A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 45

Chapter 45   Unexpected Developments

——◆◇◆◇——

Another week had passed.

There weren’t any significant changes in class, though I did find myself talking with Kujou more often about the team battles. But that was just normal stuff. The real issue was the string of disappearances.

At first, there was a two-week gap between incidents, then a one-week gap. So naturally, I was on guard, expecting something to happen in about three days. But as if mocking my caution, nothing happened, and here we are today.

I’d even called my senior during this time to check on the situation, but there hadn’t been any progress. In a way, life continued as usual. This week, we have the final exams before summer break, and once those are over, vacation begins. Maybe the disappearances will stop then, or at the very least, something will change.

If that change comes, the investigation might finally move forward. And if that happens, perhaps we can return to a peaceful everyday life. But…

“–––Ah. Hellooo! Gooood morning! It’s the mooorrning!”

Unexpectedly, I received a call from my senior early in the morning. Or, well, it’s still dark outside, so it’s technically nighttime.

For this person to be calling at such an hour… Did she stay up all night? There’s no way she would be up and making calls at this time otherwise. And her energy is way more annoying than usual. Must be that late-night high.

“What’s with the early call? If this is something trivial, I’m hanging up.”

Since she went out of her way to call, it must be important, but anyone would be annoyed getting a call this early.

In response to my groggy complaint, my senior hastily began to explain.

“Nyah! I’m serious this time~! I mean, come on, do you really think I’d bother calling for something stupid?”

“Then get to the point already.”

“Okay, okay! So, there was an attack~!”

“An attack?”

“Yup! You know how the school had students looking into those disappearances? Well, those students got attacked, and some of them are seriously injured and in the hospital~.”

“Students are hospitalized? Wait, does that mean they saw the culprit?”

…As I suspected, having students search for the criminal was too dangerous.

I’m worried about the injured students, but from the way she’s talking, it doesn’t sound like anyone died. That can wait. The bigger issue is that if they were directly attacked, they might have seen the culprit. Could it be that we’ve finally identified who’s behind the disappearances?

“Apparently… but of course, the culprit was wearing a mask, so no one knows who the mask person is~.”

Well, that makes sense. No one’s reckless enough to commit a crime like that without hiding their identity.

“But shouldn’t they at least be able to tell the gender from things like height or voice?”

“They figured out that much, but that’s not really why I called. I thought I should let you know about one of the students who got hospitalized.”

…Wait. The hospitalized student—that’s definitely important. Unlike the disappearances, where the outcome is uncertain, here we have actual injuries and consequences, so it’s understandable that this has become a big deal. And since it’s a student from my school, it makes sense she’d inform me.

But, would she really do something like this? Does she seem like the kind of person who’d take the trouble to inform me out of consideration? No way. Yet, here she is, telling me about the hospitalized student. This is giving me a bad feeling.

“The hospitalized student…?”

“Yup, yup. You know that girl? The one who went to Kyoto with you on that trip, Seiji-chan? Her name was, um…”

“A girl… Wait, don’t tell me—!”

“Yeah, that’s right! It’s that girl, Hoshiguma!”

—◆◇◆◇—

“So this is the hospital…”

After hearing the details from my senior, I convinced her to share more information despite her protests about personal data. I decided to head to the hospital where Toko was admitted.

I had intended to visit right after the call, but it was the middle of the night, and the hospital was closed. Plus, it seemed like the morning would be filled with questioning and examinations, so I planned to visit in the afternoon.

I had to skip classes for this, but missing one day won’t be a big deal. Besides, cutting class is practically a student privilege, isn’t it? It’s a normal thing.

As for Inori, I made sure she attended classes as usual. She doesn’t have any particular connection to Toko, and if both of us skipped school, it might cause unnecessary concern. I asked her to explain my absence to Kiriya and the others.

I also wanted to know how things were at school. With a student seriously injured and hospitalized, the school is bound to be in an uproar, especially since it was a student from the honors class. Moreover, since the injured student was one of those chosen by the school to investigate the disappearances, this is going to turn into an even bigger mess.

If the school takes any special measures, I expect my senior will contact me, but I also wanted to know the students’ reactions, so it was important for Inori to attend.

Besides, she probably has student council duties to attend to as well.

So, for now, I was on my own heading to the hospital where Toko was admitted.

“They should just heal her with skills instead of making her stay in the hospital… This whole power struggle is so ridiculous.”

In theory, injuries can be healed with skills, but there’s a law stating that once someone is hospitalized, they can’t be treated with skills unless it’s an emergency.

The main reason is that there aren’t many people capable of using healing-type skills. The number of skilled healers is far too small to treat every injured person across the country using skills alone.

That said, the logical solution would be to have patients wait until a healer is available. After being admitted to the hospital, they could receive basic treatment, followed by healing through skills. That would be the most efficient process.

However, in reality, there’s this stupid rule that once someone is admitted to the hospital, they can’t be treated with skills. This policy exists because certain groups want to protect the existing medical system and the profits tied to it, refusing to let go of their vested interests.

The hospital’s argument is that relying solely on those who can use healing skills would overwork them, and it would also limit their future opportunities by forcing them down a specific path. While that’s not entirely wrong, it feels more like an excuse to resist change, using human rights as a shield.

“Toko’s room is… Ah, here it is.”

Holding the donuts I bought as a get-well gift, I made my way to the room I’d been told about. It seemed to be a private room. Well, considering her prestigious family background, that made sense.

I should probably knock first.

“Y-yes! Come in!”

When I knocked on the door, I heard a nervous voice from inside. It didn’t sound like the usual Toko, but it was definitely her voice, so I opened the door and walked in.

“Oh… Ah, it’s just you, Seiichi.”

As soon as our eyes met, Toko muttered in a disappointed tone and let out a small sigh.

“What, were you expecting someone else?”

“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not it. Sorry. You came to visit me, right? Thanks.”

Yeah, I guess she wouldn’t expect a friend she’s only spoken to a few times to show up at this hour. Honestly, if the roles were reversed, I’d be surprised if she came to visit me.

Understanding that, I playfully teased her a bit. She hurriedly waved her hands and forced a smile.

…But I could tell it was a fake smile, and that didn’t sit well with me.

“It’s no big deal, I was free anyway.”

“Liar. It’s school hours, isn’t it? You’re skipping, aren’t you?”

Well, when she puts it like that, she’s not wrong… but whatever, it’s fine.

“Missing one day of school won’t make much of a difference.”

“I guess. But for me, it might be a bit more serious. Looks like I’ll be stuck here for a while.”

Toko smiled awkwardly, and judging by her hospitalization and her expression, I realized her injuries weren’t minor at all.