Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 30

“Crap, crap. I actually forgot this.”

As I was about to leave, I remembered and pulled out a bundle from the corner of my Magic Bag.

Inside were a few outfits I thought might suit her.

—

“If you like them, use them after you’re discharged.”

“Oh… thank you, really…”

—

Her reaction was muted.

That bastard Yoshida. Next time I see him, I’m kicking him.

…No, wait. It doesn’t seem like she disliked the clothes.

—

“Something on your mind?”

Her silence was an answer in itself—yes.

I could guess the reason.

“It’s about the surgery, isn’t it?”

—

Tsumugi’s shoulders trembled slightly.

She’s not the type who can lie.

—

“I… I’m scared. No matter how hard I try, I keep imagining the worst.”

The Cataclysm Revolution advanced medical science in ways once thought impossible.

Heart transplants, for instance, used to have survival rates of less than 50% for the first decade. Now, over 90% of patients live healthy, complication-free lives.

But the possibility of failure, however small, still exists.

And Tsumugi’s a sharp kid. That makes it harder for her to shake off those fears.

—

“‘Don’t worry about it’ would be pretty irresponsible of me, huh?”

—

I’m no doctor or surgeon.

I wracked my brain for something—anything—that might ease her mind. And then it came to me. I clapped my hands.

—

“Alright, here’s the deal. I’ll come to the hospital on the day of your surgery.”

—

Tsumugi’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden proposal.

—

“After all, I’m the guy who beat the 38% odds for a Slot transplant. A surgery with a near 100% success rate? Pfft, that’s a piece of cake.”

—

He dares to talk big

Not that I was entirely bluffing—these days, it’s not such an empty boast.

—

My uncharacteristic display of concern seemed to work because, by the end, Tsumugi smiled.

The surgery date her brother had mentioned clashed with one of my lectures, but I decided to skip class.

People have called me impulsive and whimsical since I was a kid, and they’re not wrong. But I like to think I’m decent at keeping my promises.

—

“And so, I successfully encouraged a troubled young girl. Honestly, it was tougher than fighting some of those creatures.”

“…Wow, that doesn’t suit you at all.”

—

Want that chewing gum stuck to your face, punk?