"Serina? It's Suzumi." A strained voice called out as the door to one of the Remedial Knight's branch offices gently opened. Serina quickly turned her head to face the girl who just walked in.

Suzumi Morizuki, a member of Trinity's General School's Vigilante Crew. Infamous for using numerous flashbangs during operations. Upon seeing the condition of the silver-haired vigilante enter, Serina couldn't help but internally sigh.

Numerous cuts and bruises covered her body, with blood oozing from the larger ones. Scorch marks singed her clothes, complemented by the numerous holes made by bullets that hit their mark. Her angelic face was covered in dirt, and… what seemed to be grape jelly?

"Suzumi! What happened?!" Serina worriedly asked as she guided towards a nearby chair to sit down on.

"It was nothing serious. A group of about 15 delinquents began fighting amongst each other attempting to get the last high-quality grape jelly in stock at a nearby supermarket." Suzumi sighed as she laid back on the chair. Serina quickly grabbed a cart of medical supplies before rushing back to Suzumi. She grabbed some alcohol wipes and prepared to dress the wounds before bandaging them up.

"Over something trivial once again, I see?" Serina cleaned the blood and grime off of the exposed parts of Suzumi's body.

"Unfortunately, the fight quickly spiraled out of control. Several more students joined unexpectedly when one of the delinquents ruined their lunch after landing on their table." Suzumi groaned. "It took nearly 20 minutes of fighting for me to subdue all of them."

"Wait, you took everyone down by yourself?! Why didn't you call for backup?" Serina cried out. The shock caused her to apply a bit too pressure as she wiped off one of Suzumi's wounds, causing her to hiss.

"I attempted to, but it seemed the closest vigilante member was 30 minutes away." Suzumi nonchalantly responded, as she slowly relaxed her body once again.

"Why didn't you wait for backup then? Surely it would've been a lot easier if others helped you!"

"The delinquents were continuing to perpetuate chaos. I couldn't sit still and wait for backup to arrive. Even if I had wait, the delinquents would have escaped in that time frame." Suzumi casually explained as she took off her jacket, allowing Serina to access the wounds on her chest.

"Still… it's because of that attitude I'm seeing you for the sixth time this week!" Serina lightly bonked Suzumi on the head, causing her to lightly recoil. "It's only Wednesday!"

"Apologizes…" Suzumi sheepishly muttered. Silenced filled the nearly empty infirmary. Suzumi could only silently watch as Serina continued to dress her wounds diligently.

"On the topic of the others, where is Reisa? I haven't seen her for some time now." Serina asked, attempting to clear the dead air in the room.

"Reisa is still out on her patrol for the day. Still upholding her justice." Suzumi chuckled. Thinking about her hyperactive junior always brought a smile to her face.

"I'm glad she's healthy, from the sounds of it…" Serina replied as she began wrapping up some of the bigger wounds with gauze. Once again, an awkward silence filled the room.

"What about Sensei? Where is he?" Suzumi curiously asked, now being her turn to propose a conversation starter.

"Sensei's on a date with Airi tonight." Serina replied with zero hesitation at all. "The two are doing a 'Mint Choco Food Tour' across Trinity tonight."

"Ohh, I see." Suzumi nodded her head. "If I'm not mistaken, Sensei and I are scheduled to visit an amusement park this Sunday."

"Oooh, have fun with that! Sensei's going on a picnic this Friday, I could see it on his personal calendar. I can't wait to taste his homemade food!" Serina excitedly rambled. Suzumi could only awkwardly smile in response.

It seems that Serina's respect for personal privacy needed some more work…


"There, all done!" Serina wiped some of the sweat off her brow as she took a step back. "Everything should heal without leaving a scar. You can take off the bigger bandages in a day."

Suzumi rolled her shoulders. Some of the bigger wounds still stung, but compared to everything she sustained beforehand, it was a miracle that most of her injuries were already patched up.

"I greatly appreciate your help, Serina." Suzumi stood up and bowed.

"Yea… it's my pleasure…" Serina smiled, though her words trailed off. Her work was done. She's healed the patient in front of her. Yet, why did her heart continue to ache?

"Oh, before I go." Suzumi suddenly turned around, causing Serina to look at her in confusion. "Do you mind if I take some of your bandages back to my dorm? There's a chance that I'll get into another skirmish on my patrol tomorrow, and I may need to replace the bandages if they get torn."

Serina couldn't believe the words she was hearing. Suzumi was planning to patrol tomorrow as well? Why? Sure, she's had worse injuries in the past, so something like this was probably nothing to the resilient vigilante. Yet, even still, those wounds of her aren't something to brush off.

She needs to rest. She can't go patrol. Why does she want to go on patrol? If she goes on patrol while she's injured, then there's a chance her injuries will inhibit her in battles, causing her to suffer even more grievous wounds. Yet, despite knowing all that, why is she continuing to push herself?

Serina could only stare down at the floor before stomping towards Suzumi. Suzumi nervously leaned back, completely taken aback by the sudden shift in personality. Serina suddenly grabbed Suzumi's wrist and grasped it tightly, as if not wanting to let her go.

"No…" Serina spoke, her head hung low.

"Serina…? Is everything okay? I'm okay with just a single roll of bandages if stock is an issue—"

"I said no!" Serina yelled out as she looked Suzumi square in the eyes. Suzumi could see tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Why…? Why do you act like this?" Serina lamented. "Why can't you just rest?! Even for a single day?!"

Suzumi was completely taken aback by her friend's outburst. She couldn't help but nervously swallow as she spent the next several seconds formulating a response.

"If I'm well-abled enough, I should perform my patrols to the best of my abilities. There's a possibility that crimes will go unpunished if I choose to rest." Suzumi calmly articulated. Her tone just made Serina's heart ache even more. It was as if Suzumi was attempting to say that everything was okay, and this was just how it had to be.

"Then get someone to cover your patrols! You can afford to take a day off! It's not a crime to rest to get better!" Serina fired back.

"If I do that, then one less area gets patrolled. Trouble is always on the rise, never stopping. That's why I can't either." Suzumi countered, with the same genuine tone she's always spoken with.

"Then rely on us!" Serina gripped Suzumi's wrist even tighter. "You have friends! You have Sensei! You have me! You can choose to rely on all of us! We'll do it because we care about you! Don't try to shoulder the burden alone!"

"Serina… but if I rely on you, you might get hurt in the process. You don't have experience in dealing with battles like I do. Same with some of the others. It's okay if I'm the only one who has to shoulder the burden because it means no one else will get hurt."

Suzumi attempted to free herself from Serina's grasp, but before she could do so, Serina suddenly pulled Suzumi and embraced her in a tight hug. She could feel the smaller pink-haired nurse bury her head in her bandaged chest. Her body shuddered with every sniffle, as Suzumi felt tears stain her bandages.

"Please don't say that… Why do you have to say something so sad?" Serina sniveled. "I know that I can't help you in combat. I know that all I can possibly do is heal you. But even still… I hate it." Serina wiped her tears on Suzumi's bandages once again.

"I hate seeing you get involved in firefights every other day. I hate seeing you covered in bandages more often than not. I hate being able to do nothing while you force a smile and try to tell me everything's fine when it isn't… I hate it!" Serina hugged Suzumi even tighter.

"That's why… even if it's not much… I want to at least heal the pain in Suzumi's heart…" Serina mumbled

Suzumi was at a loss for what to do. Several seconds passed, with not a single muscle in her body moving. Throughout her life, Suzumi had dealt with a plethora of noises that would send shivers down even the strongest of people. Unending gunfire, deafening explosions, screams of the injured. Yet, at this moment. They all seemed to pale in comparison, to the pain caused by hearing Serina's soft sighs and sobbings.

Suddenly, Serina could feel Suzumi's arms wrap around her own body, and her head rested atop her own head. As the light of dusk began to fill the infirmary, Serina could feel something wet on her hair. It didn't take long for her to realize what exactly it was.

The light of twilight began to fill the infirmary, its sole occupants being a young nurse and her vigilante patient. The two were joined in a tight embrace. The pair could only comfort each other, as they wept over this world filled with unending strife and conflict.


"...hmm?" Suzumi groggily moaned as she rose from the bed. It was painfully clear that this was not her dorm. The morning light illuminated the room well. Several hospital beds were to her left and right. It only took an instant for her to recognize where she was. She woke up in the exact infirmary she visited Serina in the previous day.

"...Suzumi… you're awake?" Serina's voice suddenly snapped Suzumi back to reality. Suzumi quickly turned her head, only to see that Serina had been sleeping right next to Suzumi, in the same bed no less. In an instant, the events of the previous night came flashing back to Suzumi.

The two, after an hour of crying into each other, ultimately succumbed to drowsiness. The pair opted to sleep in one of the nearby beds provided in the infirmary. Partly due to exhaustion. Mostly because neither wanted the other to leave.

Both Suzumi and Serina, after blushing for a solid five minutes and unable to look each other in the eyes, began preparing for the upcoming school day. However, due to Suzumi's uniform being reduced to nothing but tatters, she'd have to go back to her dorm to get a spare before her first class started.

"I can't stop you… can I?" Serina suddenly spoke as Suzumi put her hand on the doorknob.

"What do you mean?" Suzumi turned around before she could open the door.

"Here, take it." Serina suddenly handed a roll of bandages to Suzumi. "I know whatever I say won't stop you going on patrols… but I still want to keep you safe."

Suzumi stared at the bandages in her hand for several seconds. She looked back up at Serina and smirked. Serina tilted her head, confused. She was even more confused when Suzumi suddenly returned the bandages.

"I won't need it." Suzumi replied.

"Why?" Serina quizzically asked.

"Are you free after school today?" Suzumi suddenly asked.

"Yes… I should be, but why are you asking?" Serina looked at Suzumi with narrowed eyes.

"In that case, would you like to join me on my patrol for today at least? If we're together, I'll be able to protect you, and you can aid me if my wounds act up." Suzumi asked innocently, though her face was a little red by the time she could finish speaking.

"S-sure, I'd be glad to assist you in your patrols." Serina casually responded, partially in shock and partially in disbelief.

"Great. Then, I'll meet you after school here, I suppose? I'll contact you on Momotalk if anything goes awry." Suzumi turned to twist the doorknob and open the door. However, before she could exit, she felt Serina tackle her from behind, wrapping her arms around her stomach in a tight hug. Had Suzumi not experienced numerous sneak attacks in the past, she would've let out a yelp.

"I'm glad… I'm really, really glad…" Serina whispered into Suzumi's back. Suzumi slowly turned around and hugged Serina back, both of them basking in the close embrace of each other.

Perhaps, this world will never be freed from the clutches of war and conflict. However, neither of them will need to confront that world alone now.


Author's Note:

This was kinda inspired by me reading a bunch of Pixiv novels featuring Suzumi and seeing that there were quite a handful of stories featuring Suzumi and Serina. I kinda see the vision.