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Ryosuke let out a sigh of relief when he finally spotted his bag, half-buried under a pile of rubble. He walked over and gently pulled it free. The bag seemed intact, and he smiled, remembering the precaution he'd taken before the fight: he had reinforced the material with his technique, strengthening the fibers to withstand pressure and blows.
"Good call."
In situations like this, you always had to be ready to protect your belongings.
Kneeling down, he opened the bag and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up, casting a bluish glow on his face. He blinked as he checked the time: almost 1 PM. A puzzled expression crossed his face. He'd arrived around noon, and the place was pretty far from everything. Yet it felt like the battle had lasted longer than an hour.
"It's crazy how time blurs during a fight..." he murmured, deep in thought. The whirlwind of energy, the tension, the adrenaline... it must have messed with his sense of time.
Ryosuke stood up, slipping his phone into his pocket as he glanced around the ruins of the hospital. The entire courtyard looked like a battlefield. The walls were shattered, chunks of concrete lay scattered, and the ground was torn open by deep cracks.
He knew destruction like this wouldn't go unnoticed.
"Well, here's hoping I didn't make too much noise," he said aloud, almost as if trying to convince himself. He scanned the courtyard and its surroundings, eyes sharp for any signs of movement.
Nothing. No suspicious movement, no figure lurking in the shadows. But he knew that didn't mean much. Sometimes the most dangerous things were the quietest. He shook his head. "If anyone's around, I'd better fix this mess before it attracts unwanted attention."
A wave of power radiated from his feet, rippling through the air. Slowly, the ground began to tremble. Pieces of rubble lifted, guided by an invisible force, and started to return to their original places. The collapsed walls rose, the cracks in the ground sealed, and shattered windows mended themselves in the blink of an eye. The debris fit together like pieces of a giant puzzle, reconstructing the building as it had been before the fight.
Ryosuke took a few steps back, admiring his work. The hospital looked almost the same as before, though some details eluded him—he hadn't remembered every nuance of the previous damage—but overall, it stood solid.
"Not bad at all," he murmured, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. He crossed his arms, nodding in approval. "Almost looks like nothing happened here."
Still, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his mind. He recalled scenes from manga where characters used barriers to hide their battles or minimize damage in the real world. He hadn't quite mastered that technique yet. For a moment, he wondered if he'd made too much noise, whether the gusts of wind or bursts of energy had caught the attention of any passersby or, worse, someone with bad intentions.
His gaze swept the area one last time, searching for any sign of life. Nothing seemed threatening, but you could never be too careful. "Just in case... better get out of here quick," he sighed to himself.
He straightened up, adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder, and turned toward the path leading out of the hospital grounds. The building had returned to its eerie silence, almost peaceful, as if the titanic battle that had raged just moments ago had never happened.
No trace remained, except for the slight tremor in his hands, a lingering effect of the adrenaline still coursing through his system.
Ryosuke cast one last glance at the hospital, then shrugged. "That was... oddly satisfying," he muttered, rubbing his chin as he spoke to himself. Then, with an amused smile, he added, "Alright... better get home before I get scolded for being out too long."
Without looking back, he walked away with a casual stride, ready to move on with his day as if nothing had happened.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Next Chapter: Rush to Gain Knowledge