Chapter 7: I REFUSE
Kai was truly exhausted after trying to keep his feelings under control, and it didn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. After a few hours, he woke up to find himself lying on his back in bed, staring at the ceiling with a lost and unfocused look in his eyes.
(It's really complicated to manage my feelings and actions right now, but everything is so absurd and strange. I'm definitely in the world of Boku no Hero Academia. Although I had my doubts before—after all, the simplified drawings typical of anime can't compare to a flesh-and-blood person—the appearance of the dog-headed chief of police threw any doubt I had out the window.
There are no memories in Kai's mind of someone like that, but Daniel's memories do. Besides, after detailing the heroine's costume who found me, a couple of memes about a muscular guy dressed in the same uniform, although in a different color, immediately came to mind. And no matter how much I searched Kai's memories, I couldn't find anything about it.
But that's just the beginning of my problems. Interacting with them makes me feel in a constant state of derealization, as if everything around me is fake—not only because they are characters from an anime that Daniel watched, which already makes me doubt reality.
But also because of their inhuman beauty. I didn't notice it before, but now, with Daniel's memories, I can no longer see people the same way. Aside from the dog-headed policeman, which is strange and unreal by itself, Midnight and the other heroine looked like photorealistic 3D models embodying the ideal of perfect beauty, as if they had all possible beauty filters naturally applied...
It gets to the point where just looking at them gives me a constant feeling very similar to the uncanny valley, as if they weren't human. Coupled with the constant stress of my incongruent personality, since even though I can feel that Daniel is my dominant personality—probably because he's the oldest—I still have aspects of Kai that come to the surface from time to time. And the fact that my body doesn't react the way I'm 'used to' doesn't help at all...
Damn it, I don't know who I am or what I am, nor what to do or how to face the future. I feel terribly exhausted. I just want to stay in this bed and not move until it's all over... Hmm... Maybe I should watch TV. Since I'm in Japan, there must be some interesting anime to watch.)
Kai looked around trying to find the TV remote, which he saw on a small table near a window. So, he got out of bed with difficulty and dragged the metal stand holding the IV drip as he went for it. But when he took it in his hands, the curtain covering the window moved, and he could see a garden surrounded by trees, making him feel as if lightning had struck his body.
(!!!!!)
(Am I seriously going to take the same path?!!!! Am I going to be that terrified piece of shit who locks himself in a fucking room escaping from reality?!!! Am I seriously going to let life fuck me up again without even responding?!!! I REFUSE. I REFUSE TO BE THAT DAMN TRASH AGAIN. I REFUSE TO GIVE UP AGAIN!!! I WILL NOT FOLLOW THAT DAMN PATH THAT ONLY MADE ME A WORTHLESS COWARD!!!!)
As if possessed, Kai threw the remote on the floor, smashing it, and while gritting his teeth, he pulled out the IV needle from his left hand. He then ran out, ignoring everything around him.
Kai ran with all his might down the hallway and took the first staircase he saw, jumping down several flights until he reached the bottom, where he could see that beautiful garden again in all its splendor.
Determined not to think about anything else, Kai ran with all his strength towards the trees while several nurses followed him with panicked expressions, trying to catch him. But despite their efforts, the small five-year-old boy left them behind with ease.
Kai kept running through the trees without any specific direction, almost subconsciously avoiding the nurses and guards who tried to stop him. They soon noticed that he was only running in circles, not wanting to leave the hospital, and since they couldn't catch him, they decided to stop trying and returned to their duties while two nurses waited for him to tire out, sitting on a bench.
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Nemuri had left the hospital to meet with her lawyer to get advice on the legal avenues she could take to gain custody of Kai. But as she was leaving the lawyer's office, her phone suddenly rang.
Taking out her phone, Nemuri noticed that the caller ID showed an unknown number, something strange since only people she knew had her personal number. But remembering that she had left her contact information at the hospital in case of an emergency, her heart tightened, and summoning her courage, she quickly answered.
[Hello, am I speaking with Kayama Nemuri-sama?]
[Yes, this is she.]
[Kayama-sama, we are calling from Musutafu Central Hospital to inform you about a situation that occurred with the patient Saito Kai-sama, who is admitted to our facility.]
[What happened to Kai? Is it serious? Is his life in danger?] Upon hearing the confirmation of her fears, Nemuri asked in a panic.
[Calm down, Kayama-sama. Saito Kai-sama is fine and his life is not in danger. What happened is that a moment ago he ran out of his room without any explanation, and although several nurses and guards tried to catch him, it was impossible.
However, he never left the hospital and is still running around the premises while our nurses are monitoring him and waiting for him to tire himself out so they can talk to him.]
[He ran away? Why? Did something happen? Did something scare him?]
[We don't know yet. We've already checked his room, but we didn't find anything unusual besides the smashed TV remote. Since catching him has been fruitless so far, we hoped you might have some insight.]
[I'm not sure, but he just went through a traumatic event, and his mental state is delicate right now. I'm on my way and will handle the situation personally.]
[We appreciate your willingness, and we will be waiting for you.]
[Okay, goodbye.]
Nemuri quickly hung up and hailed a taxi, her expression filled with worry and her heart about to burst from her chest.
"To the central hospital, as quickly as possible, please."
"Understood."
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In the middle of the beautiful garden, Kai had collapsed to the ground after running at full speed for nearly an hour without stopping. He looked up at the sky while smiling. The moment he realized the mistake he was making by trying to follow the same path as Daniel, he desperately searched his mind for anything that could help him, finding a piece of advice from Iron Palm. In his panic, he followed it without thinking too much.
(This is really liberating and quite painful, but this feeling of peace and tranquility is worth it... Kai's father was right; there's no better cure for the mind than training until you're exhausted.)
Soon, Kai began to normalize his breathing and started to fall asleep, while two nurses approached him, showing complicated expressions upon noticing the big smile on the little boy's face.
After all, it's not every day you see a small child, half-naked in a hospital gown, running among the trees at over 40 k/h for nearly an hour, only to fall asleep on the ground with a smile.
"His quirk is really impressive. Running at such speed, for so long, and at such a young age, is truly amazing."
The nurse, who seemed to be in her forties, commented with a slightly surprised voice, to which the younger one, who seemed to be only in her twenties, responded in a similar tone.
"Yes, it is truly extraordinary. Besides looking tired, I can't notice anything else about him."
"Yes, it's most likely that his quirk has awakened, which led him to test it immediately. It's quite common for children his age to do things like this. Talk to the doctor to have him checked in case he has any problems. In the meantime, I'll take him to his room."
"Right away."
After the older nurse's order, the younger one quickly returned to the hospital at a fast pace, while the older one picked Kai up from the ground with a smile and carried him to his room carefully, making sure not to wake the little boy.
...
...
...
When Nemuri arrived at the hospital, she immediately ran to the reception, but on the way, she encountered the doctor who had been in charge of Kai, so she immediately asked him, filled with panic and anxiety.
"Doctor, where is Kai? Is he okay? Is he hurt?"
"Calm down, Kayama-san. Right now, Kai-kun is in his room sleeping while undergoing some routine checks. We believe his sudden outburst is due to the manifestation of his quirk. After all, at his age, it can manifest at any moment."
"His quirk? What happened?"
"Well, after running out of his room, Kai-kun started running around the hospital grounds at a speed exceeding 40 km/h for nearly an hour, something practically impossible for a human without a specific quirk.
Additionally, based on the initial checks performed on little Kai-kun, this did not cause any damage to his body. Apart from being a little tired, he has no complications. So, we believe his quirk must be some kind of physical enhancement quirk.
As you know, a well-trained adult human could maintain a speed of about 20 km/h for about 2 hours before running out of energy. For Kai-kun to run at twice that speed for so long, it can only be due to his quirk.
Not to mention the fact that he was agile enough to dodge more than 10 guards and nurses who tried to catch him while he was running. Therefore, we believe the sudden manifestation of his quirk filled him with so much energy that, not being used to it, he tried to release it by running."
"That's a relief."
Nemuri let out a sigh of relief. After all, she had prepared for the worst, and her poor heart might not have been able to withstand another blow. With a much more relaxed expression, she continued speaking.
"But your theory makes a lot of sense, doctor. After all, his father's quirk was a very powerful body enhancement quirk."
"I suspected as much."
"Thank you very much for your time, doctor. I will be accompanying Kai in his room."
"Yes, it is important for an adult, preferably a family member, to explain to him about his quirk and the changes his body is going through. I will take my leave, Kayama-san."
"Goodbye, doctor."