Chapter 16: Musutafu Hospital

The morning sunlight casts a warm glow over the bustling city of Musutafu, Japan. Tall buildings and skyscrapers towered over the city, their reflective glass surfaces glittering in the sunlight and imposing against the skyline. People rushed to work or school, chatting and laughing with friends with cars navigating through the busy roads.

The largest hospital in Musutafu stood tall and imposing against the city skyline, its modern lines and large glass windows reflecting the bright sun. Situated in the heart of the city, it was surrounded by bustling streets and crowded sidewalks filled with people of all ages.

Outside the hospital, a large plaza with meticulously tended gardens and benches provided a place for people to sit and relax. Trees and shrubs of various colors and sizes provided bursts of greenery and colors against the concrete and steel backdrop of the building. Several small fountains and water features scattered throughout the plaza provided a sense of peace and tranquility amidst the bustling city.

The hospital's entrance was marked by a large sign bearing the name "Musutafu Hospital" in bold block letters, with smaller lettering advertising the various departments and services available. The entrance was a wide, open space with automatic glass doors that swished open and shut as Kanata, dressed in a plain black suit with a white dress shirt and black shoes, entered the bustling lobby.

'There are already many people even though it is 8 am,' he thought as he made his way through the lobby. 'Either way, this test should be quick. Not like I have any quirk.'

He approached an empty receptionist desk, where a male receptionist greeted him with a smile. "Good morning! How may I assist you today?"

"I am here for a quirk examination," he replied, his voice low, watching a four-year-old child squeal in excitement as her father talked to the receptionist about the quirk examination.

"Of course. May I have your name and ID, please?" The receptionist asked, typing on his computer.

Kanata retrieved his wallet and handed the receptionist his ID. The man quickly swiped it and pulled up Kanata's medical record. As he read through it, Kanata couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious.

"From here, it says you were classified as quirkless twenty-five years ago," the receptionist said quietly. "So you aren't here to check up on your quirk but to see if you have any quirk?"

"Yes," Kanata said, relieved that the man was keeping his voice down. "I'm just here to retake the exam."

The receptionist nodded. "Well, lucky for you, the technology and medical procedures to check a person's quirk factor have improved in recent years. You might be considered quirkless, but that might be because the technology twenty-five years ago was outdated."

"I doubt it will be any different." Kanata shrugged dismissively. "I am only here because a friend of mine told me to retake it."

However, Kanata could not deny that he hoped the test would reveal a quirk he didn't know he possessed just so he could be of help to Solomon and society as a whole. But he doubted he would get any quirk.

"Have hope, sir." He handed the ID back to Kanata. "You have no medical record, except for a few checkups where you were always in optimum health. Do you think that contributes to a health-related quirk?"

"Nah," Kanata shook his head, taking the ID and returning it to his wallet. "I just have good genes. Just like this face," he finished with a smile.

"...Right," the receptionist nodded, not knowing how to reply to that before reaching into his drawer to take a few pieces of paper and clipping it into a clipboard. "Please fill out this form and wait for your turn in the waiting area," he said, handing him the clipboard with a pen.

Kanata took the clipboard and pen, nodding his thanks to the receptionist before making his way to the waiting area. He sat down and began filling out the form, his mind racing with doubts. Was he wasting his time by retaking the examination? What if he really was quirkless, just like he had been told twenty-five years ago? But he shook the thought from his mind and focused on filling out the form.

He finally looked up from his paper and noticed someone sitting beside him, staring daggers at him. Turning to the left, he saw it was a woman dressed in a white turtleneck shirt with a black, shin-length pinafore and white hill boots. She had no makeup, with her white hair tied in a messy bun, and wore round spectacles.

Kanata would not have recognized the woman beside him as the one he had met at the bar yesterday night if not for the rabbit ears that peeked out from under her hair, which looked smaller and less noticeable as if she was trying to hide them.

"Oh, it's you again. I didn't expect to run into you here." Maemi smiled, causing Kanata to cringe.

"Fuck. Are you a stalker?" He asked as he got ready to stand up.

"Relax." She said as she sat back in her seat. "I am here for my daughter's checkup. I wasn't stalking you." She paused, glancing at him with a playful smirk. "Besides, wouldn't you be the one stalking me? I am a weak, powerless woman, after all."

Kanata glanced at Maemi up and down, and he couldn't help but agree with her statement. Standing only 160 cm tall with a lean build, she was definitely someone he would consider powerless at first glance. Her current, modest appearance was miles different from last night when she looked more like a succubus.

"So, why are you here?" She asked, continuing the conversation.

He sat back down, deciding it was better to speak with someone while he waited his turn. "For a quirk examination."

"Oh, your quirk is acting up?" She asked, her eyes perking up. "How so?"

He stared at her before leaning back on his seat and looking at the ceiling. "I am not here because my quirk is acting up, but for a check-up to see if I have a quirk." He explained, discreetly watching Maemi's expression.

"It is best if you don't get hopeful. It is rare for people to awaken a quirk after they pass 21." She paused, noticing what she said. Clearing her throat, she explained. "I meant, getting hopeful would only get you more hurt."

"I am not." He shrugged dismissively. "I only came because my friend told me to. He said I should come 'just in case.' So, here I am."

She smiled at his reaction, nodding. "Besides, you are successful even without a quirk." She said, mumbling to herself. "Unlike me."

"What do you mean I look successful?" Kanata asked, looking at her. He rubbed his chin. "I still look rough, and I am sure I am not wearing anything luxurious."

She blinked twice before pointing at his suit. "You have on an Armani suit that cost an average of two hundred thousand yen, and yesterday your outfit was more than seven hundred thousand yen." She noticed his surprised expression, causing her to smile. She was sure she got it right. It was, after all, her specialty. "With that much money, you have to be successful."

"Holy shit..." Kanata mumbled, looking down at his suit. "This thing cost two-hundred thousand?"

At his words, Maemi froze. "What?"

"I didn't look at the price when ordering them." Kanata explained with a light chuckle. "They looked nice, so I bought them."

Noticing the woman's expression, Kanata realized how he must have sounded to her and tried to explain himself, but there was nothing to explain. That was what happened. He didn't even bother to look at the price for some of the things he was ordering and just bought them because he thought they would look good on him or Solomon.

'I feel like a rich man right now.' He thought, scratching the back of his neck. "*Ahem* Sorry about that casual flexing. I genuinely didn't care about the price when ordering these, and now I know how much they cost..." He sighed. "I realized I spent a lot."

She smiled at his reaction as Kanata noticed her ears twitch. "I always find you rich bastard annoying." She said with a sweet smile. "But, I guess it's just jealousy on my part."

"I feel you." Kanata nodded in agreement, even though he had just been cursed. "I was once like you." He paused, remembering his time in the slums, struggling to get by each day with his daughter. "No, even poorer, so I understand."

Maemi didn't believe his words but played along. "What did you do to earn enough money to not care about price tags?" She asked.

"Investing." He replied, smirking. 'I mean, I did invest to get nine hundred million in my bank account. I invested in Solomon, and it paid off. Lol.'

"I feel like you are lying." Maemi shrugged, one of her ears perking up like she heard something. She turned to look at the nurse walking towards them and stood up. "Well, it seems like they need me." She looked down at him, smiling. "I hope we meet again, Mr. Investor."

She walked away and met with the nurse. They exchanged a few words before walking away together, leaving Kanata sitting alone. As he sat alone, his mind couldn't help but wonder back to the fight two days ago.

His right hand found itself on his throat as he tried to remember what had happened. Did the girl actually slash his throat? 'She definitely did.'

He felt the fiery pain rushing through his body, followed by coldness. He knew he had laid on the ground for a few minutes, listening to everything Solomon and the girl were saying, before suddenly regaining control of his body.

'They say that the sense of hearing is the last to go when a person dies.' He thought, his eyes widening. 'Did I die and revive?'

A cold shiver went through his body. "Is my quirk Jesus-Embodiment?" He mumbled but immediately shook his head. 'If I had that quirk, I would be living like this world is the creative mode of CraftMine.'

He looked down at his palm. 'Or did the wolf girl miss my throat, but the attack was so close that my brain thought I had actually died, and when it realized I wasn't bleeding, it gave me back control of my body?' He chuckled at that thought. "I guess that is the right answer." After all, there was no way he had any quirk.

"Ugh!" He ruffled his hair, drawing attention from those close by. "When will my name be called?"

Deciding to distract himself, he opened his phone and continued his search for houses to buy for himself and Solomon. Like that, an hour passed. He noticed people that came in after he left before he was even called, which he understood.

Out of everyone in this office, he was the least urgent. He wasn't here for a medical checkup, and he wasn't sick. He was here of his free will to retake the quirk examination after he was diagnosed as quirkless twenty-five years ago.

Another hour almost passed when a man patted his shoulder, snapping him out of his drowsiness. "It's your turn, sir." The nurse with the head of a Cavalier King said, smiling down at him.

"Right, right!" He jumped up from his seat, causing the nurse to move back as he mistakenly dropped his clipboard.

"Let me help you with that." The nurse said as she bent down to pick up the clipboard before he could say anything, handing it to him.

"Um, thanks." He chuckled, taking it clipboard her.

"No problem, sir." She smiled as she turned around. "Follow me. I will lead you to the doctor in charge of your test today."

Kanata followed behind her, looking curiously at her. She had the body of a human, but the head of a dog. More specifically, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

'Just like the man who recently became the chief of police.' He thought, remembering the news he saw on the billboard while coming to the hospital in the morning. 'I wonder how they could live with a quirk like that. Does dog food taste good for them?'

He quickly shook his head, pushing the thoughts away as they entered the elevator, climbing to the third floor. She led him through the floor, bustling with children who came for their quirk examination, with their parents trying to calm them down.

He smiled at this sight while also thankful that he wasn't the only adult on the floor. Or else, he would have stood out like a sore thumb. They walked for a while before stopping in front of an office door with a name tag that read, [Dr. Tsubasa]

"Please, enter." The nurse stepped out of the way as she opened the door for him.

Kanata entered the doctor's office, closing the door behind him. The office walls were painted in a muted shade of blue, and several framed certificates and diplomas hung on them.

In the center of the room is a wooden desk cluttered with stacks of papers and medical files, but everything seems to be organized haphazardly. A computer monitor sits to the left of the desk, and a pen holder and a stapler occupy the top right corner. On the left-hand side of the desk, there is a small nameplate that reads "Dr. Tsubasa."

Sitting behind the desk was the doctor, a distinguished-looking old man with a bald and bushy mustache. He wore a white lab coat over a shirt and tie, black pants, and circular and black regular-looking goggles.

The man greeted him with a warm smile. "Greetings, Kanata Uchimura. As you have already noticed, I am doctor Tsubasa, and I will be your doctor for today's quirk examination."