In the dream.
I was saying farewell to Kuzunoha.
"Sensei, you are leaving already?"
The pink-and-white-haired girl asked worriedly.
"Your injuries..."
"Don't worry, I'm already more or less healed."
I answered with a smile while lightly placing a hand on my side. However, the sharp pain that followed made me instinctively want to frown.
Through personal experience, I had come to understand that even with Nagisa's authority, a few hours was far from enough for a gunshot wound to heal.
In fact, right now, the wound still seemed to be seeping blood.
I was likely lucky that it had avoided any vital organs and had only torn through muscle. Perhaps Kurumi's authority had also blocked a portion of the damage.
In any case, I had come to realize just how fragile I truly was when faced with danger that could genuinely threaten my life.
And as repayment for helping me realize that fact once again,
Arius Squad, and Beatrice, I would absolutely make them...
Thinking that far, my expression darkened. But I quickly forced myself to calm down.
This was not the time for that.
Everything, all of it, had to be decided after returning to reality.
Although I was not fully healed, I had improved from the point where even taking a few steps caused unbearable pain to a state where it was merely a dull ache I could endure.
With that, I no longer needed to force myself to remain in the dream, trapped in anxious uncertainty about the outside world.
"But... in this one's view, it would not be an issue for you to remain a little longer."
Kuzunoha advised me.
"With Seia's wisdom, she should be able to properly handle all matters. Why not stay here a bit longer to recuperate?"
The concern in her voice moved me a little, though somewhat anticlimactically, I suspected she simply wanted to spend more time with me.
Earlier, when Kuzunoha asked about my hobbies and noticed where my gaze had landed, she had narrowed her eyes, covered her tail, and said sternly:
"Sensei, what do you take this one for? Do you think this one is the kind of indecent woman who allows a stranger to touch this part so easily? Even if it is you, no, precisely because it is you, this one cannot allow such disrespect!"
With that, she turned her sleeve and huffed away in anger.
Just as I thought I had offended her and was about to apologize, Kuzunoha suddenly turned back with a smile, her narrow eyes carrying a natural allure:
"Oh my, Sensei, what a coincidence. By my count, this should be our second meeting."
At that point, what else could I even say?
But that was only natural.
Even if Kuzunoha gave off a mysterious and unpredictable feeling, she was still a young woman in her prime. It would be stranger if she did not feel any goodwill toward me.
"The time for rest has been enough."
I smiled faintly.
"If I keep letting my important students bear everything alone outside, I would not be able to live with myself."
"Mm... since you have made up your mind, I will not say more."
The girl bowed respectfully.
"Sensei, I hereby wish you good fortune in battle."
Seeing her lower her head, I could not resist reaching out and gently touching her fox ears.
"Thank you. I'll take your words to heart."
Then I closed my eyes.
Some time later.
"Fuha..."
Kuzunoha, who had remained completely still in her original posture, carefully lifted her gaze. Seeing that there was nothing in front of her anymore, she finally let out a relieved breath.
Straightening her slightly disheveled hair, she patted her chest and said with a troubled expression:
"Finally got him to leave... that was terrifying, really fox-scary. I am just a small, peaceful fox, so how did I end up attracting such a great being? My little shrine simply cannot accommodate him, nor can it afford to offend him..."
Although she had sensed something during Seia's description earlier, she had not expected that the subject of their discussion would appear so soon.
And in such a manner that made her shudder, as if the very presence of the one behind the scenes had manifested before her.
Fortunately, she was a fox who, though weak and pitiable, was extremely pragmatic.
In just a moment of hesitation, Kuzunoha understood what she needed to do.
Follow the "future" foretold by Seia.
Even if it was just coincidence, even if she was overthinking it, at the very least it would not bring trouble upon herself.
More importantly...
"That Sensei does indeed have a handsome appearance, just as Seia described. It is only the karma he carries... mm, I suppose this one does not lose out."
Muttering to herself, Kuzunoha sighed regretfully and reached for something at her waist, only to remember that the smoking pipe she had just used as a symbol of her resolve and discarded sacrifice had already been broken.
She hurriedly ran to retrieve the two pieces.
Carefully brushing off the dust, she aligned the broken ends, and with a single motion, the cracks vanished as the pipe returned to its original form.
Just as she was about to light it to calm herself, the pink-and-white fox-eared girl suddenly recalled the vow she had just made.
And that face that was, quite frankly, very much to her taste.
After hesitating for a long while, Kuzunoha finally sighed and put the pipe away.
She leapt back onto the top of the torii gate, settling into a comfortable sitting position as she gazed into the distance.
Her mind remained tangled in today's events.
...
I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was a somewhat familiar ceiling.
If I remembered correctly, this should be the Remedial Knights' infirmary room.
"Sen-Sensei!?"
A hurried but deliberately lowered voice came from the side.
"You're awake...!"
It was Serina. She had likely kept her promise and withdrawn from the battlefield immediately after ensuring my safety in order to come see me.
Responding to her voice, I sat up on the bed. On the other side, Hanako quickly pressed her hands against me in panic.
"You still cannot move, Sensei! Please remain in bed...!"
"No need to worry."
I smiled.
"I know my own condition..."
Just as I was about to ask what was happening outside, Serina handed me a brand new phone and said gently:
"Sensei, your original phone was damaged and unusable, but the data is intact. I took the liberty of transferring everything to this one. As for your tablet, I have already sent it back to SCHALE to charge."
As an ancient mysterious object, the Shittim Chest naturally required special equipment to be charged.
Ignoring certain details worth questioning, I thanked Serina for her thoughtfulness and opened my phone to check the many messages I had received while I was unconscious.
Then my expression gradually went blank....
What? Hina, who was critically injured, is missing!?
What? Azusa is going to destroy Saori's halo!?
What? The Tea Party's Pater faction is declaring war on Gehenna!?
I put down my phone, pressed my temple, and felt a dull ache in my abdomen, while a single question circled in my mind:
Did I really only sleep for a few hours, and not several days?