ăMizuho and Marion woke up at almost the same time in the hospital bed they were transported to.\n
ăWhen the two of them were transported to the hospital, the institution had placed two beds in a large single-person private room to isolate them from the general patients. So itâs a slightly smaller double room.\n
âThis is âŚâŚ ah, Akira âŚâŚ?â\n
ăBeside Mizuhoâs bed, Akera was sitting next to her in his usual suit.\n
âMizuho-sama!ăIâm so glad that youâre awake!â\n
ăUnlike his normal character, Akiraâs voice was loud with relief and joy.\n
ăMizuho shook her head lightly as she slowly raised her body to respond to Akiraâs voice.\n
âTotally!ăI was surprised this time. I didnât expect that you and Marion-san would stand up to vampires without saying anything to usâŚâŚ. Please donât let this happen again.â\n
ăAkira gave her a rather serious look and lectured her, but Mizuho had just woken up and felt heavy-headed, so she couldnât get Akiraâs words in well. Mizuho looked at Marionâs bed next to her, as she held her head with one hand, and Marion had just woken up her upper body as well as herself and was holding her head.\n
ăAs her consciousness gradually became clearer, Mizuho gaspedâ.\n
âNosferak!ăWhat happened to the vampire!\n
ăMizuho asks Akira as she had sudden jump in though.\n
ââŚâŚ eh?ăWhat are you talking about?ăI heard that Mizuho-sama and Marion-san held them off, and in the end, Huang familyâs Hideo-kun defeated him, right?ăDonât you remember âŚâŚ?â\n
âEh?ăWhat?ăIs that true?ăSpeaking of which, where are we?â\n
âThis is a hospital. Mizuho-sama and the others were unconscious for a whole day. And now, as for the story, Iâm assuming itâs true since itâs coming from Hideo-kun himselfâŚâŚ.. Isnât it?â\n
âHeâs the one who said that âŚâŚ?â\n
ăMizuho feels uncomfortable.\n
ăIt was almost like being told the solution to âŚâŚ some inconsistent puzzle. She was surprised that she had slept for an entire day, but right now it was more the discomfort of Akiraâs story that made her feel uncomfortable.\n
ăMizuho naturally locked eyes with Marion, and Marion shook her face as she held her forehead in one hand.\n
âI canât remember âŚâŚ well, either. Just âŚâŚ what is it?ăThis is the feelingâŚâŚ.â\n
ăApparently, Marion can see that she feels the same way. And for some reason, Mizuho also thinks itâs perfectly natural. The reason for this is unknown to herâŚâŚ.\n
âAkria. Tell me more about that in detailâŚâŚ.â\n
âeh?ăAh Ye- Yesâ.\n
ăHereâs the story as told by Hideo to Akira.\n
ăSuddenly, a vampire who attacked all the ability holders in Europe and caused a stir in the agency at a newbie exam get-together hosted by an ability agency. Hideo immediately noticed it and intercepted him. Hisae joins in the middle of the party and works with Hideo to subdue that vampire while the chaos is brought under control.\n
ăAfter that, Hisae led the examiners, and Hideo, Mizuho, and Marion stayed until the end, keeping the vampires in check and letting them all escape. Then, successfully, Hideo seriously injured the vampire, and Mizuho, Marion, and Hideo escaped as well. Once they escaped outside, but when they saw that Mizuho and Marion turned back to the hotel once more, they thought it was dangerous and Hideo went after them.\n
ăWhen he arrived at the scene, Hideo found Mizuho and Marion already down, and rescued them from the vampire in the nick of time. Then Hideo went into combat with the vampire already wounded by Mizuho and Marion, and finally won the battle and put a stop to it âŚâŚ.\n
âIn fact, Hideo-kun told Hisae-san that he even contacted the hospital and so on. Well, he was a great boy, wasnât he? As expected of the Huang familyâs heir apparent.. âŚâŚâ\n
ââŚâŚâ ââŚâŚâ\n
ăBoth Mizuho and Marion listened in silence. The vagueness of their memories was indeed filled in.\n
ăAt the expressions on their faces, Akira looked worried and supplemented them.\n
âPerhaps âŚâŚ Mizuho-samaâs fuzzy memory may be due to one of the abilities that that vampire took away from the ability user [Pending]. This ability is aimed at confusing the target, and the ability to make decisions and decisions is extremely reduced. In other words, it doesnât make the other person make a decision. Humans, a casual action without judgment is not something we remember. You could be interfering.\n
ăMizuho and Marion listen thoughtfully.\n
ââŚ.. I see.â\n
ââŚâŚâŚâŚâ\n
ăMizuho and Marion have managed to settle down to a level of understanding.\n
ăThen Akira laughs a bit with a subtle expression.\n
âSo, Hideo-kun has sent an invitation to dinner to Mizuho-sama⌠âŚâŚâ\n
âWhat about âŚâŚ?ăWhy me? How could I?ăWith that guy!â\n
âYou canât say that guy, he saved your life. Well, I know the purpose isnât just to eat, but âŚâŚ do you want to decline?â\n
âDamn!â\n
ăMizuho makes a disgusted face with her eyes, but she knows she canât refuse without a fight.\n
ăAlthough she may seem selfish, she canât do that because of her own civility-obsessed nature.\n
âFuu âŚâŚ Okay, Iâll do it. Tell him Iâll accept that. He did save my life.â\n
âI understand. Iâll let him know. Well, just rest here for the rest of the day.â\n
ăThe two of them had already been diagnosed with no physical problems when they were taken to the hospital, and if they regained consciousness and there were no problems, they would be discharged.\n
ăAs Akira stood up, he also greeted Marion and left.\n
ăA moment of silence passed for a while between Mizuho and Marion, both looked unhappy.\n
ăThen Marion, who had been thinking about it, opened her mouth.\n
âMizuho-san, about what you said earlier, is it âŚâŚ true?ăNo, Iâm sure itâs true, but I think we are missing something important, something very importantâŚâŚ.â\n
ăWhen she said that, Marion shook her head lightly, as if her consciousness was still not clear.\n
âOh, Iâm sorry, I said something weird âŚâŚ. Itâs rude, even to Hideo-san, who saved my life.â\n
ââŚâŚ No, itâs fine. But itâs true that the only members who can survive against a vampire are us who are A-ranked, and itâs not surprising that âŚâŚâ\n
ăMizuho herself thinks that this is a strange thing to say. This feels as if sheâs saying it to herself. It was a statement that seemed to escape the itchiness of vague memories.\n
ăBut it doesnât wipe away the inexplicable feeling of inexplicable discomfort. It was âŚâŚ almost like a disgusting feeling of betraying a close friend or immediate family member.\n
ăWith a heavy air, Akira returned to the hospital room. Mizuho gave Akira a suspicious look when he returned again.\n
ââŚâŚ what?ăAkira. Did you forget something?\n
âActually, yes. Yes, I forgot to give this to Mizuho-sama.â\n
ăAkira handed Mizuho a piece of paper from his chest pocket with an invoice written on it.\n
âWhatâs this?â\n
âHereâs an invoice for the costume rental at the hotel. And the hotel has informed me that the costume has not been returned to themâŚâŚ.â\n
âI didnât ask for a costume to rent⌠âŚâŚ. Hmm?ăNo, did I ask for itâŚâŚ..?â\n
ăMizuho pondered âŚâŚ as if she somehow had such a memory.\n
ăEven Akira also looked more troubled than curious.\n
âActually, I vaguely remember going to borrow it too. Itâs just that I canât remember why I borrowed it. And this is a manâs costume, right?â\n
âI still donât know this âŚâŚ. Someone from our side must have borrowed it.â\n
âThatâs what I thought at first, too, but in that case, the billing should have been made to the Shitenji family. But this one is owed in Mizuho-samaâs nameâŚâŚ..â\n
ââŚâŚ I hope someone didnât take the liberty of using my name.â\n
âWe wouldnât do such a terrible thing. There is not a single squire in the Shitenzi family who would risk their lives with a rental costume. I brought it to you because I thought you might understand if I gave it to Miss.â\n
âI mean, that stuff is tricky to pull off, but youâre rightâŚâŚ.. Hmmm?ăBut it looks like I really rented itâŚâŚâ\n
ăMarion, who was listening to the story beside her, hurriedly looks up and turns her head towards Mizuho.\n
ăMizuho notices Marionâs reaction and looks at her.\n
âWhat?ăMarion. What do you know about it?â\n
âOh, âŚâŚ no âŚâŚ Iâm sorry, I donât know.â\n
ăMarionâs eyes fall down and she falls silent âŚâŚ but Marion raises her downcast face again.\n
ăMizuho and Akira remain silent as they stare at Marion, wondering if Marion has remembered something.\n
ăBut what they heard from Marion was more than disappointing, it was even more confusing.\n
âIt sounds like a strange thing to say, but Iâm sure âŚâŚ this vague memory will return. No, Iâll definitely remember it!ăI think.â\n
ââŚâŚâ\n
âAnd Iâm sure that Mizuho-san must be like that, too, I think.â\n
ăThe words are unusually strong for Marion, and both Mizuho and Akira have a mysterious look on their faces.\n
âOh âŚâŚ Iâm sorry. I donât understand what I said. I know Iâm saying crazy things myself, but âŚâŚâ\n
ăThere is another moment of silence. Perhaps the reason why Akira is also silent is because there is an unclear and uncomfortable feeling in Akira. However, as if he had some business to attend to, Akira stood up again and said, âIâll be back,â and walked out.\n
ăA pleasant spring breeze came into the hospital room through the window that Akira must have opened, and Mizuho turned her head to look out the window. Under the clear blue sky, the large trees on the hospital grounds could be seen from the hospital room. After looking out of that window for a while, Mizuho opened her mouth.\n
âMarionâŚâŚ.â\n
âAh, yes.â\n
âI know Iâm going to say some weird stuff too, but Iâm talking about that story you told me earlierâŚâŚ.â\n
ââŚâŚâ\n
âYou know, if I fully recall this âŚâŚ vague memory, I have a feeling that Iâm going to have to fight you, Iâm sure.â\n
ăMarion looks surprised.\n
ăMizuho hurriedly turned her head to Marion in a panic as she huffed.\n
âAh!ăNo, itâs not. Itâs not really a fight. What can I say, weâre going to be real rivalsâŚâŚ.. Haha, Iâm sorry, Iâm saying more crazy things than that.â\n
ăWith a serious face, Marion listened to Mizuhoâs words in response to her embarrassed and flustered attitude.\n
ăMarion put her hand on her own chest as if she were ruminating over Mizuhoâs words.\n
âNo âŚâŚ. Now that Mizuho-san said that to me, Iâm sure I will too âŚâŚ.â\n
âWhat âŚâŚ?â\n
ăMizuho and Marion looked at each other. There was a strange and indescribable tension in the air, even for the two of them themselves. Itâs as if they were fighting for something that they could never compromise as women.\n
ăAnd then suddenly their breaths match, and they smile at each other in a very mature, un-girl-like way.\n
ăImmediately after that, as if to break the calm air, Mizuho emits a voice that shakes from the pit of her stomach.\n
âAnd one more thingâŚâŚ..â\n
âWhat is it?â\n
ăMarion was pressured by the strangely powerful voice.\n
âFor some reason, Iâm terribly angry right now!ăI honestly donât know what Iâm so angry about, but I canât wait to remember it all and get rid of this obscure anger with every fiber of my being!ăâŚâŚ Why is that?â\n
âOh, me too!ăIâm angry too!â\n
ăWithout pause, the usually ladylike Marion shouted. She holds her hands out in front of her and makes a fist.\n
ăThis time Mizuho looks surprised.\n
âWhen I also get this obscure memory back, âŚâŚ I will resolve this rage with all my might!â\n
ăMizuho flinched and stared at Marion, just because she usually seems so mature.\n
ăAnd âŚâŚ naturally, they looked at each other again and smiled at each other as if their hearts were in sync. Little did they know that a certain boy was feeling an unearthly fear at this time.\n
ăA few minutes after this, along with Akira, Mizuhoâs own father, Shitenji Takashi, broke in.\n
âMizuho!ăAre you okay?â\n
ăThen Mizuho beat him up mercilessly cause he had rampaged through the streets coming to the hospital, and the head nurse at the hospital lectured both father and daughter.\n
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