The hospital room door was suddenly knocked upon.
Lin Wuming glanced at the time—it wasn't time for medication or rounds yet. Could it be Yomikawa Aiho making time to visit him again?
Before he could answer, the door was already opened.
The visitor was impatient, rushing in without waiting for Lin Wuming's permission.
"Hiss..." Lin Wuming instantly winced, as if he had a toothache.
"Yo, Lin Wuming, I came to visit you." Torami Toumi waved at him. In her other hand, she held several large bags, which looked like gifts bought for a visit.
I didn't ask you to visit me—Lin Wuming pursed his lips, but out of politeness, or perhaps fear, he ultimately didn't speak his mind.
After all, she had come with good intentions, and Torami Toumi was the first person he had truly gotten to know since arriving in this world. It wouldn't do to let their relationship become too strained.
He had specifically inquired about her. Torami Toumi did not have a mental illness; she was simply impulsive and quick to anger. Unless genuinely provoked, she wouldn't easily harm people.
"...Thank you," Lin Wuming nodded, his voice dry. Meanwhile, he silently placed the apple he was paring and the floating juice glass back on the table.
"Your superpower is really convenient," Torami Toumi remarked, clicking her tongue in wonder at Lin Wuming's artistic use of his psychic power. After entering the room, she hooked her foot and closed the door.
Then, without wasting words, she immediately cleared the tabletop and set out the get-well gifts she had bought.
The items were practical—all food. Besides fruits and various snacks, there were supplements and nutritional drinks in impressive-looking packaging.
Lin Wuming wasn't very familiar with the price levels in Academy City yet, but it was clear that this pile of goods wouldn't be cheap.
Even if they were gifts for an apology from Torami Toumi, they showed sincerity.
However, considering she was a Level 4 Great Ability user, her monthly scholarship was higher, so it probably didn't financially hurt her much.
"I asked the doctor," Torami Toumi said. "Your recovery is good, and you just need rest and nutritional supplements, so I bought some food..."
She suddenly paused and turned to look at him. "Lin Wuming, you don't dislike sweets, right?"
Seeing the strawberry shortcake she bought, Torami Toumi suddenly remembered that when consulting the nurses, someone seemed to have mentioned that Lin Wuming might not like desserts.
However, she had no prior experience visiting others, so she had impulsively bought items based entirely on her own preferences while shopping.
Other snacks were fine, but this strawberry shortcake was definitely a pure dessert!
Torami Toumi showed a look of regret.
"No, I don't mind normal sweets," Lin Wuming said.
Lin Wuming didn't dislike sweets when consumed in moderation. The rumor that he hated sweets probably originated from his ordering a sweet-flavored Mapo Tofu in the cafeteria yesterday.
He had complained about that dish for a while, and someone must have overheard, leading to the assumption that he disliked all sweets.
"...Huh?" Torami Toumi turned her head in surprise, a dab of cream still on the corner of her mouth.
The limited-daily-supply strawberry shortcake was originally her favorite, and offering it to Lin Wuming was a genuine gesture of apology.
However, since Lin Wuming didn't like sweets, it shouldn't go to waste!
Before Lin Wuming could speak, the girl swiftly grabbed the strawberry from the top of the cake with her mouth.
It was only then that she heard the phrase, "I don't mind normal sweets."
"Besides," Lin Wuming added, "strawberries are fruit."
The girl's mouth worked quickly, swallowing her spoils, before she handed the cream cake—now missing its strawberry top—to Lin Wuming.
"...Never mind. I appreciate the thought. You eat it yourself," Lin Wuming said.
'll make it up to you next time." Torami Toumi didn't stand on ceremony. She pulled up a chair and sat down, carefully savoring the cake.
Seeing the girl's behavior, Lin Wuming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
—After all, this girl is still just an ordinary little girl.
"Oh, what is this?" Lin Wuming suddenly noticed a very peculiar item among the gifts she brought. "It doesn't look like food."
"Of course it's not food," Torami Toumi said. "These are exercises and practice tests for your entrance exam—Teacher Yomikawa asked me to bring them."
Although he was mentally prepared, the thought of having to study and prepare for tests again after such a long time, and while recovering in the hospital, filled him with a sense of melancholy.
"You're going straight into the second year of junior high school when the term starts, Lin Wuming?" Torami Toumi had already looked at the exercises. "Are you sure? Academy City's curriculum is quite challenging."
"Of course, I'm sure," Lin Wuming said. He was only going to an ordinary school; even if there was an entrance exam, it wouldn't be too difficult.
"Speaking of which," Lin Wuming was also curious, "Which school do you attend, Torami?"
Or rather, he wanted to ask if the girl attended school at all? Or, was she already a member of an "Armed Powerless Group" even though she was still in junior high?
"Ninomaru Annex Elementary School," Torami Toumi said.
"Hmm... Huh?" Lin Wuming widened his eyes. "Elementary school? Not junior high?"
"Is there a problem?" the girl countered. "I'm only moving up next year."
"You're only twelve years old?" Lin Wuming asked in surprise.
She was clearly taller than him, and even physically stronger than him, a boy. Lin Wuming had always assumed Torami Toumi was his age, around fourteen or fifteen.
"Well, girls develop earlier," Torami Toumi shrugged and said casually.
"True..." Lin Wuming didn't dwell on it. After all, regardless of whether she was twelve or seventeen, she was still a child in his eyes.
—However, if she's still in elementary school but finds the curriculum challenging... it seems this girl might be formidable in combat but not very bright.
Lin Wuming looked over thoughtfully.
"Are you thinking something rude?" Torami Toumi keenly sensed his thoughts but didn't get angry, seemingly used to this kind of judgment from others. "Hmph, whatever. It's true I'm not exactly clever."
"No, no, that was rude of me," Lin Wuming quickly apologized.
After a moment's thought, Torami Toumi explained: "Actually, like you, I also skipped grades. To keep pace with my age group, I went straight into fifth grade last year. And the courses in Academy City are genuinely difficult, so it's normal for me to struggle."
"Are you... also a victim of some illegal experiment?" Lin Wuming immediately thought of the scar on her face.