Campione: Strongest# 455: You Seriously Didn't Set Up a Bounded Field??

In a Severe Care Ward at the hospital.

A nurse gently drew back the curtains and opened the window, letting fresh air circulate through the small room.

“Thank you, Nurse Fujita,” a voice, both cool and softly gentle, sounded.

Fujita turned, her expression mild as she looked at the woman on the bed and gave a slight bow. “It's no trouble at all, Miss Fujou. Just let me know next time you'd like some air. Oh, and how are you feeling today?”

“…The same as always.” The woman, Kirié Fujou, offered the nurse a faint smile from her sickly pale face.

“Is that so? Well, at this rate, if you keep up with the treatment, your illness might very well improve,” Fujita said with an encouraging smile.

“Oh… thank you.” Kirié paused, then returned the smile. Even knowing the nurse was likely just offering kind words, her mood brightened considerably.

“Speaking of which, Nurse Fujita, has someone moved into the room next door?” Kirié weakly raised a hand, pointing to the wall behind her.

The commotion from the next room last night—even with her frail body and poor hearing—had been enough to wake her from a rare, settled sleep. Though her rest had been disturbed, Kirié felt no resentment toward the new resident.

It was a cruel reality, but this ward was primarily for the critically ill, those clinging to life only through extreme medical intervention. Patients who arrived on this floor rarely walked out. Knowing this, Kirié never complained about noise. It would be strange if relatives weren't heartbroken. When people suffer, a little noise is only natural.

In truth, Kirié had a small, personal reason for asking.

“The resident next door? Oh, you mean Miss Ryougi?” Fujita touched her cheek in sudden understanding.

“Is it a woman? Can you tell me anything about her?” Kirié looked up slightly, her voice filled with anticipation.

Around the age of seven, Kirié had been told she would spend the rest of her life in the hospital. Seventeen years had passed since then. Isolated for so long, she naturally longed for a friend. Her body severely limited her movement, confining her to a few laps around the floor each day. The other patients were typically elderly people awaiting their end, few inclined to socialize.

As a result, Kirié was alone, even at twenty-four. She no longer dared to hope for romance, but she desperately wanted to experience friendship. Hearing that a woman had moved in next door brought a small thrill of excitement, tinged with guilt. She was simply too lonely.

“Miss Ryougi? It seems she was attacked by that serial killer recently, struck with some kind of poisoned weapon. She’s in a vegetative state now. It’s terrible—she’s not even sixteen yet,” Fujita sighed regretfully, lamenting the tragedy.

“A vegetative state?” Kirié’s face froze, then fell into a helpless sigh of disappointment. She remained lost in dejection long after the nurse left and closed the door.

Just then, a faint, indistinct sound drifted into her ears. Moaning...

Kirié: “…”

‘Is that coming from the room next door?’ she wondered, turning to stare blankly at the clean white wall. Her bed was right next to it. The strange sounds could only be coming from there.

The cries, like a cat's plaintive wail, grew louder, echoing softly around her.

‘What is that sound?’ Kirié’s face flushed as she felt her body begin to soften and heat up. Her sheltered hospital life meant she was utterly innocent regarding physical intimacy.

The sudden music both terrified and aroused the naive young woman.

Partly frightened by her body's abnormal reaction, partly intrigued, Kirié trembled as she pressed her ear against the wall, listening intently.

Time drifted into the evening.

“It’s finally over...” Kirié whispered, her entire body slick with sweat, as though she’d just been pulled from water. She gasped for air, trying to restore her limited strength. Due to her extremely poor constitution, it took her a full half-hour to recover.

She pressed the call button for the nurse, then awkwardly stumbled through an excuse for her state of near-dehydration. With help, Kirié cleaned herself up and changed into fresh linens. After the nurse left, she laboriously moved herself into her wheelchair. After the previous… event, she needed a walk to clear her head.

However, the moment she rolled out of her room, Kirié was startled to find a silver-haired young man standing right outside the door next to hers, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

‘Wait—I think one of the sounds during the 'cat-wailing' was a man’s heavy breathing??’

The sudden realization made Kirié slam the wheels of her chair back. Like a startled rabbit, she rolled herself back into her room, immediately puzzled by her own frantic reaction.

“Um, am I that frightening?” Haru stepped into her doorway, pointing to his face, his tone strange. He considered himself quite good-looking and felt insulted. ‘Seeing me makes her shriek and flee? I’m not some boogeyman.’

“I—I didn’t mean to eavesdrop!” Kirié’s face stiffened, and she quickly tried to defend herself. “No, no, no! I didn’t hear any cat-wailing or heavy breathing all day!”

Haru: “…”

‘Nyarko, get your butt back here! I don’t care if you drugged me, but YOU SERIOUSLY DIDN’T SET UP A BOUNDED FIELD??’