Chapter 3 - The start of a new life
(MCs POV)
I woke up to the sound of shuffling and beeping around me. I was laying down on something soft. Slowly opening my eyes I see a bright light above me. Looking around I see what seems to be a hospital room, there was a nurse on my opposite side, she was moving some equipment around.
"Ugh, what happened to me?" I groan as I readjust my position in bed.
My voice startles the nurse and she turns around to look at me.
"How are you feeling?" She asks me with a small smile adorning her face.
"All things considered? Pretty well I guess."
"Very good, wait a minute, I'll call the doctor, he'll give you a check." She says as she leaves the room.
'Now, how do I get out of this, how do I explain everything, my identity or lack thereof?' I pondered on my current predicament.
'I know, I'll plead the fifth and won't even need to lie about it. I have no idea who I am.' I think and sigh while waiting for the doctor
After a couple of minutes, the doctor comes in, followed by someone who I assume is a police detective.
'Oh boy, let's do this.'
----
(3rd pov)
The doctor and the detective enter the patient's room and see him lying there with his back propped against some pillows.
A young boy who seems to be around 12 years old.
"Hello young man, how are you feeling? I am doctor Roshi Nakamura and this is detective Iida Sakamoto." The doctor greets our boy with a smile. The detective nods but stays silent.
"Hello doctor, detective, I'm feeling as well as can be, considering everything. My body still aches a bit but it's only mildly uncomfortable." Replies the boy with a charming smile of his own.
The doctor continues to smile and nods.
"Doctor, before anything else, where am I? Who…am...I?" The boy asks, looking up at the doctor with the same smile, only this one seemed to portray confusion and sadness.
"Oh my, you don't remember anything? Anything at all?" Asks the doctor confused, then sends an almost imperceptible nod to the detective.
Looking down in sadness the boy responds.
"No, doctor, I don't know."
The doctor, seeing his response, looks towards the detective as if giving him the floor for discussion. Detective Sakamoto takes a step forward, looks at the boy, and begins talking.
"Hello young man, as you now know, I'm detective Iida Sakamoto and I'd like to ask you a few things. Is that okay with you?" He asks and proceeds to take out a small notepad.
"Yes sir"
"Do you remember your name or anything else relating to your identity?"
"No sir, I do not"
"I see, you were found yesterday morning in the Fukasai district, bearing a variety of injuries. Do you remember anything about how you got there?"
"Yes sir, I woke up on the outskirts of town, injured and confused. I got up and slowly made my way towards the town in search of help. After some time I got around a corner and saw this old lady, seeing her I started to walk towards her but I think I fainted and then woke up here. Is granny OK? She wasn't injured or scared, wasn't she?" He proceeds to tell his story, his tone getting gloomier by the sentence. When he reached the part about the kind old lady his eyes started to moisten and his voice was tinged with worry.
'Ha! I knew going to the theater club in high school was worth it. Being able to make myself cry on command is useful after all!' Thought the boy, laughing in his mind while projecting an outward appearance of vulnerability. Not too, too much sadness would tip them off. After all, medicine in the wrong quantity is poison, so is acting.
The detective scrutinizes the boy but finds nothing out of the ordinary, besides the boy's situation, of course.
"So you were left outside the city, I see. We'll talk about your savior later, she's the one who found you and called us immediately."
"I understand, please allow me to thank her!" The boy answered with a small bow.
Detective Sakamoto allowed himself a small smile, he always liked polite and grateful children.
"You'll be able to do so soon, young man. Now please, let's continue with the questions…"
The boy's interrogation continued for the next 15 minutes, he was asked a multitude of questions regarding himself or his lack of self, considering his missing memories. Some questions repeated themselves but were worded differently, he caught on and answered them correctly.
Seeming satisfied, both the detective and the doctor left his room but not before detective Sakamoto told him that he will be back for him later. Doctor Nakamura simply told him that his body was healing nicely and that he should rest but not before eating a meal that the nurse would be bringing soon.
The next hours passed by fast enough, he ate the pretty decent meal provided by the hospital then proceeded to take a nap until Nakamura and Sakamoto came back.
He was awoken by the nurse who was shaking him gently, telling him that he has visitors.
Sure enough, the duo was back with news. The doctor spoke first.
"Well, young man, from what I've seen of your files you seem to be healing well. Your bruises should heal in a couple of days and, while your arm still presents a small problem, a cast will help it heal in around 2 weeks." hearing the doctor tell him about his health bill, the boy couldn't help but thank his luck for his drained energy which was either stopping or massively hindering his regeneration.
'Imagine seeing bruises and a broken arm healing in just a day, yeah, no way that shit would fly. While the lack of energy is giving me a woozy feeling, it helps mask my regeneration beautifully, making me seem to be ordinary'
Outwardly, he projected a smile to the doctor. The detective came next.
"Young man, we have found nothing that would suggest your name or identity, neither in your clothes or in the immediate surrounding of the place where you were found. Simply put, you are, for now, a ghost" he said with a sad smile.
"What's going to happen to me now? What should I do? Where do I go? Who am I?" The boy, seeming slightly panicked, rapid-fired his questions.
"Don't worry, for now, while we continue our investigation you will stay with the lady who called us. She graciously offered to house you while we find out what happened" saying this with a smile, he went to the door, opened it, and gestured for someone to come in.
In came an old lady with grey hair and wrinkles adorning her face, she had a kind smile that only people that experienced the ups and downs of life and came out on top could have. She sat down near his bed and took the boy's hand into her own.
"Hello young man, my name is Nana Zletris. I'm so happy that you're going to be alright!" She spoke to him with warmth and mirth.
"Hello Zeltris-san, thank you so much for taking care of me! As for my name, well… I still don't know"
"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will come back to you soon enough, until then, would you like to come live with me?"
"Are you sure, won't I be a bother?"
"Nonsense young man, of course, I'm sure. I'll be more than happy to take you in!"
The youth smiled, grasped her hand a bit harder, and nodded.
"Thank you Zeltris-san, thank you so much!"
"There's no need! Welcome to the town of Kuoh!"
.
.
.
.
'KUOH?!'
'HAHAHAHAHAHA FUCK YES!'
-------
A/N
And that's chapter 3 done, it was a bit slow till now but the story will pick up the pace from here on out.
A question, do you like training arcs/montages? Personally I really really dislike reading 10-20 chapters of how the mc trained to learn a move only to use it in 2 chapters and then, later on, forget about it. I'd rather show, not tell and explain the moves as they come up in the story. What's your opinion?
Anyway, see you soon.