"It's a ceiling I don't know."
Perhaps due to not having spoken for a while, my throat was dry
"where on earth is this place?"
Sure, I was on a train during a field trip... Ah, it's gradually coming back to me.
The memories of the battle on the train gradually return, and my heart starts to race.
At that time, I definitely beheaded that attacking terrorist, but I wonder if Erika was safely rescued.
I can't believe it, but...
"Ka, Kai, I'm glad!!"
When I tilted my head towards the direction of the voice, there was Erika, shedding tears.
Ah, thank goodness. She was safe too.
"Erika, you made it back safely. Are you hurt or anything?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine."
She was laughing with tears in her eyes, saying, "Worrying about me right after waking up? First, worry about yourself."
Erika's face right now was marked by dark circles from stress and swollen eyes from crying, which was quite a sight... but even so, her beauty as a girl was undeniable, and her worn-out appearance had its own allure.
No, suddenly waking up and thinking about something like this, I guess I'm quite a piece of work too.
If she were to read my true feelings, even she would be disillusioned.
"Erika, where is this?"
"Ah, um, this is a military hospital managed by the Southern Colonial Army."
When I shifted my gaze to the glass window opposite where she was sitting, I could see trees typical of tropical regions, resembling cycad plants, growing outside.
From the position of the sun, it seems to be around noon.
Huh? Or rather, how long have I been asleep since then?
To answer my question, Erika continued her explanation.
"You were brought to this hospital after the battle on that train... You didn't wake up for three days."
"Huh? Did I really sleep for that long?"
It seems that my body has suffered more serious damage than I had thought.
It's a bit late, but I notice that my body is wrapped in bandages and tape all over.
A thin tube is connected to my arm, and it seems to be continuously administering an IV drip.
A plaster cast is applied to the neck to prevent injury to the cervical spine.
However, if you've been sleeping for three days...
"The evaluation of the staff exercise trip's performance is going to be bad, I guess."
"Haah, Kai. What are you saying at a time like this... By the way, you can rest easy about that. The governor of the Southern Military District contacted the military academy. It seems that the field training trip will be given the highest grade without any assignment submission."
"Oh, that's great."
In contrast to my smiling face, I could see Erika's expression gradually darkening.
What the... Did I really annoy her by casually talking about school grades at a time like this?
Hmm, I didn't mean to make you angry, but it seems I still haven't completely fixed my somewhat lacking sensitivity in this life.
"Um, Erika-san"
"Kai..."
The voices of the two people overlap, almost simultaneously.
When I signaled with my eyes, "Please go ahead," Erika bowed her head vigorously.
After a while, I started to squeeze out words little by little.
"Kai... I'm really... sorry. I know it's too late to apologize and be forgiven, but..."
"Um..."
Although I couldn't see Erika's expression as she bowed her head, it was easy to imagine how she felt from the large droplets falling onto her knees.
But I don't know what words to say to her... Or rather, what is Erika even apologizing for in the first place?
"It's my fault... I ruined Kai's life. I forced him to become my husband to pay off a debt, and on top of that, I treated him like a slave..."
"Ahh, that story... Ouch!"
Finally understanding, I clapped my palm, but a sharp pain shot through my neck, and I couldn't help but let out a groan.
Erika seemed somewhat taken aback by my offbeat reaction.
Well, certainly, becoming a son-in-law to take on the debt repayment is one thing.
Suddenly putting on a "collar of subservience," confining someone, and forcing them to have sex is, well, just a regular crime.
Saying "I'm not worried about it" to her wouldn't sound sincere.
Actually, I was really angry... What should I have said?
I started to worry about how to say something to her.
An indescribable silence begins to flow between the two of them.
It was Erika who broke the silence again.
She took a piece of parchment from her pocket and began to weave words.
"Kai, I will nullify the contract that binds you as an adopted son... It's an agreement."
Her emerald-colored eyes were dark like a sky covered with heavy rain clouds, and her gaze was not directed at me or the documents in front of her.
The paper she handed over had a lengthy text followed by Erika's signature and a golden magical seal for the contract.
"If you sign this, the marriage contract with the Jougasaki family... and with me will be completely annulled."
"Um..."
"The family's debts are not a problem either. Even if we annul our marriage, the Jougasaki family will take responsibility for that."
"Well, um..."
"You don't have to worry about your younger sisters and brothers. It is clearly stated in the contract that I will continue to support their tuition and living expenses. Since the magical seal of the contract has been affixed, I will be bound by it."
Erika explains in a rapid-fire manner, as if exhaling all at once.
After that, without showing her tear-streaked face, she stood up straight and turned her back to me, as if she were about to dash out of the hospital room... Sigh, this woman.
"Enough already, listen to me too! Erika!!"
When I couldn't hold back my voice any longer, her body jumped up with a jerk, still facing away from me.
Because I suddenly shouted loudly, my whole body started to ache, but I can't worry about that right now.
If I don't stop here, I feel like my connection with her will be severed for life.
"Hey, I've always wanted to tell you this... I've liked you for a long time."
I told Erika that.
In that moment, my face turned bright red at a speed that surprised even me, and it started to feel hot.
(A confession as straightforward as a middle schooler's... so embarrassing!)
You might think, "What more is there to say to someone with whom you've had a lot of naked interactions... or rather, sex," but this is something that can't be helped.
Because this is my... well, there's no point in showing off now, is there?
Let's not do that... Even if you count my past life, this is my first confession to a girl in this life, so it's only natural to feel shy!
The moment Erika heard my confession, her body jumped again.
Then, little by little, like a rusty mechanical doll, they turned to look at me.
With a look of fear, she turned to face us, her eyes wide open... What kind of face is she making?
"Huh? Huh, huh? W-w-wait... b-but..."
"It's not a lie. Until now, it was just because of that 'collar' that I couldn't tell you..."
"Even so... I've done nothing but terrible things to Kai..."
"Well, that's true. Suddenly giving someone sleeping pills, putting on a 'collar of subservience,' and immediately raping them without listening to anything they have to say is definitely unacceptable."
When I said that with a mischievous smile, Erika let out a groan as if her chest had been pierced by an arrow.
Well, I might have been a bit mean.
If you go too far, it's pitiful.
"But, you know, I'm glad it was Erika. I I had gone through something like that with another woman, it would have been traumatic."
"Th-that. What does that mean...?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. I've liked Erika for a long time... no, ever since that night at the mansion. So, um, if Erika is okay with it, I'd be really happy if we could continue our engagement... or something like that."
She was speechless with surprise.
I thought to myself, "Is this the kind of expression you use when someone looks like they've been struck by lightning?" but I decided to patiently wait for her response, even though it was a trivial matter.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, she opened her mouth.
"Me too! Kai, I... no, you... I like you!! So...!!"
Erika's face was flushed bright red.
I'm sure my face is just as red.
"Even though I'm like this... I hope you will continue to support me... from now on...!"
She thrust her hand out with such force that it made a loud sound.
Handshake... is this being requested?
"Thank you, nice to meet you too. Also, sorry, it seems I can't shake hands because it hurts."
When I almost burst out laughing and said that, she also started giggling with her face turning bright red.It's a bit loose, but... well, it's not bad. Something like this.
For a while after that, Erika and I laughed together in the hospital room