Inside the hospital room, Izayoi Miku lay on the bed. Even the loose hospital gown couldn't fully conceal her ample curves, as the fabric around her chest was noticeably stretched.
She looked at Souta, who was sitting on a chair beside the bed, her gaze filled with anticipation.
Souta didn't keep her in suspense. Under her slightly nervous and curious gaze, he clapped his hands.
Pa!—A crisp sound echoed.
Then he said, "Done."
"..." Miku looked at him, confused.
"You're already healed," Souta repeated, then encouraged her, "Try speaking."
Miku froze for a moment, then instinctively opened her mouth to make a sound:
A sweet and melodious voice echoed in the spacious hospital room.
Miku covered her mouth in shock, and then, overwhelming joy spread across her face.
Having suddenly regained her voice, she was momentarily unaccustomed to it and couldn't form a complete sentence.
"You've recovered. Congratulations."
"I... can... talk... I..."
Miku kept trying to form words, her own voice ringing in her ears.
The long-lost familiarity of it overwhelmed her with emotions, and tears began streaming down her face.
"This isn't right... I should be happy... I..."
Miku covered her face, unable to stop sobbing. Her entire face was a mess of tears, making her look utterly disheveled.
As if afraid that Souta would find her unsightly, she quickly buried her face in the blanket.
At that moment, Souta's voice reached her ears:
"There's nothing embarrassing about this. If you've been holding it in, just cry it out."
Souta used his ability to create a pack of tissues, tore it open, and placed it on Miku's bedside table.
Then he stood up and walked to the window, gazing outside, giving the girl some space to let out her emotions.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Miku quickly lifted the blanket and cried out in a panic,
"Please, don't leave!"
"I'm not leaving. I'm just looking at the view."
Souta turned back with a helpless tone,
"Go ahead and let it all out first. Once you're done, we'll have a proper talk."
Miku let out a relieved sigh. She noticed the tissues on the bedside table and picked them up to wipe her tears.
Even though her face was a complete mess, she didn't feel sad anymore. On the contrary, she was so overwhelmed with happiness that she couldn't help but smile.
Her voice... had finally returned.
So, she cried and smiled at the same time—an odd but genuine mix of emotions.
This continued for nearly ten minutes.
Once her tears had nearly dried up, Miku finally regained her composure.
She wiped the tear stains from her face and then beamed a radiant, flower-like smile.
Despite her previously messy appearance, her dazzling smile shone through.
"Souta, thank you... You can turn around now."
Miku called out to Souta, who was still by the window.
He turned around, and their eyes met.
Souta noticed that the gloom in Miku's eyes had completely disappeared.
Just by regaining her voice, she had transformed into a completely different person—more cheerful and lively than before. Souta found this quite surprising.
To be honest, he couldn't fully understand why Miku valued her voice so much.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Souta pulled out a chair and sat down, asking.
"Yes, I feel much better. Sorry for showing you such an embarrassing side of me."
Miku sincerely lowered her head and thanked him:
She bowed deeply, as if trying to express her gratitude as strongly as possible.
"It was just a small favor." Souta smiled. "You should thank your luck, Izayoi-san. If I hadn't happened to pass by, no matter how much you called, I wouldn't have heard you."
"Um... just call me Miku."
Izayoi Miku smiled sweetly and said,
"For you, it might have been just a small favor, but for me, my voice was my only hope. You've given me a second life."
"..." Souta remained silent. Was it really that dramatic?
Seeing his doubt, Miku explained,
"Apart from singing, I'm useless. Compared to other people, my voice is the only thing I have. It means everything to me."
"..." Souta's expression went blank.
"Nothing, I just thought..." Souta couldn't help but tease, "If an average-looking girl heard you say that, she might get so mad she'd beat you to death."
"..." Miku was momentarily stunned.
Her previously good mood froze for a second.
Suppressing her frustration, she asked, "Souta... has anyone ever told you that you're really bad at talking?"
"Nope." Souta thought about it and shook his head. "But I have been told that my negotiation skills suck."
"Negotiation, huh... That makes sense." Miku looked as if she suddenly understood something.
"What's with that look?" Souta was immediately dissatisfied. "All of my negotiations have always ended with results favorable to me."
"Pardon me for asking, but... how exactly do you negotiate?"
"I use my fists first, then my words."
"Souta, I'm feeling much better now," Miku smiled. "You really don't have to keep cracking jokes just to make me laugh."
"Jokes? Fine, you can think of it that way."
Souta didn't bother correcting her misunderstanding and instead changed the topic:
"Oh, right. There's something I need to remind you about."
"What is it?" Miku asked curiously.
"Healing you just now actually altered history," Souta said seriously. "I don't know if this will prevent you from becoming a Spirit, so you should pretend that you haven't recovered yet. After you receive the Sephira Crystal, you can drop the act."
"Just call me Miku," she reminded him again, seemingly wanting to get closer to him.
Then, with a hint of surprise, she asked,
"So... I'll really become a Spirit like Kurumi?"
"Yes," Souta nodded. "But your power will be related to sound, not time."
"A Spirit..." Miku shook her head. "For me, just having my voice back is enough."
"No, you should actually look forward to it. Your Spirit ability is quite useful. Getting a supernatural power for free—why not take it? Plus..."
Souta chose his words carefully and persuaded her:
"With the power of a Spirit, you won't have to go through something again. Even if you do, you'll have the strength to deal with it easily, instead of ending up withdrawn and broken like now."
Miku sighed quietly, looking at him with a slightly resentful gaze.
Souta... really had no tact when it came to talking.
But knowing that he was actually a kind person, she found this contrast kind of endearing.
"So, you know everything I've been through..."
Miku lowered her head, her expression full of disgust:
"Men really are disgusting creatures... Even worse than cockroaches... Ah, sorry, I didn't mean you."
Souta shook his head. "I understand. But actually..."
With a helpless expression, he continued,
"That producer who slandered you is a scumbag, even from a man's perspective. He doesn't represent all men. I know you hold a grudge, but I hope you can let go of your bias. If you want revenge, I can help you teach him a lesson."