Mysterious Power

The night had grown late, and the VIP ward where Eiji lay was eerily quiet. Only the faint sound of the LCD TV echoed in the room.

With the remote in hand, Eiji kept switching channels, one after another, but nothing caught his attention.

News, variety shows, dramas, even movies; everything felt ordinary. The world he saw through the screen seemed strangely unremarkable. There was no indication of superpowers or supernatural phenomena, the things he was trying to find.

"Nothing unusual." He muttered softly.

"No superpowers, nothing extraordinary."

Eiji leaned back further into the pillow, staring at the TV screen without really paying attention.

"Sigh..."

He let out a long sigh.

'Why am I thinking about things like this?'

'Why do I feel as if this world should be more than it seems?'

Today, there was one thing he couldn't ignore—the emotions emanating from the people around him.

It wasn't just based on their expressions or actions, but something deeper. It was as if those emotions enveloped him, like waves arriving uninvited.

When the police inspector interrogated him, he could feel their clear suspicion and wariness. When the nurse fed him, there was a warm sense of empathy, mixed with a hint of fascination.

And Doctor Maruo? Calmness and concern.

"Why can I feel these things?" Eiji said in a low voice.

This wasn't normal.

Eiji turned off the TV, staring at the pristine white ceiling of the room.

"I can even feel their emotions more clearly than I can remember my own past. How can I know their emotions, while I don't even know who I am..."

Just because he had amnesia didn't mean he didn't have common sense. If he told the truth, Eiji was afraid he would be transferred to the operating table and dissected if this was just an ordinary world. That's why he didn't tell anyone the fact that he could feel other people's emotions so clearly.

"Is this a power? Do I have something that others don't?"

Eiji furrowed his brow, trying to find an answer from his empty mind. "

"But... why me?"

He spoke to himself, his voice almost a whisper in the empty room.

"Why can I feel their emotions? Is this just... intuition? Or something else?"

Eiji tried to remember, searching for clues in his lost memories. But all that emerged was emptiness. The name Kamiki Eiji might have returned to him, but the rest remained hidden behind a thick curtain that obscured his past. The only thing he had now was this strange ability—the ability to feel other people's emotions very clearly.

'I can feel emotions. But... can I control them? That's too strange. This isn't something I can tell anyone. They'd think I'm crazy.'

Eiji closed his eyes, trying to calm his chaotic thoughts.

'I have to be careful. No one can know about this. At least, not until I know more.'

He opened his eyes again, feeling increasingly determined to keep his superpower a secret.

'First, I have to find out who I really am. Why can I do this? And most importantly, what is my purpose with this power?'

The night wore on, and Eiji stayed awake, his mind busy searching for answers he couldn't find.

❀❀❀

In the quiet hospital corridor, the sound of two twin sisters' footsteps echoed faintly. Nakano Nino and Nakano Miku walked side by side. They had just graduated from college and were now running the family restaurant they had recently opened. Tonight, they came to visit the young man who had been found behind their restaurant the night before.

Nino, with her hair slightly past her shoulders, a pink shade tied with ribbons on both sides, wore a casual outfit of a loose shirt with shorts. Her expressive face showed a hint of fatigue after a long day.

Meanwhile, Miku, with her long, reddish-brown hair left loose, wore a simple, dark purple dress. Her calm face reflected her quiet nature, but the faint smile that always graced her lips gave an impression of gentleness and attentiveness.

"Are you tired, Miku?" Nino asked, breaking the silence.

Miku shook her head gently and said, "Not really, but I didn't expect opening a restaurant to be this hard."

"Yeah, it's a far cry from when we opened a food stall at the school festival back then. Back then, it was just for fun, but now it feels more serious. Not to mention dealing with fussy customers and suppliers who are sometimes late." Nino nodded in agreement.

Miku smiled slightly, remembering their school festival days.

"Yeah, school festivals were simpler. Back then, I was just busy guarding the table and counting change. Now? We have to think about inventory, staff management, even customer complaints."

"Come to think of it, why did we decide to open a restaurant?" Nino sighed heavily.

Miku turned and smiled softly.

"Because we love to cook, Nino. Back then, we only cooked for ourselves or Fuutarou. But now, we can share the food we love with many people."

"That's true." Nino smiled back, though she seemed a little awkward.

"But still, I didn't expect it to be this much. Especially after that incident."

Miku looked down, her expression turning serious.

"The young man we found behind the restaurant..."

Miku bit her lip, her memory returning to the previous night.

"I really didn't find him on purpose. I just wanted to throw out the trash, but when I saw him, my heart sank. He looked like... he was dying. His blood was flowing from the wounds on his body, and his face was so pale. I didn't know what to do except call an ambulance immediately."

Nino gently put her arm around Miku's shoulder.

"You did the right thing, Miku. If you hadn't found him, he might have... well, you know."

Miku nodded softly, but her eyes still looked anxious.

"Why was he there? And why was he so badly injured?"

Nino sighed again and said, "Maybe we'll know more tonight."

When the two girls reached the ward door, they exchanged glances before knocking gently. Nino went in first, followed by the quieter Miku behind her.

The room was silent except for the faint sound of the television left on. Eiji lay in bed, holding the remote, looking weak, but his eyes immediately focused on the two of them.

"..."

As Nino and Miku's eyes met Eiji's, both were stunned.

Nino even stopped in her tracks. Their gaze fell upon Eiji's face, which was now clean and appeared more clearly. His handsome face, clear skin, and blue eyes like hers and her sister but more beautiful like a blue sky.

'What is this…? Why is he so handsome?' Nino thought, her heart suddenly pounding.

In the days when she was still a high school student, before she liked Fuutarou, she only liked handsome men. So, she judged men by their faces. After all, no woman doesn't like handsome men, and Nino was no exception. It was only after various events and spending time with Fuutarou that she lowered her standards and no longer cared about handsome men as before.

However, Nino's view of the world began to change like it used to after seeing Eiji.

"..."

Miku, who was usually calm, couldn't hide her surprise either. Before, they were too panicked when they found Eiji covered in blood, so they didn't have time to notice his face. But now, before them was a young man who was so handsome, making it difficult for them to speak.

Eiji furrowed his brow, feeling a little strange about the two twin women who seemed silent in place. He finally decided to break the silence.

"Excuse me, who are you?"