Convergence

Part 3 : chapter 6

Utahime spent about a week at the Tokyo Jujutsu Hospital. Her wound was deep and required regular monitoring, so rather than returning to Kyoto, she chose to remain there.

Shoko came to see her every day to keep an eye on her condition. Despite Utahime's reassurances, Shoko checked her vitals with the meticulous precision characteristic of young medical interns. The wound absolutely could not become infected — nor could it affect her eye.

Since the incident at Urami Higashi High School, Utahime still had not dared to look at her face in a mirror. She did not know why, but a phrase Naoya used to repeat relentlessly kept resurfacing in her mind:

"A woman's worth is defined by her appearance."

She utterly despised the words of that idiot Noaya, and yet... she still could not bring herself to face her own reflection, terrified of what she might discover. Her face must look hideous now. The bandages still covered most of it, and whenever she washed herself, she carefully avoided the large bathroom mirror.

For now, she preferred avoidance over confrontation.

Since Satoru's visit, she had not seen him again. He was probably busy — after all, wasn't he the strongest sorcerer of their time ? It would have been strange if he had time to personally visit every injured sorcerer across the country.

Her Kyoto students, however, came to see her during her recovery.

Their presence moved Utahime more deeply than she expected. They had traveled all the way to Tokyo for her. Every single one of them looked genuinely worried.

Miwa and Momo burst into tears the moment they saw her lying in the hospital bed before immediately throwing themselves into her arms — to the point where it became difficult to tell who needed comfort more, them or Utahime herself.

Mai brought a large basket of exotic fruits, which they shared alongside snacks Miwa had brought. Momo read aloud the letter they had written wishing her a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, Todo and Noritoshi carefully inspected every corner of the room as though making certain no hidden danger lurked nearby. Mechamaru discreetly installed several devices of his own creation to make his teacher more comfortable.

The afternoon passed in a haze of stories, laughter, and anecdotes about Kyoto Jujutsu High. They bombarded her with questions about how she had been injured and when she would return.

All of them also did their best to reassure her, insisting she was still just as beautiful as ever, that men would continue falling at her feet — and, according to Miwa and Momo, that she would probably leave the hospital, immediately find a husband, and build a wonderful family with at least six children.

That remark made Utahime laugh despite herself.

They were unbearably sweet.

When they finally left, a faint ache settled in Utahime's chest. Silence abruptly fell over the room once more, as though the life that had briefly filled it had vanished in an instant.

In such a short amount of time, those students had become infinitely precious to her.

During her stay at the hospital, Utahime visited Tsumiki several times.

Her room was only a few doors away from Utahime's.

Every time Utahime entered, a crushing weight settled over her chest.

The girl's body was there, motionless, but her mind seemed completely absent. She remained trapped in a vegetative state.

Utahime could not bear to imagine Megumi's reaction when he saw his half-sister in such a condition.