Akane raised an eyebrow. "And yet here you are, refusing to leave his side and volunteering to watch over him all night."

"That’s completely different!" Tachibana protested instantly, her blush deepening. "I owe him a life debt, that’s all! Once he wakes up and I confirm he’s alright, I’ll... I’ll properly settle this ridiculous marriage promise he made. Nothing more!"

Akane chuckled lightly. "Of course. But Tachibana... try not to kick him the moment he opens his eyes, alright? Give him a real chance. For my sake... and maybe for your own too."

Tachibana grumbled under her breath but eventually gave a small, reluctant nod. "Fine... I’ll try to control myself. But if he says anything perverted or acts arrogantly, I won’t hold back."

She then pulled a small wooden stool closer to the bed and sat down properly, keeping a quiet but attentive watch over me.

Even with the mask on, her eyes revealed a swirling mix of lingering suspicion, deep embarrassment, reluctant gratitude, and a tiny, hesitant spark of warmth.

Inside my head, I was grinning. What a perfect tsundere. Keep going, Tachibana. You’re only making this more entertaining.

Akane stood up slowly and placed a hand on Tachibana’s shoulder. "I’ll leave him in your care then. You’ve both been through hell tonight. Try to rest as well, Tachibana. Call me immediately if his condition changes."

With one last gentle look at both of us, Akane quietly left the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Now truly alone with me, Tachibana let out a long sigh. She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand while watching my face in silence. Her complicated emotions continued to swirl as the night grew deeper around us.

I decided it was the perfect time to "wake up." I began coughing weakly, my body twitching as I let out a few strained, painful-sounding coughs.

"Water... water..." I rasped in a low, feeble voice, sounding completely drained. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Tachibana reacted like a startled bird. Her eyes widened in panic as she shot up from her stool. "H-Hey! You’re awake?!" She quickly grabbed the glass of water that had been sitting on the bedside table — the one she had been drinking from earlier — and brought it to my lips. She even slipped one arm behind my head, gently lifting and cradling it as she helped me drink.

Her face turned bright red the moment our closeness registered. I secretly activated Telepathy and caught her racing thoughts clearly:

[Isn’t this... my glass? He’s drinking from the same glass I used... This is basically an indirect kiss, right? I... I just let a man drink from my glass... What am I doing?! My heart is beating so fast... Calm down, Tachibana, you idiot!]

I stopped drinking after a few sips and looked up at her, our faces still quite close. "Thank you..." I whispered sincerely.

Tachibana quickly pulled back, nearly spilling the remaining water. She turned her face away, clearly flustered. I continued gently, "You... are you okay? Are there any other injuries that haven’t healed? I might have missed something in the rush."

Tachibana clicked her tongue in annoyance, crossing her arms. "Hmph! Worry about yourself first, you reckless idiot! Look at you — coughing up blood and collapsing like that. Who do you think you are, pushing yourself until you faint?!"

Through Telepathy, I heard her real thoughts right after:

[He... he woke up, and the first thing he asked about was me? Even though he’s the one lying there pale and weak... What’s wrong with this guy?]

At that moment, the door slid open, and Akane stepped inside. She had apparently heard the commotion. "Jack...! Are you awake? Are you okay?" she asked, rushing to my side with visible relief.

I pretended to try sitting up, pushing myself up with my arms as if testing my strength. Before I could fully rise, Tachibana suddenly pushed my shoulders back down onto the bed with surprising firmness.

"Just lie down already!" she scolded in a classic tsundere tone, her voice sharp but laced with concern. "Who are you trying to impress by acting all strong? You were spitting blood earlier! You look like you’re about to collapse again. Stop moving and rest, you stubborn fool!"

Akane looked at her disciple with slight surprise. "Tachibana..."

Tachibana realized her tone was too revealing and quickly looked away, muttering, "I-I’m just saying... It would be annoying if he got worse after all the trouble we went through to heal him."

I looked at both of them and offered a weak but reassuring smile. "Don’t worry. I’m really fine now. See? I can talk normally."

Akane sat on the edge of the bed and gently held my hand, her eyes searching mine with deep worry. "Jack, tell me the truth. Using this ability didn’t really affect you that badly... right? You looked terrifying earlier — so pale and cold. I’ve never seen you like that before."

I chuckled inwardly but kept a calm face. I pretended to look slightly nervous, darting my eyes around before smiling. "No, there’s no big effect. Don’t worry so much. It just causes a bit of temporary weakness, that’s all. I’m really okay now. I’ll recover fully after some rest."

The moment the words left my mouth, Tachibana’s eyes narrowed. She bit her lip hard, staring at me intensely. Then she suddenly yelled, unable to hold back:

"You... You’re lying!!"

Both Akane and I turned to look at her. Tachibana’s fists were clenched at her sides, her cheeks still faintly red beneath the mask.

"You’re clearly lying!" she continued, her voice rising with frustration and worry. "Your face is still pale, your hands are cold, and you were coughing like your lungs were damaged!"

"If it was really just ’slight weakness,’ you wouldn’t have collapsed so dramatically after healing me. Why are you trying to hide it? Do you think we’re stupid? Or do you think acting tough will make us feel better?!"

She took a step closer, pointing at me accusingly. "You idiot! You agreed to marry me, but the first thing you do is lie straight to our faces? If you’re going to be my... my future husband or whatever, at least be honest when you’re hurt! How can I trust you if you keep pretending everything is fine?!"

Akane placed a calming hand on Tachibana’s shoulder, but she didn’t stop her disciple. Instead, she looked at me with the same expectant eyes, waiting for the real answer.

Tachibana’s voice softened just a little at the end, though she still sounded angry. "You saved my life... I don’t want you to suffer in silence because of me. So stop lying and tell us the truth already. How bad is it really? What does your ability actually cost you?"

She turned her face away again, mumbling under her breath, "Dummy... Making me worry like this right after waking up..."

I could hear her inner thoughts loud and clear through Telepathy:

[Why does my chest feel so tight when I think he might be hurting because of me...? This is annoying... I hate this feeling.]

The room fell into a tense silence as both women stared at me, waiting for my honest response.