"Pull yourself together! I’m getting you to a hospital right now!"
Looking at her again up close, her wounds weren't quite as deep as they had first appeared. If she had been in better physical condition, she probably could have handled that situation on her own. It was a stark reminder of just how formidable the Onikagura truly was. It made sense why every organization was so desperate to get their hands on it.
"Nn... ah..."
"Mika!"
As I carried her, Mika’s eyes fluttered open ever so slightly.
"I’m heading to a hospital! Just hang on!"
The sun hadn’t even begun to rise. Public transport was at a standstill and there wasn't a taxi in sight, so I ran at full tilt while cradling her in my arms.
"...No."
"What? What is it?"
"Don't... no hospital..."
Mika’s hand gripped my shirt with what little strength she had left.
"No... hospital... please..."
The usually headstrong Mika was actually pleading with me.
"Look, you can't just—"
"Please... I’m begging you...!"
She squeezed my clothes tight before losing consciousness once again.
"Tch! Dammit! Fine!"
I wanted to rush her to the emergency room, but she was dead set against it. Since I’d already decided to help her, I figured I should follow her wishes for now. I changed my trajectory, heading away from the hospital and toward my own apartment.
Unlike the hospital, my place was on the way back, so I arrived in no time. I laid the sleeping Mika down on my bed and racked my brain, trying to figure out the next step.
"I have no choice. It's late, but I’ll have to ask Sora... Wait, that’s right. She’s not here."
I’d thought about consulting Sora, but then I remembered she’d been away on a job for the past three days. I recalled hearing that Kokoro was with her, so there wasn't a single acquaintance I could turn to for help.
"This is your fault, so don't you dare complain later."
I approached Mika as she lay unconscious on the bed. With clumsy hands, I began to remove her tattered clothing. I’d never even touched a wafuku before, so it took some effort to navigate the layers, but eventually, I managed to get it all off.
The girl lay there in her red underwear, her breathing heavy and labored.
To any other guy, this might have been a dream scenario. They probably would have been distracted by her sleek lingerie or her surprisingly fit physique, but I didn't have the mental capacity for any of that. All I cared about was checking her injuries.
Based on what I’d seen through her clothes, there weren't any deep gashes. However, I hadn't known what the situation looked like underneath. Burns would have been a nightmare, but luckily, I didn't find any major trauma. There were, however, numerous small lacerations that were still weeping blood.
"Let's see, it should be in here..."
I pulled the disinfectant and bandages from my first-aid kit to perform some basic triage. I soaked cotton in the solution to clean the wounds, then wrapped them as best I could to stop the bleeding. It was amateur work, but it was better than doing nothing.
"Whew. Well, that’ll have to do."
To finish up, I pulled one of my brand-new, unworn T-shirts over her head. Looking at Mika’s face now, she seemed a little more at peace.
"I’m beat. Time for sleep."
The unfamiliar task had drained me. Since Mika was occupying the bed, I planned to just crash on the floor a little distance away, but I realized Mika’s hand was still firmly clutching the hem of my shirt. I tried to gently pry her fingers loose so I wouldn't wake her, but her grip was ironclad. She had no intention of letting go.
"Good grief..."
Resigning myself to the situation, I decided to sleep right there by the bedside. I sat on the floor, rested my back against the frame, and closed my eyes.
"Nothing ever goes according to plan."
I didn't have the power to heal bodies. Every ounce of strength I possessed was designed for breaking things. In the end, a Kaijin was a creature born solely to destroy the world. No matter how much Kaijin power I stockpiled, destruction was all I could offer.
I was supposed to be the Strongest Kaijin, yet I had my hands full just looking after one girl. What was "strongest" about that?
Sighing at my own helplessness, I let my consciousness drift. Perhaps the fatigue had been weighing on me more than I realized, because despite the circumstances, I fell asleep almost instantly.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Sunlight poked through the gaps in the curtains. Woken by the warmth of a spring morning, I finally opened my eyes.
"Nnn...!"
My body felt like it was made of stone after sleeping in such a cramped position. I gave a massive stretch, my joints popping like firecrackers. When I tried to stand, I saw that Mika was still holding onto my shirt. I gave up on moving and sat back down.
Mika’s sleeping expression was serene. Given that she hadn't been sleeping well lately, I figured that even this was better than nothing.
About an hour passed after I woke up. Around 10:00 AM, Mika finally started to stir.
"Nn..."
She shifted under the covers, and her eyelids slowly lifted.
"Where... am I?"
As Mika’s mind cleared, she finally released her hold on my clothes.
"You're finally awake."
"Owari...? Wait! The Kaijin!? Are you okay!?"
Seeing my face brought the events of the previous night flooding back, and she scrambled toward me with a look of pure desperation.
"I’m fine. We both are. Just take a breath and calm down."
"Oh... I see. Thank god..."
I managed to talk her down. As she regained her composure, her racing thoughts slowed, and she began to process her surroundings.
"Where are we? What happened after... that?"
Between the three Kaijin and the Machine Soldiers, it had been a total dead end. She clearly found it miraculous that we were both sitting here in one piece.
"A Hero jumped in at the last second and saved our necks. They took care of the monsters for us."
"I see. That’s a relief..."
"They were going to grill me for details, but I gave them some vague story. I told them I’d handle getting you to the hospital myself so I could get us out of there."
It felt like a bit of a stretch, but in moments like this, confidence was key. I told the lie as if it were the gospel truth. Under normal circumstances she might have poked holes in it, but in her current state, I could bluff my way through.
"I really did intend to take you to a clinic, but you insisted you didn't want to go, so I brought you here instead."
Setting aside the first half of the story, the second part was the truth.
"This is..."
As she listened to me, Mika finally noticed the state of her own body. Her blood-soaked, ruined wafuku was gone, replaced by a baggy, oversized T-shirt, and her limbs were wrapped in clumsy bandages.
"Don't get mad at me. You're the one who refused to go to a hospital."
I put up my defenses early, expecting her to blow up at me for stripping her down to her underwear without permission. Surprisingly, Mika didn't get angry. She simply looked down and traced the edge of a bandage with a soft expression.
"Mika?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I just thought you'd be more upset."
"I’m not mad. It’s not like it'll wear off if someone catches a glimpse. You did this for me, right? I... appreciate it."
I’d expected the prickly Mika to have some sharp retort, but instead, she gave me a quiet word of thanks. The change in her demeanor was enough to throw me off my stride.
"Well, whatever. It’s my turn to ask. What happened yesterday?"
If she didn't mind, then there was no point in dwelling on the wardrobe change. I steered the conversation back to the events of the previous night.
"...Yesterday, I was scouting the area before you arrived. That’s when I finally spotted him."
"The Dealer?"
"Yeah. He was wearing the exact same outfit as the one from before. I tried to chase him down to catch him, but it was a trap."
Waiting at the end of that chase were three Kaijin and a squad of Machine Soldiers.
"The rest went exactly as you saw, Owari."
She’d fought them and ended up in a corner. I probably should have lectured her about being reckless, but since she’d been fighting to protect me, I couldn't bring myself to be too harsh.
"Ow...!"
As I was weighing my words, Mika clutched her side and winced.
"Hey! Are you okay!?"
"I’m fine... the wounds just stung for a second..."
My first aid was strictly amateur hour. Mika had been stubborn about it before, but she really needed a professional to take a look at her.
"You still need to see a doctor."
"Ugh... fine. You're right."
She was being uncharacteristically compliant. I figured I should get her to a clinic while she was still in the mood to listen.
"Then let's go—though you can't really go out like that."
She was wearing my T-shirt, but it was far too big for her. I didn't have any women's clothes in her size, and her old outfit was a lost cause. She couldn't walk the streets in her current state.
"Wait here a minute."
"Where are you going?"
"The convenience store."
Modern convenience stores were a godsend; you could get almost anything if you weren't picky about style. I ran out and grabbed a T-shirt and some sweatpants, then returned and handed them over. They weren't exactly high fashion, but they were good enough to travel in.
I stepped out of the apartment and waited by the door while she changed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Mika stepped out, fully dressed, so we finally made our move.
"About the hospital... I have a regular place I go to."
Mika mentioned a name I’d never heard before. Apparently, it was a Private Doctor who had been a close associate of the Previous leader, and Mika had been seeing them for years. I assumed there were some complicated reasons for the preference, but as long as she got treated, I wasn't going to complain.
I hailed a taxi nearby, and we set off for Mika’s clinic.