Chapter 12 Much knowledge multiplies sorrows

Feeling bored at school all day, I decided that I should diversify it.

I thought about it, and I wanted to visit Shun.

As I waited for recess to start, I approached Dan.

He was a little gloomier than usual, and had also changed his jacket to a darker one.

And yes, I will say right off the bat that the gloominess wasn't in the jacket or the look, but in his face.

"Hi, Dan!" I said hello, deciding to probe the mood of the other side.

"Yeah, good morning to you too, Shinji!" he replied.

I got it! But just wish it was something I hadn't realized.

"Changed the image?" - I asked him.

He looked around himself, apparently trying to figure out what I was talking about, and only after about 5 seconds he realized that I had been gone for a week.

'What an asshole, I forgot the person who made me change my style...'

He laughed awkwardly, then nodded.

"Yeah, well, I've changed my look, I've gotten some cards".

"How's it going? Any first wins?"

Apparently, that question pulled him from his previous scowl, and he brightened up.

"Aha! You have no idea! I just went bam, and they all went bam! Darkus sting, on the field! You should have seen their scared faces!" he laughed out loud at the end.

"How many did you beat?" I asked, wondering if the "hit hard" tactic was working.

"Nine!" he boasted proudly, running his index finger under his nose.

"Congratulations," I said.

"And you, why haven't you been here for a week? And what's up with you and Ventus?"

"Oh...I had a really bad headache...."

"A whole week?!" he asked incredulously, not understanding how that was even possible.

If you knew the truth, you would have screamed even louder....

"Uh-huh. That's right. And with the Bakugans... well, I'll be a strategist for now, I want to make tactics and get more cards. You know, it's a little windy," I lied about that last part.

It's good that I left Vesta at home, or else he would have told me... all sorts of things....

Well, why not? It never hurts to let the guard down on a hothead like that.

And, yes, I guess those words played right into my hands, because he seemed to want to offer me a fight.

Yeah, a head-on battle against the color death? Without any powerful reinforcements or team cards? Well, yeah... bully. When I get some Mind Ghost, I'll have you flying around.

"By the way, do you know what happened to Shun?" I asked casually, so that he wouldn't realize I'd come to him for that reason, or he'd be offended.

He looked sad for some reason.

"Shun... his mom got sick, why?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to him".

"Ah... well, he's with his mom most of the time now, it's hospital 2, room 126".

"Okay, all right".

After that, we talked a little more about some minor stuff.

As soon as school was over, Dan pulled Runo to watch him crush his opponent in the game.Well, I'm off to Shun's. Just to break up the boredom. I hate TV. The school program I learned ahead of time doesn't help much with that either.

I knew where the right building was, since that one was the largest and most updated in the city, and if there was any kind of certificate or fluorography, that's the only place to go.

Like, you can also go to other hospitals, but only the school is more willing to accept everything from there. I don't know what that has to do with. I guess I'm just not interested.

When I reached the building, I went inside.

The disgusting smell of chlorine hit my nose, and I immediately covered my nose.I cursed at myself for such a setup and went to the elevator.The room I needed was on the fourth floor. Once in front of it, I knocked on the door.For about 5 seconds no one moved inside, and then the door opened.Inside was a teenager with crying eyes.

"Hi, Shun".

"Shinji? How are you doing in here?" he started wiping his face, worried that he looked unsightly.

"I heard you were in trouble, so I thought I'd come by and talk to you. We're classmates after all".

"I see..." before he could finish, his mom woke up, probably disturbed by the noise.

"Mom!" the kid ignored me and immediately ran to her.

"S-Shun".

I only now noticed the boy's mother. The middle-aged woman looked a lot like Shun himself, only her skin was paler, she was wearing a blanket, and she had needles stuck in her arms, with an IV standing next to her.

From the looks of it, her condition was not good.Why did I think that? I had seen on the internet that usually a patient's personal chart is put in some sort of folder that is secured at the bottom of the bed, but here... it wasn't there. What's the reason? Probably because her son was here, and since things were bad, it might as well have been removed for ethical reasons.Wow, one visit and a simple observation, and I've already figured it out. Maybe I'm wrong, so I'll have to look in the other wards for those files. Anyway, it's not like I'm familiar with the work structure here.But the probability that I guessed correctly was high.

I looked sadly at the boy and took a step back, not wanting to interrupt their scene of communication.Who knows how much more time she has left?

"M-mom, are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh..." she stroked his head.

The boy hugged his mom, tears welling up in his eyes.

I found a chair and sat down, watching.

Perhaps I'm too cold-hearted, but something like this didn't squeeze a single tear out of me.

A monster indeed...

Watching the way they interacted, I noticed something. Shun here wasn't the serious and silent kid he was at school. I could feel the dissonance. Now he was more like a sweet mama's boy, not in a bad way.

His behavior could even be called cute.

Of course, it caused a far cry from a sense of cuteness in me. I used to think he and I were alike. At least a little bit alike in personality.

Now I realize I was wrong. The real him is probably exactly as he is here.

I don't think I'm here.

I quietly took out a notebook from my briefcase and carefully tore off a page from it. Placing it on the notepad, I wrote the following in black pen: 'Shun, I won't disturb you. I just came by to check on you. If you need anything I can help with, text me on my phone or ask at school. I'm off. Shinji'.

With that, I left the room, walked five rooms, and then, pretending like I was looking for someone, casually glanced into another room. My gaze was directed to the spot where the folder was supposed to be attached.

'Of course there is'.

There was one there.

As a matter of fact, yes...how sad it is to know a lot sometimes.

Mentally praying for one soul with a moment, I left the hospital.

Feeling the boredom piling up on me again, I decided to open my phone and look at the news.

"New children's Bakugan game."

"Boom in the metal industry!"

"Company XXX went bankrupt amid the failed release of a new online game."

"The development of electronic money, pros and cons."

I'm not interested in the first and third, I've already read it all. The second... well, probably some professor was plowed into rewriting the work of five years ago with inclusions of the new, which has just a brilliant approach with five "nuances". And those very nuances, haunting almost every new work, well....

Numerical values - round up.

Neglect parasitic forces.

Experimental results - make average.

Graphs - approximate (big and bold point).

Final results - fit.

Anyway, something like that... shorter, further.

The development of electronic money... something new.

"Hmm...I think I've found something to keep me busy".