Chapter 186: New Love, Old Love

"Oh? Have you heard about it? That thing?"

"You mean the fact that the patient with the longest hospital stay in our ward is going to be discharged? I heard that they know they don't have many days left and want to take a few more glimpses of this world."

"Not that."

"Then what?"

"It's about the patient in the single room on the third floor."

"Oh, that one. It has been the talk of the town since last night. Everyone was in chaos ever since Dr. Ashi, who never jokes around, started getting involved. How could I not know? But it's really hard to believe that the patient woke up."

"There's even more recent news about that."

"Tell me, tell me."

"Guess what the first thing the patient did after waking up from a coma was? It's shocking. They poked their own eyes with their own hands."

"What? Is that true?"

"Well, no one in the hospital would mention it, but I heard it from a nurse by Dr. Ashi's side, so it should be accurate. It seems that the child did it when the doctor wasn't paying attention, forcefully poking their eyes from the eyelids. Oh my."

"Wait a minute, wasn't that child in a coma for two years? They shouldn't have been able to move, logically."

"Logically, that's true. But isn't that child's family very wealthy? They demanded special care as soon as they were admitted, so their joints and such aren't too stiff. Although it's called special care, since the person herself wasn't moving, the joints weren't flexible enough to move freely. Thanks to that, at least she managed to keep her eyes."

"...That's still remarkable. We learned about it in nursing school too. Even though lying in bed is more comfortable, the body gradually weakens. If someone sleeps for two years straight, they would almost lose their human functions."

"So the doctor was also careless. By the way, what was it called again? The symptom of bleeding in the sclera."

"Subconjunctival hemorrhage."

"Yes, that's the one. Normally, it can heal naturally, but because it was a trauma that almost caused glaucoma, the eyes still can't see anything. It's said that the patient has wrapped their eyes with a bandage according to their wishes."

"Mmm. So, the patient hasn't seen sunlight since waking up... From darkness to darkness. That's quite unusual."

"It's very unusual. Speaking of which, there are other issues. How should I put it? Aphasia? That kind of feeling. They couldn't speak properly at all, so the doctor brought in a speech therapist they knew. It seems we don't have that kind of person in our hospital."

"That's right, Dr. Kogure resigned last month."

"But... in that case, the patient must have refused visitors, right?"

"It seems so. Until their mental state stabilizes, even their parents are restricted from visiting."

"I see. In that case, the caretaker is pitiful."

"Who? caretaker?"

"Don't you know? The caretaker who visited every Saturday since the patient was admitted. Considering his age, he shouldn't be called a caretaker anymore. I want him to see that child."

"Ah, that caretaker. Yes, in today's world, this kind of sincerity is rare."

"Yes. For these past two years, only that caretaker has been guarding the patient. So... I think his presence played a role in the miracle of the patient waking up. It's strange for me to still be talking about these things after working in this field for so many years."

The voices of the two nurses in the corridor grew fainter until they couldn't be heard anymore.

Inside the room they passed by, a patient with deep blue curly hair shook his head thoughtfully.

"Shinji, Shinji," a delicate voice called out the boy's name.

Shinji lifted his head and looked at the girl on the hospital bed. "What's wrong, Kirie?"

"Apple—"

"Ah."

Upon Kirie's reminder, Shinji realized that his hand had stopped. When a nurse passed by the room, he happened to be helping Kirie peel an apple, and the conversation caught his attention.

"Sorry, I got distracted. I'll finish it right away."

Shinji's left hand, holding the knife, remained still, while his right hand held the apple and quickly rotated it. Soon, the red skin fell off in a uniform, long strip, revealing the pale yellow flesh inside.

After peeling, Shinji swiftly wielded the small knife to cut the apple into equally sized small pieces and placed them on a fruit plate, which he then handed to Kirie.

"Here you go, Miss."

Kirie glanced at the fruit plate, then at Shinji, and opened her small mouth.

"Ah—"

"?" Shinji was momentarily stunned, not understanding at first.

"Ah—" Kirie persisted, her eyes, once dull, now filled with vitality, showing a hint of anticipation.

"Oh, I see." If Shinji didn't understand now, he would be a fool—she wanted to be fed.

Well, if she wanted to be fed, then he would feed her. It's not like he hadn't fed Sakura fruits before, although Sakura had fed him more times.

With that thought in mind, Shinji used the small knife to pick up a piece of fruit and gently placed it in Kirie's mouth.

"Mmm, it's delicious." Just an ordinary apple and a simple gesture brought a happy smile to Kirie's face.

This smile was so pure that it astonished Shinji while also causing him immense heartache.

This girl named Kiri Fujou had been lonely for far too long, to the point of losing almost everything.

Indeed, the decision to make a deal with Souren Araya was not wrong. Compared to the smile before him, the costs he had paid didn't matter at all.

"Another one?"

"Hmm?" Kirie nodded eagerly. "Ah—"

"That's right. Only by eating more can you recover faster."

"Don't treat me like a child. I'm several years older than you."

"Yes, yes, Sister Kirie, here's another one." Shinji was completely indulging Kirie like a child.

"That's about right." Kirie chewed the fruit contentedly.

To say she wasn't a child anymore.

Kirie's body never fully recovered. After chatting for a little over an hour, she started to feel weak and curled up to sleep.

Shinji traced the rune "Naudiz," symbolizing survival, on her forehead and discreetly left the room, leaving the rune "EIHWAZ" in the most hidden corner of the ward to protect Kirie's safety.

Outside the ward, a woman with orange hair dressed in a classic Chanel suit leaned against the exterior wall, a cigarette in her mouth but not lit.

Seeing Shinji come out, she put the cigarette back into the pack and half-jokingly, half-inquiringly asked, "Finished with your new love interest?"

"What new love interest..." Shinji smirked, and glanced at the woman with an air of disdain, "Ah, yes, I'm done with that, so I came to find my old flame. Come on, old flame, smile at this young master."

"No smile, but I can do a cold expression." The woman took off her glasses, and her originally crisp and professional demeanor instantly turned icy.

"A cold face is not bad, but since you refuse to smile, then this young master will have to give you one," Shinji said, using both hands to pull up the corners of his mouth, making a concerted effort.

This time, Touko couldn't hold back her icy expression either and quickly put on her glasses, switching personas.

"You smile worse than you cry. It seems that old flames can't compare to new loves."

"Well then, Miss Old Flame, as an apology, would you be willing to give me a chance to invite you for a cup of coffee?"

"Just coffee? That lacks sincerity. Oh well, who said old flames have no one to care for them? Let's stick with coffee."

"Hey, you're getting addicted to this game."

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