Chapter 87 Was that my own voice? ...

The morning passed just like that.

Getting sick is a common occurrence, so after seeing the medical records, the teachers and students in the class didn't ask too many questions or be curious about Hinata Hajime's sudden leave of absence.

But... I don't know how much longer I need to ask Hinata for leave like this.

Although they had resolved the Sarayashiki incident quickly enough, Tsukino and Chiya could tell from the still-relatively faint illusions in their field of vision that they had enough time to deal with the old school building incident. But as expected… if they could resolve things as soon as possible, then naturally…

"The sooner the better, right?"

Such a sound suddenly came from the opposite side.

Tsukino and Chiya, who were eating lunch alone in the cafeteria, didn't even look up when they heard this. They continued chewing without stopping and simply nodded silently to indicate that they had heard.

Even without looking up, Tsukino and Chiya knew who was coming.

First, he didn't think anyone else in the school would talk to him like that. Second, the voice had unconsciously become a part of his life; it would be impossible for him not to recognize it.

After Tsukino and Chiya swallowed the rice in their mouths and took a sip of soup, he looked up and, as expected, saw Ohma Kokichi, dressed in a preparatory course uniform, who had perfectly blended into the preparatory course cafeteria.

Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't order any food; he just sat down opposite him and stared at him with a smile.

After all, he was the kind of guy who had done things even more blatantly than coming to the preparatory course cafeteria, so Tsukino and Chiya weren't surprised to run into him here, except...

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Tsukino and Chiya asked.

"Huh?" Wangma Xiaoji asked in surprise, "Is it really that difficult to understand Kozuki's thoughts?"

Isn't that so? — Tsukino and Chiya asked each other in their hearts.

If it were any other situation, it might be normal to guess, but the fact that someone successfully revealed Tsukino and Chiya's inner thoughts as soon as they sat down clearly cannot be judged by common sense.

"Hehe, you and Tsukino are thinking 'Isn't that right now?' right?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't care at all whether staring at them like that would make the people eating feel awkward. He continued talking while propping his face up and staring at Tsukino and Chiya.

"That's outrageous! How dare they question the evil leader like that? Does Kozuki think she's a cat with nine lives? I hate it when people provoke me like that!"

Tsukino and Chiya scooped up another spoonful of rice, but instead of eating it immediately, they said, "But... since Ohma is the head of the organization, he's bound to face questions from the outside world, right?"

"Hehe, so I don't think Kozuki Kazuha would want to know what happened to those who once questioned me."

"Why were people always questioning his identity as the evil leader to his face?"

"Ah! How dare you sabotage me like that! Kozuki has been corrupted by you!"

"Um, I'm sorry?"

"Kazuki, if apologies were enough, what would be the point of having an evil leader?"

"Then," Tsukino and Chiya asked shrewdly, "what should I do to gain the forgiveness of the 'Ultimate Leader'?"

"Well," Wang Ma Xiaoji replied without hesitation, "tell me what you found out after you went back last night."

"—About that 'Kamizu Izuru'."

"I'm really, really, really interested!"

*******

Hello~

Accompanied by a light, cheerful sound, a stranger entered through the door...

"A child?" Hyuga Hajime exclaimed in surprise.

The girl who entered the room was wearing a white coat and had her hair in a single ponytail. She looked much younger than me, but her amber eyes, hidden behind round-framed glasses, seemed to hold a wisdom that did not match her age.

Who is this?

Hajime Hinata was shocked and confused.

His shock and confusion weren't just because he saw a stranger—after all, seeing a doctor in a white coat in a place like a hospital ward is quite normal, even though the girl in front of him really looked like she was wearing adult clothes for role-playing... at least the clothes fit her perfectly.

What truly shocked and confused Hajime Hinata was that... after the door was opened and he saw the person who came in, he subconsciously felt that "this shouldn't be the case."

That shouldn't be the case.

The person who came should not be this girl.

The person who wanted to open the locked room door and specifically came into the sealed room to find themselves must be...

yes……

What kind of is it?

"I'm not a child."

The woman who said she was not a child was obviously used to being mistaken for a minor because of her small stature, so she explained it very skillfully and fluently.

If Tsukino and Chiya were there, they might have chimed in, saying, "This teacher is the fake loli upperclassman my dad talks about. The medical knowledge my dad used to build up his persona came from her criminal medical notes."

Unfortunately, Tsukino and Chiya weren't there. However, Hinata Hajime was actually quite lucky today. Tsuchiro Rei—the woman in front of him—had some things to take care of, so she didn't have much time to tease this seemingly fun-loving high school student about her appearance and age.

"Okay, you just woke up, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"

The woman, who introduced herself as Tu Lüling, asked with a smile. — She had experience working in the medical school's infirmary at a high school and had also raised her adopted son alone, so she was quite adept at dealing with teenagers of this age.

"You are... Hyuga Hajime, Hyuga-kun, right? Chiya also told me your name, and he's the one who brought you here... Although I've already raised a child myself, when I saw that child, I couldn't help but sigh at how fast children grow up."

Huh?

Hinata Hajime, who had been feeling somewhat groggy since waking up, was surprised to find that after the door was pushed open, his surroundings had unknowingly returned to the original clean white hospital room.

"……No."

The other party revealed far too much information, and after a few seconds of reaction, Hyuga Hajime honestly answered her initial question.

"I don't feel any discomfort."

He really didn't feel any discomfort. Compared to the last time he woke up after fainting in the preparatory school building, he felt a pain as if he had fallen. This time, he only felt drowsy, as if he had slept for too long.

Apart from……

Thinking of something, Hyuga Hajime reached out and rubbed his still groggy and confused head, listening to Tsuchiro Rin's voice, "Is that so? Well, I did a check-up on you before, but I didn't find anything wrong with you. But since you've been sleeping for so long..."

At this point, Tu Luling paused slightly before changing the subject: "In short, I have other things to attend to and need to leave first. Since you're alright, I won't stop you from leaving. However, I suggest you continue resting and observing here for a while, at least half an hour, until you're sure everything is fine before leaving?"

"If you have any health problems, you can ring the bell to notify the other medical staff at the clinic. Oh, by the way, Chiya left you a note on the cabinet next to you... yes, that one. Besides that, remember to contact Chiya and let him know you're okay. That kid may not have much expression and seem expressionless, but he's actually a good kid who cares about his friends."

"Hinata-kun, you too, don't make your friends worry."

Hyuga Hajime nodded haphazardly, somewhat unsure of what he had just said. However, judging from the way Tsuchiro Rei closed the door and left with a sense of relief, he figured his answer, expression, and tone were probably fine.

The room door, which had just been opened, was closed again.

Hinata Souji breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Just now, as the door slowly closed, he worried that the moment it closed, he might find himself back in the empty room where the scene had suddenly changed.

Fortunately, the ward is still the same ward.

The environment returned to tranquility.

Unlike the bewilderment he felt when he first regained consciousness, Hyuga Hajime now had more time to consider what had just happened in the dream... or rather, the dream, because he had seen some things while dreaming.

He remembered that at that time, he, Tsukino, and the other three were investigating the classroom that was covered in blood when the scene around him suddenly changed. Then, he encountered the exquisite white-haired doll at the classroom door.

The doll said some incomprehensible things to him, and then... Hyuga Hajime felt something being forcibly crammed into his mind. He seemed to see many things, but he couldn't grasp anything.

After that... Hajime Hinata doesn't remember much.

Now, he tries hard to recall everything he "dreamed" after encountering the doll, but can only capture scattered fragments.

Even a fragment was enough to startle Hyuga Hajime.

Unfamiliar researchers, a vast and enclosed environment, a door suddenly opened one day by an indistinct figure, and...

What exactly are these?

Hajime Hinata murmured to himself.

But surprisingly, he heard an unexpected sound instead of the response he expected.

It was a voice that was both incredibly familiar and strange to him. Familiar because it seemed to be his own voice, and strange because he had never spoken in such a cold tone before.

"That's something that will happen in the future."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Brother Chuang: What's going on here?!

Tsuchiro Rei is from DMLC. She didn't appear in The Mystery of the Werewolf Village, but was mentioned by many people; she's the pseudo-loli upperclassman who studies medicine. This is a cameo appearance, so it's okay if you don't recognize her! [Facepalm peeking]