Ch 27: Helping Others, Evil Scheme Part 2
Following Midou’s guidance, we moved to Utachan – Sana’s hospital room.
It might not be an understatement to say that a stranger, who is not a doctor, visiting a woman in need of nursing care, and moreover, a woman engaged in a highly confidential activity as a VTuber, is a bit sketchy…
But as our goal is our goal, we can’t start anything without meeting her. We can justify their actions by saying we want to directly confirm the condition of her daughter. When we expressed this, we were nodded at without hesitation, so we had already prepared a reasonable excuse.
“…Here”
And we arrived. While Motomura-san knocked on the door, I checked the nameplate at the entrance with a glance. …Only Sana-san. Considering the space on the nameplate, there probably isn’t any other patient here, and it’s likely a private room.
I’m not sure if it was chosen because of her activities, if there were no other rooms available, or if her condition requires a private room.
I’m not well-versed in those details and it’s not something worth asking about, so I’ll just skip it. What’s important is that if it’s a private room, we can talk freely.
“Please come in.”
“Excuse me.”
Prompted by Godou-san, I entered the room. And then, I immediately saw Sa-na lying weakly on the bed.
“…”
It was a painful sight. She was connected to an IV drip and had a cervical collar around her neck. Bandages were wrapped around her head and other parts of her body.
While potions can accelerate recovery and her condition was said to have stabilized faster than normal, they were still of a rank provided to emergency responders. There may be limits to their effectiveness.
“Sana. As I told you yesterday, we have a visitor”
“Mhm…”
She responds hesitantly, probably due to her injuries and the fixed equipment, making it difficult for her to move her mouth properly. Also, there seems to be a sense of despair about her future.
It’s a really sad thing. VTuber Irohane Uta was known for her powerful voice and overwhelming singing ability. Even for me, who only watches clipped videos, I’ve listened to her singing videos several times.
She had such a great weapon, but now she’s in this state, reminding me once again that ordinary people have such fragile bodies.
“Look, it’s Futaba-chan. And her junior, Yozakura-san. Let’s greet her and introduce ourselves for the first time.”
“Um…ni…ce…to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. – Excuse us for a moment.”
After a brief glance at Godou-san, I took a step forward with determination. At this pace, we won’t get anywhere and she will struggle.
“Hello, I’m Yozakura. You might have heard of me, but I’m someone who’s active as Yamagami Botan. Oh, it might be a bit familiar, but please let me call you Sana.”
As I call out to her, I activate my unique skill, 【Arayashiki】. This skill is a convenient skill with many useful applications, but its origin is a sensory skill. That’s why in this situation, it becomes an unparalleled weapon.
『So this person is that “Yamagami Botan” I’ve heard of. The food in their videos looked delicious…』
“Oh, so you’ve watched my videos. That’s an honor. It might be difficult according to LiveLa’s policies, but if I have the chance, I’d be happy to treat you to some food.”
“Wha…!?”
Sana’s eyes widened visibly in surprise. Even if she seemed to be lacking in energy overall, it would be natural to be surprised if someone could read her inner thoughts.
“Do you know what I’m thinking, by any chance…?”
“Yes, that’s my power as an explorer, the skill of reading thoughts. So, there’s no problem with our conversation… Oh, but even though I say I read thoughts, I only focus on the surface consciousness, so please don’t worry. I will protect your privacy.”
If I wanted to, I could read not only the deep psychology of the other person, but even see through their past and future. However, for this case, I won’t do that. Privacy is important, and if I don’t set boundaries for combat purposes, it could easily be abused and things could get out of hand.
“Then, I will be talking with Sana for a while, so please excuse us. Can you take care of this during that time? It’s a get-well gift.”
I took out a box labeled “Get Well Soon” and a grater from my spatial bag and handed them to Mido-san and Sana-senpai.
As I was the only one who could read minds, it was certain that the two would become idle. So I wanted to ask for a little help.
「Oh, thank you so much! …And what is this grater for?」
“Actually, what I brought today is a little bit of fast-moving dungeon-produced ingredients. It’s just that it’s very good for your body, so I prepared it and brought it here so that we could grate it and eat it together.”
「Dungeon-produced, you say?」
“Yes. There is a certificate inside, but it’s called “Fake Immortal Peach.” It doesn’t have the effect of a potion, but it has been confirmed to have a beneficial effect on the body when eaten. I thought it might be a comfort to you.”
「Wha… Everything from start to finish…!」
Mido-san bows deeply. This time, it’s better to just accept the gratitude straightforwardly. …Well, to be honest, preparing this was really a hassle. More precisely, the procedures were a hassle.
Even though it’s a gift, and the tax can be ignored, it’s still dungeon-sourced food with a weak recovery effect. So, there are a lot of documents that need to be written. If it were a potion or something, it would be simpler to handle, because the country takes full responsibility for it, but the fake Senzu peach is treated like a high-end Chinese medicine because of its high efficacy, and the procedures are quite complicated. In addition to the documents for the transfer, we had to ask someone with an appraisal skill to issue a certificate.
But, well, I think it’s a gift that’s worth the trouble. At least, it should be the perfect gift for an injured person. Like a potion, it has a fantasy-like healing effect that does not compete with scientific pharmacological effects and has no side effects. Moreover, it is much more delicious than ordinary peaches, so it should fill the heart nicely.
“You can eat it with the skin, so it’s okay to just grate it as it is. Oh, here’s a spoon and a plate for you.”
“Thank you very much.”
After handing the necessary tools to Mido-san, I turn back to Sana with a smile as she sits with a blank expression on her face. I sit down on the round stool placed next to the bed.
“Shall we discuss your future, Sana? … Ah, if you just think about what you want to say in your head, I’ll read it here, so don’t hesitate.”
『Um, like this…?』
“Oh, yes. That’s it. It might feel a little unfamiliar at first, but don’t worry about it. Also, I want to repeat that I won’t read your inner thoughts, so feel free to imagine what you want to say.”
As this is their first meeting, it’s important to be as polite and friendly as possible. Especially considering she’s likely feeling sensitive due to her injury, we should make sure to be considerate of her feelings.
“sobs…”
“Yeah…”
Why is she crying so quickly? And she’s crying pretty hard too. It’s not just a voice in her head, there are tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
“Um, did I say something wrong?”
「Oh no, it’s just that I’m happy we could have a proper conversation after a long time…
“Ah, I see…”
Maybe they were overwhelmed by the fact that they were able to have a conversation after such a long time. Well, it makes sense. They were suddenly unable to do something they used to be able to do easily, so it’s natural for them to feel some emotional burden.
I don’t know the details of their injury and aftereffects, but it’s certain that it will be difficult for them to have conversations for a while. As a VTuber, their talk skill could be considered as one of their identities, and it’s not strange for them to feel even more stressed.
『Um, I’m sorry for interrupting the conversation. I’m already fine now, so don’t worry』
“Oh no, please don’t worry about it. It’s natural to feel anxious about things. I’ve also had the experience of losing a part of my body, so I can understand how injuries can affect your mental state.”
『Wait, you lost a part of your body…what?』
“Yeah, getting seriously injured can make you really anxious. Like when my arm was completely charred, or when I knew that drinking a potion would heal me but still cut off the undamaged part just to be safe.”
『Uh…』
Well, even if a part of your body is completely charred, you can still use a top-grade potion to make it grow back normally. But still, it’s a bit unsettling. Going from charcoal to flesh, even if you know the effects, it’s hard to believe, you know? It’s more like you can understand it better if you grow it back from scratch rather than starting from nothing.
Oh, of course, it’s different during battles, you know? I wouldn’t waste resources on such unnecessary emotions. I’ll just heal normally, and if necessary, I’ll go on the offensive without healing. This mental state is only for when I’m in a normal state, you know?
“Well, even if I explain it to an ordinary person, I don’t think they would understand it easily. For now, as long as you understand that I myself have suffered similar injuries to Sana many times, it will be okay. …Isn’t that more hopeful?”
People often have their limbs blown off or their stomachs punctured, and sometimes they even have their lower halves bitten off, yet they stubbornly recover and live on with their bodies fully intact.
Compared to that, just hurting the bones around the neck isn’t such a big deal after all.
『 … But that’s because Yozakura-san could use potions, and it doesn’t apply to me …』
“Well, it’s not necessarily the case. Dungeon items are really random, so you don’t have to rely solely on potions to get by.”
Sana looks down, thinking it’s just a temporary solution, but that’s a hasty conclusion from an amateur, and it’s really a waste.
Because they don’t know how random dungeon items can be, they’re giving up on something so easily. Even if I were in the same situation as Sana, as long as the dungeon exists, I couldn’t give up. The point is not that “I wouldn’t,” but that “I couldn’t.
“Like the fake Immortal Peaches I brought, there are ingredients with healing effects in the dungeon. There are items called Scrolls that allow you to learn special powers called Skills. There are also equipment that can make mysterious things happen just by wearing them. There is probably everything in the dungeon.”
The items obtained from the dungeon are mystical objects that deviate from existing science. Because they deviate, their potential is limitless and not bound by any restrictions. At the very least, countless items beyond human imagination are sleeping within.
“Saying it’s impossible because of the law is nonsense. Do you know? The law is something that important people decide, but when it comes to dungeon-related matters, exceptions always arise, so they often scratch their heads about it.”
Laws are frameworks and boundaries. They are set up by important people to determine who is on what side and what happens if you cross the line.
However, here’s the thing. Trying to completely restrain the various things related to dungeons that easily deviate from even physical laws through the law is fundamentally impossible.
From the very beginning of the emergence of dungeons and even now, irregularities and even unknown phenomena occur frequently. … Well, even if you say frequently, it’s like once a year or something, but the fact that loopholes in laws that have been in operation for decades are discovered once a year means something.
“Of course, even if you have hope, you can’t make it happen without connections… Fortunately, Sana now has a connection with me. It’s a little too early to give up.”
“I see…,” Sana responded.
“Yes. It’s a cliche phrase, but if you don’t give up, your dreams will come true… no, that’s not quite right? Maybe it’s more like, if Sana on the wishing side isn’t serious, my motivation on the making-it-happen side will decrease.”
To lend a hand, it is natural to feel more favorable towards those who are fully reaching out with all their effort. If the person who needs help has already given up, then there is no point in talking about it in the first place.
『Haha…that’s true』
“I know, right? So let’s believe in miracles…Oh, we were in the middle of the conversation, but it looks like the peach has finished being grated. Let’s pause for a bit and eat it. It will be easier on our bodies too.”
After confirming that Midou-san’s plate was filled with a pale pink color, I interrupted the conversation. It was like being in the middle of a highlighted scene in a manga, but unfortunately, this was reality. Taking care of the injured person’s body takes priority over delivering a cool line, in many ways.
“Mido-san, please let me feed you.”
“Yes. …Sana, look here. Yozakura-san brought us some grated peach from the dungeon. It looks really delicious, doesn’t it? It even comes with a certificate and seems to be a really valuable item.”
“Th-thank you.”
As Madou-san tilted the plate so that it was visible to Sana, she slowly read aloud the certificate of authenticity for the fake immortal peach.
After she finished reading, she scooped up a spoonful of the peach and carefully brought it to Sana’s mouth so as not to spill any.
「Here, don’t rush and eat it slowly.」
「…Mm」
The grated fake Senzu peach smoothly disappeared into Sana’s mouth. Then, she swallowed and her throat moved slightly with a gulp.
“Oh, it’s true. It’s deliciou…huh?”
The miracle happened so easily that it made me laugh.
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