章 49: Chapter 049 - Saving the Prey
Days passed, and I am still in the hospital, feeling more helpless than ever as my leg heals. My sister never visited again, and I was left to dwell on my failure.
"Fubuki."
I turn my attention to the window and see Genos hanging over it. He comes in and takes a seat beside me.
"I finally found you."
"What are you doing here?" I ask him. "Also, that's not the door."
"Saitama-sensei wonders why you haven't been showing your face in the apartment."
I frown.
"He is worried about this month's rental fee."
"Ah!" As expected, I think, feeling disappointed again. "He doesn't need to worry. I will pay my share before the deadline."
"You look like you've been through a lot," he abruptly says.
"Anything else?"
"None, but I think you have a visitor outside who is hesitating whether to enter or not."
"Then, I think you should leave."
Genos stands up again and leaves the room through the window. And once he's gone, I call out, "Come in!"
It is Suiryu, stepping into my room.
"What are you doing here?" I ask for the second time this day. I am not expecting his appearance here. I thought it was Lily, or anyone from the Fubuki group.
He hesitates, his eyes scanning over me. "I have nurse friends in this hospital, and I heard you got confined."
I shift my attention to the bouquet of flowers that he is holding. "Is that for me? Or to one of your nurse friends?"
"Ah yes. This is for you."
He hands me the flowers, but I place them beside me instead. "And then?"
"It must be hard for you. But do not focus too much on one failure. You are allowed to make mistakes, Fubuki. It does not define you," he suddenly prattles on.
I scoff. "Easy for you to say. You're strong. You are always winning those competitive matches."
"I got defeated once too, and it shook me," he admits, sitting on a vacated chair on the side of my bed. "But we can always strive to do better."
I look at him. He may not be as shallow as I think he is. "Thank—"
The door opens, and a nurse comes in. "Suiryu?!" she exclaims.
Suiryu turns towards the nurse and they both smile at each other. He walks towards her and embraces her. "My love! It's been awhile!"
The nurse giggles and hits his chest, and soon, they are kissing each other.
Suiryu seems to sense my mood and straightens up. "Anyway, I just wanted to come and offer some words of encouragement. Don't give up, Fubuki. You're a strong woman."
And with that, he stands up and heads towards the door, his hands around the nurse's waist.
As he reaches for the doorknob, he turns to me. "Oh, and if you ever want to talk or need someone to spar with, you know where to find me."
I groan. I take that back. He is shallow and a low-life!
******************
I wake up from my sleep, sweating and breathing hard. I just had a very vivid nightmare, a representation of my fears — the fear of being completely powerless and alone.
I try to calm down. I take deep breaths and focus on the rhythm of my heartbeat. It is already night and most residents are already sleeping.
As I lay back down on my pillow, I notice a faint smell of roses. It's then that I remember the bouquet of flowers that Suiryu gave me before he revealed his true intentions. I pick them up and examine them. They're still fresh and vibrant, despite the passing of time. A part of me wonders if he really meant what he said about offering words of encouragement and sparring with me.
I shake my head, knowing better than to trust someone like him. But sparring with him… that might make me stronger. I look out the window. That's right. If I don't want to stay weak like this, then I should not spend my days in this bed!
I check my legs. I can walk now. Besides, if it becomes intolerable, I can still hover. I look out the window again. I need to finish that training. I need to return to the mountain and fight all the bandits there.
I change into another set of my clothes and head out of the room, determined to make my way to the mountains. I walk to the window, my legs no longer a problem, and activate my psychic ability.
From the window, I jump, or rather, I hover and fly in the general direction of the mountain. I haven't even reached a few meters when I hear a scream from below.
I stop mid-air and look down, trying to spot the source of the scream. Down in the alleyway between the buildings, I see a monster about to kill a young woman.
Without hesitation, I fly down to intervene. "Leave her alone!" I yell as I land on the ground, my feet hitting the pavement hard. I grimace, my leg is not yet totally healed up, and my body feels a bit heavy from too much resting.
The monster turns to me, sizing me up and laughing at my appearance. "What's an injured little girl like you gonna do?" it sneers.
I don't hesitate. I raise my fists, ready to fight back. The monster advances towards me, but I am too quick for them. Using my psychic powers, I send them flying backwards, sending them crashing into walls and dumpsters.
I hear the woman's footsteps approaching me from behind. "Th-thank you," she stammers, clearly shaken from the attack.
I turn around to face her. She looks young, maybe around my age, with short black hair and wide brown eyes. "Are you hurt?" I ask, concerned.
She nods, tears streaming down her face. I notice bruises on her arms and a cut above her eyebrow. "Come on—"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes the young woman. Her body jerks and convulses as the electricity courses through her. And I can even smell the burnt flesh.
"You can't take my prey away from me!" the monster screeches.
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