The rescue team dispatched from the Sacred Tree Barrier arrived quickly.
Perhaps it was because we hadn't gone very far, or perhaps it was because they received guidance and help from plants controlled by the flower fairy.
In short, I was really startled when I saw Hikari rushing towards me with an anxious look on her face.
"Mr. Yumi—oh dear!"
Be careful.
I caught Hikari, who was about to pounce on me, with a mix of amusement and exasperation. But halfway there, she lost her footing, slid to her knees, and fell into my arms. I asked, "Why are you here?"
Shaking her head, Hikari suddenly sprang up from my arms, not intending to get up, and just knelt down to the side with her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed out: "Of course I'm worried about you, Mr. Yumi! We haven't even been out of the city for long and I've already heard about what happened outside. How could I possibly stay in the city in peace?"
Her gaze shifted to the huge depression not far away, and a clear look of fear appeared on her face. However, she forced herself to stay focused and did not look away. Only her already soft voice weakened: "I saw the situation over there before I even reached the additional area. I was so anxious."
I looked at the girl and noticed that her face was stained with a few small stains from somewhere, and the area under her eyes was slightly red. Even the resolute expression on her face could not hide it.
I am very grateful for her concern.
"But as you can see now, we're all doing fine here, except for that one unlucky guy who got caught up in the chaos, we don't know how he is doing," I said.
"I really shouldn't have let you out of my sight so easily..." she muttered to herself.
"What?" I was a little confused.
"No, it's nothing!" Hikari suddenly raised her voice and moved closer. "Although it may not look like there's a big problem on the outside, usually, internal injuries are the most dangerous! And there will be a delay in the onset of the symptoms! So Mr. Yumi! You must undergo my examination! Now, immediately!"
When did this girl become so assertive...?
I was a little helpless, but I still followed her instructions and moved to the center of the temporary examination equipment she had set up. Otherwise, given her stubbornness, she would have dragged me there, and the scene would have been quite unpleasant.
However, I should perhaps feel a little fortunate.
Fortunately, the outermost garment I was wearing was an academy-style cloak, and among the multiple spells inscribed on it were two types: shock absorption and attack absorption. This allowed me to withstand the excessively violent shockwave without suffering too much wear and tear or damage. It also protected my body, which is far more fragile than that of a martial artist, from sustaining too much harm, thus avoiding a situation where I was left with only a few pieces of clothing attached to a swordsman, and the possibility of suffering a second severe injury.
Although the cloak is currently overloaded and can only maintain its temperature-regulating function for a short time, it's still better than Hikari noticing that I'm injured.
It wasn't that I was afraid she would turn around and tell Yao about it, causing that nagging old woman to nag me again. I just felt that it was a bit stupid, like trying to look cool for only three seconds before something unexpected ruined it.
I really just wanted to maintain my image in front of this little idiot! If only I could change my preconceived notion from "a lazy otaku who always stays in a dark little house playing mindless games" to "an adult male who often stays at home playing games but can be quite handsome and skilled at times"... Wait, is there even a difference?!
Whenever Hikari glances at Miyuki, I always feel a chill down my spine, and I don't know why.
"But you also need to take good care of your wounds."
I pointed to the bruises on her knees and calves from sliding on the ground, but the little idiot just replied with a bland "I know," casually wiped away the mud, and then ignored it.
Alice, who had been carried on her back, quietly landed on the ground when no one was looking. She rubbed herself repeatedly at the same height as the girl's knees. After a few times, just as I opened my mouth to stop her from doing something that might aggravate the wound, I noticed that the wound, which had been oozing tiny beads of blood, seemed to have been wiped away as well, disappearing without a trace along with the mud stains that had been accidentally picked up earlier.
Alice bowed gracefully to me, then tugged at the straps on her back, instantly springing back to her original position, once again feigning unconsciousness as a ragdoll rabbit. Aside from the lingering, fading blood on her right paw, there was virtually no physical evidence to prove what had just happened.
“It’s alright, Alice is helping me.” Hikari noticed my stare at the wretched rabbit and explained softly, “It seems to be able to completely erase tiny wounds, and it can also control how to enlarge small injuries. It’s said that [the cat] was injured by it like this before. Not long ago, [the cat] was playing on the lawn outside the library and was scratched by a blade of grass. The memory left on the wound was triggered by it, and the injury was recreated and made bigger and worse.”
"Won't this have any subsequent consequences?" I asked worriedly.
Hikari shook her head, a smile appearing on her face: "Alice is a good child. As long as you tell her she can't do something like that, she won't do it at all. Besides, I've had a thorough examination of the wound treated this way. Not only will it not cause pain, but it will also leave no aftereffects or require any further payment. Mr. Yumi, you can rest assured!"
She then added with a touch of melancholy, "Ah, it's a pity that only very minor injuries can be treated by Alice like this. Even Alice herself says it's not a particularly useful ability. Otherwise, those more seriously injured people in the city could also be healed."
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