Morio patiently did some first aid treatment toward Kurogane arm, he applied a splint made up from rolled newspaper to the area above and below the fracture sites. He talked to me while he continued his treatment.
"So... how is the training?"
"I personally call this a bully," I said while compressed my face with a pack of Ice that he brought.
"Hahaha, yeah, Akechi never know how to hold back." ...Compared to Kurogane, I personally thought he was holding back as much as he can toward me.
"Nope, he doesn't," Said Morio... Huh? Did he read my mind?
"Yes, I read your mind."
"How? Is that your [Ability]?"
"Yep, it's called [Bubble Thought] oh and about why you can't see me as a Golden dot, that because I have [Block], anyhow I saw the way you two fight, it was surprising to know that you're a strategist, I thought you were some kind of hot-blooded fool and it surprised me even more, to see that this girl, what is her name... ah right, to see Kurogane fighting like a beast."
"Oh, you see us? how? actually, nevermind, I bet it just some other [Ability]"
"And that's your answer, by the way, I'm done, make sure she doesn't put too much pressure on her arm and make sure to give her the potion once a day."
"Thanks... Still, I am not that close with her, heck we even barely know each other, well... I guess I left her a note or something like that." ...Compared to his looks, he was a nice guy, *sigh* I guess I carried her on my back.
"Kamiya, it isn't nice to judge someone from his looks. and don't carry her on your back, it will give a pressure to her arm, carry her in princess way."
"Ahaha... Sorry... Okay..."
I put one arm under her legs and the other supporting her neck like a groom carrying his bride. *sigh* I needed to walk into the city like this?
"Kamiya, I need to walk back to my post, it will be weird if you permit yourself right now."
"Dude, stop reading my thought please."
Anyhow, we walked to the front gate, I permitted myself and started walking while carrying her in my arms.
"Wait, I don't know her address." *sigh* What should I did? should I dropped her at my house? oh... let's just dropped her at the hospital.
".....Urgh." A girly groan came from her mouth, I stopped and watched her, if...if someone from the school watching us, I 100% sure they'll be gossiping about us tomorrow.
Though slowly she opened her eyes, a little bit teary, she looked a little bit confused about what was happening, by the time she widely opened her eyes the first word she said "...Sorry."
"Eh, it's fine, can you walk?"
"...Sleepy...a little bit more Nii-san." Erm... seemed like she still daydreaming *sigh* She smiled when she said this though, different from the last smile I saw from her, this one gave a shyness combined with unexpected warmth.
*GROOOWL*
Her stomach growled loudly *sigh* I guess that was what she got if she always ate breadcrumbs for lunch.
"...Gyoza...want it..." ...huh? I was sure her eyes were wide opened right now, why was she still mumbling about non-sense?
"Why a Gyoza? *sigh* Kurogane, let's go to the hospital first."
Slowly her face changed into a serious one all the way from her eyes to her mouth, her brows creased and face tensed, no pleasure at all, no mask of coping left. She looked like completely fallen into a nightmare, though this time, the nightmare was a real world.
"...You...not him." Salty drops fell from her chin, drenching my shirt, her left hand weakly clutching at my shirt, a rawness, like a pain just recently happened to her.
"Hm? Maybe I'm a 'her', wanna check?"
"....." She ignored me, huh I guess that was a bad joke... Brain.exe just stopped functioning.
"Sorry, that was a bad joke, anyhow, was the pain that unbearable? let's treat it at the hospital."
"...Yes... The pain... It is because of my arm." Said Kurogane while she cleared the pearls that falling down from her eyes.
".....How much did you hear?"
"Hear what? I aware you're mumbling about something and said I am not him, well, guess what, I'm a man."
"...Forget it. Anyway, I can walk."
Like her request, I put her down, a few moments later she walked steadily, steady like a baby that took its first step.
"*sigh* Hey, excuse me." This time though, I forcefully carried her on my arms, actually, this girl was weightless, I felt like I was carrying a human-sized ragdoll, though this time she curled her head against my shoulder.
Anyhow, we acted like a newlywed couple, using [Map] without the need of using a phone or hands, I became a living GPS and walked to the nearest hospital, ... this thing surprisingly useful at the time like this... no... I only justified its uselessness. This time, the real doctor treat her arm, all of it cost 278.000 Yen and she didn't have an insurance either.
By the time everything was over, the sun already sleeping. "....Sorry, I'll pay later."
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"Actually, I have some spare money, so you don't need too."
*GROWWWL* and someone stomach crying like a baby.
"Ah! how about we eat together? you know, that compensated dating thing, I know a good place."
"...Kay, but I still pay it back, later."
There were no stars that filled the sky, its just blank, empty like what we did right now, a silent walk, none of us talking about anything. I wondered what Yuzu and Ume had for dinner. anyhow the place that I took her was a Chinese restaurant.
From the outside, it looked horrible. Hard wooden planks written with 'Fu King Chinese Restaurant' and old wooden wall made the most of this restaurant, red lantern hanging around at the door, It was near impossible to see through the dirty windows, but the lively cheered from within can be felt outside. As we entered the restaurant through the dirty, wooden door, we were welcomed by a smoke that delivered delicious scent of szechuan styled food that pierced our nose. A golden dots appeared here and there, The cook was cooking something with a great fire, even though he was busy, he still welcomed us "Welcome to 'Fu King' OH!! isn't that Nashi!?"
A man at his early 20, slick dreadlock hair, stripped eyes, a plain T-shirt that had seasoning stains, "Who's that girl!?" Said the cook called Bando.
"An acquaintance, anyhow! Special Fried rice Jumbo portion! with an half-boiled eggs! actually, you know what I want, hey Kurogane! Don't be shy! the food in this place is tastier if you order the bigger portion!" Ah, the atmosphere itself was enough to raise my spirit.
"....Same one, make it small"
"Sorry! We don't have a small portion in here! Two portions special fried rice is coming your way!"
".....Wait."
"Ah! add some Gyoza, fried gyoza, steamed gyoza and soup gyoza!"
".....So you heard."
"Heard what?"
".....You're a bad liar."
"Why though? ah! that seat is empty!" I said pointing out at the empty seat, simultaneously with several other people. In that split second that will be decided whether or not we were eating while standing or sitting, I saw fire flickering on others eyes, our faces were unreadable, one thing we all knew, there were no traces of fear on our faces, In that instant, we leaped to that table, I completely forgot about Kurogane, and trough the sheer power of luck, I managed to win this brawl.
"Hey! come! sit right here!" I waved my hand back and forth, signaling Kurogane to sit in front of me.
She walked with her head dropped down, I can feel the heat that growing on her cheeks, what followed her was an intimidation aura from the others that didn't manage to get the table, if the said person wasn't a strong one, no doubt they'll run with a tail hiding between their leg.
After waiting for 20 minutes, our food came, the one that brought it was the cook itself. It was a mountain of rice, filled with nothing but meat and vegetables inside it, it took a dedication for eating this special fried rice, As the side dish was three varieties of Gyoza.
I ate, ate and ate, but I never saw the bottom of the plate, no matter how much I dig in, the rice just kept spawning endlessly, and no matter how much the time passed by, steam still flowing out from the fried rice.
"How about it? I already make sure to reduce the portion." Said Bando.
"....Still can't finish it, by the way, I have too many Radiz meats, do you want it?"
"Oh, someone gave it to you? Radiz huh, the texture isn't that bad, but that thing was to dry, I'll think about how to cook it."
"Ah, I haven't told you right, I became an Adventurers"
"You are!? Since when!?"
"....Around 2 weeks maybe."
"Jeez, you should've told me sooner, have you bought an armor? do you want my old one? I can sell it cheaply!"
"Business as always huh, well sorry, I already have two sets of armor."
"Oh, is this girl Adventurers too?"
Ah, I forgot about her, I looked to the Kurogane, she barely touched her food... oh, she was having a hard time eating it with only her left hand huh.
"....Yes." She nodded weakly while blowing the fried rice and trying to put it into her mouth.
"Ah... Sorry, I didn't know you can't eat hot food." I said regrettably.
".....It's fine."
"By the way what are your rank? Since you just started it must be somewhere between G or F, right?"
"C/....C," Said both of us with a slight delay.
"See, my guess is right, you two are G...WAIT!! A C-RANK!?" Surprised Bando yelled, if this an old cartoon, his eyes will be popping out because of this.
"Yeah, things happen, speaking of rank, weren't you a C-rank before you're retiring?"
"I'm not pension dude, I'm just taking a break."
"Yeah, three years break, you know, even Titanium can get rust." The sound of bell resounded accompanied by the yell of an old man,
"Ah, my break is over, sorry, you better told me the detail later!"
In front of me, the same girl still trying to eat her food, though she stopped for a moment and said
"....You two seemed close."
"Yeah, I often come to this place with my father."
"*fuuh* ...I see."
"Ah, anyway, the fried gyoza in here is tasty."
Maybe because she was interested from the way I said it, or something else, Kurogane shifted her gaze toward the gyoza, she tried to pick it clumsily with her left hand.
Somehow it annoyed me.... "Just use your hand."
"....It is dirty."
"Well, use the fork then."
".....I'm not a child."
"*sigh*" I took another pair of chopstick, grabbed the gyoza and jokingly trying to feed her "Here, Aaaa..."
"....*Hap*"...The fuck!? Did she eat it for real? Her small mouth can only bite the half of gyoza, and one more time, my hand still froze because of the shock and she moved her lips that covered in oil and sparkling like a star and ate the other half.
".....Yeah, it's tasty."
"...Ah! Told you, anyhow it's fine if we don't finish the gyoza, the steamed and fried one can last for one day."
********
"So? What's the emergency?" Said the eye-patch girl or Riku, even though she had the same rank as Tsukiyama in a sense, she still his subordinate.
"My guts telling me something isn't right, I just want more firepower." An old man with thin mustache and stuck out nostrils replied to her.
"Please stop calling me because of that, *Sigh*."
"Anyhow, I got a report that you never attend the school? even though I already prepared everything first hand."
"Didn't feel like it... School is so boring~ why do I need to learn about calculus? I can live just fine with only simple equation."
"....This was part of the deal, Riku, I already made a promise to your parent about this matters."
"So? is that matter?"
"Of course it is!! A man never broke his own promises! Anyhow, I already registered you in a new school! Make sure you attend it!"
"What!? IS that the reason you called me back!?" The Ivory-haired girl stood up, walked to the door and slammed it, it created a sound that can beat the tempest.
"Wait!! Nana! Go tell her about your school!"
"Yes!, Senior! Wait for me!"
"Oh, for god sake, [Fortune Telling] is activated out of nowhere again, Tempest... A storm."
"Captain, can we report right now?" Two men, one with a spiky hair one with a slick hair, waiting in front of the door, both of them bring a mountain of reports.
************
"This, there are 8 types of [Ability] from the top left to bottom right are Ice, Lightning, Wind, Earth, Light, Body Strengthening, Sword based and Shield based."
"For the reminder, no matter what, do not tell anyone about this, not yet."