I Am All At Sea of Blood: Before Chainsaw Man

Chapter 12 : Lend a Hand

"Kyoukawa? Hey, Kyoukawa, wake up."

"Hmmmm... Inoe-sensei? What's... going on?" Izuki moaned as his eyes fluttered at the sunlight shining through the window beside him.

"It's time for breakfast, Kyoukawa..." Inoe gently brushed Izuki's hair off his face and tidied up his loosened hospital gown. "God, look at you. Can't even wake up properly anymore, and yet you still insisted on being discharged today."

"I'm fine... I'm fine... I'm just..." Izuki raised his back from the bed, shaking his head. "It's the anesthetic... I think it's still pretty strong in my system... That's all..."

"Is that so? Well, I guess we have to reconsider its amount the next time we treat you." Inoe turned to her assistant nurse and gestured for her to take note of his words. "How does it feel? Notice anything else feeling weird?"

"No, just a bit drowsy..."

"I see... That's good to hear," Inoe nodded as she wrote down the notes in her hand. "Either way, we need to monitor your recovery for at least another day. So, don't you dare try to sneak out into other patients' rooms without my permission."

"Yeah. yeah. I get it... Now, can I please have my breakfast, sensei?"

"Sure thing." Inoe turned her head and nodded to the nurse. "Hana, come here." She inched farther from Izuki to make room for the nurse and trolley.

Gently, the nurse laid out a small folded table on Izuki's bed, and on it, she placed the tray of bowls and glass. One by one, she lifted the covers of the bowls, revealing the foods beneath it all: a bowl of rice, a boiled egg, stir-fried vegetables, cut-up mandarins, and, for his drink, a glass of warm tea. "Enjoy, Shadow-kun," she said to Izuki, letting out a little giggle.

"Oh, please, stop it with that. Haha." Flustered, Izuki let out a chuckle before slightly bowing his head to the nurse. "Thank you for the food."

With a content smile, he feasted on the food served. As his mind began to clear up from the drowsy feeling, so too came the memories and the thoughts of what happened the day before. Remembering it all filled him with anxiety, but seeing how closely the doctor and nurse watched his demeanor while he ate told him that there was no point in rushing at the moment. So slowly, he savored the food in his mouth because just behind him, beyond the walls, he began to hear murmurs that gradually grew louder and louder.

"Nyaaah~ Honey, come on~" A voice said from the other side of the walls. Judging from the playful tone and high pitch of the voice, Izuki could guess it came from a young woman. "Say 'Aaaaaah'~"

"Oh, Kitty~ I told you you already~ I'm full!" Another voice replied, though equally as cheery and excited, it sounded to be that of a man.

"Not full until I said so. Come on now, open up that mouth so you can go home. I can not stand to be all alone with no one to cuddle with anymore~"

"Ah! Kitty~"

"Teheeeheee~"

The voices continued on, changing into laughs and giggles, and to the annoyance of Izuki, the noises of very aggressive kisses and the creaks of the bed's metallic frame. An image quickly appeared in his head, turning his cheeks red from secondhand embarrassment.

"Uurrgh... There they go again..." Izuki groaned, clenching the chopsticks in his hand.

"Hm?" Inoe tilted her head.

"Those two next to me... They've been making all kinds of noises last night. When the noises stopped, I was glad, but I didn't think that they would come back up in the morning too..." He sighed, moving on to stuffing even more food in his mouth to distract himself from the noises ringing constant in his ears.