Chapter 5

"How the hell did you reach me?" Asks the female voice from the phone, causing the handsome bespectacled face holding it to scowl.

"You got a call from your injured fiancé, and that's how you react?"

The tall teen, Matsuda Kou, is slouching on a bench on the balcony of Shintokyo's largest hospital. He is dressed in the Presidential Suite black hospital gown, which is closer to a luxurious robe than the typical gown. With a frown on his handsome face and his curly hair sticking out in all directions, the young man still maintains an air of charm. 

"Oh, 'injured'," You can hear the eye-roll in her tone, "'Darling', you've had worse".

Matsuda Kou lifts an eyebrow, "I'll have you know I got shot near the chest".

Not far from where he is, right at the large glass double door, the two guards from the Secret Police shift in discomfort after hearing the word fiancé. Nineteen is so young for someone to be prospected for marriage. Then again, perhaps that is what the rich do; be kidnapped in a foreign country, be protected by the country's most elite guards, and have a fiancé.

"You're not supposed to call anyone. Your mom has put a strict no-contact rule on you".

"Oh, fuck. She's at it again," the young man complains, "Is it as punishment?"

"As protection, Kou, so your location stays undetected".

"Oh my God, Rika. You know it's not like that at all".

"I know," The female voice pauses as if to signal her understanding, "And no, by the way; I won't help you escape the hospital".

The two bodyguards are slightly alerted by the statement, especially when the subject of their protection groans in disappointment at the screen of his phone. They were already conflicted about allowing their subject to roam around freely in the President wing. They only okayed his request to go to the President Wing's balcony because he insists on having a video call and the Presidential Suite does not have the best reception. They would rather not have their leniency be used by the subject to plan an escape.

Then the conversation takes a turn.

"I miss your kisses," the tall tattooed guy tells his fiancé, voice dragged to an almost whine.

"I see," the female voice says, voice barely a whisper but its volume is loud enough to be heard by the men standing guard by the door. "Maybe I can give you something el-"

"Matsuda-san".

Matsuda Kou looks up to the man tapping his shoulder. "We think we should provide you some privacy for you and uhh... your fiancé".

"Oh, thanks. I don't mind though".

"No, we-," the man glances at his colleague behind him, "We think we should leave you alone".

"Oh, okay then. I'll be back to the suite soon," Matsuda Kou waves at his assigned bodyguards. As soon as they leave, he turns to the girl on the screen of his phone, "They're gone".

"Good," the girl with the strawberry blonde hair sips her tea from a floral printed porcelain cup, "And don't worry. Your uncle is talking your mom out of keeping you in isolation. Do understand that she is worried for you. You and Sora should've known she would overreact once she caught news of the kidnapping, even when it was planned".

There it is; the kidnapping is staged by himself and Sora and still things have gotten out of their control. All things considered, he is lucky to escape with just an injury.

"Sora better change mom's mind quick because I'm dying of boredom and I have things to do. I would recover quicker with the help of some Guides and Healers and I can't use their service here".

Ever since the legalization of paramilitary bodies dealing with the rise of mutants in Neo Japan, the service of Guides and Healers has been legally restricted to support these means, meaning that only Espers and other similar military personnel are allowed to use the service of Guides and Healers. For that reason, Matsuda Kou cannot receive guiding and healing in this hospital, under this fake name or even his real one, but he can get them under his Esper persona; Tungsten.

"Sora will do something to get you out of there," Rika convinces, "Have trust in him".

Matsuda Kou squints at the blue sky, "Isn't he busy befriending the whales or something?"

"That's true".

Kou snorts.

"But I believe he's with Ari now".

Kou jumps to sit straight. "He is??" Damn, if things were different he would love to join Sora crashing at Ari's. The three of them are no strangers to random sleepovers at Ari's, borrowing his clothes and items, and making a mess. Ari is like an uncle they never had; permissive enough that you can have fun, but responsible and smart enough to keep you out of trouble.

Still, Sora doesn't normally leave his disappearing acts for no good reason. He wonders what kind of business Sora is having with Ari for him to leave his whale-befriending endeavors.

Then again, if it's business, it's probably boring.

And Kou doesn't need something boring to distract him. He needs more distractions. This kidnapping stunt is not enough to get his head off of things; things like his failures.

Failures in meeting his family's expectations.

Failures to keep his mom happy with him.

Failures in making sure that people are safe.

Failures in saving Shun-En.

Stop. He should just stop thinking.

"What's that on your forehead? Did those kidnappers hit you too?"

Kou touches his own forehead at the mention and flinches. On close inspection, you could see a bump forming there. "This. Yeah. Believe it or not, I got hit by something two days ago".

"You? Getting hit?" Rika pauses in disbelief, "At the hospital??"

Someone with his ability should be able to prevent that from ever happening. In his defense though, he was still heavily medicated when it happened. "What hit you?"

Matsuda Kou frowns at the reminder of what did. They better get him a Guide or a Healer soon to deal with this, "A flying walking cane".

**

Masaharu is faced with two people dressed neatly in slim-fitted white button-ups and black pants. On the right collar of their shirt is a round golden brooch with a sunflower-shaped symbol. One is a woman with shoulder-length hair with green tips, and the other is a tall guy with short spiky hair and a rather flat expression.

"You're the two visitors Yasuo sent here," Masaharu says from behind the front desk as he checks the visitor list, which is very few in the last month for obvious reasons.

"Yasuo?" The woman seems amused, "That's what you call him?"

"Uh," Masaharu clears his throat, "That is the name he gave us. I apologize if I came off as rude, but I don't know any other way to address him".

She is now laughing openly, "No, no! That's all right! It's a nice change. Maybe we should start calling him 'Yasuo' too!" She makes a look towards her colleague, who does not humor her suggestion. "Anyway, I'm Miu and this is my partner, Han," she tilts her head and smiles warmly, "We're here to see Ren!"

"Of course. Follow me," Masaharu does some more clicks on the visitation e-form to confirm the scheduled visit and leaves the front desk. "This way," he bows a little before leading them to the hallway to his left.

"I hear Ren's recovery is going well?" She starts a small conversation. Her question, however, is putting everything surrounding Hinata Ren simply. 'Going well' is an understatement when it comes to that boy.

"Yeah. You can say that".

"Mm-hmm, and how is he doing nowadays?"

"Uhh," Masaharu is trying to find another way to respond but the typical boring answer, "Maybe a little bored. Uh, Yasuo is out on a business trip and his physiotherapist is on sick leave, so he's left with little to do and no one to talk to," he leaves off the part that Fujii is convinced she saw a ghost and the stress gave her a fever.

"I see," the woman says.

They stop in front of door 207. There, Masaharu notices the guy who dresses up as a patient and roams the hallway with an IV pole stops in the middle of his charade to nod at the two visitors. Masaharu swallows thickly when he realizes the woman nods back to the guy. "Here we are," the nurse announces.

Before he can open the door, the woman puts a hand on Masaharu's own. "Before we enter," she then puts her hand on her chest, " I, on behalf of my organization, would like to say thank you for taking care of Ren".

She appears very genuine in her gratitude and that makes Masaharu a little flustered. "I-I'm just doing my job".

"I know. But to what I know, dealing with all of this can be overwhelming too. So, from the depth of my heart, I truly honestly thank you".

"Um," Masaharu has to look away to hide the flush on his face, "You're welcome".

Her round-ish cheeks puff up in a smile, perhaps happy that her gratitude is properly accepted. She then turns to face the door, "And don't you worry. We will take over by the end of this week".

"You... will?"

"Yes, now that we've finalized the paperwork and have secured some deals, we will move Ren to our care. Isn't that nice? Things will go back to normal for you soon!"

Masaharu silently agrees, but at the same time, he also feels like this is coming to a stop too abruptly. Doesn't he at least deserve some explanation?

"Don't worry, you will be generously rewarded," she finishes, "now, shall we enter? I can't wait to see him and his teddy bear eyes!"

Teddy bear... eyes?

Like a robot, Masaharu follows her instructions and opens the door for them. Surprisingly, the lounge is vacant of any brooding bodyguard. "Hello?" He calls. He hears some noise from the bedroom area.

When they walk to the bedroom, they find the two missing bodyguards sitting on two chairs by Hinata's bed. The boy himself is sitting cross-legged on the bed with the overbed table over his lap. On that overbed table is an opened textbook.

"Ooh, what is this?" Miu enters the bedroom seeming curious.

"Sorry, ma'am. We were helping Hinata-kun with a math problem," one of the bodyguards explains as they both stand up to give her a bow, "He said he wanted to study and we figured we could assist him".

The way the two men speak to her reminds Masaharu of how they would speak to Yasuo.

"A math problem! Interesting," Miu fawns, leaving Hinata regarding her in blatant confusion. The boy's hand stops mid-writing on a piece of paper as he directs his dark orbs toward the woman. She was right. Hinata Ren does have the eyes of a teddy bear. They're dark, round, and large.

"'Yasuo' did say you love to study. It's admirable in my opinion," she says as she approaches the long cabinet where all the gifts sent to Hinata are displayed, "hmm, you've caught the attention of Priyanka Malleswari. But of course. Your shared condition would make you two fast friends. Oh, even Kei! I did not expect that!" She turns to Hinata with amazement written all over her face.

Hinata Ren does not say a word for a full minute. Silence has always been the boy's best word. This time though, he doesn't stay silent for long, "You're Yasuo's friends".

"More like colleagues. We work with him - and for him, in most cases".

"Um," Hinata silently studies her while she roams around the room. Sometimes he also looks between her, Masaharu, and the guards. The boy opens his mouth again, "I'm sorry, I don't think Yasuo has told me your names".

"I'm Miu. And this is my partner, Han. He doesn't say much," she opens her palm towards the silent tall guy.

"I'm Hinata Ren".

"I know. Everyone knows".

At Hinata's raised eyebrows, she adds, "Everyone at the HQ, at least. And a couple of people at the top of the Government ladder. We have to make sure they know your name to ensure your safety, you see?"

Masaharu wonders if he's allowed to stay and hear all of this. He feels like something is about to be dropped. Something big.

"Headquarters...?"

"Yes. The Guide Protection Council," she puts a hand to her chest yet again, "Under the authority of the World Guide Association".

Hinata's body language speaks of suspiciousness and curiosity. His expression seems to say, 'why would a Guide Association be interested in me?'

Masaharu's face probably mirrors the same expression although he is trying to school his expression. He checks the two bodyguards, who have now made way for the woman and stand by the entrance to the bedroom. The two appear to be neutral, which either means they don't care or that they know what the woman is going to share from the start. Masaharu is leaning towards the latter.

Not able to hold back his curiosity, Hinata finally asks, "Why would you be interested in -"

"You're one of us, Ren-kun," she cuts in as she takes a couple of steps closer to Hinata's bed, "you're a Guide".

Those teddy bear eyes are searching into hers. A soft awkward chuckle leaves his chapped lips, "I can't be a Guide. I'm a Class F".

Hinata is voicing Masaharu's thoughts verbatim, and yet Miu does not back down. The woman takes a seat on the chairs by Hinata's bed and grasps Hinata's hand on the overbed table. "Exactly! And that is why you are so so special!" Her voice is full of excitement; of awe; and yet the boy does not cease from appearing lost. She continues, "You don't know how honored I am to meet you today!"

Hinata is tangibly stunned, seen from how he continuously checks for everyone's reactions as though seeking signs of this being a prank, "H-how is that possible?"

"I, unfortunately, do not have the authority to explain everything to you. That task given to your 'Yasuo', you see," she looks like it she is let down by this fact, "I'm only sent here to see you myself," then she turns to give Masaharu a look, "and to collect a blood sample for us to test. I take it this hospital never takes any blood samples from Ren-kun?"

"No," Masaharu readily answers, "We've been instructed not to collect blood samples past the ones necessary to ensure his survival at the early stage of his recovery".

"Good," she signals for her partner to bring her her briefcase, "due to Ren-kun's status, the authority to retrieve and use his blood is now controlled by law". She then addresses the young boy, "I'm sorry we don't have the luxury of time to talk. But I am very honored to be blessed with the task of doing this procedure for you. I will take a little of your blood and I promise to make sure it is safe under my watch".

Ren blinks owlishly.

"I will withdraw blood from you, Ren-kun, okay?" She then shows the standard blood vial they use for blood tests from inside her briefcase, "Only this much".

Ren's only response is to gape at her. He is probably still processing everything that has just been exposed to him and can barely say anything more. Miu busies herself with preparing the tools. Inside her briefcase are all the right tools for blood extraction. Masaharu makes a move to assist her; after all, he is a nurse.

"It's okay. I'm a Doctor. I'll do it myself," she tells Masaharu with a smile. Masaharu figures it's something to do with the legalities of this procedure, so he settles with helping out by removing the math book Hinata is studying and positioning the overbed table better for the blood draw as Miu puts on her gloves and puts Hinata's arm to position.

"It will be very quick!" She tells the boy as she cleans the withdrawal site with an alcohol swab. She proceeds to apply the tourniquet on the upper arm and prepares the syringe. And right as she is about to pierce the skin with the needle, Hinata suddenly jumps back to life.

"N-n-no!" He pulls his arm away, "I-I don't want to -!"

Being a nurse, Masaharu is no stranger to this reaction from patients once they are faced with needles. Normally, what he would do is to calm them down. Blood withdrawal is a very safe and quick procedure after all and it shouldn't take long to convince the patients to proceed, despite their anxiety.

"It's okay, Hinata-kun," Masaharu urges, "It will be just like a bug bite. It'll be over before you know it".

Hinata scoots away instead to the opposite side of the bed and lands his two feet on the floor. He stands with his back to the wall and his wide eyes on them. His one hand is holding his revealed arm like he's protecting it. "No! I don't -," The boy is swaying left to right as he watches the syringe in Miu's hand in warning, "I don't want you to take my blood".

Miu stands up and puts the syringe down. "It's okay, Ren-kun. Everything is all -," a loud noise suddenly interrupts her from behind their small circle around Hinata's bed.

They all turn around to find the flower arrangements on the long cabinet shoved all the way to the left corner of the cabinet and to the heap of mess on the floor. "What happened!?" Masaharu shouts to the bodyguards who are standing closest to the cabinet. The two appear equally as clueless.

"We didn't do anything!" One of the bodyguards remarks rather defensively. He turns to Masaharu, "And we didn't see any - oh! Hinata-kun!"

Now they all turn to the hospital bed. It is empty with no Hinata in sight. "H-Hinata-kun!!" Alarmed, Masaharu looks around to seek the boy. He even crouches down to see if he is under the bed, to no avail, "W-where is he!? Hinata-kun!?"

Strangely, Miu and Han simply assess the situation from where they are standing as Masaharu and the bodyguards scour the room for any signs of their patient.

"Ah!" Miu flicks her fingers suddenly, "Masaharu-kun, have you ever seen any boy Ren-kun's age with blonde hair?"

It's so strange that she asked that because Hinata has been talking about a ghost with blonde hair. "You mean the ghost?"

"Ghost?"

"Yeah, the ghost Hinata-kun said is haunting this room".

At first, Miu simply gawps at him, but then she chortles, quite loudly in fact. "Ghost! Oh my God, of course, you'd think it's a ghost. That is hilarious!" She wipes down some tears from the corner of her eyes, "Han!"

The tall guy readily stands beside her with a low, 'hnn'.

"It's our beloved Felix. Do what you do best".

"On it," Han puts two fingers on his temple and closes his eyes. After a second, his eyes are wide open and he starts taking confident strides out of the room, past a bodyguard who is looking for Hinata under a cushion.

"What is he doing?" Masaharu blurts. The doctor smiles mysteriously.

"Finding our missing patient. Han is very good at finding people, as long as he has the desire to do so. He's not a motivated person, which is a shame," she shrugs, "I suppose it is my fault. I came on too strong, and considering what happened to him, it's reasonable for Ren to react so poorly to the idea of having his blood taken".

"You mean after being attacked by mutants," Masaharu reasons, but all Miu does is give him this long gaze.

"I mean, after having his blood drained in a ritualistic sacrifice, yes," Miu drops the news to him oh so casually, "he was found bleeding out on the floor of the school gym, right on top of a large symbol drawn in his own blood. It's easy to figure out that he was originally hung from the basketball hoop to bleed out onto the symbol".

Ignoring Masaharu's frozen figure, the woman continues, "So can I blame him for refusing to get his blood withdrawn after having it taken from him in that manner? No, I shouldn't".

She ends her explanation with a chuckle, "I wouldn't want to cause him further distress for now. Tell Ren that I am so sorry," she walks towards the exit, "Though I have to say, those eyes really do look like a Teddy Bear's".

**

"Stop right here!" The boy with blonde hair stops them in the middle of a hallway opposite to the hallway where Ren's room is. He holds both of Ren's shoulders and pushes him to the wall as he stands for cover in front of him. Ren's chest is drumming out of anxiousness. He reckons then that this is just another hallway to other suites. They will easily be discovered!

"T-that nurse!" Ren points at a female nurse walking their way.

"Don't worry -"

"But she's coming over this way!"

"She won't see us".

"B-but-!"

The woman walks past them like she doesn't see or hear them. "H-how-?" Ren utters in disbelief as the nurse takes a turn towards the lobby without minding them.

"Because it's my ability! How do you think most of them can't see me? Though, Han might ruin that for us. But his ability only works at a certain radius and I've sent an image of us running away to another direction as a distraction so let's hope we managed to fool him. Han can be such a party pooper, you know?" The blonde pinches his face in annoyance, "but he gave me candy once, so I guess he's kind of cool too".

Ren's mouth gapes open in disbelief, "You know those guys?"

"Yeah! They work for my dad!"

"Your dad".

"You know, old man Yasuo," the blonde crosses his arms, "that guy genetically contributes to half of this," he points at himself and suddenly Ren can clearly see the similarities between the two. "And half of another prick, but nevertheless!!" The blonde continues, this time pushing his face forward so that it stops inches away from Ren's, "You never told me you're a Guide!"

"I-I," Ren stutters, "I didn't know either, I tho -"

"Were they trying to force you to give Guiding? That's illegal. I would have them reported if that's the case".

"N-no! I was - they were-," Ren realizes how ridiculous the whole thing is. It was just a syringe; a blood withdrawal! He has done this in the past for a health check, so why is he so afraid now? "They were trying to get a blood sample to do some tests".

"Oh," the blonde's whole figure slackens, "That's all? Geez, I thought they were trying to hurt you by the commotion I heard from outside the room. It's just a blood test?? You're a patient at a hospital; you probably have to do it sooner or later, so best prepare yourself next time you have to do it". The blonde then becomes giddy, "But you know what? This is perfect!! If you're a Guide, then it makes perfect sense why Yasuo would care about you!" The blonde beams, not caring at all that two bodyguards are walking past right behind him. And as his ability dictates, the two behave like they are not there.

Ren, however, feels his heart sink at that discovery. While it might be nice to find that he's capable of something, he is also saddened by the implication that Yasuo wouldn't have cared about him otherwise. Then again, why would a man like Yasuo waste a second of his time on an F-Class orphan like Ren? Not even his actual parents seem to care that much.

"This means you will work under Yasuo! He's well-respected in the community of Guides and Healers, and most of them would work with him one way or another. So this means, we will see each other a lot! Don't you think that's great!?"

"I guess?" Ren is a little lost. All of this is a lot to take.

"What do you mean I guess?? We're friends, remember!? That means we have to spend a lot of time together!"

Ren finds the idea to be ridiculous, but then he's reminded of what he said on that rooftop to this weird boy. "Y-yeah.... I suppose so... although, I don't even know your name".

"You don't know my name? How do you treat a friend like that? If I could send a complaint, I would!" The blonde pouts his pink lips, a bright contrast against his light-toned skin. "But as a good friend, I should just forgive you this time". And that's when Ren hears the footsteps coming towards them. He thought, at first, that these people would ignore them just like the others; until he sees the figure dressed in white shirt and black pants.

"All right, my name is -"

And that's when the white clad arm reaches out to the blonde and pulls an ear. "I've found you, Felix".

It is Han.

"H-hey!! Ouch, ouch!" The blonde, whose name is now revealed to be Felix, hisses in pain, "Han! You jerk!!"

Han sighs in annoyance and addresses the people behind him. "Can you see him now?" They all answer with a yes. "Okay, get him out of here. He doesn't belong in this wing," Han pushes the blonde teen gently to the three men, who then follow the orders.

Felix dramatically reaches out towards Ren as he is dragged farther and farther away. "Han!! Don't you dare do anything to my friend! He's my friend, Han! Don't you dareee!!" His voice echoes through the hallway until he is out of their sight, leaving Ren alone with the mysterious Han.

Han now turns his full attention towards the boy, who has pushed himself flat to the wall behind him as if hoping it would swallow him whole as he wheezes. The boy is obviously scared for his life and is well on his way to a full-blown panic attack.

His dilated pupils grow darker as the black at the center takes over its previously chocolate-like color. Like that, those orbs look even more doll-like; making the nickname Miu made up for the boy a perfect comparison.

"Teddy bear," Han cannot stop himself from uttering. He raises his hand, intent on giving the boy a comforting pet on the head. 'Don't be scared,' was what he wanted to say, until he is stopped abruptly by a tall bespectacled young man with tattooed arms.

"You into bullying kids now?" The guy is leaning to the wall with his arms crossed. When their eyes meet, Han recognizes him instantly. As someone whose job is to guard Guides as they do their jobs guiding one Esper to another, Han memorizes each and every face that has hired the Guide he accompanied. And this one, Han recognizes him in and out of his mecha armor.

Han clenches the hand hovering above Teddy Bear's head and puts it down. "Nothing like that," Han pats invisible dust off of his shirt, "I was just asking this boy for direction". The nature of today's assignment is highly confidential. Han cannot disclose what business they're having with Hinata Ren with anyone; not even to Hinata Ren's prospective contractor.

"Are you here on a delivery for me?" The young man asks.

"Not that, unfortunately. But the Council will happily provide you any service you desire by request directly made to the Council. And we don't service civilians," Han states, referring to the young man's more famous persona that is currently making headlines on the news, "well then," Han eyes between the tall teen and the dark-eyed boy. The latter should be okay now with someone next to him. Plus, the taller teen is a hero at heart. He wouldn't leave the shorter alone. "I have received my direction. I shall take my leave".

"Has anyone ever told you you have an intimidating presence, Han?" Abe Koukichi bluntly remarks as Han makes his way out of the vicinity. The man simply nods without saying any words before he disappears behind the turn at the end of the hallway.

Abe Koukichi - no, Matsuda Kou shakes the boy's shoulder lightly, "You're a trouble magnet, aren't you?" When the boy says nothing, he shakes the boy again, "Hey, you okay?" Only to have himself in the strong grip of the boy as the shorter sinks his face onto Matsuda's injured shoulder. "O-ouch! H-hey, that's my wound. D-don't-," Kou hisses as the smaller pulls him along as he sags to the floor. It is then that Kou realizes the boy's labored breathing and tears.

"Is it a panic attack?" Matsuda idly asks from his awkward position bending over the boy in a hug on the floor. Just as he asks, he senses someone coming towards them from the end of the hallway. He quickly tries to get their attention, "Over here! He's having a panic attack!!"

**

"I'll take care of Felix myself. Thank you for taking him home - oh, and Miu?" Segawa Yasuo puts his wine glass down on the side table attached to his first-class seat, "I don't want you showing your face in front of Ren ever again, is that understood?"

He ends the call before the other person can answer. A flight attendant stops by his booth then, offering to refill his glass of wine. A minute later, the Guide is holding a flute full of wine as he scrolls through his emails on his laptop. With a few clicks, his laptop screen shows the cover of an English translation to a confidential Indian research paper on an F-Class Guide named Priyanka Malleswari dating back to 45 years ago. The paper describes a number of tests done on the Guide's blood, with very surprising results.

With Sora agreeing to meet with him to talk about Ren, he can now launch his other plans, including recruiting Ren into the Guide Protection Council and officially announcing him as a Guide right after. For now though, all he has to do is press the send button in the corner of his laptop screen.

And so he does.

An hour later, Arilio Banks finds himself glued to the expensive leather seat of his office for a full 30 minutes, reading the document attached to the email he received from Segawa Yasuo. At the same time, Takenouchi Sora is sitting upside-down on the ceiling of Arilio Bank's loft with a tablet in his hands. On that tablet, he is reading the same exact document, sent directly to him through email by Segawa Yasuo himself. 

And somewhere in central Shintokyo, a tall bespectacled teen is having his injury checked by a nurse. "By the way could you please check the bump on my forehead? I hit my head by accident a few days ago".

The nurse leaves the bandage covering his chest and shoulder to inspect his forehead. "I don't see any bump, when did you say you hurt yourself again?"

"Two days ago. Are you sure you don't see anything? I know it's there. Touch it! You'll feel the bump," to prove his point, he touches the area where he knows the bump is but is taken aback to find nothing there.

"Is it possible that it has healed itself in those two days?" The nurse suggests, clueless about how serious the actual bump was.

The teen continues to finger the area above his eyebrow. He knows it's there. He was hit by a fricking walking cane! There's no way it would go away in a matter of days. Plus he felt the bump earlier that morning when his fiancé mentioned it over a call.

Yet after a minute of poking at his own forehead, he finds none. "Y-yeah. Maybe," he murmurs. The nurse continues unwrapping the bandage on his body to replace it. But as soon as they unwrap the bandage, they find something unusual.

"How does your wound heal this quickly?" The nurse gasps as she studies the scar closely.

The teen, Matsuda Kou, looks down at the wound between his left shoulder blade and his chest. He finds a scar, but it is nowhere near as bad as it was yesterday. In fact, it looks like a mark left by a year-old wound instead of one that just took place days before. He presses the skin next to it and is surprised to find that instead of the usual pulsing pain, he feels nothing but a soft tug.

"Did you do anything to it?" The nurse accuses, causing Matsuda to shake his head. He too is lost on how he miraculously heals up in the span of a few hours.

So how about you, dear readers? Do you know how it happened?

***

To be Continued.