LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 41
Chapter 41. A Badge of Bravado
Let me tell you what happened afterward.
After escaping from the collapsing space consumed by the monster, we returned to the cave and fought our way out, kicking aside the weaker foes that attacked us. As we moved, I noticed Hattori-san whistling and seemingly in high spirits. Maybe, in some way, I was able to help her.
When we emerged, we found Kongo-san and Sairenji-san just about to re-enter the cave. Alongside them were Kirisaki-senpai and, for some reason, Kikuri-senpai as well.
When they saw us, they all looked visibly relieved and asked us what had happened. I briefly explained the situation and suggested prioritizing our return. However, Kikuri-senpai’s barrage of questions and Kirisaki-senpai’s tearful reaction were overwhelming.
First, Kikuri-senpai relentlessly pressed for an explanation of how we overturned the prophecy.
“What happened?! Did a meteor strike or something?! Tell me, please!”
She leaned in with a desperate look on her face.
My response was simply, “I gave it my all.” To be clear, I feel there’s some kind of conspiracy behind this incident, so I’d rather not reveal too much about what I can do.
Unsurprisingly, Kikuri-san wasn’t satisfied with that answer and turned to Hattori-san for an explanation. But since I had already asked her not to mention my abilities, her response wasn’t much different from mine.
Seeing Kikuri-san’s growing frustration, Kongo-san intervened.
“Let’s leave it at that for now. What’s more important is treating these two.”
That’s when Kikuri-san seemed to realize the state we were in, her face turning red with shame at her earlier behavior. Well, to be fair, we didn’t look all that injured at first glance.
When Kongo-san glanced briefly at me, it seemed he had noticed something but deliberately chose not to say it. Perhaps he, too, had some doubts about this mission.
Then there was Kirisaki-senpai, who burst into tears.
“Why won’t it heal?!”
She was distraught over my burn wounds that refused to recover.
She held her hands over the injured areas, trying to heal them, but the burns showed no signs of fading.
Frankly, I had expected this outcome.
After all, these burns were caused by divine flames. They wouldn’t heal so easily.
To be clear, this isn’t due to any lack of skill on her part. I saw her fully heal Hattori-san’s injuries in an instant just by touching the affected area, which shows how remarkably talented she is. It’s just that this time, the enemy was exceptionally formidable.
“Ha, these wounds won’t heal that easily.”
I said smugly.
“Why are you acting so proud?! You’re injured, you know! Kikuri-chan’s prophecy was right! At this rate, you’ll die!”
She kept crying while desperately trying to heal me.
What I couldn’t admit, no matter what, was that her gentle touch as she patted me to check my condition was the most devastating part. Someone, please praise me for not screaming.
Later, I was taken to a special medical facility operated by the tactical response team.
◇
And now, the present.
“Open wide for me~!”
“Ahhh.”
The day after the mission.
In the end, my burns remained unhealed, and I was told to stay here until they fully recovered.
Before me stood a nurse with an angelic smile and rather… captivating features. She was caring for me, and honestly, just looking at her felt like a reward for all my efforts during the mission.
“Nurse-san, could I have your contact information? I swear I’ll make you happy forever.”
“Fufu, thank you, but I’m sorry—I already have a loving husband. I’ll just cherish your kind words, okay?”
“…”
Despair. I felt as though I’d fallen from heaven straight into the depths of hell. This nurse wasn’t an angel but a mischievous succubus who toyed with pure souls like mine.
With hollow eyes, I ate my breakfast. My heart was in shambles, but the succubus nurse remained cheerful.
…
Ten minutes later, I finally escaped the torment of this earthly purgatory and sulkily buried myself in the blankets. Could they stop flaunting such dynamite bodies in front of a teenage boy? We’re fragile creatures at this age.
While lamenting the absurdity of the world, the door to my hospital room suddenly flew open.
“Yanagi-kun, are you feeling okay?!”
Hattori-san appeared, striking a flamboyant pose.
“…What are you doing?”
For some reason, she was wearing a nurse cosplay outfit.
Wait, what? Is nurse cosplay trending right now? Just the other day, some sister figure somewhere did the same thing.
“Uh, well… I thought it might cheer you up…”
Her face turned red with embarrassment as she swayed shyly. It was adorable, but the idea itself was so… her. Does she really think I’m some cosplay-obsessed weirdo? Honestly, that’s a major misunderstanding. It’s not like I’m secretly saving this memory in my brain forever or anything.
“Thank you for the thought, but… never mind. More importantly, are you feeling okay, Senpai?”
“Yes! Thanks to Moeka-chan, I’m back to full health and ready for any mission!”
“That’s great to hear. But please, no more reckless behavior, okay?”
“I-I won’t! Because… you’ll protect me, right?”
Hmm… Hattori-san seems different today. She’s energetic but also a little bashful.
“Of course, I will.”
To be honest, this was mostly bravado.
I don’t think of myself as the strongest, nor do I believe I can perfectly protect someone.
But even so, if it means seeing Hattori-san’s smile, then so be it. A little bravado isn’t so bad, right?
“R-really?! Ehehe~”
She smiled shyly, clearly delighted. Honestly, it’s almost worrying how easily pleased she is—like an older sister being praised by her little brother.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot—I have some news!”
“News?”
After blushing to her heart’s content, she seemed to remember something and brought it up. Shouldn’t the news have been the priority?
“Yes! This morning, the labyrinth suddenly vanished!”
“Vanished? That massive space is gone?”
“Exactly! They say it disappeared without a trace!”
What could have happened? Was it because we defeated that monster? No, if that were the case, why didn’t it disappear sooner?
Did someone erase it? But how? I’ve never heard of such an ability. Hmm… no use thinking about it now.
I can’t shake the feeling there’s more to this incident. It’s just a hunch, but my instincts aren’t usually wrong at times like this. Once I’m discharged, I’ll investigate further.