CH 42

Kashiwagi-san handed me a red pill, which I swallowed and drank a small amount of water after.

Then, I covered up to my face with the white fabric and laid down on the mat.

“The floor mat is softer than I thought it would be. Looks like it will be comfortable to sleep on.”

My mouth was of course covered with fabric, so my voice came out muffled.

“According to my calculations, about 70 kilograms of water has to be discharged from your body. The water-absorbing mat is also quite thick. I have you lie down so that gravity is evenly distributed over the entire body, and so that your muscles remain in the same state as when you sleep, a dormant state.”

Kashiwagi-san explained as she looked down at me who’s lying there.

What can I say… it’s good right?

“The fabric all over your body is a replacement for the microchipped stickers you put on several times during training, because in this case, the stickers would surely come off too quickly due to the moisture.”

“I see. So this is how you get the data.”

“That’s how it is. Then I’ll be in the room behind the glass watching you.”

After saying this, Kashiwagi-san took out an eye mask and put it on my eyes.

“Good night, Yamamoto. I hope you have good dreams.”

“Haha, I will try to live to see the sunrise.”

◇◇◇

Two hours after wearing an eye mask over the eyes―

You can’t sleep when you are warned of severe pain.

And that moment came suddenly.

“Guh…!”

A searing pain attacked my entire body.

And so I ended up screaming in anguish.

But I;m going to endure it and not raise my voice.

Otherwise, she will surely be worried.

(Endure…! I’m surprised it came so suddenly, but not unbearably so! Hang in there! I can do it! Because I’m the eldest!)

It was convenient that the water was draining from my body; I didn’t need to be exposed to cold sweats from the pain.

Though I raised my voice a little earlier, Kashiwagi-san was behind the glass.

I’m sure she didn’t hear me.

Now, all that remains is to endure this pain for a few hours.

I have been in pain all my life.

Compared to that, this kind of pain is nothing now.

But I still need anesthesia, please…!

( —!?!!)

As I was beginning to feel weak inside.

Suddenly I felt something strange in my mouth.

With an aroma like sweet rum candy that tickles the nose—

My mouth felt soft through the cloth for a moment…

◇◇◇

“ —Yamamoto, good job. It’s over, the pain should have subsided by now, right?”

Perhaps it was morning, and I could hear Kashiwagi-san’s voice, although I could not see anything because of my eye mask.

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt anymore for some time now.”

“You sounded like you were in pain for once. After that you seemed to be doing well.”

“I was surprised at first, but it was a piece of cake. You gave me a very strong anesthetic during the procedure.”

“… Well, I’m glad I could help.”

I was embarrassed to see Kashiwagi-san say that so matter-of-factly, and I felt ashamed of myself for being so upset.

Come to think of it, Kashiwagi-san is a pragmatic person, and if she thought it would ease my pain, she would not mind kissing me through the cloth to confuse me.

She is beautiful, so she is probably used to such things. But still, it is sinful of her to play with the pure heart of a man.

But, thinking it was useful, I confessed my overwhelming lack of experience.

“Ahaha, I was taken in by Kashiwagi-san’s strategy. When you did that to me, I didn’t care about the pain anymore. I was just so nervous the whole time.”

“… I-is that so?”

I lie down and remove my eye mask with my fingers, hoping to see the sunrise as soon as possible.

—but right after, Kashiwagi-san pulled down the eye mask again and covered my eyes.

“I’m sorry… stay with that on for a little while longer. Umm, I’m still taking more data.”

Her face, which I saw for a moment, was as red as the morning sun.