A sudden knock sounded on the hospital room door.
Kobayashi glanced at the time—it shouldn't be time for medication changes or rounds yet. Could it be that Yomikawa Aiho had found a moment to come visit him again?
Before he could call out an answer, the door was already pushed open.
The visitor was clearly an impatient type. Without waiting for his permission at all, they barged straight in.
"Hiss…"
Kobayashi immediately sucked in a breath, his expression twisting as if his teeth hurt.
"Yo, Nana-kun. I came to visit you."
Tiger Peak Toumi waved at him. In her other hand, she carried several large bags filled to the brim—obviously gifts bought specifically for a hospital visit.
I really don't want you visiting me…
He pursed his lips. But whether out of politeness—or fear—he ultimately didn't say what he was thinking.
After all, she had come out of goodwill. And Tiger Peak Toumi was the first person he had truly met after coming to this world. There was no need to make their relationship too awkward.
He had already asked around: Tiger Peak Toumi didn't have any mental illness. She was simply impulsive and hot-tempered. As long as she wasn't genuinely provoked, she wouldn't casually hurt people.
"…Thank you."
Kobayashi nodded and replied stiffly, while quietly returning the apple he had been peeling—and the floating glass of juice—back onto the table.
"Your ability is really convenient."
Tiger Peak Toumi clicked her tongue in amazement at the way he used his telekinesis so flexibly. After walking into the room, she hooked the door shut with her foot.
Without wasting words, she immediately cleared the tabletop and began laying out the gifts she had brought.
The items were quite practical—all food. Besides fruit and various snacks, there were supplements and nutritional drinks in packaging that screamed expensive at first glance.
Kobayashi wasn't yet familiar with Academy City's price levels, but it was obvious that such a pile of goods wouldn't be cheap.
Even as apology gifts, they more than demonstrated sincerity.
Then again, considering she was a Level 4 high-level esper with a much larger monthly scholarship, it probably didn't feel like much to her.
"I asked the doctor," Tiger Peak Toumi said.
"Your recovery's going well. You just need rest and nutrition, so I bought some food…"
She suddenly paused and turned to look at him.
"Kobayashi-kun, you don't hate sweets, right?"
Seeing the strawberry cake she had bought, she suddenly remembered that when she consulted the nurse, there seemed to be some mention that Kobayashi might not like sweet things.
But she'd never visited anyone in the hospital before. When shopping, she'd gotten carried away and bought things entirely based on her own preferences.
The other snacks were fine—but this strawberry cake was a full-on dessert!
Tiger Peak Toumi showed a regretful expression.
"No, I don't mind normal sweets," He said.
As long as it was in moderation, he didn't dislike sweet food. The rumor that he hated sweets probably came from yesterday's lunch, when he had ended up with a sweet-flavored mapo tofu.
He'd complained quite a bit about that dish. Someone must have noticed, and the story had spread__that Kobayashi hates sweets.
"…Huh?"
Tiger Peak Toumi turned to look at him in surprise, cream still stuck to the corner of her mouth.
The limited-quantity strawberry cake was her favorite. Giving it to Kobayashi this time was a genuine expression of her apology.
But if he didn't like sweets, then it would be a waste!
Before he could say anything else, the girl reacted faster than her brain—she swiftly snatched the strawberry off the cake with her mouth.
Only then did she hear the words "I don't mind normal sweets."
"And strawberries are fruit, you know," Kobayashi added.
The girl's mouth moved rapidly as she chewed and swallowed her prize. Then she handed the now strawberry-less cream cake to him.
"…Forget it. I appreciate the thought. You can eat it yourself," Kobayashi said.
"I'll make it up to you next time."
Tiger Peak Toumi wasn't offended at all. She simply pulled over a chair, sat down, and started enjoying the cake.
Seeing this, Kobayashi secretly let out a sigh of relief.
—Looking at her like this, she really is just an ordinary little girl.
"Huh? What's this?"
He suddenly noticed a particularly unusual item among the gifts.
"This doesn't look like food."
"Of course it's not," Tiger Peak Toumi replied.
"These are practice problems and exam papers. You'll need them for your entrance exam—Yomikawa-sensei asked me to bring them for you."
Although he had mentally prepared himself, the thought of having to grind through problems and prepare for exams again after so long—and while hospitalized, no less—still filled him with a sense of melancholy.
"After you enroll, you're going straight into the second year of middle school?"
Tiger Peak Toumi had already looked through the exercises.
"Are you sure that's okay? Academy City's curriculum is pretty hard."
"Of course it's fine," Kobayashi replied.
He was only going to an ordinary school anyway. Even if there was an entrance exam, it wouldn't be too difficult.
"Speaking of which," Kobayashi said, a little curious,
"What school do you go to, Tiger-Peak-san?"
Or rather, what he really wanted to ask was whether this girl even attended school at all—or whether, despite still being a middle-schooler, she was already part of some "armed anti-ability group."
"Nino-Ude Affiliated Elementary School," Tiger Peak Toumi answered.
"…Huh?"
Kobayashi stared at her wide-eyed.
"Elementary school? Not middle school?"
"Is there a problem?" she shot back.
"I'm transferring up next year."
"You're only twelve?" Kobayashi exclaimed.
She was taller than him, and even physically stronger than him, a boy. Lin Wuming had always assumed Tiger Peak Toumi was his age, around fourteen or fifteen.
"Well, girls mature earlier," Tiger Peak Toumi shrugged casually.
"I guess…"
Kobayashi didn't dwell on it. After all, in his eyes, anyone in their early teens was still a kid.
—But still, finding the curriculum difficult while in elementary school…
Looks like this one's got explosive combat power, but not exactly the sharpest mind.
Kobayashi glanced at her thoughtfully.
"Were you thinking something rude just now?"
Tiger Peak Toumi was surprisingly perceptive. She didn't get angry, though—she seemed used to people thinking that way.
"Hmph, whatever. Indeed, I'm not exactly smart."
"No, no, that was my fault," Lin Wuming quickly apologized.
After thinking for a moment, Tiger Peak Toumi explained,
"Actually, I skipped grades, too—just like you. To keep my progress closer to kids my age, I went straight into fifth grade last year. And Academy City's courses really are hard, so it's normal for me to struggle."
"You… are you also a victim of some illegal experiment?"
Kobayashi immediately thought of the scar on her face.
(End of Chapter)