CH 2.2

(2)

As expected, Kotaro was flabbergasted.

‘What?! You want to bring her to a doctor?! Are you for real?! Come on, it hasn’t even been a day, you know!’

“Yes, I’m ‘for real’. I can’t get into the details now because it’s hard to explain, but it’s an emergency. I’ll let you know later. Anyway, how’s it with Goto? What moves are he making now?”

‘Ah…’

After giving a noncommittal grunt, he said nothing for a while.

‘It’s fine for now, I don’t see any obvious signs of his men doing a search. That being said, the situation’s not so optimistic you can let down your guard.’

“I know. I’ve already taken all the countermeasures I can.”

‘Countermeasures, you say. Still, it would be best that you guys don’t budge an inch from there… God, jeez!’ Kotaro spat exasperatedly, like he was completely done. ‘At the very least, you’re NOT going on foot or by train. I’ll bust the car out so just sit tight. You’re gonna tell me everything on the way, alright.’

With that, he cut off the call.

Oh right, there’s still the option of a car. Soji belatedly realised how hung up he’d been when he hadn’t even thought of something that simple.

“…I really owe you a ton.”

He lowered his head towards his phone, but was only greeted by the beep beep of the call tone.

The Kadosaki Surgical Hospital was located on the outskirts of the business district, well away from the station.

Normal patients seldom frequented it, not because they weren’t well-equipped or that the doctors there weren’t skilled, but simply because of the inconvenience of its location. However, it was rather popular among those with special circumstances.

There, patrons could receive treatment for injuries or illnesses without being questioned, and without leaving a record if they so wished. Naturally, one could neither claim their insurance nor expect medicine from legitimate sources, and could expect to pay an exorbitant fee inclusive of a privacy surcharge. Still, those who were unable to visit normal hospitals for whatever reason couldn’t be more grateful for such a service.

Yeah, people usually call that a back-alley clinic, said Soji without thinking.

“Don’t you smear our good name. Say something rude again and I’ll kick you right out,” scolded a foul-tempered female doctor, who gave his backside a good kick.

“I see you’ve brought another troublesome fella to my place again,” the doctor grumbled doubtfully, in a tone that was part impressed and part exasperated.

She had summed up the situation in just a word: troublesome.

“Thanks, you’re the only one I can turn to.” Underneath a cap and sunglasses—the bare minimum of disguises—Soji thanked her.

“Hmph.” The old doctor brushed up her hair and snorted.

She was supposedly in her seventies. However, it was hard to imagine that given how she was taller than Soji by a fist and how straight her posture was. On the other hand, the deeply chiselled wrinkles and long white hair made her look her age. She looked every part the evil witch from a fairy tale—in fact, he had many times witnessed kids saying that to her only to end up bawling.

“And you, your face looks as hideous as always. Have you been sleeping properly?”

For one, he hadn’t slept a wink last night. Though, he supposed she probably wasn’t talking about something on that level.

“I’ve been having trouble falling asleep lately.”

“Was there ever a time where you haven’t had a problem with that? You’re gonna collapse and not wake up again one of these days, I’m telling you.”

“Enough about me. Tell me about her.”

“Fine, fine.”

She held out an envelope and he took it. Inspecting it, he saw a single X-ray image.

“This is…”

Even his untrained eyes could see that there was something wrong.

A white shadow was present.

It wasn’t very pronounced. Most people would’ve probably missed it without prior knowledge of something abnormal in that region. But it wasn’t small either—around the left flank, something like fungi mycelium​ was spread over a wide area.

That unknown foreign object had encroached deep into her body.

“Its X-ray absorptivity is close to that of healthy organs, but differs slightly enough for it to be visible on the image. My shock comes from the blood vessels and nerves linking them. Aside from a few capillaries, everything in that region displays no damage whatsoever. Neither is there any sign of transplant rejection. If you told me she was given the latest artificial organs, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Soji let the explanation go over his head, for there was nothing new he didn’t know.

“What I want to know is if it can be removed.”

“That’s impossible,” she answered instantly. “You should know just by looking at that. There’s no way a human could live if you dug out such a huge portion of their flesh and organs. Modern medicine’s not at a level where you can keep someone alive in that state. Besides, we don’t even know if it’ll remain stable like it is now. It wouldn’t even surprise me if her whole body were to melt and turn into slime by tomorrow.”

“Please, you’ve got to do something.”

“You’re much better off praying to God than asking me to perform a miracle.” She flicked her hands in resignation. “In the first place, we can’t even confirm if its consciousness truly lies in that specimen or not. What if that white thing just gives rise to a new personality? In that case, removing it wouldn’t bring back her original self.”

That is… entirely possible.

“Listen,” the doctor lowered her voice. “This is just a personal warning. What you’re facing ahead of you isn’t something you can take on alone.”

When he tried to retort, she raised a hand to stop him.

“Don’t tell me you’re serious about charging headfirst into a corporate war while keeping up that lone-wolf act of yours? Someone who doesn’t know what he’s getting into is what I’d call a short-lived idiot. Besides, what you’re doing now is totally out of your character.”

That is, by all accounts, true.

“Either you get yourself the backing of those managing the research institute, or you pass her along to the attackers. If you hate both options, go look for another organisation you can trust and place yourselves under their protection. If not, just hiding and holding your breath is never going to change the status quo.”

Indeed, her words are most sensible.

“You know what the situation’s like. I can’t think of any place that would prioritize saving Sakimi’s life.”

“Then just let her go.”

Yeah, she can’t be more correct.

After Kotaro from yesterday, now it was the doctor spelling out pretty much the same sound argument to him.

He understood. No matter who he asked, the conclusion would’ve been the same. Yet, it was precisely because he couldn’t accept it that he couldn’t take their advice to heart.

Why am I living my life like this? Ema Soji pondered every now and then.

He had always known the answer.

He hadn’t been that way in the very beginning. Six years ago, he was but an ordinary university student who believed in helping those in need, and acted with that belief in mind.

That’s why I lost everything.

At rock bottom, he had picked up a number of deplorable skills such as trespassing and thievery. He then made a livelihood with those skills, turning his back to the light to creep in the shade.

For what it’s worth, I could’ve changed my name and face, and led a different life. The thought had crossed his mind countless times, and many had also advised him thus—yet, ultimately, he couldn’t do it. He had desperately clutched at the remnants of “Ema Soji’s” life, telling himself there must be something that he could still do. And, in the end—

…Why am I living my life like this? That thought crossed his mind yet again today.

“The way I see it, your current way of life barely gets a passing grade. That policy of yours, ‘I will only help those who seek aid of their own initiative, and only if they pay the appropriate fee.’ That’s the only lifeline keeping you afloat. Without being bound by something like it, life would be too miserable for someone as awkward as you.”

“…Perhaps so.” He could do nothing but repeat that phrase. 

“I didn’t learn a single thing from my past failures. That’s how much of a fool I am… Even then, I still can’t abandon her.” He smiled vaguely. “You can just call it egoism on my part. Of course, I feel bad for always troubling you, I really do.”

The doctor said nothing for a while, and stared deep into his eyes.

“Well, so long as you’re aware. Let’s bring that topic to an end here.” She clapped her hands, ending on a lighthearted note.

To that end, she was the same as Kotaro. They’d point out and advise him, but in the end, they left the choice up to him.

“Regarding our earlier topic, I only have two points to mention. That girl’s body is pretty much the same as any other healthy person. She’ll need to eat, sleep, and breathe just like anyone else.”

“Pretty much?” He asked weakly, his shoulders slumped.

“Her metabolism’s not exactly the same, is what I’m saying. It probably takes a bit more energy to mimic a human’s cells while retaining its original characteristics. In short, she’ll probably need to eat more.”

“I see…” He nodded, and asked just in case. “It’s not like she’ll leave the house at night to prey on other people, right?”

“What kind of ‘80s horror flick scene are you imagining? Hell, how old are you even?”

With the advent of online streaming, it’s no longer accurate to judge a person’s age based on their taste in movies… he was about to reply on reflex, but managed to swallow it. It didn’t change the fact that he enjoyed old films, and besides, they were getting off-track.

“We’re just talking about the essential vitamins and minerals here, there’s no need to get those from human flesh specifically. And since she’s digesting using her human stomach, that isn’t really efficient too. Of course, I can’t say for sure she wouldn’t either.”

She’s right. No one can make any guarantees when it comes to the unknown. In fact, he thought, she ought to be praised for even being able to make intelligent guesses about it.

“What’s the other thing?”

“Hmm?”

“You mentioned two points, so what’s the other?”

“Oh, that.”

Right then, the door opened.

He lifted his head and turned in the direction of the sound. Someone in a nurse uniform led a woman in by hand. She was wearing a dress—

—Huh?

“What kind of pervert brings an adult woman around dressed in nothing but a tracksuit! You never considered a police officer might stop you on the streets?”

“There, my clothes fit her to a T.” The supposed nurse sounded rather proud as she puffed out her chest.

“I’ll look for more spare clothes and deliver them to you later. Um, I can add those to the charges too, right Granny?”

“Yeah, put it all on this Casanova’s tab.”

“Ro-ger that! I’ll do my best to dress her up,” she said enthusiastically, hands on her hips.

But Soji caught none of that, for he was gazing absentmindedly at the other woman.

Simply put, he thought she looked lovely.

A cool pale blue dress, with a lime-green cardigan on top. The combination of the pastel colors further accented “her” ephemeral feel.

It wasn’t overly glamorous, but rather a simplistic sort of beauty. Naturally, it was nothing like the dull tracksuit from before, nor did it have the roughness of her attire the previous evening. Unlike them, her current appearance held a sense of youthful vitality that suited her perfectly.

When her artificial plainness was stripped away, she simply looked lovely. That’s right. It looks good on her—there’s no doubt about that. But…

“Hmm, what’s wrong? Can’t tear your eyes off her?”

“No, that’s not it.” Soji looked towards the aged doctor with a slight frown. “How should I put it… Doesn’t this just make her look like a completely normal girl?”

“She is, in fact, a normal girl.”

“That’s true, but-”

He felt reluctant to call her that.

The body belonged to Sakimi, and her outer appearance was precisely that of a young woman. But back when she was still in her bloodstained clothes or when he dressed her in the tracksuit, he hadn’t paid any particular attention since it was an emergency. Now that her appearance had changed, he felt unsettled.

His perception that an incomprehensible monster dwelled within her body was getting hazy.

“I get why you’d feel apprehensive. Still, it’s better if you don’t dwell on the fact that that’s no human.” The doctor leaned in and whispered into his ears, as though she had read his mind.

“Her self-image is still shallow, but she’s an obedient child. It’s not exactly the same as a certain king of Cyprus, but if the one who’s closest to her keeps expecting her to be a monster, then a true monster she shall become. All to fulfil the wish of none other than your own.”

She was referring to Pygmalion of Greek mythology, the king of Cyprus who had fallen in love with a statue of a woman he carved himself, and loved it like he would a person. A goddess was touched by his earnestness, and brought the sculpture to life.

Of course, it was nothing more than a legend, but in educational psychology, the phenomenon where a person’s expectations led to a change in another’s performance was well-documented and named after said king.

“…I know,” he sighed as if to expel his doubts. “Thanks for the change of clothes. It looks great on Sakimi.”

“Hmm, I’ll say you barely passed there.” The doctor shrugged her shoulders.