[ES!!] Ties of an Index Finger

May 25, 2022 Enstars , 1. Era , ES Era , Chiaki , Year 1 , Subaru
5.6k ~7 min

Chiaki wants to treat a wound without anyone noticing, but…

This story is connected to the card [Naming the Injury] Chiaki Morisawa.

Story Release Date: May 25, 2022

Characters

Writer

Umeda Chitose

Translation

310mc

Proofreading

ryuseipuka

Season: Spring

Location: Hallway

(Gahh…! I can’t believe I’d make a mistake like this…! I tripped on the steps and fell down…)

(I’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of work lately, so although I thought I was feeling alright, I may have built up more exhaustion than I’d expected within the past few days.)1

(The exhaustion led me to be less careful than usual… And in my carelessness, I ended up injuring myself.)

(Hurting myself as a result of being so occupied with work is only proof that I haven’t been taking proper care of myself. I’m so pathetic…!)

(I’m just really glad nobody saw me trip and fall…)

(Now I only need to treat my wound as soon as possible, so that no one knows that I accidentally injured myself.)

Location: Doctor’s Office

—Please excuse me.

…Whew, nobody’s around.

Ermm, am I allowed to use one of the antiseptics laid out here…? All the equipment I need is here as well, so I think this will be enough to—

…!?

(Oh shoot—! I instinctively closed the curtains around the bed to hide myself…!)

(Mm? I recognize that voice very well.)

(I’ll make a small opening between the curtains to check who it is.)

Mm~? Where’s the nail clipper… In the drawer? Or someplace else—…

So it was you, Akehoshi.

What the—!? A severed head popping out from the curtains…!?

Wait, no — it’s just Chi~chan-senpai. Yahoo~, yahoo~! ☆

Mhm, yahoo to you too…☆

I’m so glad there’s someone else here~ I’m looking for the nail clipper. Any idea where it is?

My nail’s a little chipped and it keeps snagging my clothes, so I wanna trim it.

If it’s the nail clipper you’re looking for, wouldn’t it be inside the case on top of the desk? I’d assume it’d be kept in the same place the scissors are stored…

Ohh, it is! Here you go, feel free to clip your nails with this.

Thanks, Chi~chan-senpai~♪

…By the way, what’re you doing here? I mean, this is the doctor’s office, so is it ‘cause you’re feeling unwell or something?

N-No? There are no problems with my physical condition. My body is as healthy as can be!

Ehh~ Is that really true?

(Guh— He’s clearly suspicious of my left hand after I hid it behind my back!)

(I wasn’t really lying when I said there are no problems with my health… But should I really ignore his feelings and keep up the facade when he’s clearly worried about me…?)

Staaare…

………

—The truth is… I accidentally injured myself, so I came here to treat my wound.

I knew it. You suddenly went quiet, after all~ I figured something was up.

I’m guessing it’s your left hand? Show me, I’ll treat your wound as thanks for finding the nail clipper for me.

M-Mm. It’s just a small injury, really.

Doesn’t change the fact it’s an injury, though. You gotta be more careful, y’know~ We’re idols.

…Haha, that hurts to hear.

But worry not! No matter what, I’ll make sure to at least protect my face to the very end, for the sake of my idol profession…☆

Gosh, that’s not the problem here… And stop moving, I’m gonna put a band-aid on your wound.

Mm… Sorry.

I was expecting a pretty big wound, since you were hiding it and everything.

Apart from your index finger, you’ve just got a little scratch on your hand. So why did you hide such a small injury?

W-Well, that’s because…

(I already confessed to Akehoshi that I accidentally got injured. And he even went through the effort to treat my wound… So lying here would be—…)

………

And he goes silent again. Is it something you can’t tell me?

N-No, that isn’t it…! It’s just something I don’t want anyone to know, not just you, Akehoshi…

However… I won’t forcibly try to hide it from you, either. It’s all pretty pathetic of me, though…

…What do you mean?

I was hoping nobody would find out that I got hurt. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.

I mentioned that it happened by accident, right? That’s exactly what I mean — It’s an injury I could’ve avoided if I was just a little more careful. I wouldn’t normally trip on some steps.

…It was only once I got injured that I finally realized, “Ahh, I really might be exhausted after all…”

But there’s just no way I could admit that I was so tired from all my work that I became careless enough to injure myself.

It would just be awful of me to say that — I’m so grateful for each and every job offer I’ve been receiving, after all… It would be so pathetic and disappointing coming from me.

So I just didn’t want anyone to know this side of me… Actually, I wanted to hide the entire thing like it never happened. That’s why I immediately hid it from you as soon as you saw me.

…Take this!

—Oww!?

Wha— What is it…!? You’re gripping my bandaged finger! Is this an Akehoshi-style good luck charm!?

Yup, it is. It’s a good luck charm that prays for the uncool Chi~chan-senpai to disappear.

Un…cool…?

You getting injured isn’t what’s uncool—

It’s the way you think that you’re uncool that I find waaay more uncool, Chi~chan-senpai.

Guhh…! Your words cut deep into my heart, Akehoshi…!

I mean, the reason why you were exhausted enough to accidentally trip was ‘cause you were working your butt off on all your jobs, right?

Well, you could just rest a little or take it easier at work to avoid exhaustion, but… I doubt that’s something Chi~chan-senpai can do.

So that’s why I think there’s no point in hiding an injury that happened because you were so hard at work that you didn’t even have time to think about yourself.

After all, you’re just gonna keep working hard, aren’tcha, Chi~chan-senpai? Then why not think of this injury as proof of your hard work?

…Proof of…my hard work.

(…Akehoshi has got a point. It doesn’t seem right to regret the injury so much that I end up rejecting my hard work…)

(I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy every one of my jobs. And even when it isn’t something hero-related, I’ve been able to build up experience as an idol.)

(That’s why, this injury could perhaps be—)

A man’s own medal, maybe. That’s a much cooler way to call it.

…?

Thank you, Akehoshi. Because of you, I feel a rush of joy surge through me…! ♪

Woah— Hold on! Ahh~! Don’t hug me outta nowhere!

Don’t say that~ Accept my feelings of gratitude…☆

Gah, don’t squeeze me so tightly!

(…But, I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve seen him be his suffocating self…?)

(Yeah, this is how Chi~chan-senpai’s supposed to be like…☆)