At that exact moment, Tachibana’s eyes fluttered open. The moment she felt a man’s warm hand pressed intimately against her most private area, her face twisted in pure shock and fury.

"Aaaaaah—! You filthy bastard!! Get your hand off me!!" she screamed hoarsely. With sudden regained strength, her leg shot out and kicked me hard in the chest, sending me flying backward.

I pretended to be badly injured, collapsing dramatically onto the floor. I coughed up a mouthful of blood (from the capsule I had hidden) and lay completely motionless, pretending to have fainted.

"Jack...! Jack!!" Akane cried out in horror, rushing to my side. She looked at my pale, sweat-drenched face, her voice trembling. "Jack... your face is so pale... You’re ice cold! What’s happening?! Talk to me!"

I remained perfectly still, feigning deep unconsciousness. Through my closed eyelids, I secretly observed everything with AI Lens.

Tachibana had already yanked the blanket back over herself, clutching it tightly to her chest. Under the covers, she frantically ran her hands over her body—her shoulders, breasts, stomach, thighs, and between her legs. Her eyes widened in complete disbelief.

"Master... what... what the hell happened to him? Why is he on the floor like that?!" Tachibana asked, still breathing heavily.

Akane turned on her disciple with rare, burning anger. "Tachibana! Is this how you repay the man who just saved your life?! He agreed to marry you on the spot, blinded himself for your comfort, and drained his own life force to heal every single wound on your body—and you kick him?! Have you lost all sense of gratitude?!"

Tachibana flinched, looking genuinely lost and guilty. "Master, I... I just reacted instinctively! I woke up and felt a man’s hand right there... touching me down there! Any woman would panic and lash out! I didn’t know he was hurting himself like this! I swear I didn’t mean to—"

Akane gently removed the blindfold from my eyes and caressed my pale cheek with trembling fingers. "Jack... please wake up. Open your eyes. Don’t do this to me... Jack!"

Tachibana stepped closer, still wrapped tightly in the blanket. "Master, what exactly happened to him? He looks terrible... Is he going to be okay?"

Akane shook her head, tears welling up. "I don’t know the full details... He never explained everything to me. But every time he uses that healing power, it takes a heavy toll on his body. He must have overexerted himself massively for you. Look at him—he’s completely drained."

Akane murmured fearfully, "If anything serious happens to him... how will I ever face Yuko again?"

Tachibana bit her lip so hard it bled. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Master... this is my fault, isn’t it? I was too stubborn... too cruel to him. Even though he kept his word and blinded himself... I still treated him like garbage."

Akane quickly lifted me in her strong arms and laid me gently on the same bed Tachibana had occupied. She turned to her disciple with a serious, warning expression.

"Tachibana... you are not to speak a single word about this to anyone. Not even to my other disciples. How he healed you, his ability, the marriage promise—none of it. It will put him in extreme danger if this information spreads."

Akane continued, "I know you didn’t like it. How he had to touch you everywhere... especially the intimate areas. But I was the one guiding his hands the entire time. He was completely blindfolded. He saw nothing. Now you can leave if you want. I know you must hate him right now..."

Tachibana stood silently for a long moment, staring at my unconscious form. Her expression was a chaotic storm—guilt, embarrassment, lingering suspicion, and a trace of reluctant softness.

"No... Master," she said firmly, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside me. "I will take care of him myself."

Akane looked at her in visible surprise. "Tachibana...?"

Tachibana avoided her master’s gaze, her cheeks faintly flushed. "Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying I fully trust him yet, or that I’ve forgiven him for... for putting his hands all over my body. Especially between my legs. I still feel violated. But... he did save my life when I was ready to die."

"He even agreed to marry a foul-mouthed, dying girl like me without hesitation. The least I can do is watch over him until he wakes up. I’m not so heartless that I’d abandon the man who just pulled me back from death."

She gently adjusted the blanket over my body, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Besides... if he really exhausted himself this badly because of me, then I owe him."

"You’d better wake up soon, you reckless idiot... So I can properly yell at you for touching me without permission... and ask you seriously if you really meant what you said about marrying me. Don’t you dare die after making such a bold promise."

Tachibana glanced at Akane, biting her lip again. "Master... can I stay with him tonight? Alone? I want to... monitor his condition. And maybe apologize properly when he wakes up."

Akane looked between us, a faint, tired smile appearing on her face for the first time that night. "Very well. But be gentle with him, Tachibana. He’s not your enemy."

Tachibana nodded silently, still sitting on the edge of the bed while clutching the blanket tightly around her body. Akane gently brushed a strand of hair from my forehead before standing up.

"Tachibana, you stay here and watch over him," Akane said softly. "I’ll go bring you some clean clothes. Yours are ruined with blood. I won’t be long."

With one last worried glance at me, Akane quietly left the room, closing the sliding door behind her. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint sound of night insects outside.

I remained perfectly still, pretending to be unconscious. Through my AI Lens, I watched Tachibana carefully. Her tough facade finally cracked the moment she was alone with me. Her eyes misted over, and large tears began dripping down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, but more kept falling.

"...Why?" she whispered brokenly, her voice barely audible. "Why did you save me? I... I was so horrible to you. I called you names, accused you of disgusting things, and even kicked you when you were helping me. Yet you still... You still risked your own life for someone like me."

She stared at my pale face, fresh tears rolling down. "You even agreed to marry me... Just like that. Without hesitation. Are you insane? Or... are you really that kind of person? I don’t understand you at all, Jack."