Chapter 106: 106

“Excuse me! Doctor! My husband!”

“Ah, Aoi! Calm down!”

“I can’t calm down! Where did the doctor go!”

Aoi carried me to the community center on her back.

Aoi came rushing over with a ghastly expression on her face, and as soon as she saw my back injury, her face went deathly pale, she caught me silently, and ran over here with haste.

“Nii-chan!”

At the entrance to the community center, where firefighters and emergency personnel were busily moving around. My brother Shouhei was there standing in front of a shoe rack.

“Shouhei, you’re okay…”

“What were you doing? What’s with that injury!”

“U-um, Shou?”

“You were doing something reckless again, idiot brother!”

Hey, why don’t you listen to your brother a little bit?

I was ready for him to be pissed off, but come on.

“Aoi-neechan! Over here! They’re taking care of the injured here!”

“I understand! Excuse me, there’s an injured person coming through!”

While still on Aoi’s back, we made our way down the hallway through the crowd.

A temporary first aid space had been created in the small gymnasium that was attached to the community center.

”Aniki!”

“Kazamachi-kun!”

When I was brought to the gym, Officer Doggy who was treated by the paramedics, and Makio, who was accompanying her, was there.

A bandage was wrapped underneath Officer Doggy’s shredded uniform, it appears that first aid was administered.

“Makio! Oh, good. You made it here okay. Where are the other kids and Hina-chan?”

Spotting them on Aoi’s back, I raise my upper body slightly to look at them, and then looked around for the children.

“Hina is out looking for the kids’ parents. They’re all kids from around here, so their parents might have taken refuge in the community center.”

“I see, that’s good…”

Makio’s words made my shoulders relax.

If those kids are safe, it’s worth it to get injured.

“More importantly Kazamachi-kun, aren’t you seriously injured! The seriously injured are being treated right over there! Over here!”

Officer Doggy interrupted the conversation, stood up, and pointed to the first aid space separated by a partition screen.

“Thank you, Doggy-san! Excuse me! My husband!”

“My brother! His back is seriously injured!”

Prompted by Officer Doggy, Aoi hurried into the first aid space.

Shouhei who was accompanying us also vigorously rushed in, and startled the paramedic who was inside the first aid space.

”Um! Please help my husband!”

“Eh, ma’am!? Ah, no. I understand! Please lie him down slowly on the bed!”

The paramedics were confused. That’s right. They would be confused if someone with Aoi’s appearance told them that they were married. Well, technically, we’re not married!

“Yes!”

“Aoi-neechan, over here.”

With Shouhei’s assistance, Aoi slowly lowered me onto the bed.

I laid face down on the bed and placed my chin on the towel that served as a pillow.

“This is serious. It looks like he had some light treatment, but we’d better hurry. Ma’am, may I?”

“What?”

Aoi approaches the female member of the squad with great vigor.

”Ah, um. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give you a full-scale treatment, but there are demon doctors at the hospital that serves as the rescue headquarters, so please be sure to head there later. They can treat you with healing magic there.”

The paramedic explained as she turned away.

“Can you not treat him here and now!?”

“Not completely, it’s just emergency measures.”

“That can’t be!”

“It’s all right! The potion has stopped the bleeding, and it’s not a life-threatening condition!”

“Ah, Aoi. It’s fine if they said it’s not possible. I’m just grateful for the treatment.”

You’re too impatient and that’ll bring them trouble.

“But, but…”

“S-sorry?”

Aoi’s eyes began to moisten.

Of course she would be worried.

I couldn’t say anything more strongly about it, because it was definitely my fault.

Aoi, who wiped the tears that never stopped flowing, slumped down next to the bed.

”Nii-chan! Aoi was so worried about you!”

“Uh, I’m sorry. Really.”

Shouhei, who brought a folding chair, was angry at me.

”Aoi-neechan. Sit over here, okay? I’m going to go to the kids, okay?”

After unfolding the chair, Shouhei placed his hand on Aoi’s shoulder and guided her to the chair.

”Ah, thank you Shouhei-san…”

Aoi feebly stood up and staggered towards the chair.

“Shouhei-kun, the twins are with mama, right? I’ll go with you.”

“Yes. There’s a nap room at the community center, and Jaja and the others are sleeping there.”

Shouhei lead Officer Doggy out of the gym.

Jaja and Nana are with Yuri-san? I can’t wait to see them.

“Ani… Kunpei-kun. I’ll go help Hina.”

“Ah. Sorry for leaving to you. I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

Makio, who still wasn’t used to using my name yet, waved his hand with a wry smile and disappeared into the crowd.

“You’re temporarily under anaesthesia from the magic potion, so I’ll take care of it all at once, right? Let me know if you are in pain. Just relax as much as you can.”

“Ah, I see. Please.”

The paramedic with disinfectant and bandages told me to relax my body.

I suddenly was hit with a wave of drowsiness.

Maybe it’s because I saw Aoi and Shouhei’s faces and know that the twins were safe.

All at once, a sense of fatigue and weariness that I had forgotten in my excitement until now, flooded my body.

”You’re not fine… but I’m happy just to see you.”

Aoi, who still had tears in her eyes, spoke to me as she wiped her tears with the hem of her jersey.

”…I’m sorry. I was worried about you and the kids, so I didn’t think it through.”

I’ve brought out all the bad parts about me.

I acted before I could think about it. There might have been a way to make it work a little better.

“No, we were also panicked and couldn’t do anything. We lost our composure when the house was covered with trees and tried to call Kunpei-san. Then the power was out and the phone was out of service. I don’t know if we would have been able to get here if the firefighters hadn’t given us instructions…”

”Were you and Shouhei at home?”

“No, I met up with him. He was caught up in the commotion on his way out of school. Shouhei-san was leading a group of underclassmen out of school.”

Ah, that’s right.

He said that he got involved in some kind of a committee.

“He said that he was evacuating with a small child when he was startled by a tree that grew and lost his phone.They headed for a large facility nearby, and Yuri-san showed me the route he takes when he leaves school, and I met them on my way there.”

I see.

As expected of Shohei. Even in such a chaotic situation, he was able to make a clear and calm decision.

“Were the kids scared?”

“Nana was scared, but Jaja seemed to be having fun. But there were too many people at the community center, so even Jaja was a little uncomfortable. The staff took us into consideration, so they made a nap room for mothers with their babies, for things like when they need to be breastfed.”

“What about the other people?”

“In the multipurpose room, the conference room and the staff room. There are a lot of households in this area and children who are getting out of school, so it’s a mess right now. I helped move some desks and stuff like that.”

I see.

It was difficult here, too.

‘The hunters, the firefighters, and the paramedics came right away and split up to search and rescue for the kids and the neighbors. The guy at the pharmacy said that they were able to act pretty quickly thanks to the A-Class Hunter that was in charge.”

Hmm?

That’s certainly about Gasara’s Aniki, Seijitsu-san?

I kind of figured out in the battle earlier, but that guy is a pretty amazing person.

“Why were you out there?”

Come to think of it, you showed up at a pretty good time.

“After I put Jaja and Nana to bed, I couldn’t stay still and I left the nap room to help with something, and Doggy-san, who was injured, was brought into the community center with the boy from earlier and some other kids. I rushed to let Yuri-san know and when I brought him up here, he told me that Kunpei-san was outside.”

I see.

No, seriously, good job Makio.

If he hadn’t led the kids and Officer Doggy here, Rouge might not have made it in time.

“I’ll have to thank him later.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no it’s nothing. My dad’s also on his way. I have to call him later.”

And Mikuma, too. I’m sure she’s also worried.

“A lot of people are using the phone at the community center to check on the safety of various people. So there’s quite a long wait…”

The lines will probably be a mess, I’ll leave calling dad and Mikuma for later. My smartphone is almost out of battery too.

Ah, that reminds me.

“Hey, Aoi, did you see Rouge?”

“Rouge-san… is it? Who’s that?”

Huh?

The way Rouge talked, it sounded like you were old friends.

“It’s me.”

“Whoa! When did you!”

Her sudden voice freaked me out.

Rouge was standing next to the partitioning screen of the first aid space.

She was holding Gasaraio on her shoulder with one hand.

“U-um, can you please put me down…”

“Mn”

Gasara leaned against the partition with an embarrassed expression, and Rouge patted his tattered mantle to straighten it out.

“This nee-chan is scary…”

“Your brother asked me for a favor. An injured person should act like one.”

“No, I can walk…”

“An injured person should act like one.”

… how stubborn.

“… Ru-anesama?”

“Hm. Now it’s Rougerichte. Long time no see, Ai. Ah, no. It’s Aoinoun now.”

Aoi widened her eyes at Rouge.

Rouge was still expressionless as usual, but if you look closely, the corners of her mouth relaxed a bit.

”Hmm. She was cute in the past, but she’s still as cute as ever. It’s good to see you. Aoi and the kids, I’m here to protect you.”

With that, Rouge gently hugged Aoi who was sitting in the folding chair.