Chapter 4: Girl’s head (3)

‘This place…’

I regained my consciousness around the age of eight.

That was also when Capella fully awakened her abilities.

However, when I regained consciousness, I was inside a collapsed building, with bodies strewn everywhere, and my own body wouldn’t move properly.

Thanks to the awakened ability, I barely managed to survive, but it was nothing more than just surviving.

It was a miracle just to have survived that explosion in the first place.

Looking at the scene amidst the rubble, was this a restaurant? A tragedy must have struck while families were enjoying a happy time.

‘…What exactly happened?’

I turned my head, and the outside looked even worse than here.

An army surrounded a person whose identity was unknown.

The army, equipped with not only guns but also various heavy weapons and armored vehicles, was effortlessly swept away as if it were only natural.

And by just one person.

That person was probably the cause of this incident.

After wiping out the army, they spotted me and slowly began to approach, intending to cut off my breath.

I tried to escape, just to survive.

‘Wait, is there someone alive?’

Just then, I heard a baby crying nearby.

If there was a baby, it meant there were parents too.

I wondered if anyone else had survived the explosion, but sadly, the baby’s mother had passed away forever, cradling her child amidst the blast.

That was also Capella’s mother.

Only the baby and I survived.

When the baby named Elena came into view, a girl’s voice echoed in my mind.

‘Please… save my younger sister.’

Those were Capella’s last words.

Knowing that she couldn’t save her only sibling herself, she gave her body to me to save the only family member left.

Even escaping alone would be overwhelming just to survive; taking care of a baby would make it even harder.

‘…This is insane.’

Yet, I couldn’t abandon that child.

I simply couldn’t refuse the request of a girl who had sacrificed herself to protect her sister.

****

Ten years passed since then.

It has already been ten years since I rescued Elena from the ruins.

“Alright, shall we eat the chicken before it gets cold? We can cut the cake after we finish eating.”

Among the various things I bought, I first took out the boneless chicken from the store in front of the hospital.

I was worried because Elena didn’t eat much meat at the hospital, but thankfully, she ate chicken reasonably well.

“Yay, it was worth waiting without eating dinner!”

As expected of chicken, it never disappoints.

Now, let’s take out the other things.

Salad is, of course, a must-have when eating greasy food, and cake is essential with Christmas approaching.

“Wow, you even bought a cake?”

“I bought your favorite strawberry cake. Eat it with a grateful heart. And these are for your winter coat and shoes…”

Anyway, after that, I managed to settle down in Hero City, but Elena often stays in the hospital like this because her body is weak due to the events of her childhood.

The reason her body is so weak that she needs hospital care is that Elena is a Magic Incompatible.

A rare disease that affects perhaps one in a million people.

Even though an Incompatible is not an Awakener, magic power is generated within their body, and this generated magic power crushes their body, making it a dangerous disease that can lead to death if not handled carefully.

Before it becomes dangerous, the magic power accumulated in her body must be removed, and there are many other things to worry about, making it difficult for her to live outside the hospital.

So she spends most of the year in the hospital, and although she occasionally stays at home, even that is only for a week or two at most.

“Why did you buy so much, Unnie?”

Normally, if magic power is generated in the body, one becomes an Awakener, but in Elena’s case, it happened due to external factors, so there was nothing that could be done.

Thanks to this, her growth is slower than her peers, making her look younger than her age, but she matured quickly…

“It’s cold, so you need to stay warm, and you need to eat a lot during your growth spurt to grow tall, don’t you think?”

Still, I think it’s much better than dying.

If she died, it would be the end, but at least if she’s alive, a way might somehow open up.

“…You must not have much money because of me.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. You know I’m an Awakener, right? I can earn enough to cover your hospital bills.”

Although the cost of periodically extracting the magic power from her body is a bit daunting, I can somehow cover it with bounties.

If I’m a little frugal, there won’t be any particular problem.

Rather, the one who has it hardest is herself.

Even though she’s stuck in the hospital while kids her age are attending school, I was grateful that she was growing up so well.

Moreover, she studies even in the hospital, and I heard she’s currently learning high school curriculum?

I don’t know who she takes after, but she must be very smart.

“Thank you, Unnie, I’ll eat well then. But Unnie, you probably haven’t eaten anything all day, have you? You should eat first.”

Elena picked up a piece of chicken and offered it to me.

It was a bit hot, but chicken is delicious after all.

“…It’s delicious, you eat quickly too.”

“Yeah, when I grow up, I’ll earn a lot of money and buy you lots of delicious things, Unnie.”

“My taste is quite refined, are you sure you can handle that?”

“No problem!”

And even though she’s only 12 now, she thinks such thoughtful things.

She grew up without parents from a young age, yet she’s pretty, smart, and even kind. How many sisters like this could there be in the world?

That’s why no matter how exhausting and tough work got, seeing Elena’s bright smile gave me strength.

Even if it was hard, I had to find the strength.

So, I hope Elena’s body gets healthy as soon as possible.

“Alright, I’ll just accept your kind thoughts. Is it about to start now?”

Soon, it was the scheduled time.

I turned off the lights in the hospital room, opened the curtains, and waited for the spectacle that would unfold in five seconds.

“Ah, Unnie! Over there! It just started!”

Elena’s voice was full of anticipation.

Flash!

Then the night sky brightened.

Bright fireworks appeared with the sound of firecrackers.

They were holding a fireworks festival at the Central Center to commemorate Christmas Eve.

It would be better if it were held on Christmas Day itself, but due to Hero City’s circumstances, it’s held on Christmas Eve, the day before.

“It’s beautiful…”

Elena sat on the bed, gazing out the window.

Her red eyes, just like Capella’s, sparkled brightly.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the eerie, dull red like mine, but a pure, clear, beautiful red.

“…Indeed, it’s really beautiful.”

I also sat next to Elena and gazed at the winter sky.

It was a beauty that words couldn’t express.

Fireworks of various colors illuminated the night sky, and in my mind, without realizing it, I thought of memories in one star and love in another…

It was enough to make a poem I usually wouldn’t even glance at come to mind.

“Unnie, I’m going to open the window.”

“I’ll open it. But won’t you be cold?”

“It’s okay for a moment. I’ll wrap myself in the scarf you bought me.”

Elena was excited and joyful, like a child.

It seemed worthwhile that I specifically requested a hospital room with a good view of the fireworks festival.

Until now, I’d been too busy to pay much attention, but recently I had some free time, so I could care a bit more.

Until last year, she would have only seen it from a secluded spot or on a small television. If I had known this, I should have booked a room on this side sooner.

If I had known she would like it so much, the money wouldn’t have been wasted.

“Thanks to you, Unnie, I fulfilled a wish.”

“What wish?”

“To eat delicious food with you, Unnie, while watching the fireworks.”

“…Make a bigger wish. What’s that? Things like this are usually watched from the rooftop of a luxury hotel. Or with a handsome and cool boyfriend. Oh, and if you ever get a boyfriend, you absolutely must introduce him to me, okay?”

If he’s a piece of trash, I’ll tie him to a firework and shoot him into the sky.

I’ll make him illuminate the night sky like those fireworks.

“I don’t have a boyfriend… And I’m only 12.”

Elena said with an effortful smile.

“Ah, right, I forgot.”

She’s so mature for her age that I didn’t realize it, but come to think of it, wouldn’t just approaching a 12-year-old be enough to warrant the death penalty?

Even if they’re a peer, I can’t be at ease.

Because I can’t guarantee that I’m the only one cursed to fall into this damned world.

Just in case, it might be good to ask the nurse if there are any boys who talk to Elena often…

“…Unnie, your expression clearly shows you’re thinking scary things. You’re not actually thinking of tying someone to those fireworks and shooting them, are you?”

“W-would I really do that?”

She’s really sharp, just like Capella’s sister.

I’ll have to pay more attention to my expressions from now on.

The fireworks continued for about 20 minutes after that, and I watched them while eating chicken with Elena.

When I turned on the TV, the news live broadcast showed the fireworks festival scene along with sweet music, broadcasting a joyful festival atmosphere celebrating the upcoming Christmas.

When the fireworks were nearing their end, I took out the cake, lit candles for the mood, and we ate it deliciously.

“That looks fun over there. Don’t you think, Unnie?”

If possible, I wanted to take Elena there, but the doctor said it was best not to go out in the cold winter, as it hadn’t been long since her magic power was extracted.

I have to follow the doctor’s words; if I got greedy and made her sick, the guilt would be immense.

“Next year, I want to go there with you, Unnie.”

“If you want to go, then get healthy quickly. Understand?”

And so, time passed.

By the time the clock’s hour hand neared midnight, I saw the broadcast announcing Christmas had arrived and turned off the television.

Normally, I go to bed before 11 PM, but today I specially allowed myself until midnight.

“Alright, you’ve brushed your teeth, so it’s time to sleep.”

“Mm-hmm… I’m getting sleepy…”

I covered the yawning child with a blanket, turned off the hospital room lights, and slowly prepared to leave.

If I stayed, I might disturb her sleep, so it would be better to go home.

“Unnie, can I ask you a favor?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Could you possibly stay until I fall asleep? I’ve been having scary dreams lately.”

But if I did that, I couldn’t go back.

Elena asked, holding onto my sleeve.

This is troublesome.

There isn’t exactly a night curfew, but if I walk around too late, I might get stopped by security robots, which would be troublesome in many ways.

“Elena, you’re still a child, aren’t you?”

“…Well, because I’m still a child.”

Ah, right. 12 years old is still a child.

I keep forgetting.

“Alright, but you have to sleep quickly, okay?”

“Okay.”

I quietly sat on the chair beside the bed and waited for Elena to fall asleep.

The hospital at night was quiet, and the only light now was the moonlight coming through the window.

This way, she’ll be able to sleep quickly.

As much as I’d like to sing a lullaby, I’m not very good at singing, so I’d probably just keep her awake.

“Have good dreams tonight.”

“Okay, thank you, Unnie.”

I leaned slightly on the bed, holding one of her hands.

It was a small, delicate, but warm hand.

Unlike my rough and cold hands.

****

I pulled my hat down, exhaled, and looked at the night view.

The breath escaping my mouth froze white.

The view from the hospital rooftop wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Although I couldn’t see the entire city at a glance like from a skyscraper, it was possible to view it from afar, which gave it a poignant feeling.

It felt as if I could reach out and touch it, but once I actually stretched my hand, I realized how far away it was.

“Do I feel like this every day…?”

Covering my face with a mask, I recalled the promise I made back then.

That no matter what, I would let that child live happily, because that was the only atonement I could make for taking away Elena’s ‘real sister’.

To do that, I would first have to fix her body.

Elena became that way because she was excessively exposed to an Awakener’s magic power when she was a baby.

That day, I had to unleash all my power to protect Elena from the Awakener who attacked the city.

The influence of being held in my arms at that time was probably significant.

My hair wasn’t white from the beginning.

[A message has arrived.]

Just then, a newly updated list arrived.

Looking at the list, a smile naturally formed on my face.

How much is all this worth?

Unlike heroes, villains are diligent and work hard even on Christmas.

“…Good, they’ve sent a well-sorted list.”

I should follow their example and work hard to earn money.

To fix her cursed body, which was due to me, a considerable amount of money was first needed.

After all, there’s only one way to cure a Magic Incompatible constitution, isn’t there?