Campione: Strongest# 458: The Dream is Ending

Creeeak—

The door slid open slowly, and Haru stepped quietly into the hospital room.

The small, sparsely furnished space was dominated by a simple hospital bed.

On that stark white bed, a black-haired girl lay silently. Gone was the usual cool aloofness of Shiki Ryougi or the vibrant energy of SHIKI—the sleeping girl possessed a tranquil beauty, like a fairy-tale princess lost in slumber.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The soft sound of Haru’s leather boots against the tiled floor echoed in the quiet room. He closed the door behind him and slowly approached the bedside.

“Oh, carnations? Has Fujino been here?” he murmured, slightly surprised as he glanced at the bouquet of blue flowers resting on the bedside table.

Since Shiki’s hospitalization, besides Haru himself, the most frequent visitor had been Fujino Asagami—the very person he believed had a rather contentious relationship with Shiki, given how often they fought.

Their dynamic seemed a perfect example of love-hate.

Haru’s gaze shifted from the flowers back to Shiki. After just one month, her ear-length hair had grown to brush her shoulders, adding a touch of softness to her usually sharp appearance. Although he never explicitly stated it, Haru was a long-hair enthusiast—Shiki’s current look was much more to his ‘taste.’

“Strange?” As he observed her, his brow gradually furrowed. Though her expression was calm, Shiki’s previously relaxed hands were now clenched into tight fists. Yet, despite this subtle movement, she showed no signs of waking. She remained trapped in the vortex of the Root.

Noticing this anomaly, Haru gently raised his hand.

A golden light slowly enveloped his palm as he pressed it against her smooth forehead. Unsure of the cause, he decided to conduct a thorough examination.

—————

In the room next door, Kirié Fujou leaned listlessly against the headboard, staring blankly at the wall.

‘Is she waking up? Is the dream ending?’ she murmured inwardly.

Even confined to the hospital, the concept of propriety between men and women had been subtly instilled in her mind. Over the past month, through careful observation, she had understood that Haru was staying here because of Miss Ryougi’s admission.

Although it felt terribly wrong to wish ill upon the comatose girl, Kirié, for the first time, found herself hoping that someone would sleep forever.

Every night, she was tormented by guilt over her own wicked thoughts.

Her time with Haru had been brief—only a month—but Kirié knew it had been the happiest period of her life since early childhood.

When she wanted to see the scenery outside, someone was there to push her wheelchair. When she wanted to throw a petty tantrum, someone was there to tolerate her unreasonable demands.

Although she called him her good friend, Kirié was starting to see Haru as something more, perhaps a lover. As her health had gradually improved, her simple desire for friendship had slowly morphed into a longing for romance.

Otherwise, Haru would not have been able to so easily… explore her body.

‘So, is it time for him to leave?’ Her pale, small hands gripped the white sheets so tightly that veins bulged beneath the skin. Kirié closed her eyes.

Shiki was showing signs of waking, which meant Haru’s departure was imminent. Kirié wanted him to stay, desperately, but she had no reason to ask him to. She was well aware of his relationship with Shiki. Even when critically ill, Kirié hadn't dared confess her feelings, let alone now.

The joy she had felt from her slow recovery was now completely overshadowed by a deeper despair.

As she sank into sorrow, a string of Buddhist beads in her bedside drawer began to emit a faint light, then silently shattered into dust.

“The ever-present chaos that lurks beside you, Nyarlathotep, is here to report,” a voice with a strange, lilting tone suddenly echoed through the room.

————

Outside the hospital, Araya Souren stood at the main entrance, his face grim, hesitating.

He had specifically chosen Kirié Fujou two years ago as a contingency plan—a way to reach the Root by using Shiki Ryougi’s body if necessary.

Posing as a family friend, Araya had been covering Kirié’s exorbitant medical bills ever since her family’s funds ran out. His goal was to exploit her despair and subtly guide her toward his own ends.

However, now that the Buddhist beads he used for monitoring had activated, signaling an anomaly, he dared not take another step inside. He could only stand foolishly at the entrance.

As a former monk, Araya still possessed the ability to sense faith. ‘What is that overwhelming surge of divine presence coming from the sixth floor, near Kirié Fujou’s room? Why is God still hanging around the hospital?’

He knew Shiki was here, but it had been a month. How could a deity be unable to handle minor injuries? A god who could perform resurrections was helpless against a simple knife wound?

Unheard of!

Araya Souren turned away indifferently. He assumed Kirié’s despair meant she was on the verge of death. Since he couldn't intervene, he could only accept the loss of this pawn.

“Mr. Araya?” a surprised voice suddenly called out.

He turned to see an old doctor with white hair—the very physician in charge of Kirié’s case.

Twenty minutes later, Araya Souren walked out of the hospital holding an eight-figure bill, his face a mask of indifference. He had just paid two years of medical expenses for a pawn he could no longer use. What a colossal waste.

————

At the same time, in Shiki Ryougi’s room.

Haru slowly lifted his hand, his examination complete. He looked down at Shiki with a grim expression. “I didn't expect it to be like this.”

The dual personalities of Yin and Yang had formed the stable construct known as ‘Shiki Ryougi.’ Even a blow containing the Origin of ‘Death’ had failed to separate them. However, it was precisely this stability that now trapped both Shiki and SHIKI in the vortex of the Root, unable to escape.

Haru narrowed his eyes. If this continued, the two souls, constantly adrift in the Root, would inevitably face their ‘death.’

No, that's not quite right...

If one personality was sacrificed, the other could potentially be saved.

Haru inexplicably recalled the prophecy he had overheard from the old mystic a month ago.

“A future where one must sleep, and a future where both survive?” he muttered to himself.

He then reached out toward Shiki Ryougi. The distinct aura of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, began to activate around his hand.

“Is there even a question? I want a future with both of them.”