Academism (2)
The light diffuses thinly. The lamp hanging from the hospital ceiling sways faintly.
"...You really don't remember?"
I turn toward the voice from the next bed. A student with short silver hair has pulled up a chair and is peering down at me.
"Us too?"
"...Yes."
"Even your name?"
"I remember hearing it just now, it seems."
A brief silence falls. A student from the back mutters softly.
"...Did she really hit her head that hard..."
I lightly touch the bandage on my forehead with my fingertips. A faint ache lingers. But there's no issue with my body's movements. The joints, the muscles—they all connect naturally.
That's a relief.
"Anyway." The silver-haired student stands. "We have to get to class now."
"Don't move around too much, either. You're still a patient."
The door closes, and the ward falls quiet. I slowly sit up. A small cell phone by the window catches my eye. I tap the screen with my fingertip.
Affiliation: Wild Hunt Art Academy
[Rakuka Yumesakai]
I gaze at the name for a moment. The kanji notation used in the eastern districts of the city isn't all that different.
"Mongyeong Nakka. A flower blooming at the border of dreams..."
A soft laugh escapes me.
"A bit of an exaggerated name, it seems."
I slide my finger downward. One saved nickname.
Yura.
Ah.
"This one feels more comfortable, after all."
I slowly scroll through the contacts list. Exhibition Management Department. Sculpture Department Head. Sponsorship Committee. And a few short messages.
That's all. Almost no personal traces remain.
"...She must have been a rather quiet person, it seems."
I set down the phone and step out of the ward. The hallway is excessively orderly. My gaze flows naturally between the white tiles and the repeating pillars. Beyond the windows loom massive spires. And above them—
A vast blue sky stretches wide.
As I walk, my eyes stop unwittingly.
"...Ah."
A color hard to see in the city. Completely unlike the sky trapped between gray buildings.
Truly beautiful.
Students stream endlessly between the plaza and the colonnades.
"The academies under the ring finger... have a somewhat different atmosphere, it seems."
I head toward the railing. Then.
Two students passing in the distance glance this way and whisper.
"...Huh?"
"Isn't that her?"
"Who?"
"You know, the one who did that performance art on the cathedral roof and fell."
"...Can she walk around already?"
Gazes trail after me thinly. Curious. They react as if they already know the original me.
At that moment. A voice comes from behind.
"There you are."
Footsteps approach at steady intervals. The surrounding air quiets instantly. I turn.
A retinue in white uniforms enters my view first. And at their center.
A woman in a coat adorned with deep gold trim approaches slowly.
Someone of considerable standing.
The woman stops before me.
"...Rakuka Yumesakai."
A quiet voice.
"I didn't expect you to come all the way out here yourself."
Our eyes meet briefly.
"Hmm... Might I ask you to introduce yourself?"
I smile lightly.
"It feels a bit unfair if only you know me."
The air around us stiffens oddly. One of the retinue blinks in surprise.
The woman falls silent for a moment, then slowly speaks.
"Nagisa Kirifuji, next Tea Party host candidate of Trinity."
"...Ah."
I roll the name around in my mind. It has a familiar ring somewhere. But nothing comes to mind.
"...My apologies."
I tap my forehead lightly.
"My memory's a bit hazy, you see."
A brief stillness descends. The retinue exchange glances.
"I heard about the amnesia."
Nagisa gazes at me steadily.
"But it's more serious than I thought."
"The contents themselves are intact, it seems."
I tap above the bandage lightly.
"They're just... a little empty, that's all."
Nagisa lets out a short sigh.
"...Is your physical condition all right?"
"Yes. No issues with moving around, it seems."
"That's fortunate."
A short, formal exchange follows. And then.
"...How are the preparations for the exchange event going?"
Exchange event. I quietly repeat the word to myself.
Nagisa continues.
"This exchange event isn't just a simple social gathering."
"Numerous representatives from allied academies and external sponsors will attend."
"And." Her gaze fixes precisely on my eyes. "The person in charge of the central exhibition is you."
"...Exhibition."
I feel the air tense ever so slightly. Ah. Now I think I understand a little.
The original owner of this body was in a far higher position than I imagined.
Expectations. Gazes. Responsibility.
All of it clings naturally.
...She must have had considerable talent.
Interesting.
Nagisa narrows her eyes.
"Surely... there aren't any problems, are there?"
Ah. A soft laugh escapes.
"Heh... Of course not."
I slowly look out the window. The blue sky. The open space. And the stage where the curtain has yet to rise.
"Quite the opposite, in fact."
"In this exhibition..."
"The exterior and interior of humanity will open simultaneously."