Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

When he woke up, Chihiro saw a white ceiling.

As he looked around, he noticed that the room is quiet.

And he is lying on a bed, with thin curtains separating him from the rest of the room. It seems he is in the school infirmary.

His clothes had been taken off, probably for treatment, and he wore nothing but a jersey.

「...How do you feel?」

Beside him, Maria in her school uniform sat in a chair, staring at Chihiro. She unusually had her smartphone in her hand, perhaps to pass the time.

Then, after a few seconds of focusing on her body, Chihiro answered.

「Yeah, somehow」

「Well. That's good」

Just as he had said, the pain in his body is less than he expected. But as he had expected, his left arm is tingling and feels strangely heavy, and he can't move it.

「What time is it?」

「It's about eighteen o'clock. Nishizaki-san has left」

「...so much time」

Apparently, he's been unconscious for a long time.

So maybe Chihiro's still in this state even after that much sleep.

Maria, who saw him pondering, said quietly, affirming Chihiro's thoughts.

「The doctor has been putting extra effort into your treatment. Normally, the doctor would do the least amount of healing in order to preserve their power」

「I see」

「Yes. And there is another person who healed you to the limit of her abilities」

「Another person?」

There are two doctors at Shibahou Academy, one male and one female. However, judging from the way she said it, the other person is probably not the school doctor.

Someone else who can heal.

When Chihiro thinks about it, there is only one person who comes to mind immediately.

「...Takatsuki-san?」

「Yes」

Maria nodded her head quickly.

But Chihiro found it hard to believe.

His gaze wandered in the air, and he wondered how to express himself before muttering.

「Even though I lost」

And it was a complete defeat.

As it turned out, although he had landed some effective blows, the damage was far from enough to win. On the other hand, Chihiro received much more damage. He could not be said to have been on equal footing with Maria.

Then, Maria's hand is placed on Chihiro's forehead.

The cool palm of her hand felt good to Chihiro right now.

「What are you talking about? There's no rule that the winner gets Takatsuki-san, is there?」

「That's true, but...」

After she says that, the palm of her hand leaves his forehead. He wondered what happened, but then Maria slapped him lightly.

「Ouch」

「Didn't you care about her because she's like that? Just trust me. Takatsuki-san actually healed you. She rushed to your fallen body first, not Kamishiro-kun, you know」

「Eh?」

Aika ignored Kamishiro?

But the winner was the other side, and he was also injured.

「In all fairness, it's a fair decision, since the seriousness is different. As you can see, Kamishiro was fighting you more than necessary at the end of the game」

Just after Chihiro fainted, Kamishiro relaxed his stance and took a series of slow, deep breaths. Then Aika ran over and crouched down beside Chihiro.

While the rest of the crowd gasped at the outcome of the match, Aika immediately began to heal Chihiro's left arm. She really didn't pay any attention to Kamishiro.

Maria watched her, and instructed Riko to call the school doctor.

A few minutes later, the school doctor arrived and two nearby boys carried Chihiro on a stretcher. Aika, who had used her energy sparingly, stayed where she was and finally turned to face Kamishiro.

[Why did you do that?]

She said that to Kamishiro and with a tone of questioning.

Some of the remaining students seemed surprised by Aika's unexpected behavior. Kamishiro also made a few excuses, but Aika didn't care and left.

「...So that's what happened?」

「Yeah. You didn't win the match, but I think your aim almost succeeded. At least Takatsuki-san must have had different feelings for Kamishiro-kun than before」

The possibility of a mere casual romance has been reduced.

What will happen from now on is, of course, anyone's guess.

「So, good job. You've done well」

「...Thank you, Maria.」

This time, Chihiro smiled back at the girl who gently patted his head.