Central City was the stage for countless battles every day, which meant hospital beds were always in short supply. Hearing that Lucรญa didnโt want to be hospitalized, the med company doctors didnโt insist. They just prescribed her a weekโs worth of medication, reminded her of some precautions, and sent her back to the dormitory to recover on her own.
As for how to get backโthat was the real problem for the two of themโฆ
โBeep beepโโ
From outside the inflatable medical tent came the sound of a horn. The two, leaning on their crutches, stepped out and looked up to see a deep crimson hovercar descending slowlyโan expensive ride.
Behind the wheel was Chessia, wearing her signature frog sunglasses, pointing at the automatically opening rear seat.
โHey, boss?!โ
โGet in already~ you livestock~โ Chessia snapped impatiently.
In the passenger seat, Fran, sucking on a lollipop, grinned and waved at them cheerfully.
โWeโre here to pick you up, heroes~โ
Having someone to pick them up was a relief, and Clara exhaled in ease.
She then carefully helped Lucรญa transfer from the mobile hospital bed to the hovercarโs back seat.
Since it was a hovercar, the width was enough for Lucรญa to lie flat in the back, but not wide enough for Clara to sit beside her.
So Lucรญa had to lie sideways, resting on Claraโs lap, which could potentially press against Claraโs wound.
โSenior Clara, does it hurt?โ
Lucรญa felt embarrassed, but her injuries forbade any other position. Clara smelled pleasant.
โNo, it doesnโt. If you donโt mind, just sleep like this. Iโll wake you when we get to the dorm.โ
โโฆMm~โ
Having seemed to understand, Lucรญa closed her eyes without another word.
Lucรญa in her current state only made Claraโs heart ache.
Her own little sister had been in Central City less than a week and had already sustained such serious injuries. How could Clara not feel heartbroken? It was like her heart was being torn apart.
How was she supposed to explain this to their parents?
Humans had already overcome โaccidental death.โ As long as the soul remained, one could crawl back from the Divine Abyssโฆ
But souls werenโt infinite. The Divine Abyss only increased the margin for error. Death would still come, and it was still terrifying.
Especially with such severe injuriesโthe sight alone was shocking. Even if the external gel had pain-relieving effects, Lucรญa must be suffering terribly.
โIโm sorry.โ
Clara whispered softly.
โIt was my carelessness that caused you such a serious injury.โ
She gently patted her sisterโs hair, and the tendrils hidden within the strands slid out to softly caress Lucรญaโs cheek.
But when Clara looked up, her gaze met Chessia and Franโs in the front seats, their lips curling into smiles full of ambiguous meaning.
โโฆWhat are you two staring at?โ
Clara felt embarrassed under their gaze.
โJust thinkingโฆ you two have a really great bond?โ
โI still have other work to do, so Iโm not coming up.โ
Outside the luxury apartment, Chessia ultimately didnโt get out of the car.
Though she came to help, she was only the driver. With her height, there was no way she could support Lucรญa, so she left that task to Fran, who was about the same height.
โYou two keep enjoying your vacation. Come back to work whenever youโre ready. Make sure to rest well! If you have any symptoms, go to the hospital. If youโre short on money, just tell meโdonโt be stingy when it comes to life and deathโฆโ
At that, Chessia glanced at the spicy girl in the white coat.
โOh right, Fran, donโt take too long. Remember to go back to work earlyโyou havenโt even clocked out today, have you?โ
With that, Chessia, the company president, sped away with her red taillights glowing, leaving Fran Livka staring after her with a head full of black lines.
โโฆThe little president sure is busy.โ
Clara commented, while Fran muttered curses.
โThat arrogant brat is practically a demon!โ
Even if she cursed the boss behind her back, it didnโt change the fact that she still had to go to work afterward.
But wait, the little president is old enough to have a driverโs license? How old is she exactly? And even if she is old enough, how does she press the gas pedal like that? Can she even see the road ahead clearly?
With a string of strange questions like these running through their minds, Clara and Fran helped Lucรญa into the elevator and headed back to dorm room 1408.
Once inside, they carefully laid Lucรญa back on the bedroom bed where she continued to lie face down. Fran shook her phone, which was decked out with cute charms, and suggested, โClara dear, how about just grabbing some fast food for lunch?โ
โMm, okayโฆโ
But Clara was distracted.
โBig bro, if you have something on your mind, donโt mind sharing it with me?โ
Clara, with her injured leg, was guided onto the sofa by Fran.
โToday, I didnโt accomplish anythingโฆ in the end, I was completely useless. Nothingโs changed from beforeโฆโ
She was a failure as a weirdo, and equally a failure as a hero.
Seeing her loli big brother so downcast, Fran felt like she should say something encouraging.
โNah, you did great today! Whether it was Lucรญaโs injury or not connecting with Alice, none of that was your fault. No need to blame yourself~โ
Franโs reassurance made Clara lift her drooping head slightly. She continued:
โBesides, facing an enemy of that level in the opening battle, any other rookie hero would have turned into a corpse and gone to report to the Divine Abyss already. You holding on until that guy showed up is impressive!โ
โโฆMm.โ
โSo, letโs่งฃ้คๅ่บซ [dispel transformation] first, yeah? You donโt have to keep being a hero now.โ
The true meaning of โdispel transformationโ was obviously impossible, but Nyx understood what Fran meant.
Without the flashy transformation effects, just a simple flash of white light, Clara changed back from a magical girl into the squid loli generated by her own dataโฆ
Her figure remained petite, but now she seemed more fragile.
When transformed, her combat form was based on Kamiโs data and perhaps influenced by Kamiโs fierce, strong personality, Clara had also become tougher.
But now, back to her original self, Claraโs nose felt a little sore.
โUghโฆโ
The fear of death, the pressure of facing a witch, guilt, frustration, and regretโall those negative emotions poured out now like a dam breakingโฆ
She choked up and was close to breaking down.
Fran gently patted her back, soothing her.
โThe delivery wonโt arrive for a whileโฆ holding it in isnโt healthy. Itโs okay to cry a little in my arms now.โ
Stubborn Clara whispered quietly, โIโm a man. And Lucรญaโs big brother. How can I shed tears so easilyโฆ sniffโฆโ
โEven men want to cry sometimes, right? And now youโre a loli, so you have even more reason to sniffle.โ
Despite Franโs coaxing, Clara still insisted she was a man.
Though she didnโt sob loudly, tears as small as soybeans slipped from her glass-like eyes and smudged her carefully applied makeup.
Fran smiled helplessly and grabbed some tissues from the table to wipe the tears from the loli big brotherโs cheeks.
Clara had so many emotions to release.
Not just todayโs experiencesโฆ
Her life had been turned upside down lately, for better or worse. As someone forced to make changes and choices, she bore tremendous pressureโฆ
So, it was time to have a good cry~