They finally arrived at the hospital. It was already past midnight.
Yukinoshita Haruno led Hayashi Maki into the ward. She sat by the bed and gently held her sister's hand.
"Maki-kun, I'm counting on you."
Haruno's earnest, pleading gaze fixed on him.
"Mm. Leave it to me," Hayashi Maki said, nodding hard. He took a deep breath and slowly leaned down.
He brushed aside the hair on Yukinoshita Yukino's forehead and, taking in her unfairly cute face up close, felt a flicker of excitement.
"Alright, I'm starting."
His lips moved toward the sleeping beauty's slightly pale, cherry-colored lips.
Before he could make contact, Haruno pinched his mouth with her fingers. "What are you doing? I asked you to treat Yukino, not kiss her!"
Hayashi Maki shrugged. "Kissing her is how I treat her. How can I heal her without contact?"
Haruno frowned. "You can touch her with your hand, can't you? Why does it have to be your mouth?"
"The mouth works best. Her condition is bad—she's been surviving on IV nutrition. Look, Yukino's gotten thin. With my method, she'll recover quickly—she could even go to school tomorrow. Of course, if you don't want her to get better that fast, I can just use the ordinary method," he said confidently, then sat aside as if leaving the choice to her.
Haruno bit her lip and glared at him. "You're doing this on purpose. Be honest—have you set your sights on Yukino?"
"Heh… with a girl that cute, any normal man would," Hayashi Maki said, not even bothering to deny it.
Haruno was at a loss—he'd admitted it outright. Forget it, heal Yukino first, she thought. Not wanting to delay her sister's treatment, she shut her eyes and turned away. "Go ahead—use whatever way works best."
"Then I'll begin," Hayashi Maki said, not the least bit conflicted. He'd already had his eye on the second Yukinoshita-san, and now he had a legitimate excuse.
He removed the oxygen mask from her face and gently pressed his lips to Yukino's. Her lips were soft and a little cool, which made his heart skip inappropriately.
Haruno couldn't help opening her eyes. Watching the scene, her cheeks burned and a faint, sour ache rose in her chest. I was first… so why is he being so gentle with Yukino, when he forced a kiss on me?
Setting Haruno's feelings aside, Hayashi Maki activated his Damage Absorption ability. A violet glow rose from him, and the same purple light began to shimmer from the girl on the bed.
Haruno saw wisps of black "air" stream from Yukino's body into Hayashi Maki's. Yukino's complexion and thin frame gradually filled out, growing rosy and healthy again—while Hayashi Maki's face turned pale.
In a moment, he collapsed; Haruno hurried to catch him and let him rest against her. "Maki-kun, are you okay?"
Hayashi Maki had intentionally absorbed the injuries and then "processed" them himself—easier to tug at Haruno's heartstrings that way. If healing Yukino cost him nothing, how could she be moved by him?
"I'm fine… cough. Yukino's okay now. Let her sleep, and she'll wake up on her own," he said. "Don't worry about me either. I just transferred her injuries to myself; I'll need some time to recover."
Haruno's eyes grew moist. So he hadn't just been trying to take advantage of her sister—he had really cured her by absorbing Yukino's injuries into himself?
Breathing in Haruno's scent, Hayashi Maki smiled. "I'm a demon, not an angel. I don't have holy healing—I can transfer harm and digest it with my own regeneration. Don't worry; demon power grows over time. You'll see. And don't forget—Haruno-nee, you're already mine; from now on your life exists for me."
"…Alright, I won't forget. Thank you," Haruno said, then bent down and kissed his forehead—a warm, onee-san gesture that left Hayashi Maki blinking. She kissed my forehead? So gentle… It was the move he often used on his angel, Mahiru.
"Cat got your tongue?" Haruno teased, tapping his forehead with a finger.
"Yeah—I got lost staring at you, Haruno-nee. If you're this gentle to a demon, I'll only get worse," he said with a grin, lifting her hand to his lips for a kiss. A spark shot through her; she was, against her will, a little flustered. This guy… he's good. Not to be underestimated.
They shared a look and a wry smile. Hayashi Maki wiped the sweat from his brow, gave Haruno a quick hug, and let go. "Alright, I'm heading back to rest. Stay with your sister. We'll talk later. And about the power in your body—if anything feels off or changes, tell me. I'll teach you."
With that, his body dissolved into magic and vanished.
Back under the covers, Hayashi Maki pulled Mahiru into his arms and drifted into a sweet sleep.
Of course, he didn't forget to stop his own consumption of Yukino's injuries. The earlier act had been to "play" Haruno—no need to keep suffering now. The feeling of damaged cells, muscle weakness, and painful regeneration was miserable.
"As for that vegetative, full-body damage—better saved for enemies later," he thought. "Store it."
~~~
For Every 100 Powerstone = 1 Bonus Chapter! Please Vote for more Chapters!
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 180+ Chapters Ahead of Others!