Chapter 139: Sisters Hairstyle

“It’s fine, you can do whatever you like, Yukina.”

The corners of Ephnel’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, not minding at all.

In front of the full-length mirror, Ephnel sat primly while Yukina stood behind her, styling her hair.

This experience was a particularly fresh first time for both of them.

In the quiet morning, the sunlight streamed through the window into the hospital room.

Yukina gently stroked Ephnel’s hair, feeling the smooth texture gradually slip away, strand by strand, from between her fingers.

Yukina couldn’t help but lean down and gently hug Ephnel from behind.

“After you’re discharged… Naoko, you absolutely cannot push yourself, okay?”

Knowing she couldn’t persuade Ephnel, Yukina gave up on being stubborn.

“Don’t worry, I’ll rely on you a lot, just like I did these… past… few… nights~~”

Ephnel emphasized the syllables of “these past few nights,” a smile playing on her lips as her eyes narrowed.

Yukina understood what she was implying, and her fair cheeks immediately flushed crimson.

“Naoko~~~!”

Yukina let out a coquettish cry, but Ephnel just kept smiling.

Uncontrollably, Yukina’s mind went back to what had happened in the bathroom three nights ago.

Doing that kind of thing with her own sister’s underwear, separated by a single door, was something Yukina had never dared to even imagine before.

After the two of them had nearly crossed the line on the first day, Ephnel had finally reined herself in a little.

As a result, Yukina was spared from being caught in that awkward, halfway-there situation a second time.

So, using Ephnel’s underwear for that kind of thing had only happened once.

Although she wanted to do it more, Ephnel had regained some of her ability to move independently after the second day, so Yukina never got the chance.

If Ephnel ever found out she had used her underwear for strange things, everything would be over.

So Yukina didn’t do it again.

For the past two days, the most she had done was just smell them.

“Alright, alright, stop moving. I’m going to comb your hair now.”

Yukina’s face was burning as she proactively changed the subject.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Ephnel sat obediently.

Normally, as Ephnel, the hairstyle Yanase Naoko used most often was a personalized yet cute side ponytail, a modified version of a fishtail and scorpion braid.

Although this hairstyle wasn’t particularly troublesome to manage, it certainly wasn’t something you could replicate perfectly after just one look.

Even Yukina couldn’t do it without having braided it herself at least once.

But unlike Ephnel, who only knew how to do a few hairstyles, Yukina was quite skilled at hair braiding.

“Is this okay?”

Yukina gathered Ephnel’s hair slightly, held it in place, and then let Ephnel take a look.

It was the same style as her own.

Or you could call it a “sister hairstyle.”

The only difference was that Ephnel’s hair was a bit different from Yukina’s long, straight hair; hers was the type that curled up slightly at the ends.

So, although it was the same hairstyle, the final result was still a little different.

“I like it…”

Ephnel gazed at her reflection in the mirror, looking remarkably similar to Yukina, and said softly.

But surprisingly, Ephnel was very satisfied.

“Lady Ephnel, this is your discharge application. I’ve brought it for you!”

The nurse came to Ephnel’s room with the approved discharge application from the doctor.

At some point, the nurse’s way of addressing Ephnel had become a bit strange.

Or rather, over the past few days, the attitudes of the soldiers, nurses, and doctors here towards Ephnel had all changed to some degree.

In fact, apart from the period when she had just become an Agent, Ephnel rarely had to be hospitalized.

Even if something did happen, she was usually taken care of exclusively by Nishizaki Yuuki.

So, although she had some contact with the doctors and nurses here, there was still a great deal of distance between them.

Simply put, she wasn’t familiar with the staff here.

But in just a few short days, Ephnel’s relationship with them had grown much closer.

As people who often walked through Erosion disaster zones, it was easy for them to connect with each other.

In the nurse’s words, it was like “the ‘Ephnel’ we knew became a little more real.”

“Ah, thank you. Sorry to trouble you.”

Ephnel reached out to take the paper from the nurse’s hand and put it away.

“The doctor also said to avoid strenuous exercise as much as possible, and, if it’s convenient, you must come for a check-up at least once every two days. That way, we can accurately assess your recovery. If all goes well, your injuries should be mostly healed in about a week.”

The nurse relayed some more of the doctor’s instructions, then noticed the suitcase behind Ephnel.

Ephnel and Yukina didn’t have much luggage at the hospital.

Most of it was a change of clothes that Yonomori Nami had brought for Ephnel after that day, as well as the textbooks, books, and clothes that Yukina had brought from home.

It wasn’t much, and Yukina had packed it all into a small suitcase.

The nurse hesitated for a moment and suggested:

“By the way, Lady Ephnel, if it’s just clothes and such, I can help you apply for our delivery service. It can be sent directly to your address, it’s very convenient.”

In fact, to provide the greatest convenience for Agents, their luggage could be entrusted to the hospital for delivery.

This was a special preferential service offered by the Joint Hospital specifically for Agents.

With just a word to the nurse, someone would come to pack and send the luggage to the designated location.

“That’s not necessary. It’s not too much trouble. I can manage it myself, and my sister will help.”

Ephnel waved her hand, smiled brightly, and politely declined the nurse’s suggestion.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Ephnel didn’t want to take up the hospital’s already scarce manpower at a time like this.

A few days ago, the nurses and doctors had very little rest and were extremely busy.

It was only yesterday that things had gotten a little better.

There were simply too many wounded, a large portion of whom were soldiers from the destroyed garrison area and other Erosion disaster zones.

Compared to herself, Ephnel believed that letting more people help those in greater need was the right thing to do.

Seeing that Ephnel had no intention of accepting, the nurse, who had already expected this, quickly moved on.

She asked reluctantly, “Are you leaving today?”

Ephnel smiled and said, “Yes. It’s a bit depressing staying here all day, and it’s not right to occupy a valuable hospital room, so I wanted to get out a little sooner.”

“Is that so… I’ll miss you…”

“Thank you for taking care of me all this time. I’m very grateful.”

Ephnel said.