Chapter 048 - Training Regimen from Hell

I glance at Saitama, surprised by his sudden attention to me. Still, I shrug nonchalantly, pretending as if I don't care about his concern. "It's just a scratch," I reply, trying to keep my voice even.

"That doesn't look like just a scratch," he says, standing up to get a closer look at my leg. "Let me help you with that," he offers.

I raise an eyebrow. I'm not sure if I want his help. He has never shown any interest in my well-being before, or in my heart.

He takes the alcohol bottle from my hand and pours it onto a piece of cotton. "This might sting a bit."

He pours a small amount onto the cotton and gently begins to dab at the wound on my leg. I tense up, expecting the sting of pain, but to my surprise, it doesn't hurt as much as I anticipated. Maybe it's the alcohol numbing the area, or maybe it's because of the different treatment from him.

"Thank you," I say, as if forced to say the words.

He nods and focuses on the task at hand, a small frown appearing on his face. His hands are surprisingly gentle as he finishes cleaning and bandaging my wound.

"Did you fight some strong monsters?" he asks, looking up at my face.

I look away. "Hmmm," I mutter, not wanting to have a friendly conversation with him.

"Fubuki?"

I smile at him and move away. "Thanks," I repeat. Then I stand up and walk to the bathroom, to clean myself before I go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day.

**********

The next bandit appears to fight me while I am halfway flying to the peak of the mountain. He's a big guy, with rough features and a wicked-looking sword in his hand.

"You're not getting past me," he snarls, brandishing his sword. "Unlike the others, I like this condition."

He charges at me, sword ready to strike. I dodge his attack with ease, then use my psychic powers to hurl him backwards. He crashes into a nearby rock, grunting in pain.

He stands up, grinning, as if the pain is negligible. He charges towards me again with his sword raised high. I summon my psychic ability and send a powerful blast of wind against him. He manages to deflect it with his sword, but the force of the impact pushes him against a tree.

I seize the opportunity and strike him with a series of punches, each one reinforced with my magic. The bandit grunts in pain and staggers backwards, his sword slipping out of his grip.

"Ha! What do we have here?" he says, spitting out blood. "I thought you had been weakened last night, but you are not even letting your feet touch the ground."

"I can't let you win. This is training for me."

"And this is life and death for me."

Then he lunges forward. I fly upwards to evade him, but he grabs hold of my ankle and pulls me down to the ground. However, he is too heavy and too weak that we both tumble down the rest of the mountain together, our bodies rolling and crashing into rocks and trees. Instead of just my fist, I reinforced my entire body with protection.

But then I cry out as my body slams against a boulder, my head hitting the hard surface with a sickening crack. I try to get up, but my body feels heavy and unresponsive. I look down and see that my leg is twisted at an odd angle, bone protruding from the skin. I scream in agony, tears streaming down my face.

'Oh fuck,' I think, my sister will definitely come.

Everything goes black for a moment. When I regain consciousness, my vision is blurry and my head is throbbing. Then, true enough, my sister is here. I watch as she brings her feet down on the bandit's neck, while someone else from Heroes' Association is trying to stop her.

Then I lose consciousness again. My whole body is throbbing with pain. I'm slipping between unconsciousness and consciousness.

"Stay with me," my sister says, shaking me gently.

The next time I become conscious is when I am already lying on a hospital bed where a nurse is placing a basket of fruits on the table close to me.

I try to sit up, but a sharp pain shoots through my leg and I groan in agony. The nurse rushes over to me, concern etched on her face.

"Don't move, dear. You need to rest and let your body heal," she says, pushing me back gently onto the bed.

I take in my surroundings. The room is small and sterile, with white walls and a comfortable-looking bed. It takes me a moment to remember what happened — the bandit, the fight, my sister coming to rescue me. I grimace, knowing exactly what this means.

"Is my sister here?" I ask the nurse, my voice barely above a whisper.

"She was here a few minutes ago, but the Association called her earlier. She's been very worried about you."

"But the training... I failed it, didn't I?" I ask.

She squeezes my hand gently. "What's important is that you are recuperating now."

Tears fall on my face. What's important to me is to pass my sister's test, not lying down here, injured and helpless. I thought I had an eureka moment with my reinforcement, but that seems to be not enough.

The nurse pats my hand as a way to comfort me. Still, I can't help but feel like a failure. My sister will never let me hear the end of it. I close my eyes, trying to block out the pain and the shame. But there's no escaping the thoughts that swirl around in my head.

Suddenly, the door to my room burst open, and my sister walks in. I am afraid to see her, and her face tells me that she is very disappointed. And so my heart sinks in shame.

"You failed," she says, her voice as cold as ice. "You failed my test, and now you're lying here."

"I'm sorry," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Next time, I won't disappoint you."

She snorts. "I give you one simple task, and you couldn't even handle it. I guess I will always be disappointed for life."

"I'm sorry," I repeat, bowing my head low.

She grunts. "You! Take care of her. Tell me once she can leave the hospital. Besides, I am too busy for this."

"Yes, ma'am," the nurse answers.

And with that, she leaves, leaving me, her sister, who is so weak, yet still dreaming of saving her.