153 Lesson 141

The long day is over.

After capturing Jinya-san, rescuing Amako, and fighting to the death with Koga, who I somehow ended up fighting, I healed the wounded Arc-san and then collapsed.

Just before I collapsed, I thought to myself, “I guess that’s it.”

At any rate, my magic power was completely drained when I healed him, and my body was in shambles. ;

The next time I opened my eyes, I was on the futon in the guest room at Hinomoto’s headquarters. I tried to fall asleep on the futon, but someone dove on my stomach like a tsukkomi, forcing me to wake up.

For the time being, I woke up with a healing decapitation to my underlings, and beside me were Amako and Arc-san, who were stroking their chests in relief, and Nea, who was holding her forehead and squirming on the spot.

“Nea, what are you doing?”

“Fugyuuuuuuu ……!”

Forgetting the human language, I went through Nea, who was glaring at me with tears in her eyes, and asked Arc-san how long I had been asleep.

Apparently I had passed out until around noon the next day.

While I was asleep, a beastman doctor seemed to have treated me with recovery magic, and my upper body was bandaged. I quickly healed the wounds with my own healing magic and removed the bandages. After putting on the clothes that had been prepared for me, I tried to look for my uniform and let out ah “Ah.”

“My uniform is at …….”

The uniform that had been folded neatly behind me had been torn to shreds in the battle with Koga.

There were cuts, both large and small, and holes in the shoulders and stomach.

Seeing this, I depressingly put on another jacket that was prepared for me.

“Sigh……. I’ve ripped my uniform. …… I’m going to get beaten up when I get home, I swear. I hope I’m only half dead if possible.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand if I tell them what happened.”

“I hope so.”

I’m sure they’ll understand.

But she might say, “That’s because you’re immature.” and, “I’m going to give you a good beating,” and suddenly I’m going to get a taste of hell.

I went to Hayate with Nea transformed on my shoulder, and Amako and Arc-san next to me.

“So, what happened after that?”

“Jinya-dono and those who followed him were captured, and after that, Hayate-san was handling the aftermath with his men.”

“What do you mean, “those who followed him?”

“I don’t mean the ordinary soldiers who followed orders, but the close guards and researchers. It seems that Jinya-dono was also moving his troops recklessly, and there was a growing sense of distrust among the soldiers.”

…… Yesterday, we threw them away because they attacked us, but the soldiers on the other side had doubts.

Maybe if they had really tried to kill us, I alone would not have been able to keep up with my healing magic and there would have been casualties.

“Amako, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“No. I’m fine.”

I ask Amako, and she looks up at me with a smile and says so.

…… Her response is soft? I don’t know, it’s a different atmosphere than before.

Strangely enough, I feel like we’re walking closer next to each other.

As I tilted my head, Nea approached me.

“Usato, I’d like to ask you something.”

“Hm, what?”

“That move that killed the Second Legion, what was that …… thing?”

The one that I released on Koga huh.

“Healing punch, type II, ‘Rengekiken’. It’s a technique where you hit a healing flying fist over and over again at zero distance.”

“…… Uwa….Uwa..”

“Yeah, for once I can understand how you feel. This is a dangerous technique.”

In terms of results, my healing punches were made one step stronger by the gauntlet.

However, it has turned into a more dangerous technique.

This time, I had to use it because the opponent had a high defense. …… No, I had to use it because it was an opponent I had to defeat, but this is definitely not a technique that should be aimed at people.

“……”

“Why do you look so surprised?”

“No, it’s just that …… you had some common sense.”

“What do you think I am?”

“Out of loop.”

That’s rude, you owl! What do you mean, “out of the loop”?

Even Amako went “EH?!” And let out a gasp!

Arc-san is just smiling and laughing at us. ……

“……Sighhhhhh.”

I let out a sigh at the too-good-to-be-true reaction, but I think it’s been a while since we’ve had an exchange like this.

Not so long ago, we were not even allowed to talk about such trivial things, so being able to talk together like this is invaluable.

As we exchanged words that made me feel nostalgic, we headed towards Hayate’s place.

We headed to the square where we had fought Jinya and Koga yesterday.

Hayate was in charge of the aftermath, cleaning up and repairing things that had been damaged in yesterday’s fight.

When he noticed us, he smiled and waved at us.

“Oh, good. I’m glad you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Yes, thanks to you. I just healed it with healing magic, so it’s completely healed. Thank you for even providing me with a place to sleep.”

“Considering what you’ve done for me, I don’t think I could ever repay you enough.”

Leaving the situation to his men for the moment, Hayate moved to a slightly more remote spot at the edge of the plaza.

“After you fainted, things got a bit chaotic here. At any rate, the defeat of Jinya, the chief of the tribe, and the intervention of the Demon King’s army and the person who claims to be the commander of the army. It wasn’t unreasonable, but things have finally calmed down today.”

“Were the others alright?”

“Yes, of course. Some people were injured, but fortunately no one was seriously hurt. It’s partly because things got under control so quickly, but I think most of the soldiers were lost and that’s why they were able to get away with this.”

“Yes, that’s right: …….”

Hayate-san was thinking the same thing as me?

Well, to begin with, these are people who originally live in a place that has nothing to do with conflict. Maybe it’s more rare for people to have rough thoughts like Jinya-san.

“That’s right. How is Jinya doing? I heard that he was captured. ……”

Hayate-san frowned in confusion when I asked that.

As I tilted my head at Hayate, who was stammering, Nea, who was on my shoulder, opened her mouth to answer for me.

“Jinya is drugged and put to sleep so that he can help Kanoko.”

“You’re putting him to sleep and he’s cooperating?”

“We’re just going to restore the power he took from her. Besides, if you let him talk, he’ll say nothing but disgusting things.”

“Shh, that’s harsh …….”

“I don’t like self-centered people like that.”

I guess I hate him.

Well, that’s all I did, and I may have said something that offended Nea while I was gone.

But to help Kanoko, I guess.

“So, how are you going to help Kanoko-san? Waiting for the completion of the Towa means you needed that too, right?”

“Yes, I couldn’t move until I stopped Jinya, but I can finally put my plan into action.”

With that, Nea jumped off my shoulder and returned to her black-haired, red-eyed human form.

“What I found out from my research on the ‘Towa’ is that it’s a magical tool that extracts the magic of the user and sticks it on others. I’m sure you’ll be able to understand why I’m so excited about this. …… Well, I don’t know if it’s because I put them in a runaway state, or if it’s because of some twisted research.”

Extract the magic out of the whole magic and stick it on others.

It’s a horrible story, though it could easily be put to rest like that.

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

“Jinya got Kanoko’s power through ‘Towa’. Then, if we use it in the opposite way, we can return the precognitive magic and magic power that’s attached to Jinya to Kanoko.”

“…… Is it as simple as that?”

“Yes, it is. It’s just that I’ve already asked the researcher who hypnotized to help me with everything. To be more specific, from the day I got the go-ahead from Usato, I started to adjust the ‘Towa’ to save Kanoko.”

“…… Nea.”

I look at her in surprise.

Catching my gaze, she tilted her head and then put on a confident face.

“Hmm? Wait, so you finally understand how amazing I am? Please give me more compliments?”

“Nea’s not screwed up ……!”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?

I was going to praise her honestly, but I felt like I was getting carried away, so I stopped.

But inwardly, I admired her for her hard work.

I’ll praise her casually later. But only casually.

“So, Nea. Can we start now?”

Amako asked a pouting Nea.

“The preparations themselves are ready. All we have to do is get Hayate’s permission and we’re ready to go.”

“Of course, we’ll get permission. And now that Usato is awake, too.”

Helping Amako’s mother.

This journey, which began that day with Amako’s wish, is about to come to an end.

All I can do is hope that Amako’s mother will wake up.

The researchers that Nea had put in a state of hypnosis were preparing the device.

The first thing I had to do in helping Kanoko was to bring her up here, where she was bedridden.

With the help of the beastmen who had taken care of her so far, we put her on a stretcher and brought her to the newly added bed-like section of …… “Towa” in the plaza, and attached rings connected to wires to her limbs and head.

And then, inside the remaining “Towa” ——

“Jinya……”

Jinya-san, who had been brought in asleep, was brought into the “Towa”.

Hayate was looking at him sadly, but we didn’t dare say anything.

“……”

Amako looks down anxiously at the face of Kanoko-san, who is sleeping quietly.

I put my hand on her shoulder and talk to her as reassuringly as I can.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“But …… I’m getting scared to predict …… what will I do if she doesn’t wake up …….”

That would be scary, wouldn’t it? The fact that you alone will know the outcome of this attempt better than anyone else is …….

I couldn’t say anything witty, so I had to stay by her side for now and wait for her to finish her preparations.

Nea, who had been watching Jinya-san and Kanoko-san along with the researchers, moved away from “Towa” and looked back at us, as if she had finished her preparations.

“Let’s get started. There shouldn’t be any problems, but just be aware of what’s going on.”

After confirming that we had nodded, Nea urged the researchers to activate “Towa”.

After a few seconds or so, a golden light was emitted from a gap in the outer shell of the “Towa”. The golden light flowed into the Towa from the wire connected to Jinya-san, and it also moved to Kanoko-san.

As I watched on with bated breath, Amako took my hand in hers.

Her small hand trembles.

I sense it and squeeze it back.

“The …… light, it’s subsiding.”

After about five minutes, the light of “Towa” subsides.

When Nea saw that the light had completely subsided, she silently approached Kanoko-san and looked at her body.

“Your magic has returned properly. The attempt was successful, but …… now we just have to see if she’ll wake up.”

“What about Jinya?”

Nea glanced at Jinya in response to Hayate’s question.

“It looks like Jinya’s back to his normal magic power. The other side is just back to normal, so it should be fine, the problem is—-“

“……!”

“Ha, Amako!”

As if she couldn’t stand it there, Amako ran up to Kanoko.

With a tearful expression, she grabbed Kanoko’s hand and called out for her mother in a strained voice.

I did everything I could.

I’ve restored Kanoko’s magic power.

Now, if only she would wake up.

“……Unnn”

“!”

At that moment, Kanoko-san, who had been bedridden for so long, let out a moaning voice.

As soon as Amako, who had stiffened in surprise, called out to her, Kanoko opened her eyes lightly.

“…… Ah, uh, I, am …….”

“Mother.”

“Amako? It’s not quite morning yet. ……… Hmm?　No, no. I’m pretty sure I have a “Towa” ……, so maybe!　What?”

She tried to sit up and put some strength into her upper body, but after two years of inactivity, she returned to her original position in agony.

Amako’s voice trembled at her, and she hugged Kanoko as hard as she could.

“Mother, I thought you were never going to wake up …… I’m so, so glad ……!”

“Amako ……. Yes, you …… did your best.”

Kanoko-san looked surprised when she saw Amako saying those words with tears in her eyes, but she immediately smiled kindly and placed her hand on her head, patting it gently.

That was the start of Amako’s crying.

Tears that the girl who had never shown tears, even when she was in pain or sad, finally showed.

It was a moment when she, who was mature enough to be inappropriate for her age, could finally express her emotions and cry in a way appropriate for her age.

After that, Kanoko immediately went to see a doctor in Hinomoto.

The reason for this was to check whether or not she was affected by the use of Towa, but another reason was because of the condition of her body.

Even with the magic tools and care, she hadn’t moved her body for two years. Because of this, her muscle strength had been severely weakened, and now it was not even easy for her to walk normally.

As a result of the examination, it was found that she had no after-effects of losing her magic power due to ‘Towa’.

“Thank you all very much for your help. I’m still physically disabled, so I can’t thank you properly, but please forgive me—-“

“No, no. More importantly, please don’t take it too hard.”

“Mom, Usato’s right.”

I hurriedly told Kanoko-san to stop, who lowered her head while only her upper body was up on the futon.

It was night about half a day after Kanoko-san woke up. I, Arc-san, and Amako were called to the room where Kanoko-san was sleeping.

Amako was sitting beside Kanoko-san, glancing at her with concern.

“I’ve heard the general story.”

“Roughly?”

“About what Amako’s been doing away from here for two years, and about this commotion.”

So you’ve heard it all, I guess.

“I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused Hayate-kun. If I had realized Jinya’s true nature earlier, the situation wouldn’t have got that big. ……”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just happy that mother is awake and safe.”

“Amako ……!”

Kanoko-san held her eyes as if she was moved by Amako’s words.

After about a dozen seconds, she wiped her eyes and turned her gaze to us.

“I’m really grateful to you guys. Amako has told me about you, but may I ask your names again?”

“Ah, yes. My name is Usato Ken, of the Lingle Kingdom’s rescue squad.”

“My name is Arc, knight of the Kingdom of Lingle.”

“I’m Nea, a familiar. I’m currently in owl form, but I’m essentially in human form.”

After listening to each person’s self-introduction, Kanoko-san finally looked at me and gave me a sly smile.

“You’re the one who cast the healing spell on me, Usato-kun.”

Huh, she seemed to take away some of the honorifics …… and made me feel more mindful and friendly.

“Eh, yes, I did. You were conscious?”

“I was asleep, and when I woke up for a moment, I saw you and Amako trying desperately to help me. Jinya was around, so I could only warn him of the danger, but …… so, hmm, you …… hmm.”

Kanoko’s upper body swayed to the side as she observed me.

I’m not sure how to react to her meaningful gaze, wondering what is going on.

Is it my imagination, or do I have a bad feeling about this?

This is different from the time of Koga.

No, this is more like the time of Lucas-sama in Samaria—–

“So, how long have you been seeing Amako?”

“Huh?”

“What?!”

I let out a dumbfounded voice, and Amako let out an absurd voice.

Kanoko-san gave us a look of pride as we showed such reactions.

“Amako. Did you really think that I wouldn’t understand? My fox intuition is still sharp even after two years of sleep. I’ve already been scared out of my wits by this ear, and I guessed right away.”

Kanoko-san crosses her arms confidently. The fox ears on her head are also moving with a sense of pride.

Could it be a misunderstanding, like a father’s misunderstanding that his daughter’s boyfriend is his girlfriend?

Amako, who was really upset by Kanoko’s unexpected words, called out to her.

“Kaa-san? What are you talking about?”

“Fufun, you can’t hide from your mother.”

…… Oh, this lady, looks like a disappointment.

Kanoko-san’s smug face, which I’d like to use as an example, reminds me of the word “woman trouble” for the first time in a long time.

I looked at Amako fearfully, and sure enough, she was lying face down, her face turning red.

“Everyone, get out of this room, right now.”

Her words were choppy, but the shame and anger oozed out of them.

We shuddered at the low volume of his voice.

Nea is shaking on her shoulders, shivering at Amako’s unprecedented reaction.

“Yeah, but, Amako, …….”

“Get out.”

“Yes, I understand!”

I assure you.

The current Amako is more terrifying than Koga.

Kanoko-san, unaware of this, tried to stop us.

“What, what’s wrong? Amako, you look so scary, you’re ruining your cute face. Huh? Why are you sneaking up on me like that, what are you doing with your hands, and your tail———-”

When I slammed the door shut, I heard a voice inside that sounded like it was grabbing a chicken’s head …… or a fox’s tail.

No, I don’t know, I’ve never heard a voice grabbing a fox’s tail, but it’s probably not a bad expression.

“But I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

I’m relieved to see that Kanoko-san is now letting out a cry for help to us behind the bran.

From the looks of it, it might take some time, but with continued rehabilitation, she should be able to return to her daily life. My healing magic won’t work, but I’m sure a strong woman like Kanoko-san will be fine.

However, there was one thing I was worried about.

“……”

Kanoko-san was saved.

If it was Hinomoto, Hayate would be able to protect Kanoko-san and Amako.

If that was the case, would Amako stay here? Or will she go back to Lingle Kingdom?

Only Amako herself can give the answer to that question.