A few hours later.
In a ward in one of the compartments.
A man and a dog lay side by side on two hospital beds, both wrapped head to toe in bandages, with one plaster-cast leg suspended in the air.
Yan Huan lay on the bed like a mummy, but his mouth still refused to stop. He ate fruit from the basket beside him while watching TV.
"Peel those grapes for me," Yan Huan ordered.
March 7th: "..."
Standing beside the bed, March 7th wordlessly picked up a bunch of grapes from the fruit basket and peeled them for him one by one.
"Heh—ptui!"
With the sound of him spitting out a seed, a dark spot suddenly appeared on March 7th's pretty face.
March 7th: "..."
The icy-cold sensation of the grape seed slowly sent her blood pressure climbing.
"Are. You. Trying. To. Die?" March 7th asked in a low voice, enunciating every word.
She plucked the grape seed off her face and hurled it fiercely into the trash can nearby.
The moment March 7th started cursing him out, Yan Huan slumped back, his voice turning hoarse.
"I... I'm not going to make it..."
"Isn't this all your own fault?" March 7th grumbled as she continued peeling grapes, cursing him while she worked.
"Asta already told you not to go near Peipei, yet you were still acting all buddy-buddy with her. If they weren't going to punish you, who would they punish?"
Yan Huan raised a hand covered in bandages and argued, "I was showing consideration for a subordinate! General Peipei rendered great merit—how could I stand by and watch her eat something so boring?"
March 7th put on a stern face and stuffed a grape into his mouth.
"Isn't it perfectly normal for a dog to eat dog food? That Sea Overlord Stick you fed her isn't even something people would eat!"
Yan Huan replied seriously, "But she eats it."
March 7th: "..."
On the bed beside him, Peipei lay there with a cast on her leg, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She muttered under her breath.
"Arf... (My life is over.)"
Yan Huan turned his head to comfort her.
"General Peipei, what meaning is there in a bland dog's life? Even if it vanishes in an instant like fireworks, you still fought for freedom!"
March 7th frowned.
"Peipei isn't even wearing her translation helmet right now. How exactly are you talking to her?"
Yan Huan said, "I don't know either. Maybe my brainwaves are different from ordinary people's."
March 7th said, "Brainwaves from a lunatic? Anyone who can understand them probably isn't normal either."
Yan Huan said, "Perhaps. I nearly lost one of my great generals today. It seems I'll have to be more discreet when communicating with General Peipei in the future."
Peipei: "Arf~ (That would be best.)"
March 7th: "..."
Other than the two people and one dog, there was no one else in the ward.
Outside the room, Arlan was following Asta's orders and holding the line. He absolutely could not let Yan Huan take Peipei away to play cards again.
"Ah, Aeon of Joy." Upon seeing the newcomer, Arlan bowed repeatedly.
Aha waved a hand. "Don't give me that. Where's that kid? Is your station master done beating him up?"
"S-She's done. Mr. Yan Huan woke up after the doctor's emergency treatment. He and Peipei are lying inside now, receiving follow-up treatment."
"Heh." Aha sneered and walked toward the ward with his hands behind his back.
In his line of sight, a pink-haired girl sat beside the bed, her pink-and-blue eyes full of rage, yet she still helplessly tended to the mummy on the bed with a plaster-cast leg hanging in the air.
Aha's lips curled upward as he walked in, mocking him.
"Well, well, kid. You're pretty damn tough, huh? Still feeling itchy-handed now?"
Yan Huan answered frankly.
"I have no guilt in my heart. Everything I did was for justice!"
Aha gave him a thumbs-up.
"Impressive. Real impressive."
He then glanced at the dog lying on the neighboring bed and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Damn, even I wouldn't stoop to playing cards with a dog, and you still dare claim your mental state is fine!"
March 7th nodded as well.
"Who knows what he was thinking? If Sister Himeko hadn't told me to keep an eye on him, I would've run off ages ago."
Aha clicked his tongue admiringly.
"You're impressive too. He spat so many seeds all over your clothes, and you actually put up with it."
"Huh?" March 7th lowered her head.
She saw that her clothes really had been spat on... There were around twelve dark spots within her line of sight alone, and rage immediately surged through her.
She swiftly grabbed a pillow and violently slammed it down on the dead mummy in the bed. Bang, bang, bang—!!
"Damn it, Yan Huan, you did that on purpose, didn't you?! Are you blind?! You can't tell the difference between me and a trash can?! Look how much you spat all over my clothes! Damn it, maybe you shouldn't have a mouth either—might as well seal it up with plaster too!"
The mummy let out a series of muffled noises as he was beaten. He wanted to shout something, but March 7th's storm-like barrage gave him no chance.
Aha directly dragged over a chair and sat down across from the bed.
He somehow even got hold of a dining table, set out the utensils, and started eating steak with red wine right there.
He ate while watching.
More than ten minutes later.
The mummy crawled across the bed, trembling as he picked grape seeds off March 7th's clothes one by one.
One was too far away for him to reach. Yan Huan was just about to give up when he saw March 7th's murderous glare above him.
Yan Huan: "..."
His hand shook as he struggled to reach for the grape seed stuck to her clothes.
At that moment, Herta walked in.
"What... are you doing?"
The moment she entered, she saw a mummy crawling on the bed with a bandage-wrapped hand raised shakily, apparently feeling around on March 7th's body for something.
Meanwhile, Aeon Aha sat across from the bed, slicing his steak with great interest. He had already drunk more than half a bottle of red wine.
"Help! They're abusing a patient! Help! Help mmph."
March 7th stuffed a banana into the mummy's mouth, then turned around to explain.
"It's all this guy's fault! He spat grape seeds all over my clothes!"
Herta nodded, not particularly concerned.
"Oh, I just came to check on you. Asta isn't that angry anymore. Now she just wants Miss Yan Huan to kowtow to her a few times, and today's matter will more or less be settled."
Yan Huan: "?"
He swallowed the unpeeled banana in one gulp and said in shock.
"No, I'm already like this, and I still have to kowtow to her a few times? I even helped her look after General Peipei. Why doesn't she kowtow to me a few times instead?"
A few minutes later.
Asta stood in front of the bed, nodded in satisfaction, and left.
On that bed, Yan Huan and General Peipei were both sprawled face-down, looking utterly miserable.
Across from the bed, Aha had already opened two bottles of red wine and eaten several servings of steak.
March 7th earnestly advised him from the side.
"Did you hear that? You're not allowed to lead Peipei astray again. Otherwise, you'll have to come back here once more."
The mummy rolled over and lay flat on the bed, pulling the equally bandaged General Peipei into his arms.
"Heh. That's hilarious."
March 7th: "..."
Just as the mummy adopted the mindset of admitting his mistakes with his mouth while daring to do it again next time—
A long-lost electronic voice sounded within his consciousness.
Host's slacking experience has reached the required amount. Upgrade the Stellaron?
"Hm?"
He immediately answered inwardly, Yes.
Right after that, Yan Huan felt a powerful force suddenly flow through his meridians and into every part of his body.
It immediately made him feel refreshed, as though he no longer needed to be wrapped in bandages.
Bang! He sprang to his feet.
March 7th and Peipei: "???"
The mummy landed steadily atop the table, then stomped down and shattered the cast around his leg.
Bang—!!
Aha, the Aeon of Joy, wiped plaster dust off his face and looked up at the mummy who had suddenly landed on his table.
He pointed at his own head and said helplessly to Yan Huan.
"...You should go get that checked out. There's no rush to leave the hospital."
Before you continue