was brief, yet felt endlessly drawn out. Nao signaled the Magic Tower mages, and the space-transfer circle enveloping us began to glow. Before I knew it, we were back in the kingdom, far from the empire.
"Hero Sion Laurel and Nodun Kingdom Rehabilitation Medical Center Director Hope Harvey—transfer complete."
Bringing Sion back to the kingdom was all well and good, but now I had to figure out how to handle suddenly being in charge of treating the hero...
"Sion."
"Yes?"
"You'll be admitted from now on. Do you want to keep your identity hidden?"
"My identity?"
"The hero Sion Laurel checking into the center might cause a stir."
Nothing was known about Sion's whereabouts since the war ended. Her sudden admission could complicate things.
"We could use a pseudonym if you prefer..."
"It's fine. I'm me, after all."
So it was needless worry. Sion responded with firm confidence.
"Everyone in the empire just didn't recognize me—they never hid who I was."
"Understood. We'll proceed openly, then. That means more work ahead."
"More work?"
"I'll be handling you personally, so I need to adjust schedules around your admission. Then report to the king..."
Having the hero join the center was actually a boon for me. As the king said, I was one of the world's busiest and most important people. To devote significant time to Sion, she needed to be worth it—not just as the savior of the world, but by leveraging her presence for other patients' treatments in my reports. Efficiency mattered.
Even without that, everyone in this world owed Sion a debt; they'd approve anything for her care.
"Above all, I've been away from the center for three days. It's going to be hectic."
"Now that you mention it, I was wondering— are you really that busy, Doctor Hope?"
Was I busy? Right, Sion didn't know what rehabilitation medicine entailed.
"I told you I'm a regressor."
"You did."
"I'm busier now than in all my past lives combined—and everyone I've ever known."
"Huh? Really?"
In truth, I'd only lived two lives, including this one. But my previous one as an intern, resident, and fellow was no walk in the park, so it wasn't much of an exaggeration.
"No way that's true."
Sion didn't seem convinced.
"You lived my comrades' lives! And you're busier now?"
That must've been why she doubted me. The hero Sion and her party's lives—as in the books—were tough during the war, but...
"We weren't busy back then. It was hard, sure."
"No way! Fighting all day, standing watch, scouting rest spots, pitching tents, hiding!"
"We rested properly when we found a spot. I can't rest even with a perfectly fine house."
"We had night watches too!!"
"For the last three years, I've been on a six-day week, sleeping only three hours a day."
"What? Really?"
Since becoming director, yeah, three hours was my limit. The hero party penetrating the Demon King's castle alone was grueling, but that wasn't the same as a busy schedule. Even as a strike team breaking through enemy lines, rest was always possible—detouring to villages, camping to regroup and recover. In war, no rest meant death. It was worlds apart from my daily grind.
"Ugh... three hours a day for three years? For real?"
"Why would I lie?"
"How does anyone survive that..."
"You just do."
From my residency days, I'd studied ways to minimize sleep—the Napoleonic method, training my body for 3-4 hours of deep rest. It let me run the center on three hours nightly. A perk of my past life? No Napoleon here, so no one else knew.
"You go that far... to restore those broken by war."
"Not exactly."
This work was for me, my obsession. Helping others was just a bonus.
"......"
Sion fell silent. What was she thinking? Finally realizing how busy and impressive I was?
*********
I see... it's not for others.
Sion reflected on Hope's earlier words. He was a regressor, her comrade's soul. He'd said he needed her power for the gate reopening in two years. So his reason for choosing rehabilitation medicine was...
For me. Because he needs me...
Whether to defeat the Demon King or for some other reason, Hope had devoted multiple lives to inventing a medicine this world never knew—for her sake.
*********
As we left the teleportation room and descended to the Magic Tower lobby, a center staffer in a maid uniform rose from the waiting area. She lifted her skirt slightly and hurried over.
"Doctor!! You're finally back!"
Her frantic dash confirmed my fears—something had gone wrong.
"Good to see you. No issues at the center, right?"
"As if! Come on, quick—it's chaos."
I'd handed things off carefully, but of course. Rehab staffing was just ramping up; operations and treatments relied heavily on my experience and skills. The center without me... was wishful thinking.
"Straight to work the moment I return."
"Ah!"
My brief lament startled the nurse maid.
"Want to rest? You must be tired from the trip."
"No, let's go. I need to check a few things anyway."
"Check?"
"Room 205 is empty, right? The patient discharged right before my trip."
The center was always full. Lucky for Sion...
"Where's the empty room?"
"Huh? But I thought before I left..."
"We filled it with waitlisters, obviously. Forgot how many reservations we have?"
"Ah..."
Right. No vacancies here. So where would Sion stay? I'd brought her specifically for admission, no separate lodging arranged...
The only immediate option for Sion is...
I turned to Sion beside me. She tilted her head, clueless.
"Um... Sion."
"Yes?"
If no admission now, her stay would have to be...
"You'll have to bunk at my place for a bit."
My house was the only choice. Arranging housing wasn't hard, but her condition was—nearly immobile without a caregiver for daily life.
"W-what?!"
Sion's face twisted in dismay. I got the surprise, but did it warrant that much disgust...?