The treatment for my left hand was finished. It had been cleaned, slathered with ointment, and covered with a film of transparent wrap before being bound in bandages.
The diagnosis was that the injury hadn't pierced all the way through; the tissue on the back of my hand had stopped it halfway. Furthermore, a detailed examination revealed that since the weapon was a pair of cloth shears and not a knife, the nerves had luckily been spared. Depending on how it healed, there would likely be no lasting after-effects.
I told the doctor that I had tripped and put my hand down right onto a pair of upward-pointing shears. I planned to give the same explanation if the school asked.
"U-Um..."
"..."
I was lying on a simple bed in a shared treatment room, receiving an intravenous drip of painkillers. Sitting on a stool beside me, the Young Lady spoke in a tentative, concerned voice. Her eyes looked even wetter than they had when she was accompanying me in the car.
She didn't follow up with any more words. In fact, there hadn't been any real conversation between us up until now.
It wasn't that I was ignoring her. I was just lost on how to interact with her myself. Considering the circumstances of the injury to my left hand, it wouldn't have been wrong to rebuke her right then and there. But logic and emotion were two different things. My heart didn't want to hurl harsh words at her. Besides, I felt a certain amount of gratitude that she had gotten me to the hospital as discreetly as possible.
After thinking about it, I decided to put the matter aside for the moment.
"...Thanks, you really helped me out. Not just for keeping things quiet, but for the medical expenses too..."
"No, please do not let it concern you."
When I thanked the elderly, butler-like man standing behind her, he replied in a formal, humble tone. So this was the legendary "Jiiya." I couldn't believe people like this actually existed in this day and age. It was a bit disappointing that he wasn't dressed like a traditional butler, but more like a security guard. Even the car had been more of a taxi-like vehicle than a luxury Benz. I'd actually been looking forward to that a little...
"...Sajou-sama."
"Ah, yes."
Sajou-sama... I’d never been addressed like that before, and it actually moved me. As I replied with a sense of humility, Jiiya-san looked down at me with a solemn expression.
"Regarding your explanation to the doctor just now... it seems you were very considerate..."
"Ah, er..."
"..."
The treatment had taken place with only the doctor and me present. I had explained the circumstances of the injury then, and it seemed the details had been relayed to Jiiya-san afterward. However, his phrasing—"very considerate"—gave me pause. When I looked at the Young Lady, she cast her eyes down as if to avoid my gaze.
So she told him.
I wondered why she’d do that herself, but after a moment’s thought, I realized it made sense. If it really had been an injury from accidentally tripping, it would be strange for another family to pay the medical bills. I suppose this thorough follow-up was for that reason as well.
"This is an impertinent request to pile on top of everything else, but please... keep this matter confidential..."
It was troubling to have someone many times my age bowing his head and pleading with such exaggerated language. This definitely wasn't something a high school freshman should have to deal with. Did they think I was the type to post a picture on social media with a caption like "Something got stuck in my hand lol"? Surely not.
"I don't mind, but..."
Even if he hadn't asked, I intended to take this to the grave. I didn't know how it felt for the Young Lady, but for me, this was a "dark history." I was the one who had actually done the deed, after all... If I felt this way only a few hours later, I doubted this was something I'd be able to laugh about when I grew up.
Still, even if I stayed silent, the only thing that made me depressed was how I was going to handle a left hand that blatantly screamed, "I'm injured!"
About an hour had passed since we arrived at the hospital. By now, the students at school would likely be finishing their club activities and heading home. The reception at the hospital had already been closed when I arrived, and there were hardly any people around. Ever since I started helping the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, it felt like the number of times I went straight home had plummeted. I didn't feel like a member of the Going-home Club at all anymore.
"The medicine... I shall put it away."
"Ah, okay..."
Looking utterly dejected, the Young Lady reached out her right hand.
I handed her the bag containing the prescribed medicine. She opened the zipper of my bag, which she was holding with both hands, and carefully tucked the medicine inside. Perhaps because she looked so weak, there was a strange, modest grace about her as she handled my luggage—a situation that felt entirely out of place.
As I was choosing my words, Jiiya-san, who was walking ahead, turned around.
"Sajou-sama. We shall drive you home."
"Oh—"
"That won't be necessary."
"Huh?"
Just as I was about to accept the offer, a high-pressure voice cut Jiiya-san off. Surprised by the blunt rejection, I turned toward the sound and saw Nee-chan standing there with her arms crossed.
As I struggled to grasp the situation, I noticed other people behind her. There was Yuuki-senpai and the gal-like senior who had been in the Health Room. If I recalled correctly... she was Onitsuka-senpai. She gave me a little wave with a bright smile. What are you smiling at?
"Tamao, hold his bag for a second."
"Okie-dokie!"
Ah, that look in her eyes is dangerous.
The moment I instinctively thought that, Nee-chan grabbed Jiiya-san's shoulder, pushed him aside, and strode toward us. The second I saw Nee-chan's right elbow lift into the air, I reflexively shielded the Young Lady's face with my left hand.
"..."
"Stop it."
Perhaps the early guard worked, as Nee-chan's fist stopped right where it had been swung. If she had followed through, even she wouldn't have been able to stop it halfway. I would have ended up needing the hospital's help again.
Behind us, Jiiya-san looked like he had been about to stop her, his hands outstretched and his face pale with worry. Making an elderly person feel like their life is being shortened is no joke.
"...!"
Seeing my bandaged left hand, Nee-chan's expression twisted in a way that was unbecoming of the Student Council Vice President, and she looked down. She lowered her fist with a look of pure dissatisfaction and then glared at Jiiya-san with predatory eyes.
"I believe I warned you... that nothing good comes from a shitty brat having too much power. Did a geezer who's lived for so many years really fail to do anything about it?"
"Well... as an old man, I was hoping the Young Lady would overcome this on her own..."
"And this is the result."
"Urgh..."
Jiiya-san groaned and fell silent at Nee-chan's accusing words. It seemed they had been acquaintances for some time. She wouldn't take such an attitude toward someone many times older than her if it were their first meeting. But Nee-chan was just too much of a mad dog. I couldn't just stand by and watch.
"How did you know I was here?"
To change the subject and prevent the situation from escalating further, I threw out a question. Yuuki-senpai stepped forward to pick up the thread.
"An hour had passed since we sent you off. However, you didn't return, and no one showed up wanting to meet with the Student Council. Thinking it strange, we headed to the Student Council Room, only to find the room in disarray and bloodstains, as if something had clearly happened. Upon investigation, it turned out the person who called was just a school clerk who had been incited by Marika. Just as we were trying to figure out your whereabouts, Onitsuka came to Kaede in a panic, saying you had been taken to this hospital."
"Kaede was really losing it~"
"A-Ah..."
The Student Council Room... we’d left it as it was. It must have looked like a crime scene. I could easily imagine the expressions of the Student Council members.
"I heard what happened there from Kai, who checked the surveillance cameras on the way. No further explanation is needed."
"Ah..."
"We're taking this guy home."
"B-But... we must explain to his parents..."
"Unnecessary. You don't have to do anything. Instead, don't ever come near him again."
"..."
The butler reached out tentatively as if to stop us, but the words wouldn't come. If this were just Nee-chan venting her anger, it would be one thing, but I couldn't carelessly intervene in a situation where there was clearly background I didn't know about. If this was the result of warnings being ignored repeatedly, then I could see why she felt her anger was justified.
"Marika."
As I stood there bewildered, Yuuki-senpai called out to the Young Lady.
"I should have told you before: I have no intention of being bound by what my family decides. I've avoided saying it directly, but that includes my relationship with you."
"Ah..."
"As the successor to my house, I believe I understand my position. That is precisely why I've told the Shinonome Family that I won't treat them poorly even without a blood connection. A relationship that can only be forged by such archaic means should not exist."
"I-I just...!"
"I won't say any more for now. But I will convey my thoughts to you again at a later date."
"..."
A marriage promise made arbitrarily by parents. To the Young Lady, it was a responsibility to be fulfilled, but to Yuuki-senpai, it was nothing but a shackle. In terms of common sense, Yuuki-senpai was the one in the right. Normally, having your future partner decided by your parents would be unbearable. But if it were someone that handsome... I suppose you'd long for it.
"...That's all."
With that, Yuuki-senpai walked away. I wondered if he thought he was being even a little bit kind. He wasn't kind at all. But maybe this was the correct answer. I know of one sad monster who was rejected in a way that left hope, only to keep making approaches over and over. For some reason, I felt like crying before the Young Lady did.
"Let's go."
"A-Ah..."
Nee-chan gestured with her chin. It seemed her anger had subsided after hearing Yuuki-senpai's words, and she was calmer than before. It seemed difficult to butt in given the current dynamic, so I had no choice but to follow her quietly.
"...Ah."
The Young Lady was still holding my bag. God... isn't this joke going a bit too far? Did I do something wrong?
"Um... Young Lady."
"I-I am not crying!"
"Eh?"
"I am not crying..."
The Young Lady's face, buried in my half-empty bag, was hidden by her long blonde hair and hard to see. That said, hearing her trembling voice made it easy to guess her state. The words spun out through a desperate bluff felt like a responsibility that had fallen upon me to fulfill.
"...Tears don't really suit you."
The Young Lady, who might have wished for death, was here right in front of me, living through the present as best as she could. If this was a turning point for her to stand up again, I couldn't let the path be closed by my cheap words from earlier.
The bag left the Young Lady's hands with surprising ease.
The current Young Lady, who refused to accept her sadness and tried to fight her own feelings, surely had an ugly face right now. Unlike tears cooled by resignation, tears filled with passion must be incredibly hot. I didn't want to think of them as meaningless. Beyond an ideal that can't be reached lies a regret similar to a broken heart, and regret is supposed to refine a person.
The next time I see the Young Lady, she will surely be even more beautiful than she is now.