Chapter 43 : Disappearance

Beep... beep...

A small, monotonous electronic sound echoes.

On a bed set up in the middle of the dimly lit hospital room, Hikigaya-kun, wrapped in bandages and looking painful, was lying there, connected to multiple machines by countless tubes.

Medea was sitting motionless on a metal chair in the corner of the room, while Yuigahama was sitting next to the bed, holding Hikigaya's hand the whole time.

Nobody said anything. It just went on like this.

This morning, as I was getting ready for school and about to leave my room, my cell phone, which rarely rings, suddenly rang.

The only people who would call me would be my family, my teacher, or Yuigahama-san, so I looked at the screen expecting it to be one of them, but it showed a number I had no recollection of. Moreover, for some reason it seemed to be registered, and the caller's name was also displayed.

The name displayed was Hikigaya-kun.

He didn't know the person, but there was one thing about that name that came to mind.

About a week ago, I somehow had an IC recorder with me. It recorded a conversation between me and "someone." I'm sure I called that "someone" Hikigaya-kun.

With a feeling that maybe it was someone else, I answered the phone and heard a woman's voice calling for help.

I didn't understand what he was saying, but I could sense the desperation in his voice.

Since he asked for help, I couldn't just turn him down. I ordered my driver, Tsuzuki, to go to the place I was told about over the phone: the church.

When they arrived, they saw a collapsing church, billowing with smoke.

It seems that quite some time has passed since the fire broke out. However, there is not even a single fire engine or curious bystander. Although the fire has not spread, it is not far from a residential area.

Actually, even before that, despite the huge amount of smoke rising, neither Tsuzuki nor I noticed the fire until we got here.

Perhaps I was overwhelmed by the strangeness of the situation and the scene before my eyes. I should have contacted the police and fire department first, but I forgot about it and was looking for the person on the phone.

The match was quickly found.

A short distance from the church, there was a man lying on the ground and a woman clinging to him, crying. She must be the person on the phone.

The man appears to be seriously injured and doesn't seem to be moving at all.

When I went around to assess the extent of his injuries, I saw a completely crushed face.

And in that moment, I remembered everything.

At the same time, I understood: "This" is Hikigaya-kun.

I immediately ordered Tsuzuki to take Hikigaya-kun to the hospital. I considered waiting for an ambulance, but the thought of "waiting" seemed unbearable.

From the car, call the hospital, explain as much of the patient's condition as possible, and follow instructions over the phone to take all possible life-saving measures.

Preparations for the surgery were already complete at the hospital, and Hikigaya was quickly placed on a stretcher and taken to the operating room.

After several hours of surgery, Hikigaya-kun survived, but his condition remains critical.

Hikigaya-kun was moved to a hospital room that was not usually used.

This was a special hospital room equipped with the latest medical equipment, and it was a room that should not have been used by anyone other than Yukinoshita.

When my mother received the call, she naturally opposed the idea, but when I got on my knees and begged her, she was stunned but agreed.

I had never seen my mother and sister look so shocked before.

It was the first time in my life that I was shocked by those two, but to be honest, I didn't feel any emotion at all. To me now, such an incident was nothing more than a trivial matter.

My cell phone vibrated. I realized it was already time for school to end. Now that I think about it, I haven't even contacted the school. I ended up absent without permission.

The person on the phone was Yuigahama-san.

According to Yuigahama-san, I'm listed as absent due to illness. I'm sure it was arranged by my mother.

After some hesitation, I decided that I should explain the situation to Yuigahama-san and then Komachi-san, so I called them both to the hospital. However, calling Komachi-san may have been a mistake.

Both of them looked taken aback when Hikigaya-kun's name was mentioned.

That's probably true, since they can't remember him.

When Hikigaya-kun took away my memories, no, when he sealed them away, he said, "When I see your face, I'll remember."

It seemed that this was literally what he meant: seeing his face was the key to breaking the seal.

The condition was probably to "see the face of Hikigaya-kun in the flesh," and it didn't matter what state that face was in. So the seal was broken even if the face was crushed.

On the other hand, it seems that photos and videos can't break the seal, because the photos on my phone never brought me back to it.

When they saw how Hikigaya-kun had changed, they regained their memories, just like me. Komachi-san went half-insane. She was now sedated and sleeping in another room.

That night, a girl named Tohsaka came to visit me. If I remember correctly, she was one of the Masters.

Visiting hours had already ended. There should have been a certain level of security in this room, but I guess that's just how magicians are. I decided not to think too deeply about it.

According to her, she was in a cooperative relationship with Hikigaya-kun. She was also present at the church and apologized for Hikigaya-kun.

I was told about what had happened so far and that I was about to face my final enemy in battle.

According to the enemy, the Holy Grail is tainted with a curse and cannot function properly, and the enemy is planning to use it despite knowing this.

If we let it go unchecked, a terrible disaster could occur, and that's why we need to stop it, he said.

But she didn't force Medea to fight.

She said, "I want to be by your side, Hikigaya-kun."

Throughout all of this, Medea just kept her head down.

According to the doctor who performed the surgery, Hikigaya's injuries were quite severe.

First of all, his right arm is completely missing from the elbow down.

The bones in his left arm are also completely destroyed and it seems they will never be restored to their original state.

The liver and spleen had ruptured due to the strong impact, and other organs were also damaged. One of the lungs was completely crushed, and the other one was pierced by a broken rib. The heart seems to be somehow intact, but on the other hand, it seems that the heart is the only part that is intact.

There also appears to be some kind of abnormality in the nerves. The cause is unknown, but it seems that nerve cells have partially stopped functioning.

It seems that the activity of other living cells is gradually weakened due to the influence of that area, and eventually all nerve cells will die. Although the details are unclear, it seems that at the moment, at least the sense of pain has been completely lost.

But the biggest problem is the head injury.

Not on the front, not on the face, but on the back of the head.

"It looks like he's brain damaged."

Yuigahama-san twitched in reaction to my words.

"It's better not to expect to wake up."

I realized my voice was shaking. And yet there was surprisingly little emotion in it. So what?

"...I'm sorry."

It was the voice of Medea, who had not spoken a word up until then.

"...I wonder what they're apologizing for."

My voice was so cold it even surprised me.

I mean, I don't blame her.

"You hurt him? The Heroic Spirits would be shocked to hear that. You can't even protect your master."

I know.

Her loyalty is real, or she wouldn't be so desperate to be saved. I know that.

"You've probably taken advantage of his kindness and used him however you like. And then you almost killed him, and now you're asking for help. Have you no shame in that?"

I know.

Although he is a kind-hearted person who does not think about himself for the sake of others, he is not so strong that he would sacrifice his life for them.

So this was just because the two of them had fought back so desperately that their strength was not enough.

I know that I can't blame myself for not having enough strength.

"Even though you had no power, you talked big and sent people into dangerous situations. You got cocky because you wielded power that was useless. You just pushed everything onto him and stayed safe and composed, didn't you?"

"Yukinon..."

I know.

I'm the one who's useless.

To begin with, I was the one who summoned her. I was the one who was supposed to fight as the Master. But I made him take that role instead.

In other words, it's my fault that he's going through this.

"You're toying with other people for your own selfish convenience! Do you realize how much trouble you're causing others? Things were going so well and now you're ruining it all!"

"You can't do that, Yukinon..."

I know.

In the end, this is jealousy.

Hikigaya-kun had literally risked his life to protect her. This fact had caused ugly jealousy.

"You...! If only you hadn't shown up, Hikigaya-kun would...! Hikigaya-kun..."

I know, I know, I know!

I know it's bad, but I can't stop! I can't stop!

"Give me back Hikigaya-kun!"

Unable to contain his emotional outburst, he raised a nearby vase and threw it at Medea.

"Yukinon, no!"

Just as I was about to go on a rampage, Yuigahama-san jumped in to stop me. The vase swerved and crashed into the wall, shattering.

"No... you can't, Yukinon..."

We both collapsed in a tangle on the floor of the hospital room, and Yuigahama buried her face in my chest and muttered to herself in an idiot.

I know.

There's no one to blame.

And sometimes it doesn't change anything.

I know that.

Yuigahama-san was clinging to me and crying, so I hugged her back and shed tears.

Medea still kept her head down and didn't move.

When I suddenly woke up, it was already midnight.

It seems that both Yuigahama-san and I had fallen asleep at some point. She was breathing quietly in her sleep, traces of tears still visible.

Being careful not to wake her, I approached Hikigaya-kun and gently took his hand.

His arm was a mess, with broken bones, but from the wrist down it was clean.

He muttered as he grasped his "left hand without a single bruise."

"Really, you're such an idiot..."

Even if it was to save a child, I doubt the sanity of jumping in front of a dump truck. Do you really think that you would end up like this and that no one would care about you?

I vow to myself to give him a lecture when I wake up. So--

"So get up quickly. I'll never forgive you if you make two beautiful women cry and don't wake up."

The mutter echoed softly in the hospital room where only the three of them were present.

Though the place, time, and situation were all different, the room with everyone in the Service Club gathered somehow reminded me of the setting sun and the smell of tea.