The day of discharge arrived. I was hospitalized for three weeks, but it was good that I made it in time for the university entrance ceremony.
My luggage was the bag I had when I got in the accident. And my uniform. It’s strange to wear my uniform after graduating, but I have no choice since this is the only outerwear I have.
The blood splatter on me had been wiped clean, and I didn’t feel any fishy smell at all. I have nothing but gratitude for the hospital staff.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
After thanking the reception desk, filled with deep emotion, I stepped outside the hospital, and an indescribable sense of liberation dominated my heart. Looking outside, I saw cheerful sunlight and cherry blossom buds beginning to show. These days, cherry blossoms often finish blooming before the entrance ceremony, but at this rate, they’ll be in full bloom for the ceremony.
“Now then—ow…”
Since I’m not fully healed yet, my wound hurts. Externally, except for my right arm, I probably look like a normal person. However, under my clothes, I’m wrapped in bandages. Walking is still tough.
“Haah… Who knew just a few steps would feel this exhausting…”
I regretted a little that I should have stayed in the hospital longer without overdoing it.
“Satoshi-kun! Wait up!”
“Hm?”
When I turned around, Satsuki was chasing after me while pushing a wheelchair.
“Your injuries aren’t fully healed yet, so you can’t go out alone, okay? Come on, sit down.”
“Ah, um, thank you.”
As instructed, I was seated in the wheelchair by Satsuki. Then Satsuki puffed up her cheeks and put her hands on her hips.
“How cold of you, Satoshi-kun. Going home alone on your discharge day.”
“No, I didn’t think you’d come…”
“There’s no way that would happen. I can’t let Satoshi-kun, who hasn’t fully recovered, be alone!”
“Satsuki…”
She’s too nice…
Satsuki’s heroine moves are dazzling. I was happy since I didn’t expect her to accompany me even after discharge.
“Now then, before the nuisances arrive—” “What are you doing!?” “Tch.”
Huh? Did she just click her tongue?
I was sitting in the wheelchair and could only hear Satsuki’s voice behind me. It’s probably my imagination. More than that, I recognized this voice too.
I heard fierce footsteps from behind. When I turned around, Reine was running toward us with her silver hair flowing and a demon-like expression. Then she stopped in front of Satsuki and glared sharply.
“Didn’t we promise not to get ahead of each other when picking up Satoshi-sama!?”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Reine. Satoshi-kun came out a little early, so I just thought I’d go ahead.”
“…How brazen.”
“What do you mean~?”
Satsuki deflected Reine’s intensity like a willow in the wind.
“Reine came too?”
“Y-yes. Even though you’re discharged, it’ll be difficult. Was it a bother…?”
She looked at me with an anxious expression.
“No, no. I’m happy you came. Thank you both, okay?”
“I-it’s not like—”
“Ehehe, thanks~”
Reine was twirling her hair while acting aloof, but her cheeks were red. Satsuki received my words with a beaming smile.
“…What are you doing, I wonder~?”
“I see. So you’re resorting to such methods.”
A fluffy voice and dignified polite speech. When I inadvertently looked forward, Shuna with a holy mother smile and Shino with an emotionless smile were there. Both were looking not at me, but accusingly at Satsuki and Reine behind me.
“Oh my, if it isn’t Shuna and Shino. What brings you here?”
“Fufu, you’re pretending ignorance quite deliberately, aren’t you, Reine-san?”
“What could you mean?”
Reine and Shino’s gazes clashed. Both were smiling, yet it felt like we’d returned to winter.
“You two, no fighting. Have you forgotten the [Four-Way Agreement]?”
Reine and Shino, who had been glaring at each other, looked at Satsuki with half-lidded eyes.
“For Satsuki to say that…”
“The first one to break it was Satsuki-san, wasn’t it? I clearly caught it with these eyes.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Why are you averting your gaze while answering?”
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Thinking it’s a poor excuse, Reine and Shino gradually corner Satsuki against the wall.
Then my wheelchair moved. It seems Shuna pushed it from behind.
“Shuna?”
“Shh~”
Shuna put her finger to her lips.
“Let’s leave the three fighting and go~”
“Eh? Ah, but—”
“It’s fine, it’s fine~”
So saying, we gradually moved away from Reine and the others conducting Satsuki’s impeachment trial.
“Hey, hey, Satoshi-kun. I want you to do me a favor, okay~?”
“A favor? Sure.”
“Thanks~. Actually, I’m buying a smartphone when I enter university~. I don’t know anything about it, so I want Satoshi-kun to come with me.”
“Oh, is that all? I broke my smartphone in the accident too, so I was thinking of buying a new one. Want to go together?”
“Yeah! Thank you—” “Wait…” “Tch.”
Huh? I thought I just heard a tongue click from the fluffy Shuna…
“Really, you can’t let your guard down for a moment.”
“What do you mean~?”
Reine was reproaching Shuna, but she wasn’t bothered at all. A poker face might be the strongest.
“Satoshi-san.”
“Shino? What’s up?”
She knelt in front of me and took my hand.
“No, I just wanted to say congratulations on your discharge. I’m truly glad.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”
A smile from the usually stern-faced Shino is powerful!
I became embarrassed and averted my gaze, but where I looked, there was Satsuki with the light gone from her eyes.
“Unfair…”
“What could you mean?”
“You know what I mean…”
Satsuki and Shino, Shuna and Reine were glaring at each other. I had no means to stop the fight, and since I was made to sit in the wheelchair, I couldn’t escape either. I decided to retreat into thought while escaping reality.
Still, [Four-Way Agreement] is such a nostalgic term…
It was created after reaching the harem ending with Sano so the heroines wouldn’t fight over him. It’s a term that absolutely never appears in individual routes or bad endings.
Well, in the end, everyone breaks it and continues flirting…
However, there is something that concerns me. Getting the heroines to get along was a condition for the harem ending. To do that, the problems each heroine individually held had to be solved, but Sano couldn’t accomplish that.
In other words, they remained on bad terms and in conflict, which is why that terrible confession wasn’t accepted.
How is it now?
Well, it’s a trivial matter.
“Satoshi-kun, what’s wrong?”
Satsuki called out to me. I seemed to have been spacing out a bit. The heroines had stopped arguing and were looking at me.
“I’m really glad you’re all alive…”
“—”
How strange. The sky is clear, but my vision is blurring.
What I wanted to protect was their future, which had been crushed by the creators’ convenience. For that, I risked my life.
And having overcome the instant death ending, they’re living in the “now.” That alone made me feel my life had meaning.
There’s no scenario beyond this point. The heroines have finally been liberated.
Then I made eye contact with the heroines who were staring intently at me. My face suddenly felt hot.
“Sorry, I showed you something uncool. Give me a moment.”
The embarrassment rushed over me all at once, and I rubbed my tears away, but the more I tried to act normal, the more I dug myself deeper.
“It’s not uncool at all. You’ve always helped us, haven’t you?”
“…Eh?”
Hands entangled one after another on my shoulders, back, and arms. There was a slight time lag before I realized these belonged to all four of them.
“What… are you…?”
“You’re our savior, you know~? There’s no way we’d think you’re uncool, right~?”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive.”
“Please don’t call yourself uncool. Satoshi-san is cooler than anyone.”
The warm words that spilled out bit by bit were absorbed into my ears and mysteriously remained deep in my chest.
Ah, I’ve been rewarded…
As I was thinking such things, the four separated from me. Then they looked at me with gentle eyes.
“Come on, let’s have a discharge celebration! I reserved yakiniku for Satoshi-kun!”
“Eh!? Seriously?”
I reflexively reacted to Satsuki’s words. I’d been eating nothing but hospital food and desperately wanted meat. As if on cue, my stomach growled.
“Haah… Please don’t talk about it as if it’s your achievement, Satsuki-san. It’s a high-class yakiniku restaurant run by the Shinonome Zaibatsu.”
“It must be insanely expensive…”
I suddenly turned pale. I spent money because of Sano, so I barely have anything left…
“It’s a celebration, so I won’t let Satoshi-san pay. Everyone’s eating free tonight.”
“Ooh… Thank you very much…”
What should I do? Shino looks like a goddess to me.
“I wonder how many years it’s been since I’ve had yakiniku~”
“It’s my first time in my life. I’ve never eaten out with my family… I didn’t have any friends either…”
“You two eat plenty.”
I’ll be kind to Shuna and Reine. I hope they can be happy to the extent they’ve suffered.
“Now then, let’s go!”
Satsuki’s cheerful voice rang out.
***
Satoshi-kun really is kind.
I like you for that.
This is sudden, but I’m sorry, okay?
We’re hiding two things from you.
That day, you knew we were going to die, didn’t you?
You sacrificed yourself to save us, and we owe you a debt we can never repay.
Thank you.
No, that’s not all.
You’ve been helping us all along, haven’t you?
The [World’s Corrective Force], was it?
Because of that, we don’t remember, but we found out.
So we’re going to support you for life.
You’ve been supporting us from the shadows all this time, so we owe you that much.
I think the other three feel the same way.
And the other secret.
That is—we’re going to kill the [World’s Corrective Force] that toyed with our hearts and lives and hurt Satoshi-kun, and the root of all evil that governs that will—Sano Yuto.
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