Silently, I follow the hologram through the hospital corridors. As we proceed further, the pristine white walls become increasingly stained with red marks, particularly on the floor. Are these signs of a frenzied emergency or simply wear and tear that cannot be erased? There is no simple answer to this question, I’m guessing.
Still, as we make our way through, I can’t help but notice my heart racing, and I sigh away from time to time, just trying to get my mind in order. ‘What will they think?’ Is the dominant thought growing in my head. ‘Everyone sounded like they were alright in the texts, but Solus only knows if they were being genuine.’
As I’m stewing away in my thoughts, the hologram turns to a wide set double sliding door marred with deep crimson stains. “We’re here,” she tells, stopping close to it. Turning my way, the projection of injection fairy lily shows a solemn expression as she informs, “Behind these doors is the lobby. You may proceed when you are ready.”
Matching the hologram, I stop close to the wide double door, looking up and down its white and red exterior. I draw a deep breath through my nose, tightening my hands into fists before relaxing them again. ‘Let’s go, just one more step and I’ll know for sure.’ I keep repeating in my mind as I exhale deeply and take a step forward.
As I draw closer, the door opens with a satisfying “Woosh”, and I walk through. I find myself in a space much like the clinic’s lobby on the station. Right away, I notice another duel monster hologram, this one a tanned woman with pointed ears and vampiric bat wings on her back — Vampire Vamp.
More importantly, the hologram’s chatting up a group of teenage girls — girls who I know all too well. Right in front of her are Nanako and Naeko, who appear to be making small talk with her. They seem to be listening attentively to whatever the hologram is saying.
Just seeing them immediately catches me off-guard, making me miss the dark-haired missile in the shape of Mia flying in my direction while shouting, “YUUUUMIIII!!!!!”
“Ugh!” is the weird noise I make when she slams into me with her ample chest. She doesn’t stop there, holding on with a forceful hug while pulling me closer. Smiling, I obviously don’t resist, and she continues by rubbing her cheeks against mine like a house cat.
Although I’ll admit it’s cute, it also draws the attention of everyone else in the room. In particular, one of the cheerleaders - who just happens to share Mia’s hair color. She looks over and starts running my way, just like Mia.
Standing still, my heart pulsing rapidly in my chest, I brace myself for another girl to cling to me. As the force of her chest slams into my shoulder, I let out a muffled moan. Her arms tightly clutch around me, and the scent of her perfume fills my nostrils. Compared to Mia, Nanako goes straight for the neck, wrapping her arms around it and gazing deeply into my eyes.
My head spins, and I’m momentarily taken aback. ‘Is she going in for a kiss?! In front of everyone?!’ I scream internally but find myself unable to voice it.
I’m not sure if Nanako picks up on my unease or decides against kissing me in front of the others on her own, but she elects to press her nose into the crook of my neck. The scent of her shampoo and the sound of her breath tickle my skin. I can feel the warmth of her body against mine, and I exhale a sigh of relief.
Seeing her back down, I can feel my heart rate returning to safe levels, the pounding in my chest subsiding. I gently rest my head on hers, feeling the softness of her hair against my face, doing my best to hide my flustered expression from the rest of the girls.
With two girls clinging onto me, it leaves me imagining that this is what harem anime protagonists feel, making me forget about what I had planned to say and leaving me scrambling for how to greet them. “Erm, hey girls… Missed me?” I stammer out.
Mia mumbles into my shoulder, “You have no idea…” It’s adorable.
Looking over Mia’s shoulder, I find Yasuna making her way over to us, with an amused smile plastered on her face and Aiko following close behind.
“Lady trouble, Yuumi?” Yasuna asks in a smug tone of voice.
“What can I say? It’s tough being this popular,” I joke while trying to hug the two back.
Yasuna scoffs, saying, “Well, I would say I’m jealous, but after everything that happened, I can’t do that.” Her eyes turn to Mia as she continues. “Come on Mia, give her some space. The girl can’t breathe.”
“No…” she murmurs, tightening her hug. She tilts her head up and says, “Not until she promises not to scare me like that ever again…”
Chuckling, I pat her head and tell in a somber voice, “You know that’s not a fair thing to ask, Mia…”
She responds by holding me even tighter, completely ignoring that I even said anything.
Seeing I’m not getting any luck with her, I turn to my other side, asking Nanako, “And what’s your reason for being so cuddly?”
The dark-skinned girl doesn’t look up, instead choosing to ask, “Do I need one?”
I try my best to come up with a counterargument to that, but I can’t seem to think of one. “Uh, Touche, I guess.”
Still, she ends up glancing back up, focusing on my eyes. With her cheeks lighting up a crimson red, she finally admits, “Well… I also missed you a lot, okay?” The cheerleader moves closer and whispers in my ear, “I know the others don’t want me to tell you this, but we couldn’t even think about getting up to any fun without knowing if you were alright. It has been a very boring couple of days…”
This time, it’s my turn to blush up a storm while she goes back to nuzzling my neck.
Thankfully, a hero arrives to free me from my figurative captors, or, more accurately, two heroines.
“Sis, don’t bother Yuumi like that. She’s been through a lot,” says a girl who could be easily mistaken for Mia if not for her blue hair. She walks out from behind Yasuna and places a hand on Mia’s shoulder.
“Nana, you’re making a scene…” another girl draws on. “I promise, you’ll get to cuddle up with Yuumi as much as you want when we get back to our room.” Tells a modestly tan girl with piercing pink colored eyes framed by long, flowing brown hair and a chest so large it could make any woman rethink their sexuality. She also makes her way behind Nanako and places a hand on her shoulder.
““Fine…”” Similar disappointed groans echo out as the two girls loosen their grips, allowing me to take a full breath.
‘Seriously, the idea that emotionally deaf harem protagonists can somehow handle this only makes that genre even more unrealistic.’ Is the strange thought that passes through my mind as I finally get to look around at the figurative troupe I gathered up in this small hospital lobby. As I look around and see the five gather up in front of me, I let out a sigh and say while scratching behind my head, “So, I guess some apologizing is in order…” I draw on, “But before that, I have to ask,” I turn to the two cheerleaders, “Where the hell is Haruna?”
Thankfully, Naeko quickly explains, “Oh, they wanted to check up on her since she was already here.” The geeky cheerleader clarifies, “She got fixed up on-site after the power came back up, so all the procedures on her were done with solid vision. They wanted to check up on her in-person.” Naeko glances to the other holographic attendant and tells, “She said it would only take a few minutes, so if everything went smoothly, then she’s probably on her way back.”
I blink a few times with confusion apparent on my face. “So should we wait for her before I go on with my spiel or do you think she wouldn’t mind if I told it now, and you just relayed it later?”
The girls giggle for some reason before Nanako turns to me and says, “Don’t worry, if it’s coming from us, she won’t mind.” Noticing my skeptical look, she reminds, “Remember when you first told her about your… Situation? Well, call it payback.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I turn to Naeko. “Is that so?” I ask while crossing my arms.
She shrugs, saying, “Yup, pretty much. We trust each other with stuff like that.”
“Uh, useful,” I comment. Then, I turn to the rest while lowering my arms to the wayside. “Right, if that’s the case, then let me start by saying…” I draw out, looking over everyone’s expressions. Holding my left arm while lowering my gaze to the floor, I tell plainly, “I’m so fucking sorry for putting you all in danger back there.”
The expressions across the board range from grins from the two cheerleaders and various levels of confusion from my three ex-roommates.
“What the hell are you talking about, Yuumi?” Yasuna asks sharply after shaking her head in disbelief. She then sternly reassures, “It’s obvious none of this shit was your fault!” Brushing off Aiko’s attempts to hold her back, she steps forward and stops less than a meter away from me. Leaning in, the green ponytail wearing fitness nut asserts, “Yuumi, cut the shit. We know the three of us were on that list to be captured. I can’t even imagine what could’ve happened if you weren’t there—”
“Nothing!” I shout, interrupting her. As she leans away with her eyes opening wide, I clarify, “Nothing would’ve happened, Yasuna! And you know why? Because that list was bullshit! The only reason any of you were even targeted is so you could serve as bait to draw me out!”
With a roll of her eyes, she asks sardonically, “Oh, really?” She fixes her gaze on me and demands, “Then why were the three of us on that goddamned list the army recovered, labeled as ‘To be captured’?” After making her declaration, she once again holds her arms out wide and leans back. “Please explain it to me,” she implores, “Because it seems like you’re implying I’m not capable of reading five entries and a title from a fucking list!”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all!” I rush to clarify. I groan while rubbing the palm of my hand on my face. My eyes focus on Yasuna’s gradually widening expression before saying, “Their commander said that you three and Aya were just a bonus…” I draw on.
“You believed him?” Yasuna rushes to question.
I throw my hands out and tell, “Of course I did! As far as he knew, he was about to win! Why would he even lie about something like that!?”
“Can you two kiss already!?” a voice howls to my left, causing me to turn abruptly. Through the double doors of the lobby steps a tall girl with short, pink hair styled in a pixie cut. She saunters over to Yasuna and me, and I can’t help but notice the faint scent of lavender emanating from her. “Holy shit!” she exclaims, “Talk about making a scene.”
I gape at her, my eyes wide open. I find myself standing completely frozen while she places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Looking down at me, she speaks firmly, “Listen, honey. Anyone who tries to place the blame for what happened on your shoulders is only trying to take advantage. You need to stop blaming yourself every time something bad happens to someone close to you.” Her warm brown eyes meet mine, and she continues, “It’s admirable that you try to take responsibility for your actions, but this is getting ridiculous, Yuumi. You can’t keep blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control.”
I can barely breathe and my heart races as the girl who I saw a couple of days ago get shot right in front of me now appears healthy enough to berate me for being an idiot. Still, I can’t even get mad as an incredible sense of gladness bubbles in my belly, and I stupidly stammer, “H-Haruna!?”
She gives a cheeky smile, and says, “That’s my name, sist—”
The tall girl doesn’t get to finish as I throw myself at her and, with all my strength, pull her into a tight hug.
