My na is Yatogami Tohka. It seems I am an orphan who lost her family in a disaster.
Why do I say "it seems"? The reason is very simple. Right now, I have no mories of my past.
According to the people called "doctors" and "nurses," at the beginning of this year, a natural disaster called spacequakes suddenly began occurring frequently all over the world, causing tens of millions of casualties. Many people were displaced, and because of that, many orphans who had lost their families appeared, just like .
As for my amnesia, it was apparently a psychological aftereffect from experiencing a spacequake. According to the doctors, my mories might naturally return after I recuperated for a while, or I might remain amnesiac for the rest of my life.
Honestly, that vague answer made extrely depressed.
(Family, huh...)
When that word appeared in my mind, how should I put it? It felt unreal. Or perhaps impossible to imagine. My heart did not stir in the slightest.
That was only natural. I had no mories of my family. Their ages, personalities, appearances——I knew none of it. Diaries, photos, and personal belongings that might have beco clues had all been lost in the disaster.
It was like flipping through a novel made entirely of blank pages and demanding that the reader feel grief over it. That was a little unreasonable.
The only things I knew were that my na was Yatogami Tohka, and that the person who gave that na had already passed away. Only when I thought of that did a feeling similar to choking on food arise in my chest.
But that was all.
"Tohka-chan? Tohka-chan?"
When I ca back to my senses, I found a rabbit hand puppet waving in front of my eyes. Its owner——a petite and adorable blue haired girl like a French doll——was looking at worriedly.
Her na was Yoshino, a very gentle and obedient girl. The puppet in her hand was nad Yoshinon. In contrast to Yoshino, Yoshinon had a very proactive and lively personality.
"Are you okay, Tohka-chan? You've been staring at the ceiling in a daze for a while now."
"...Are you okay? Do you feel sick anywhere...?"
"Umu! I'm fine. Don't worry, Yoshino! Yoshinon!"
I patted my chest and answered.
"Th-thank goodness..."
Yoshino could not help showing a relieved expression.
"Ah~ It's good that you're okay. You didn't react no matter how many tis we called you, so I thought you'd beco like Natsumi-chan and couldn't handle blood tests or injections."
"Mm?"
Hearing Yoshinon's words, I could not help turning my gaze toward a certain corner. A green haired girl was currently sitting on her bed, trembling, her face pale as she muttered to herself.
"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die... What demon invented sothing as evil as injections? They actually stick such a thin needle into your skin... Am I about to die? Is that why I have to suffer this torture?"
Seeing Natsumi's reaction, I could not help scratching my cheek in confusion. I wondered whether we had undergone the sa physical examination.
This girl's na was Natsumi. She was a green haired girl around Yoshino's age. Her eyes always carried lancholy and unease, and she was very sensitive to changes in her environnt. She was an extrely delicate person.
"Sothing like that can be overco with spirit and courage. Your ntal discipline still needs further training, Natsumi-dono."
At that mont, a blue haired girl with a short ponytail joined the conversation, using a voice full of energy to encourage Natsumi.
Her na was Takamiya Mana. She was a hot blooded and energetic girl. That refreshingly boyish samurai like way of speaking, paired with her cute face marked by a beauty spot, always made people unconsciously feel closer to her.
"Don't lump together with you. Seriously, this is why I can't get used to the sports type mindset..."
Natsumi muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Mutually, Muku agrees with Natsumi's view. Though not quite to such an extre degree, Muku too feels a slight discomfort toward sharp objects."
At Natsumi's bedside, a blonde girl nodded in agreent. Her na was Hoshimiya Mukuro. She spoke in quite an odd manner. Though it was not impossible to understand what she wanted to say, I often needed a while before I could react.
Tap tap tap tap!
Just as we were chatting, a series of cheerful and light footsteps suddenly sounded from the hallway outside.
None of us were unfamiliar with the owner of those footsteps.
And upon hearing them, Natsumi's already haggard face imdiately turned even paler.
"Everyone~ Your beloved Miku has arrived. It's been thirty minutes since we last t. Did you miss ?"
The door was pulled open with force, and the purple-haired girl with an extrely sweet voice——Izayoi Miku——appeared in the hospital room.
"Oh, Miku. Welco back. How was the physical examination?"
I greeted Miku.
Seemingly moved that soone had welcod her back, Miku's eyes filled with emotion, and without another word, she hugged .
"Ah, this is so nice~ Coming back and hearing Tohka-chan say 'welco back'... If I were your husband, I would definitely eat you up. Ah~ My heart is healed."
"Um... Miku... aren't you hugging a little too tightly?"
Miku's overly intimate skin contact left a little troubled.
"What's wrong with that? We're both girls. This kind of skinship is perfectly normal."
"Is that so?"
"That's right."
Since I had no mories of the past, I could not confirm whether Miku's words were true or false. But since she was this energetic, her physical examination probably had no problems.
"How is everyone? Did the examination find anything wrong?"
"Mm... I'm fine, but Natsumi seems to be feeling unwell because of the injection."
"——!?"
Hearing my words, Natsumi, who had at so point crawled under her blanket, suddenly trembled.
"Y-you idiot Tohka! Why bring up the worst possible topic?! And here I was about to thank you for drawing the hate away from ——"
Hearing that, Miku raised her eyebrows and looked toward Natsumi with a sowhat frightening smile.
"What? Natsumi-san isn't feeling well?! That's simply terrible. Don't worry. Onee-san will give you a full-body massage, and you'll feel better very soon... gulp..."
"D-don't co any closer——————!"
Looking at Natsumi, who seed to have had her life force drained by Miku, I could not help feeling a little guilty and thought I should share part of my dinner with her.
"You're still wearing that sa blank, foolish expression as always, Yatogami Tohka."
At that mont, a cold voice ca from behind, making instinctively frown.
I turned to look and saw a white haired girl with an expressionless face enter the room a step later than Miku.
"Ugh... Tobiichi Origami."
I looked at her unhappily, but still asked symbolically.
"How was your physical examination?"
"No problems. Rather than worrying about , you should worry about yourself."
"Mm? What's wrong with ?"
Origami turned her head aside and said with a sorrowful face.
"I heard from the doctor that you won't live past one month."
Origami's words struck like a bolt from the blue.
"You're lying, right? No, that can't be true?!"
"Mm. Unfortunately, it truly——is fake."
"Tobiichi Origami!!!"
After realizing I had been tricked, I glared angrily at Origami.
For so reason, even though this girl always acted like a gentle, sensible honor student in front of everyone else, she alone seed to dislike and always picked fights with for no reason.
"D-don't fight..."
"Yes, yes~ Tohka-chan, calm down. Origami-chan, joking about sothing like that isn't very good."
Seeing the tense atmosphere between Origami and , Yoshino hurried over to diate.
"...You're right. I went too far with the joke. I apologize, Yatogami Tohka."
"Mm... Fine. Since you apologized, I won't hold it against you."
Though I found it sowhat hard to accept, neither Origami nor I wanted to make Yoshino worry, so we both tacitly chose a ceasefire.
This was my current life as Yatogami Tohka.
In this special hospital room, which was about the size of a basketball court, all the patients were like : they had lost their hos because of spacequakes, and they had also lost their mories to varying degrees.
Perhaps because we shared the sa fate, when we first woke up, everyone was still sowhat distant. But as ti passed and we gradually ca to understand one another's personalities and preferences, we naturally beca close. Except Tobiichi Origami.
While we were chatting, I suddenly noticed that two people were missing from the room.
"Mm? Now that I think about it, where are Yuzuru and Kaguya? Didn't they go with you for the examination?"
Looking around the room, I could not help asking in confusion.
"I don't know. When we ca back, they said they were going to the restroom. After that, who knows where they ran off to?"
Origami shook her head and answered.
I could not help feeling a little worried. Yamai Yuzuru and Yamai Kaguya——those twins were the most energetic and curious people in this hospital room. They often took advantage of monts when the nurses and doctors were not paying attention to explore every corner of the hospital. Sotis they even tried to sneak out to play, only to be caught by the security guards.
"Everyone, great news! Great news!"
"Astonishnt. Extrely important information!"
Speak of the devil. After a series of hurried footsteps, the Yamai sisters rushed into the room with excited faces.
"What's wrong? Yuzuru, Kaguya. Why are you so flustered?"
Seeing the two panting for breath, I tilted my head in confusion.
"Kukuku——My kin, do not be frightened when you hear this."
Kaguya gave a wicked laugh and answered in a deliberately mysterious tone.
"On this Day of Judgnt, the angels's pilgrimage loosened ever so slightly. Using the authority of the Akashic Records, this humble one infiltrated the enemy's deepest stronghold. After enduring countless hardships, passing five trials and slaying six generals, crossing over the corpses of the Four Heavenly Kings, I finally obtained vital intelligence regarding Ragnarok from the Demon King's chamber."
"Ugh... Akashi... Ragnarok... what does that an?"
Kaguya's words left completely lost. If it were Mukuro, I could roughly understand, but Kaguya's words sotis truly left with no idea what she was saying.
"Explanation. Kaguya and Yuzuru happened to overhear the director speaking to soone on the phone while passing by the director's office."
Yuzuru explained from the side.
"Summary. It seems soone wants to adopt us."
Hearing that, I could not help holding my breath.
"...Really? Yuzuru."
"Affirmation. Yuzuru heard it with her own ears."
Yuzuru nodded seriously.
"..."
My expression beca complicated, and for a mont I did not know what to say.
This was a hospital, a place to treat patients. It was not a place to raise orphans. The others and I were only staying here temporarily. After being discharged, we would be sent to a nearby orphanage or adopted by kindhearted people.
In fact, just a few days ago, I had already parted ways with one of our companions for that very reason.
That companion's na was Itsuka Kotori. She was an extrely cute girl with smooth red hair reaching her waist and round eyes. Her personality was quiet. Most of the ti, she liked sitting on her bed and reading, but if soone spoke to her, she would respond very kindly.
Though Kotori had also lost her mories, unlike , she had not forgotten who her family was. And unlike Origami, she had not lost her parents. After the hospital investigated her na, they quickly contacted Kotori's parents.
When Kotori reunited with her parents, my heart felt both joy and blessing for her, and also a trace of loneliness at parting from a companion.
Was reuniting with family really such a wonderful thing? Whenever I rembered Kotori's happy expression, that question would arise in my heart.
"Mm? Soone wants to adopt us?"
"By us, do you an everyone?"
After realizing the Yamai sisters' words had sothing to do with them, everyone gathered around.
"Affirmation. According to the director, that person intends to adopt all of us."
Hearing Yuzuru's words, everyone, myself included, let out a breath of relief at the sa ti.
For soone like , who had lost all mories, just adapting to an unfamiliar environnt had already taken all my strength. Whether saying goodbye to companions or moving to a strange place, both were extrely painful things. That made feel very resistant when I heard about adoption.
The others were probably thinking the sa thing.
"Thank goodness. Everyone can continue being together from now on."
I could not help saying in relief.
"Indeed. To be able to care for the nine of us, what manner of person might they be?"
Mukuro's words made everyone fall into thought.
"That is true. Being able to adopt all of us ans the cost of supporting us would undoubtedly be quite large. Without a certain level of financial strength, it would be impossible."
Origami reasoned.
"Ugh... It won't be a man, right? If so, I absolutely can't accept it! It has to be a mature and sexy onee-san."
Miku prayed with an uneasy expression.
"And don't you think this is strange...? Normally, even if soone wants adopted daughters, they wouldn't adopt eight at once like they were buying bananas... Maybe adoption is only a surface excuse. Maybe this place isn't actually a hospital but a human farm, and we're actually being sold to rich people as slaves, or sold as livestock to so inhuman monsters to be eaten..."(TL:promised neverland ref)
"S-so scary..."
Hearing Natsumi's muttering, Yoshino's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Chop. Natsumi, thy thoughts are far too negative. Perhaps that person acts purely out of goodwill. Such suspicion is rather discourteous."
"S-sorry, Yoshino. I shouldn't have said sothing baseless."
"Don't worry, Natsumi-dono. If that person is truly wicked, I will not allow them to touch even a single hair on anyone here."
"Well, there's no point in overthinking it here. If they really are a bad person, we can just refuse. Yuzuru-chan, do you know what kind of person they are?"
While comforting Yoshino, Yoshinon asked Yuzuru.
"Hey! Why are you people asking my other half instead of ?"
"Denial. This humble one does not know the other party's identity. I only heard the director say that the person has already arrived at the hospital and will co et us now."
Ignoring the bristling Kaguya, Yuzuru answered.
"What, so we'll et them right away."
Hearing that, I could not help relaxing.
"..."
"Now?!"
A beat late, everyone finally reacted.
"What do we do, what do we do? I haven't changed clothes yet, and I haven't put on makeup either!"
"It's over, it's over... Looking this pathetic, I'm definitely going to be disliked... Rather than being rejected with disgusted eyes... hehe, I might as well stay in my blanket forever as a useless dried fish."
"Listen, relax, Yoshino-chan. Write the character for 'person' on my stomach and swallow it. Then you won't be nervous."
"O-okay... Yoshinon..."
Because the visit was too sudden, everyone fell into chaos.
At that mont, I heard faint footsteps from the direction of the hallway. They were not the footsteps of a nurse or a doctor.
"Everyone, I think the person is here."
"Quick, get back to your beds!"
In the end, Origami was the first to calm down and urged everyone back to their beds.
However——
"What are you doing? Yuzuru? Kaguya?"
Unlike everyone else, the Yamai sisters did not return to their beds. Instead, they ran beside the door, pulled it open just a little, and placed a plastic cup filled with water on top of the door panel.
"Kukuku——This is a trial. If one wishes to form a contract with this humble Dark Lord, one must possess the strength to evade traps."
"Agreent. This is Yuzuru's first greeting gift."
The two said with mischievous smiles.
"Honestly..."
Left with no choice, I hurriedly got out of bed and tried to take the cup down before the person outside opened the door.
However, I was still one step too late. Before I arrived, the door was pushed open. The cup lost its support and began falling downward under gravity.
Then, naturally, the water spilled from the cup, drenching the person who opened the door like a drowned rat.
The room instantly fell silent. Even the Yamai sisters, who had originally planned to burst out laughing, lost their words.
Contrary to our expectations, the visitor was not a wealthy tycoon, nor was it a mature and sexy older sister, but an elderly woman past sixty, with white beginning to show in her hair.
"Obaa-chan... are you okay?"
"...I'm fine. Don't worry."
Paying no mind to her soaked clothes, the elderly woman gently shook her head and revealed a kind smile.
"What an interesting welco ceremony, you two mischievous children."
With a simple sweep of her eyes across the room, the elderly woman seed to understand who the culprits behind the prank were. She walked slowly over to the Yamai sisters.
Under the elderly woman's calm and transparent gaze, Kaguya and Yuzuru lowered their heads guiltily.
"Ugh... I apologize. This humble one had no intention of harming an elder."
"Apology. We are very sorry, obaa-chan."
"Mm... It's all right. Seeing that you two are so energetic puts at ease."
Seeing them honestly apologize, the elderly woman smiled gently and stroked their heads, forgiving them.
"Obaa-chan, who are you?"
I could not help asking.
It was very strange. I clearly had no mories, and this was clearly our first eting, yet the mont I saw this elderly woman, a sense of closeness, like we were connected by blood, welled up in my heart.
So gentle. So warm.
It felt as if I had returned to a mother's embrace, making unconsciously relax, filled with an incomparable sense of security and steadiness.
Perhaps when Kotori reunited with her family, this was how it felt.
"? My na is Tsukino Yumi. Just a lonely old woman who lost her loved ones in the disaster."
The elderly woman looked at with gentle eyes and spoke softly.
Then, as if inviting us, yet also as if pleading, the elderly woman extended her hand toward .
"Would you... be willing to beco my family?"
TL:Yumi - to dream/to dream of (A ref to Ryougi Yutsuki- dreaming moon) and also a ref to yumio (Original author's previous fanfic for Toaru railgun and also original model of Yutsuki) her full na Tsukino Yumi full aning is : To dream of a moon,well I just google that but yeah)
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