"[Heal]!"
With a smile on his face, Takumi immediately released his recovery magic and took out a Divine Envoy Piece to fuse it into her.
A terrifying restorative force descended onto Tsumiki, cleansing and resetting her body from the ground up. The curse-mark pattern on her forehead flickered nonstop under the healing light. In the end, that mark dissolved into a few wisps of black hair that slipped free from Tsumiki's body and drifted out.
Takumi reacted in a flash and snatched those strands.
[Yorozu's hair]
[Description: Hair containing extremely powerful cursed energy and Yorozu's true spirit.]
"Ancient sorcerer Yorozu… This is probably connected to Kenjaku, that thousand-year-old snake." Takumi narrowed his eyes, suddenly thinking of something.
"[Spirit-Taming Technique: Hundred Demons Compendium]!"
After summoning the Hundred Demons Compendium, Takumi tossed the strands inside. The Compendium absorbed them and immediately flipped open to a page. The silhouette of a woman with an attractive figure appeared on it, and the name [Yorozu] slowly surfaced.
"Her face hasn't formed yet. Looks like the spirit-body still needs time to finish building."
Takumi closed the Hundred Demons Compendium and stored it inside himself to nurture it slowly. Once Yorozu fully took shape, he'd handle her personally—thoroughly.
Then his gaze fell to Tsumiki on the bed.
Her lashes trembled and, a moment later, she opened her beautiful eyes.
Under Takumi's recovery magic, the muscle atrophy from years of coma filled back in, so she had none of the usual long-term bedridden issues. Her body radiated the bright, energetic vitality of a young woman, and her skin looked smooth and luminous.
And there was one more thing: Takumi's recovery output had been a bit… excessive.
The hospital gown she'd been wearing had been reset into dust along with everything else.
Her stunning figure was laid bare right in front of him—graceful curves, every inch of skin more eye-catching than the last.
"Damn… Megumi, your sister is really gorgeous."
Mentally chanting don't be a creep, don't be a creep, Takumi proceeded to admire the view anyway—like the gentleman he definitely was.
Tsumiki, just waking up, was obviously still foggy. She looked around in confusion. The instant her eyes met Takumi's, her whole body jolted as if she'd been shocked, and a faint, heat-flushed shine rose in her gaze.
Seeing a man standing beside her—and seeing what looked like a hospital room—Tsumiki asked carefully, "W-Who are you? Where am I?"
Takumi immediately put on a kind, harmless smile and said softly, "You're awake. Congratulations—your surgery was a complete success. You're a boy now."
"Huh…? A-AH?!!"
Tsumiki blanked for one second, then let out a sharp scream. She jerked her head down, caught sight of her delicate collarbones and… the very obvious proof of the opposite, and instantly realized she'd been played.
Face puffed in indignation, she snapped, "You're awful! What kind of stupid lie—w-wait."
She lifted her head to scold him, then her brain finally caught up with the rest of the situation.
Half a beat later, she screamed even louder.
"KYAAAAAA!!!"
She reached for the blanket, but her arms were still heavy and uncooperative from just waking up—she couldn't even lift them properly.
Takumi politely produced a set of women's hospital clothes.
"Easy. You literally just woke up. I'll help."
"Ughhh… y-you…"
Tsumiki wanted to bury her face under something—anything—because this was too embarrasing. Right now she felt like a newborn deer: helpless, flustered, and completely at the mercy of a stranger.
But his movements were gentle, and his smile was warm—and frustratingly, her body's instincts didn't reject him the way her logic said it should.
That feeling was weird.
Her rational side was screaming that this wasn't okay. But her body and subconscious kept leaning toward acceptance.
By the time Takumi had helped her into dry, proper hospital clothes, Tsumiki still had her head down, refusing to make a sound.
Seeing how shy and flustered she looked, Takumi reached out and lightly smoothed her hair.
"Tsumiki, I'm going to explain what happened. Do you remember anything from before you passed out?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Takumi guided her calmly, patiently.
Still burning with embarrassment, Tsumiki listened—and her memories began to surface. The rosy flush on her face slowly drained, replaced by a pale, shaken look.
"I… I saw something. Like a ghost. And there was a man… he… he shoved black hair into my mouth."
Her fear deepened, and she instinctively leaned closer to Takumi.
With her pressed against him, Takumi gently wrapped an arm around her slim waist. When he saw her face trembling on the verge of tears, he leaned down and kissed her.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze.
He didn't pull away until Tsumiki was on the verge of running out of breath—then the kiss finally broke.
The fear on her face had been replaced by a bright, embarrassed blush.
Takumi brushed her cheek with his fingertips and murmured, "There. You're safe. I'm here."
"Mm…"
Letting out a small, helpless little sound, Tsumiki buried her face deep against his chest.
Her heart was a mess.
Conservative by nature, she never would've imagined she'd kiss a man she'd just met—especially not like this.
And the worst part was that both her body and her emotions were reacting with a fluttery, buoyant excitement.
It wasn't supposed to feel good… but it did.
Tsumiki's face went even redder, her thoughts spinning.
Takumi chose that moment to continue, speaking evenly. "Alright. I'll explain everything."
Tsumiki instinctively listened.
When she learned Takumi was the doctor who saved her—and that she'd been in a coma for years because an ancient sorcerer was trying to take over her body—only gratitude remained in her eyes.
Sure, this doctor was way too bold, and he absolutely had a bad habit of messing with his patients.
But if it hadn't been for him… she probably would've died.
"Th-Thank you, Takumi-san… for saving me…"
Tsumiki wobbled as she tried to get up and bow.
Takumi immediately reached out, pressed her back down onto the bed, and made her lie still. After tucking the blanket around her, he said in a firm tone. "Your body's fixed, but your soul and body have been separated for too long—you'll need some time to fully sync back up."
"I also implanted a Divine Envoy Piece inside you. It'll keep improving your body over time. If you focus, you should be able to see your status panel. I already sent the relevant info into your mind as well."
As Takumi finished speaking, Tsumiki followed her instincts and "checked."
[Name: Tsumiki Fushiguro]
[Class: Divine Envoy Sorcerer]
[Level: 1 (Grade 1 Sorcerer)]
[Traits: Divine Envoy (Purple), Construction Technique (Blue), Master-Servant Contract (Blue) …]