983 -971- It's a waste

"Nagisa, we're here to see you."

With this voice, the door to a hospital room opened. Both Rozen and Kojou walked in, entering the room.

"Ah, Kojou-kun, you came?"

Almost simultaneously, a lively and cheerful voice, tinged with joy, echoed in the hospital room. The owner of the voice was Nagisa.

In a well-lit hospital room, Nagisa sat on the bed with naturally flowing black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a hospital gown, and intravenous tubes were connected to her slender arms. Seemingly in high spirits, she flipped through a magazine. Upon seeing Rozen and Kojou entering, she turned her head, displaying a joyful smile.

Months after the events in the Demon Sanctuary, it seemed that those experiences hadn't affected this girl much. She appeared as lively and cheerful as ever, even lying in the hospital bed. This brought relief to Rozen and Kojou every time they visited.

The girl found joy in the simple act of having someone come to visit her.

Especially when she saw Rozen, Nagisa's spirits lifted even more.

"Nichiyo also came. Thank you for keeping Kojou-kun company. It must be tough, right?"

Nagisa spoke like a chatty little adult, immediately starting a conversation.

"Hey, why make it sound like I'm causing trouble for others?"

Kojou immediately protested, but Nagisa was unapologetic.

"It's true, isn't it, Kojou-kun? You were able to come to Itogami Island thanks to Nichiyo's sister. She arranged your living and school arrangements. And with your personality, you'd probably be unpopular at school without Nichiyo. Even the ride from school to here is courtesy of Nichiyo's family car. And then there is...."

Nagisa went on and on, making Kojou feel dizzy.

Immediately, Kojou tried to stop her.

"Okay, okay! I get it! You don't have to say more!" But under his breath, Kojou continued, "But what do you mean I'd be unpopular at school? Don't make baseless speculations!"

Surprisingly, Nagisa tilted her head and said, "Huh? Isn't that true?"

"Ugh..." Kojou was caught off guard, but he still argued, "Well... even if it's true that I'm not very popular, it's because of Nichi...!"

Before Kojou could finish his sentence, he received a strong elbow to his abdomen.

"Oof...!"

Hunched over, holding his stomach, Kojou glared at the side.

"What's wrong, Akatsuki-kun?" Rozen stood there innocently and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...Nothing." Kojou could only grit his teeth and say, "I'll remember this."

"Hehe." Nagisa watched their interaction and chuckled.

The atmosphere among the three was filled with warmth and harmony, like friends who had known each other for years. Who would have thought that they had only met a few months ago?

After some playful banter, Rozen turned to Nagisa.

"How's your health, Nagisa?"

Rozen asked Nagisa about her condition.

"It's the same as before, needs further observation in the hospital." Nagisa sighed and pouted, "Even though I'm almost fine, Mom still insists on keeping me here, saying she needs to observe for a while."

The person Nagisa mentioned, her mother, was none other than Akatsuki's and Nagisa's mother— Akatsuki Mimori.

As mentioned before, Akatsuki Mimori was a licensed clinical magic doctor and the head researcher of a well-known company's medical department. That company was MAR.

In addition to her prestigious position in MAR, Akatsuki Mimori was also a capable healer with medical abilities as a Hyper Adapter.

It's because of this that Nagisa inherited her mother's constitution, coupled with excellent spirit medium qualities, making her a rare hybrid ability user.

After moving to Itogami Island, Akatsuki Mimori, having applied for a transfer, also joined the local branch and became Nagisa's attending physician, overseeing her treatment.

Previously, due to work, Mimori couldn't come home often. Now, with her daughter hospitalized, they could meet every day, providing some solace in Nagisa's otherwise monotonous hospital life.

However, for the energetic Nagisa, being hospitalized was too dull. If given the choice, she wouldn't want to stay here.

Unfortunately, Nagisa couldn't just leave the hospital.

"Even though the test results have been consistently good, you still have a spirit attached to you. It's better to observe for a while," Kojou's mother, Mimori, insisted.

Surprisingly, Kojou supported his mother's decision.

This made Nagisa's cheeks puff up.

"But Nichiyo already helped me suppress the spirit inside me, right?"

Nagisa said.

That's right.

Months ago, Rozen had already helped Nagisa suppress the spirit inside her.

"Although that spirit is exceptionally powerful, I couldn't find a safe way to exorcise it temporarily. But if it's just about suppression, I can manage," Rozen explained, spreading his hands.

Rozen's mind was filled with unparalleled knowledge, both in magic and jujutsu. Finding a method to deal with the possessing spirit was effortless for him.

However, Nagisa's situation involved an unusually strong spirit. Despite trying various methods over the months, Rozen couldn't safely remove it from Nagisa.

Of course, if safety were disregarded, Rozen had plenty of forceful methods at his disposal, such as using the "Taizan Fukan Ritual", tapping into the power of Taizan Fukan to forcibly pull the evil spirit out of Nagisa. But, as mentioned before, the ritual was dangerous and not guaranteed to succeed, so Rozen refrained from using it.

In the end, Rozen continued to periodically help Nagisa suppress the spirit, weakening its power gradually, using a cautious approach to eliminate it.

This method was both safe and effective, allowing Nagisa to live a relatively normal life. Still, Mimori was cautious and wanted to continue observation.

Therefore, besides visiting Nagisa, Rozen mainly aimed to continue calming her spirit and purging the evil spirit, hoping for her eventual recovery.

"Sorry, Nichiyo, for always troubling you," Nagisa expressed gratitude after venting her frustration.

"No need to be so polite; we're friends." Rozen habitually flashed a flawless smile and said to Nagisa, "Besides, Nagisa-chan is so cute. It's a waste for you to stay in the hospital. I want to go shopping and eat together, strengthening our friendship."

Rozen said this.

"Sho... shopping and eating together...?"

Nagisa's cheeks immediately turned red.

"Hey!"

Kojou protested.

"Haha!"

Rozen couldn't help but laugh.

The three of them once again engaged in laughter and playful banter, creating a pleasant atmosphere.