Part 15: Overheard Secrets

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The hospital waiting room had the kind of silence that wasn't really silent at all. The quiet hum of the air conditioning, the muffled footsteps of nurses passing by, the soft rustling of paper—it was all there.

But to Connie, it felt like she was trapped inside a vacuum.

Fifteen minutes.

It had been fifteen minutes since they rushed Takeshi in the emergency care room.

The waiting was worse than running.

She had spent every second of the past few hours fighting to keep moving forward, reacting, pushing, solving problems.

Now, she was forced to sit still.

And the System had said nothing.

Her phone sat in her lap, dark and silent. No messages. No resets. No confirmation that she had succeeded.

She had done everything right.

So why wasn't it over?

Her mind raced through possibilities. Maybe the hospital wasn't enough. Maybe Takeshi was still going to die, just delayed. Maybe she had only prolonged the inevitable.

Her stomach twisted.

Or worse—maybe the System didn't like her choice.

If it wanted her to clear death flags by finding the real cause and stopping it directly, then this solution—bringing Takeshi here—was a bandaid, not a fix.

Was that why it hadn't said anything?

Was she about to be yanked backward into another reset at any second?

Her fingers curled into her jacket sleeves.

No.

She wasn't going to think like that.

She had saved him.

She had to believe that.

A chair creaked beside her.

"…Alright," Ayaka said, voice tight. "Enough of this."

Connie blinked, finally turning away from the doors.

Ayaka sat next to her, arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. Her violet eyes were sharp—too sharp.

"No more avoiding this," she said. "You're going to tell me what the hell is going on. Right now."

Connie's stomach sank.

She should have known this was coming.

Ayaka had been too patient already. She came to an unknown alley in the city the moment Connie asked her for help, and had helped haul Takeshi's nearly unconscious body into a hospital—all without knowing anything.

And now, after sitting in silence for fifteen agonizing minutes, she had hit her limit.

Connie swallowed hard. "Ayaka, I—"

"No. No excuses," Ayaka interrupted. Her foot tapped rapidly against the floor. "I don't care if it sounds crazy. I don't care if you think I won't believe you. I need to know, Connie."

Her voice wavered slightly on the last part.

"Because right now?" She inhaled sharply. "I don't know what scares me more—whatever is going on, or the fact that you won't tell me anything."

Connie's breath caught.

That was it, wasn't it?

Ayaka wasn't angry.

She was scared.

Connie looked down at her phone again.

Still nothing.

No reset. No message.

Just silence.

She took a slow breath. "…I don't know where to start."

"Then start with the truth."

The truth.

The words weighed on her.

Because she had a choice.

She could tell Ayaka everything.

She could tell her about the System, the resets, the death flags, the fact that she had watched Takeshi die before.

Nothing was stopping her.

Not some magic rule. Not the System itself.

Just her own paranoia.

Because she didn't know what would happen if she told someone.

Would they forget after a reset? Would the System punish her? Would she even believe her in the first place?

She didn't know.

And not knowing was terrifying.

"…Takeshi was poisoned," she said finally.

Ayaka frowned. "I figured that much."

"No," Connie said, voice firm. "I mean, someone poisoned him on purpose."

Ayaka's eyes widened slightly.

"…What?"

"It wasn't an accident," Connie continued. "It wasn't just a bad drink. Someone put something in that vending machine drink because they wanted him dead."

Ayaka went still.

She wasn't looking at Connie anymore—she was staring straight ahead, her brows furrowed in thought.

"That doesn't make sense," she muttered after a long moment. "Why? Who would do that? Takeshi doesn't seem like the kind of guy to piss off someone like that."

Connie hesitated.

Because she didn't know either.

Why Takeshi?

Who wanted him dead badly enough to poison him so discreetly, so precisely?

And if they failed… would they try again?

She swallowed. "I don't know."

Ayaka turned her head slightly, studying her.

Connie didn't flinch under the gaze.

Ayaka was trying to figure her out.

Trying to decide how much of this to believe.

Finally, she sighed, leaning back against the chair.

"…Okay," she muttered. "I don't know what the hell to do with that, but okay."

Connie's body relaxed slightly.

At least she wasn't pressing harder.

For now.

She turned back toward the emergency doors.

Takeshi was still in there.

She could only wait.

Her gaze drifted downward.

Her phone was still dark.

Her fingers curled against her palm.

Why wasn't the System saying anything?

The uneasy feeling in her gut only grew stronger.

Then—

The hospital doors slid open.

Connie's breath hitched.

A man in a suit walked in.

Not a doctor. Not a nurse.

He was dressed too formally for a hospital visit. His dark hair was neatly combed, and in one hand, he carried a plain black folder.

At the same time, Connie's phone received a notification.

It was from the System.

[Death Flag Resolved. Points: 29.]

Connie's eyes widened at the message.

She really had saved Takeshi. He wasn't going to die.

And she wasn't going to loop back.

The happiness she felt quickly faded away as her attention snapped back to the suspicious man.

He walked with slow, deliberated steps. A black folder tucked neatly under one arm. His dark hair was perfectly combed back, not a single strand out of place. His plain black suit paired with a blue-navy tie was pristine, unwrinkled. Together with black gloves that perfectly fit his hands, he looked like one of those impeccable butlers you would see in a movie—he clearly didn't belong in a place like this.

His dark eyes flicked across the room—not out of curiosity, but calculation. Like he was gathering information.

He was headed to the nurses' desk.

Then, he spoke.

"Good evening, my name is Hiroto Kurose. I'm here to see my nephew, Takeshi Aizawa." His voice was smooth, almost silken, and the lie rolled off his tongue with unnerving ease.

Connie and Ayaka looked at each other with a confused look.

Nephew?

Connie's eyes narrowed.

There was no way this 'Kurose' was his real uncle.

Even if he was, how could he have come here so quickly? Only fifteen minutes had passed since they even reached the hospital.

The nurse glanced up, flipping through a file. "I'm sorry, sir, but he's still in emergency care. And we're not allowing visitors at this time."

The man didn't react.

No frustration. No impatience. Just a small, polite nod.

"I see. That's unfortunate. I'll return tomorrow."

Then he turned and walked out.

Just like that.

Connie grabbed Ayaka's wrist. "We need to move."

Ayaka jolted. "What? What do you mean?"

Connie was already pulling her toward the hallway. "We're following him."

The hospital doors slid open, and the man stepped outside. The night air was cool, crisp. He pulled a sleek black phone from his pocket, pressing a number without hesitation.

Connie and Ayaka stayed low behind a parked car, barely daring to breathe as the call connected.

A voice answered. Deep. Calm. "Report." The single word dripped with authority.

The man didn't waste time.

"The target, Takeshi Aizawa, is still alive. He's currently in emergency care."

Connie's stomach dropped.

Target?

He was one of the people targeting Takeshi.

The person on the other end responded almost immediately.

"Have you figured out the effect of his ability this time?"

The man—Hiroto Kurose—paused slightly.

"Unfortunately, not yet, Sir." he admitted. "But we did notice its activation just this evening. We don't know what caused it, neither what it did. Also, it wasn't... complete. His ability activated and deactivated in rapid succession, almost as if it was 'fragmented' as to say."

"I see..." The man on other side pondered for a second. "How did he survive?" His voice was now laced with a dangerous undertone.

Kurose was careful. "According to Narita, there was a girl that helped him escape. The target had no contact with her before, so we don't know the details yet. He is looking into it as we speak."

Connie swallowed hard.

She obtained so much information that her mind wasn't able to keep up.

Abilities? Like the man that controlled gravity?

And Takeshi had one too?

She was so shocked by the initial piece of information that she overlooked the fact that they were actively looking for her.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Ayaka whispered furiously. "What 'ability'?" Her eyes darted to Connie, then back to the man on the phone, a dawning horror creeping across her face. "Takeshi? Has... powers?"

Connie's own face mirrored Ayaka's. She'd suspected something extraordinary was at play, but this… this was a whole new level. Suspicion began to bloom in her chest. Had Takeshi known all along? How could he not have said anything?

The man on the phone continued without hesitation.

"Then the orders remain the same. Eliminate the risk, including the girl."

"Understood." Kurose said.

Connie's breath hitched.

Ayaka stiffened beside her. "Eliminate… like kill? Are you hearing this, Connie?!"

The voice on the phone spoke. "Good. Keep this quiet. Discretion is paramount. We don't need them sniffing around."

Kurose nodded slightly, adjusting the cuffs of his gloves. "Understood. I'll return tomorrow at 10:00 AM to complete the operation."

A pause. Then—

"I trust you, Hiroto. Don't disappoint me. We must get revenge. We can't have any potential problems waiting for us after we've prepared the stage for them."

"Do not worry, Sir. I will not fail."

The call ended with a soft click.

Kurose exhaled slightly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He checked his watch, nodded once to himself, then turned and walked away.

Connie didn't move.

She couldn't.

Because for the first time since this nightmare started, she wasn't sure she'd understood what she just heard.

"What the hell was that?" Ayaka hissed, grabbing Connie's arm. "Did we just—are they seriously—They want to kill you?!"

"They're trying to kill us..." Connie murmured. Her voice sounded far away. "I don't even know why! They just know Takeshi has… something. An ability."

Ayaka stared, wide-eyed. "That's insane. Takeshi? He has… what? Is he some kind of… esper? And these guys, who the hell are they? Some secret organization that hunts down people with powers?"

An organization.

Connie hadn't even thought about that possibility.

It wasn't confirmed yet, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

A dark suspicion had taken root in them.

Could Takeshi, this seemingly ordinary boy, be connected to something far more dangerous than they had ever imagined? Could he have some kind of connection with this organization?

Connie rubbed her temples, heart hammering. "I don't know what they think he is, but whatever it is, they think it's enough of a reason to kill him." Her gaze narrowed. "And Takeshi never said a word. Not a single hint."

Ayaka muttered a curse under her breath, pacing in a small circle before turning back to Connie. "Okay,. We need to ask him directly first. We have to get him out of here before ten tomorrow."

Connie almost agreed.

Almost.

But then reality sank in.

Hospitals don't just transfer patients in a few hours. It would take too long. And even if they could rush the paperwork, they would need parental approval.

They couldn't just make a run for it either.

The police would search for him, thinking he went missing.

Takeshi's parents didn't know about this.

Heck, they didn't even know their son was in the hospital yet.

And that meant—

Someone had to tell them.

------------------------

....

"He can't be transferred to another hospital without his parents' permission.."

Ayaka ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, fine, we call them and say what? That their son was poisoned… oh, and by the way, he's secretly got superpowers, and a shadowy organization wants him dead?"

"No." Connie shook her head immediately. "And if that organization is watching, they'll instantly find us out."

Ayaka frowned. "Then what?"

Connie hesitated.

There was no easy way out of this.

The doctors would have already informed Takeshi's parents about the poisoning by that time. If she made up something different, it would just sound suspicious.

"!"

Connie's eyes widened.

There was no need for us to explain in the first place.

The only way out was not knowing.

Takeshi would just have to say he didn't know what happened.

That was the safest way to end the conversation.

"His parents don't know us, since we didn't even speak with him before. Takeshi just has to feign ignorance."

Ayaka sighed. "So we just tell him to say he doesn't know? That's all?"

"It's the only option that won't make things worse. If they ask him anything specific, he can just say that he didn't feel well after drinking something from the vending machine."

Ayaka exhaled slowly. "Alright.. I guess that works."

They stood in silence for a moment.

Then Ayaka shook her head. "You know what's really pissing me off?"

Connie looked at her.

"We still don't even know who the hell these guys are. They're just… what? Some secret assassination group? They mentioned something about revenge. Did Takeshi do something to them? He doesn't look like the type at all. This whole thing smells fishy."

Connie had no answers.

That was the worst part.

She didn't understand what she was up against.

But she did know one thing.

Hiroto Kurose would return tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

If they didn't stop him—

It was going to be a disaster.