Shirou Returned from the Fae Kingdom

Father's followers deeply sympathized with the poor girl, but all they did was sigh and pity her without ever offering a helping hand.

Her father forbade Kiyoko Sesshoin from coming into contact with the outside world. The only thing supporting her during childhood was the Andersen fairy tale books the followers left behind as consolation.

Over time, Kiyoko Sesshoin came to the conclusion that "people do not save people." She even began to wonder whether the "humans" described in fairy tales consisted of no one but herself.

It was only recently, after Kiyoko Sesshoin gained access to the internet, that the doors to a new world finally opened for her.

Although the internet greatly enriched the girl's inner world, it did not change her view of "humanity."

If anything, the internet further confirmed her beliefs.

Kiyoko Sesshoin had once shared her experiences on a message board, but all she received were bland words of comfort.

No one cared about you in reality, and even less so on the internet.

Perhaps they heard about the girl's tragic circumstances in the morning, only to forget all about them before noon.

Kiyoko Sesshoin began to firmly believe: there was nowhere in the world anyone willing to save me.

Other than "me," there were no real "humans" in this world at all.

But... this person seemed different.

Though they only interacted online, Mr. Nameless was genuinely paying attention to "me."

On the computer screen, Nameless continued his deduction.

"Nameless: I greatly admire Miss Yao Bikuni's breadth of knowledge. You seem to know everything—

But only information accessible on the internet.

If one observes carefully, it becomes clear that many of your remarks show an unfamiliarity with worldly matters, like a sheltered young lady. Hehe."

Kiyoko Sesshoin swallowed. "..."

"Yao Bikuni: Is there more?"

"Nameless: Also, you seem to possess an exceptionally deep understanding of medicine.

To have such knowledge of professional subjects, you must either be a doctor, a medical student, or a patient...

Considering that while others are working or studying, you are almost always online, the latter is clearly more likely.

To sum up, I suspect you are a patient undergoing long-term isolated treatment in some facility."

Kiyoko Sesshoin fell silent.

It did not really matter whether Nameless's conclusion was correct.

For the first time in her life, she felt concern from another person.

It was neither pity nor sympathy, much less empty politeness. He was truly, genuinely paying attention to her.

Even though they were merely online friends who had never met.

If it's him, then perhaps...

Kiyoko Sesshoin bit her lip and typed a message.

"Yao Bikuni: If... all of your deductions are correct.

I actually have an incurable illness, and I do not have much time left.

If I told you that, what would you do? Would you be willing to help me?"

The moment she sent the message, the chatroom fell silent.

Disappointed, Kiyoko Sesshoin thought: As expected, this person too...

"Nameless: Of course."

"..."

The girl covered her mouth.

"Nameless: Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Nameless: I actually know a little about medicine too. Maybe I can cure your illness."

"Nameless: You may not believe me when I say this... but if possible, could we meet in person?"

"Nameless: Uh, sorry, I forgot that you can't move around freely. I'll come find you."

"Nameless: Which hospital is it? I'll try my best to get there before this weekend."

"Nameless: Could you leave me a phone number?"

"Nameless: Miss Yao Bikuni? Are you still there?"

Messages flooded the chatroom, one after another.

Kiyoko Sesshoin stared at the screen without blinking.

It overflowed with a warmth she had never experienced in her life before.

An eagerness so excessive, it would not have been strange to mistake him for an online scammer.

By the time she came back to herself, tears were already streaming down Kiyoko Sesshoin's face.

"At last, I found a 'human' other than 'myself.'"

"I messed up..."

Shirou collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling before covering his face in embarrassment.

After hearing Yao Bikuni's heartfelt confession, he had gotten carried away.

Unable to restrain his emotions, Shirou had sent her a whole flood of messages.

Asking to meet in person.

Offering to go see her himself.

Only after calming down did Shirou realize how embarrassing everything he had just said was.

She had only been talking hypothetically, and he had been way too eager!

Putting himself in her shoes, if someone he had never met said those things to him, Shirou would find it disgusting too.

Yao Bikuni had not replied for half an hour.

Shirou felt certain she had taken him for a scammer or someone with ulterior motives.

Sigh. He had finally made an online friend, yet it seemed their relationship had already come to an end.

He would take this as a lesson and pay more attention to personal boundaries when interacting with others in the future.

"I wonder whether Yao Bikuni really has a terminal illness..."

Shirou got up, ready to turn off the computer.

Then, the chat room that had been silent for so long suddenly displayed a new message.

"Yao Bikuni: Thank you, Lord Nameless. I'm truly so happy that you said that. Today may be the happiest day of my life."

Shirou's eyes widened slightly.

"Nameless: Was what you said earlier true? Do you need my help?"

"Yao Bikuni: Yes, everything I said was true. I did not deceive you, Lord Nameless.

I was born with an incurable illness. The doctors had originally declared that I could not possibly live past fourteen, and until now, I had spent all my time confined to a bed at home.

But please don't worry! In the end... it seems a miracle happened after all. My illness was cured, and now I have fully recovered.

I'm sorry for making you worry, Lord Nameless."

Kiyoko Sesshoin was not merely trying to reassure Nameless. Her terminal illness really had been cured.

It just had not been through a miracle, nor through anyone else, but through her own power.

Through computers and the internet, Kiyoko Sesshoin had gained access to knowledge from the outside world, and that was how she cured her incurable disease.

Of course, she could not tell Lord Nameless something like that.

What if he thought she was a child who liked to lie?

While Kiyoko Sesshoin was lost in wild thoughts, a reply came from the other side.

"Nameless: That's wonderful."

Though they were only three brief, perfunctory words, the girl seemed to feel an extraordinary warmth in them.

Kiyoko Sesshoin pressed a hand to her ample chest, which refused to calm down, and thought wistfully, Lord Nameless must truly be happy for what happened to me...

"Yao Bikuni: Let's talk about something happy, Lord Nameless. This spring, I plan to start school."

"Nameless: Huh? School... Miss Yao Bikuni, are you still a student?"

"Yao Bikuni: Shock! Did Lord Nameless think I was some old lady all this time? Σ(°Д°;"

Wasn't she?

Even through the internet, Shirou trusted his instinct for judging people. He would not get it wrong so easily.

In Shirou's eyes, Yao Bikuni was a mentally sound and mature woman.

"Nameless: A university student?"

"Yao Bikuni: No."

"Nameless: Don't tell me... an elementary school student?"

"Yao Bikuni: Why are you jumping to such extremes? This spring, I plan to enter my second year of middle school."

Shirou, sitting before the computer, sucked in a sharp breath. Second year of middle school... wasn't that the same age as Sister Fujiwara, a second-year middle schooler?!

They were both fourteen-year-old girls, so why was there such an enormous difference in their mental makeup?

Humans truly were incredibly mysterious.

"Nameless: Now that Miss Yao Bikuni has recovered, you're planning to leave the facility, right?"

"Yao Bikuni: Yes, I've already discussed it with my father."

But I still hadn't decided which middle school to attend. Could Lord Nameless recommend one for me? ('?ω?`)"

"..."

A bead of sweat trickled down Shirou's cheek.

This was beyond the limits of his knowledge.

He could still offer some advice if it were elementary school, but middle school... that truly exceeded his capabilities.

"Nameless: I'll look into it for you later."

"Yao Bikuni: Thank you very much?"

"Yao Bikuni: By the way, does what Lord Nameless said before still count?"

"Nameless: What?"

"Yao Bikuni: M-meeting offline."

"Yao Bikuni: I want to meet Lord Nameless in person. I'd like to express my gratitude to you face-to-face."

"Yao Bikuni: (/ /o/ω/o/ /)."

After quickly typing those words, Kiyoko Sesshoin buried her face between her thighs.

"...Thump, thump, thump."

In the silent room at night, she could hear her own heartbeat pounding like a drum.

For an "innocent and unworldly" girl to say something like that on her own initiative, wasn't it practically the same as a confession?

Kiyoko Sesshoin knew herself very well.

She knew exactly how outstanding her appearance was, and deeply understood that no man could possibly resist her beauty.