"With that, Inubouzaki-san," the doctor in white lab coat tilted his head as he wrote a medicine prescription for both the girl and her younger sister. "Rest well, exercise regularly, and eat a proper diet. Udon might be our nation's treasure but eating too much of it will break your stomach."

"Understood…" Fuu made a sound that was halfway between resignation and whining.

It had been several days after the Final Battle.

The bright sun shone through the windows lining up at the hallway. Fuu exited the clinic with a bland white medical eye patch on her left eye. Bandages constricted her arms and muscle relaxants wrapped around her joints. It annoyed her but she thought she deserved them.

…I guess cutting apart a mini-sun and throwing two people to the atmosphere with a gigantic sword is truly a form of insanity…

As she went back to the waiting lounge, she found her sister waving at her from the couch. Surrounding a knee-high table were four girls and most of them were wearing hospital robes. With the exception of Tougou who was cheerfully serving tea to everyone, almost all members of the Hero Club were admitted to the hospital after the battle.

Thankfully, Taisha took measures and paid for the bill, Fuu thought. Otherwise, there's no way my secret savings will last…

She felt complicated at that. She understood the idea of taking up responsibility as a proper leader, but in the end, she had nothing to support the claim. It made the blonde frown for a moment in front of her friends and family.

There's no way I can tell them this, Fuu concluded with a sigh escaping her throat. She sat down next to Itsuki and accepted a cup of tea from Tougou.

"…Hmm? Wait a second…" Fuu glanced at the teacup and back to the wheelchair-bound girl. "Is it even alright to bring homemade things into a hospital?"

"I got permission." Tougou's smile was way too wide at this point.

The elder Inubouzaki sibling breathed out a long sigh. It looked like she had to follow her own example if she got worried about trivial stuff like tea; she needed to calm down and relax.

"Well, I guess that minus one, everyone's here." Fuu sipped her tea and spoke, "While I would like to start a celebration party, it will have to wait until everyone has fully recovered. So…"

She pointed at herself.

"Allow me to explain what Taisha told me," the blonde started. "Mankai is a Trump Card, and we basically borrowed Shinju-sama's power to strengthen ourselves. But apparently, it seems that caused some sorts of complication."

"First time I've heard of that." Karin remarked with a teacup in her hands.

"I just got the message this morning," Fuu explained. "Currently, Taisha is looking into it but they don't believe it to be a permanent thing."

"...Believe… is it?" Tougou exhaled. "So not even Taisha knows everything…"

Fuu could only give an apologetic smile to the concerned friend. She shared the sentiment, to tell the truth, but the Vertexes had been a difficult threat which surpassed anyone's expectations. Though it might not be a comforting thought, this complication was another unprecedented thing in the list.

"…Mh? So that means…" Meanwhile, the resident redhead raised an eyebrow after she devoured a botamochi like a hamster would. "Is that why Fuu-senpai is wearing an eye patch?"

"Why does that sound as if I'm wearing something as restricting as this thing because it's funny...?"

Fuu tapped the rim of her eye patch and Yuuna laughed at the gesture like a broken cassette. Sitting beside her, Karin snapped a rice cracker with her teeth.

"Sounds fitting," she said in-between crunching sounds. "Definitely something someone like Fuu would do, actually."

"What do you mean by that, oy!?"

Unfortunately, Karin did the smart thing by dodging the issue with finesse. It sure didn't fit her hotheaded personality, but maybe Fuu was wrong in judging her so one-sidedly like that.

Yeah, maybe that's it. "Uh, so… Itsuki, what about you? Are you okay?"

Her little sister perked up and brought out a binder filled with A4 sized paper. She took out a black marker and wrote two words horizontally.

'I'm okay.'

"…I see. That's good to hear." Fuu petted her little sister despite Itsuki fidgeting and trying to push her hand aside. "Well, it's only temporary so I think we'll just have to bear with it. Taisha even guaranteed there will be no longer any attack. The battle is over and that means… let's enjoy summer vacation!"

Everyone cheered. Not even a minute passed and they began discussing about the club's plan for the upcoming summer vacation. Ideas were thrown around, arguments and jokes flew about, and a series of laughter followed.

Later on, they were scolded for being too noisy by a nurse tending on a patient next door.

After all that, I ended up taking a really long nap…

Fuu couldn't believe it but she guessed she was still tired. Not even a week had passed and all the battles she had fought felt so unreal. From the hospital bed she was in, she looked to the bed across of hers and found Itsuki curled up in fetal position while a novel laid open next to her.

"Ah, geez… Here I thought she'd stop bringing them everywhere she goes…" Fuu left her bed and tidied the books away so that they wouldn't be damaged or even caused inconvenience to her younger sister. "Also, Itsuki, you need to fix your sleeping position already."

With that, the elder Inubouzaki sibling pulled a blanket up to Itsuki's shoulders. The girl was still sleeping soundly despite having her position changed but, well… That was fine, too.

"…The war is over, and now we're back to our everyday lives…" Fuu glanced at the smartphone on the cupboard sitting next to the bed. "…Even the Fairies and the Hero System were returned to Taisha."

Fuu understood that those things would only exist during dangerous times, but she still felt it was a waste.

She had treated Inugami as a house pet. He helped taking in the newspaper and guarding the fort from possible thieves. While Fairies were sacred existences that protected the world, no one told her to not treat them as domestic animals, so she had grown attached to them…

"Hmm, now that I think about it," Fuu hummed and looked up to the dull white ceiling. "Some of them aren't even animals. Itsuki's Kodama, Karin's Yoshiteru, and Tougou's Shiranui and Aobouzu…"

…Well, Fairies aren't things normal people would know to begin with, so…

"…Ah, right." Fuu blinked upon seeing the clock hung on the wall. "This won't do. I'll have to go there…"

Putting on her hospital sandals, Fuu left the room and walked past the lounge. It didn't seem like the others were around. Karin had light wounds so she was discharged quicker than anyone, so that left Yuuna, Itsuki, Fuu, and…

"…I wonder what he's doing right now." Fuu took the lift to the third floor and went to the right wing of the building. "Being strapped to the bed for so long must be annoying… Thankfully, the doctor just gave the green light for visiting."

Well, at least everyone could talk to him now and it wasn't like the boy would have any complaint about it. Although, when she reached the room her last friend was in, she spotted a familiar red hair.

The red-haired girl bowed down in front of an opened door and slid it close. Then she walked down the left corridor, probably taking a different route to go back to her room. Fuu wondered why Yuuna was still awake even though the sun was about to sink, not to mention she looked harried…

"…Did something happen?" Fuu asked and looked at a room plate bearing the number 327. "…I guess that can be for later."

She wouldn't want to intrude if it was a personal issue. If it affected their daily lives, though, Fuu would be sure to confront both of them so for now, the tactic she chose was the plain old 'wait-and-see' thing.

Fuu knocked on the door twice. She was about to say something but she heard an older voice saying 'Come in' from beyond the door. The girl tilted her head. Who else is there?

Her question was answered when she entered. The first thing she saw was the narrow entrance due to the existence of a cubicle meant for shower and toilet. Past that point was the main room with width twice as big as the room she got.

What is this special treatment, the girl asked in her mind but dismissed it because of the different situation which had befallen upon her junior. She walked in, spotted her junior in his bed and she met the gaze of…

"…Huh?" Fuu blinked as she recognized the white robe and the white mask drawn with the symbol of a tree on the visitor's lap. "…Am I… interrupting something?"

The bedridden person waved with a smile. "Nah, that's just my old man back from work. Come on in, Fuu-senpai."

"I see…" Fuu nodded in understanding and bowed to Issei's father. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Inubouzaki Fuu, president of the Hero Club and a third-year student at Sanshu Middle School."

The man smiled. "There's no need for formality. I'm not on duty right now, Inubouzaki-kun."

He made a gesture by waving his mask close to his aged face, his eyes plainly giving the message of 'See?' without reservation. Fuu almost exasperated at his carefreeness.

The members of Taisha she had met in the past kept on a stoic attitude wherever and whenever they were sighted. They seemed to have the habit of covering their faces with masks for reasons related to the Shinju, and they had a work ethic that could only be described as nothing but dedicated.

To have her image of the organization be ruined so simply like this was terribly anticlimactic... Well, if she was given the green light then that might be alright, but… Why does this feel awkward..?

Probably because she was checking on her junior only to find out he already had a family member visiting him. Yeah, that made sense but then she remembered Yuuna exiting this very room. Did that mean she talked with him, too?

"Ah," Issei's father muttered and left his chair. "You can sit here, Inubouzaki-kun. You want to talk with Ise, right?"

"Eh? Ah, but I don't want to impose myself…"

"It's fine, it's fine. You're a good kid and I know that you have something to talk with him about. Don't let my presence distract you."

Ugh, how can he be so smooth with words…? Fuu reluctantly accepted the act of kindness and sat down. The man decided to pick the sofa as his and settled down. Again, the awkwardness still permeated the room and Fuu swore that she picked the wrong time to visit!

"…Dad, you're making her uncomfortable." Issei suddenly pointed out.

"Huh? I didn't know that." His father stroked his stubbly chin. "Do you want me to give you two a 'private room'?"

Kaaaaaah, that's way too uncalled for, dammit!

"Daaad…?" Issei whined in protest.

"Okay, fine… Geez, I'm just wondering how you usually treat your girlfriends, you know?"

Oy, I felt like you should have added a short pause there! Are you trying to incite misunderstandings or something!?

"You just want to have some fun teasing me about that…! Now shoo! Shoo!"

The man just grinned widely and did as he was told to. Before Fuu could stop him, however, he was already gone from the room.

Now all that was left were her and her junior. In a room. All alone.

"…Uh," Fuu muttered as she pushed aside the various thoughts that swirled because someone said something unnecessary. "…H-Hi? Hello? Bonjour?"

The boy's gaze fell flat at the forced greeting. Okay, I messed up big time right there…

"Great," Fuu sighed and hung her head. "Let me take a breather. That fine for you?"

"Well… there's a water dispenser over there so go ahead."

Fuu thanked Issei and got herself a drink. After a long sip of water, her thirst was quenched and she placed back the paper cup on the cupboard next to the bed. Okay, that does the trick…

"Well," Fuu said as she sat down with her legs on top of each other. "Let's talk."

"Sounds like an interrogation, though…" Issei remarked with a wandering gaze.

"Stop nitpicking!" Fuu raised her arms above her head. "I know that, alright!? Why can't anyone give me a break, already!?"

"That's because you're the one at fault most of the times, senpai…"

Fuu writhed in place and screamed internally. Why is this happening…!?

"Well, beside that…" Issei looked to the side. "I'm not sure if this is the right place to have a talk…"

"…Huh?" Fuu stopped doing what she was doing and blinked twice at those vague words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Err… Nothing! So, what do you want to talk about this time, Fuu-senpai?"

Good question, Fuu thought with a nod. She crossed her arms and pondered but every time she did that, her mind wandered and spun around one topic.

The girl inclined her gaze and settled at her junior, catching a glimpse of red that hid under the sleeves of the blue hospital robe. Issei was… He looked different.

Not because he suddenly had a growth spurt or something. Besides the brown hair that had lengthened quite noticeably, which Fuu felt twitchy about, the boy's eyes had become bright green in color with sharp slits replacing his once-dark pupils. There were also red scales encroaching his face from his chest, and the case of his pointed ears, and…

"…Am I seeing things or are those things behind your back a pair of wings?" Fuu pointed with her right index finger. "Also, there are something like tree branches poking out from the sides of your head... Are those dragon horns?"

Issei's eyebrows shot up and disappeared into his hairlines. He looked up and over his shoulder and he muttered something under his breath, maybe a curse or an insult at his own brand of stupidity. Normal people wouldn't notice but Fuu could tell that he was reprimanding his own idiocy.

Probably, he was thinking he forgot something important only to realize that the missing thing was actually right beside him all this time.

Probably, he was getting frustrated on the inside and chiding himself for having not noticed the obvious.

Probably, he was going to make up an excuse and laugh it off even if it damaged his reputation or even worth as a person.

"Don't do that, Issei." Fuu leaned forward and met his surprised gaze. "If you think you've had enough of your own weaknesses, then I've had enough of you beating yourself up like a fool."

The boy dropped his jaw at that. So it's a bullseye, huh…?

"What, but, huh…!?" Issei's eyes darted around only to end up staring back at Fuu. "…H-How…?"

The girl grinned. "Do you think no one would notice?"

She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"It's not that hard to tell. Boys around your age are so transparent and you're a friend I interact with on a regular basis." Fuu shrugged. "It would be odd if I can't even notice the glowing neon signs, right?"

And probably that's the reason why Yuuna looked like that, Fuu further thought. However, she chose not to tell the boy that. That was a problem between Yuuna and Issei. She knew where the line was drawn at.

"…Ah… Uh, I guess… that's not… wrong." Issei fidgeted around and hung his head. "So, then… Did I worry everyone?"

"To death?" Fuu tilted her head and nodded. "Probably. I mean, you look like you're going to break at any moment."

And it's for a perfectly understandable reason too.

The boy had had his own hardships, but not even Fuu expected him to veer so far away from humanity that he stopped looking like a human at all. Hell, his current appearance matched those lizardman-things from some traditional RPG games to a T. No matter what, the weirdness and creepy buttons were turned all the way to eleven and that wasn't good at all.

But, Fuu added. That doesn't mean he's no longer the awkward and perverted junior that I knew.

The appearance might have changed. He might no longer looked like a human, but the person inside remained the same. Fuu would vouch for that and she was certain the girls will too. However, if words were not exchanged, how could she convince her stubborn junior?

Inhaling a deep breath, the blonde rose and left the chair. She approached the bed, moved her hand and…

"So what if you can't be called a human any longer? You're still my kouhai, my underling and also club member." Fuu reached out and patted Issei's head. "Don't forget that you're still the Hyoudou Issei that everyone knows."

The boy was silent. It was if he couldn't process the words that reached his ears but after a while, he hitched a breath and his shoulders shuddered.

"Ah… Aaah," uttered the boy. "Y-You're so funny, senpai… If it's like that, how can I not be happy…?"

Fuu paused, then she slowly nodded. She didn't answer to him. At the very least, she chose to kept her lips silent as Issei droned on.

"…Why are you being so quiet…? That's not… That doesn't fit your personality at all, you know…? It's not like you…"

The boy's voice cracked. Between the pauses and short silences, she could hear restrained gasps and pained murmurs.

Fuu pulled Issei in, hugging his head as gently as she could. She closed her eyes, breathed in… and then she whispered.

"It's alright," Fuu brushed back the mess of brown hair and felt the rough texture of the scales covering Issei's cheek. "Everything's alright. Nobody will hear you so you can let it all out, Issei."

She felt him shivering in her arms.

"I… can't," the boy said. "There's just… no way, right…? If, if I cry, then as if I won't be able to stay cool in front of everyone… I already… I've already prepared myself for this…"

"Even so," Fuu cut him off. "There's nothing wrong with shedding your tears. All I want to ask from you is one thing."

Fuu looked past the windows and at the reddening sky. Night was going to fall, and she was sure that she would be scolded by the nurse and Itsuki once she returned back to her room.

She didn't mind that. At the very least, she had a good reason why she could be fine with coming back late.

"…Even if it hurts, make sure you don't let go of that feeling, even after you overcome that pain. Alright?"

As if the last dam had been shattered, Issei embraced Fuu. The boy broke out in tears, crying on her chest while caring not about his pride. He didn't even notice that the scales covering his face were scratching and stabbing on her, but the girl endured and let that be.

It was alright. It was better this way. The boy cried and shed his tears like a child would, and Fuu recalled a story from a long time ago.

Of a child who looked up and loved her parents that gave her overflowing love and courage.

Of a girl who continued to stay by the side of her shy little sister, always protecting her even with the passing of their parents, and…

Of a girl who deceived everyone, including her own self for the sake of one selfish wish.

"…I wonder…" Fuu whispered in a quiet tone that not even the weeping boy could hear. "Have I truly done the right thing, Dad… mom…?"

As the sun set in the horizon, the secret War between Heroes and Vertexes came to a close.