Breaking out of character Madoka flew over to Shizuka's side and kneeled down next to her. "What's wrong, Shizuka?"
"...My t-throat.....feels like.......it's...closing-up....."
Madoka cradled Shizuka in his arms and peered closely at her face. "Your face...I think it's swelling a bit too..." . Looking up he dictated, "Someone go get a teacher immediately!"
Sakaki who was the closest to the entrance stuttered out a loud, "Y-yes!" before sprinting out of the classroom.
Although Madoka tried to appear as composed as possible, Shizuka could see that his face was drained of colour and feel his body trembling while holding her. Shizuka tugged at Madoka's sleeve feebly in between coughs. "D-don't....worry...too much....s'okay..."
Madoka looked at the person in his arms who despite barely managing to speak was still trying to comfort him and was overcome with emotion. "...D-Don't speak anymore. Everything will be okay...Sakaki went to go get a teacher. He'll be back soon...You're going to get help. Y-you'll be okay. It'll be okay."
Shizuka moved her head down and up ever so slightly to show that she understood.
Five minutes passed before a figure burst into the room. With a stack of flyers in his hands, Aoi asked, "Did something happen?! I saw Sakaki-senpai rushing like crazy down the hall a moment ago!"
His unexpected appearance startled a student in 3-A who had already been jittery since Shizuka had fallen over. This caused him to knock into one of the flats that they had borrowed from the drama club and painted for their set.
The softwall flats were about two meters tall and were made from a piece of canvas cloth stretched over and stapled to a sturdy wooden frame. While normally the flats would be properly secured, as the students did not have a place to put it while the paint was drying, they had haphazardly propped it up against the classroom wall. Thus, when the student knocked it into it, a domino effect took hold as the flat tipped over and collided into the flat right beside it, sending it hurling down towards Madoka and Shizuka.
The whole thing happened so rapidly, no one in the surrounding area could react in time—no one except for Shizuka.
The instant Shizuka realized that Madoka could become injured with the way the flat was falling, it felt as if the world slowed down around her and a mysterious burst of energy surged through her body. As her heart raced speedily in her chest, Shizuka gathered every bit of strength in her body to forcibly throw Madoka aside. Once her eyes had ascertained that he was a safe distance away, the corners of her lips quirked up involuntarily.
A fraction of second later, Shizuka felt a heavy blow delivered to the side of her head. Then, with her eyes fluttering, she collapsed to the ground as everything faded to black.
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When Shizuka regained consciousness, she was assaulted by the smell of disinfectant and the glare of bright lights seeping through her closed eyelids.
Ugh...am I in the hospital?
Shizuka slowly lifted her eyelids open and was blinded by the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. Almost immediately she squeezed her eyes shut.
Suddenly she felt stirring by her bedside. It seemed someone had take ahold of her left hand and entwined it with their own.
Hesitantly, Shizuka peeled her eyes open. Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she realized that the person who had been holding her hand was Madoka.
Madoka? Why is he here? This is the hospital right?...Did he get hurt too? Crap did he get injured after all? Did I not push him hard enough?
In a panic Shizuka blurted out, "Are you hurt?"
Hearing her voice, Madoka lift his head up. His face first revealed an expression of shock, followed by relief and happiness and then finally, irritation. In a cold tone he questioned, "Is that something an injured person should be asking someone else?"
Shizuka made movements to sit upright and then she leaned forward to examine Madoka's body. "You don't look injured..."
Madoka pried her arms from him and forcefully laid them down by her side. "That's because you just had to idiotically push me aside at the last second."
Taken aback, Shizuka huffed indignantly. "I-idiotically? I protected you!"
"Did I ever ask you to?" snapped Madoka.
What is his problem?!
Shizuka glared at him and sarcastically tossed back, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had to get permission before moving someone out of harm's way. Next time should a dangerous situation occur, I'll make sure to get consent before saving your ass!"
Madoka raised his voice in anger, "Next time"? You dare mention a next time? You think I'd let you get hurt like this again?"
"Why are you even yelling at me?! I'm a patient, aren't I?" Shizuka turned away petulantly. A tense silence filled the room before Shizuka grumpily muttered, "Aren't you glad I woke up?"
The hospital bed creaked as Madoka took a spot next to Shizuka on the bed and tightly wrapped his arms around her. Shizuka froze with her arms awkwardly half raised in the air.
"Of course, I'm glad, you idiot! More than glad...I'm elated."
Shizuka frowned. "Then why were you lashing out at me?"
"Because I was worried, stupid!" Madoka squeezed her tighter and in a ragged voice he confessed, "...You wouldn't even be able to understand how worried I was...You were unconscious for hours...I was terrified that you'd never wake up and it would have been all my fault..."
Shizuka blinked. A few seconds later she brought her arms down and returned Madoka's embrace. Gently patting his back she quietly remarked, "Even if something worse had happened it wouldn't have been your fault. I got hurt by my own actions. No one would've blamed you."
"But I would've blamed myself! I hate it when people get hurt for my sake. Especially when it's you."
"...Why?"
Madoka pulled himself slightly away from Shizuka and held onto her shoulders. "Don't you get it? I don't give a damn about what happens to me...I'd be fine if every single bone in my entire body was shattered into a million tiny little pieces, as long as it meant that not even a single hair on your body would be harmed."
"Why?"
"Because that's how much you mean to me," he declared. "Rather than being protected by you, I want to become your shield. I want to block any and all dangers that may come your way."
Shizuka averted her eyes and clenched her fists. She didn't understand why but instead of feeling touched at Madoka's words she felt anger brewing in her chest instead. "A shield, huh?...First you wanted to be my servant and now you want to be my shield. What's so good about being a servant or a shield?...Why must you always lower yourself for my sake? Whether it be a servant or a shield, ultimately they're both expendable, aren't they? You once requested to not be thrown away, but isn't it you who keeps putting yourself in a position to be discarded?"
Instead of replying, Madoka simply leaned closer and pressed his forehead to Shizuka's. "Just promise me you won't ever do something as reckless as that again."
Because their faces were inches from one another's Shizuka could feel Madoka's breath on her cheeks. "I-I can't."
"Shizuka, promise me."
"I'm sorry but that's not something I can promise....Earlier, when I saw that the flat falling towards the back of your head, my first instinct was to assure your safety. I knew you wouldn't be able to react in time because you had your back to it and you were too concerned with me so before I could really think about what I was doing, my body moved to push you aside. Even if you tell me that you hate it when other people get hurt for your sake, it doesn't matter to me because I hate standing off to one side and watching the people I care about get hurt without doing anything even more. So, if a situation like earlier were to occur again, I'd get in the way again. Therefore, I can't promise you anything, Madoka, because I don't intend on making promises I can't keep."
Madoka paused before murmuring in a nearly inaudible voice with his gaze lowered, "I've had this thought before but...you're really cool Shizuka, cooler than guy, no anyone, I've ever known...I really am no match against you..."
Shizuka found herself enveloping him in another hug. A faint trace of a smile played on her lips. "Are you making an insult disguised as a compliment because I said you'd make a good wife?"
"No, I really mean it...Since a long time ago I've always thought that you were really cool."
...Since a long time ago?
"Do you think they're done?" a familiar voice whispered loudly.
"I'm not sure...I don't want to ruin the atmosphere..."
"But we've been hiding for like fifteen minutes..."
Those voices...
"Mom...? Kaori...?"
On Shizuka's righthand side, behind the large dividing curtain, Shizuka's sister and mother popped out. With a sheepish expression her mother greeted her. "Hi, honey. Are you feeling okay now? Any pain anywhere?"
Kaori's eyes darted between Madoka and Shizuka and grinned knowingly. "I think onee-san is more than okay considering that she was capable of holding such a...ahem...shall we say heated discussion with Madoka onii-san?"
At her sister's comment Shizuka's face turned beet red while Madoka swiftly rose and moved to one side. They overheard us!!!!!
Before Shizuka could muster up a response, the dividing curtain on the lefthand side of Shizuka was drawn back revealing an older lady in her sixties dressed in a hospital gown and a younger woman who bared a physical resemblance to her. The older lady seemed to be annoyed as she sent an evil glare at Shizuka's mother and Kaori. "Don't you people have any tact?"
In a fluster Shizuka's mother lowered her head. "I'm sorry, were we being too loud? We-"
"Not that! Why'd you have to go and interrupt? It was just getting good!" Wildly gesturing to Shizuka and Madoka she continued spiritedly, "Couldn't you have waited before they kissed or something? The mood was just right for a passionate kiss!"
Shizuka's eyes widened. "K-k-k-kiss?!?!"
The older lady clicked her tongue. "What are you being shy about?"
The lady eyed Madoka appreciatively. "You got quite the looker here, girly. It'd be a shame not to savour such beauty. If I were thirty years younger I'd be all over him myself!"
The younger woman grimaced. "Grandma..."
The lady raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't agree?"
"Well, I mean he is certainly a very attractive boy..."
Shizuka's mother nodded. "I agree."
"Me too!" chimed Kaori.
Feeling rather self-conscious Madoka decided to flee. "Um...I'm going to go bring a doctor over to check on Shizuka's condition now that she's awake. I'll call our homeroom teacher too." Turning to Shizuka he explained, "Mana-sensei was here until about half an hour ago. He left because he had his own emergency to sort out. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you're up."
Her mother smiled. "Thanks, Madoka-kun."
Madoka bowed before disappearing out of the room.
The lady rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "A fine boy indeed..." Peering at Shizuka she declared, "It's the twenty-first century, girly. If you like a boy you should just make him yours with a wild kiss. There isn't any shame in it. If you're feeling bolder then you can even slip your tongue in there and initiate some french kissing."
Shizuka nearly passed out again. "I-i-impossible!!!!!!!"
"What do you mean "impossible"? You're dating this boy aren't you? So what's wrong with a kiss or two? This younger generation isn't even that chaste. Besides, that little boyfriend of yours is a good kid." The lady nodded towards where Madoka had stood. "I've been here all day observing the coming and goings of this place and he's stayed by your side since you got here. Didn't leave for even a second."
"It's true," commented her mother. "Earlier I tried to get him to go home or at least go have dinner but he wouldn't budge."
Kaori nodded. "Yeah, brother-in-law was probably the most worried. When I got to the hospital, his complexion looked so awful I first thought he had gotten hurt too..."
"B-brother-in-law?! Who's your brother-in-law?" sputtered a bewildered Shizuka.
"Madoka onii-san, duh...Unless...don't tell me...you're in a futureless relationship?"
"A no-strings attached relationship eh? You're bolder than I gave you credit for, girly."
Her mother rushed over to her bedside in a panic. "That can't be true, right, Shizuka?! You're not going to let go of such a perfect boy are you?! He's even more gorgeous in person than in the photo you showed me and he's considerate, well-mannered, and smart to boot!"
Why is this happening to meeee????
Fortunately for Shizuka before she could have a complete mental breakdown Madoka returned with a female doctor in tow.
Extending a hand the doctor smiled and said, "Hi, Yoshino-san. My name is Chiba Erika and I am the doctor who will be looking after you. May I perform a quick check-up and ask you a few questions?"
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"It appears your condition is stable. The pain you feel in your head is normal as your head suffered a hit from the edge of the wooden flat; however, it should reside soon."
From what Chiba-sensei had explained, Shizuka had lost consciousness due to the trauma to the side of her head. However just before that, she had been suffering from an anaphylactic shock that had likely been triggered by her consumption of two full cups of milk teas that unknown to her, had been made with almond milk instead of regular milk.
"I had no idea her allergies were so severe," confessed her mother with guilt. "The last time Shizuka had almonds, her face had merely swelled a bit. After she had some medicine it went away."
"There's no real way to gauge how a patient will react to a specific allergen at a specific time. A reaction could be the same, or less, or more severe than the one that precedes it; however, once you've experienced anaphylactic shock you will be more likely to get it again. Thus, from now on, you'll have to take great care to avoid almonds and products that may contain it."
"I read about anaphylaxis online," revealed Madoka. "Can't it cause death when it left untreated? How was Shizuka able to overcome it?"
"In simple terms, I suspect that Yoshino-san was able to get through it because she unknowingly spurred an adrenaline rush from the fear she felt. Firstly, she must've been frightened due to not knowing what exactly was wrong with her body and this fear must have been exacerbated by the falling objects in the room. When the body is in a threatening environment, the brain sends a message to the adrenal glands to secrete more adrenaline. Adrenaline narrows blood vessels and opens airways reversing affects of a severe allergic reaction. There are also a lot of other side effects you may experience in an adrenaline rush."
"So let me get this straight," began Kaori with glowing eyes, "even though onee-san was at death's door, because her lover was in danger, she was zapped with this extra boost of adrenaline which gave her the strength to push brother-in-law aside? And since she sacrificed herself she ended up saving her own life too? That's soooo cool, onee-san! It's like a scene from some high school romance drama!"
Why does it sound so embarrassing when you put it that way?