Nights Of Fire: Overhauled

Interlude: CHAPTER D2 - Patient Visit

"Oh! It's 08.30. Emika, I'm sorry, but we've got to leave first," I peeked at my watch at the right time.

"May I join in, too?" Emika shoved her sling bag then found a few sweets.

"Of course, biggest Sis. Come!" Nino led us to Hozzai's room. She asked a nurse first, of course.

We got into the second most economic room the hospital had provided. It was a room which fit 4 patients.

"Hello, there Hozzai!" I interrupted his baseball watching session.

"Whoa!" He jumped back then pushed his back against the mattress. "AAH! Rrrrnngh..." He ducked as a reflex reaction, patting his back later on.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" I held him while still being startled by his reaction.

"Aaargh... I-I'm good, uhh, Ichika. Dang, you even brought Nino and..."

"Hoshizuku Emika. The opponent in the Victory Road final, remember?"

Hozzai put his eyes on Emika, processing all input he got to obtain his memory, "Ah! I can't remember, sorry. Nice to meet you, anyway." Emika smiled lightly to respond.

"Here, have some food from all of us. I know that these crispy chicken filets are your favorite," I put all my purchases there, followed by Emika who put milk candies on the table.

"Woah, hahaha... I'm troubling all you guys. Thanks a lot," serotonin overloaded his joy.

"So, who do you support?"

Everyone had a friendly conversation with Hozzai. The fact that Emika had a relation to us by blood piqued his interest the most. He couldn't believe that Shadow Hounds had fought my sisters twice. When the mood went bright, Emika's face wanted sunlight.

A man reached the window handle with an abnormally dark pattern, as if it was an overcooked bacon, along his hands. He later swung his leg, also with similar injury his hands suffered, outside the window.

"HEY! STOP!" Emika drew explosive power to leap towards him. Too late. His next leg got out of the building, dragging him down to a bush.

"NO!" She witnessed that patient dove heads down. "Hey, it could be...!" Her feet rushed to leave the room.

"It could be who?" My shout didn't stop her.

"Jeez, that girl runs so fast! Nino, stay here and watch over Hozzai-san! I have to see what Emika is up to!" I put down my bag and dashed after Emika.

"Wha..? Oookay... Wait, what is all this ruckus even about?" Nino looked out the window to see a man-like figure wearing a hospital gown running through the courtyard, with IV lines and tubes still attached to him and a bunch of bandages on his body.

"What the?" Nino cringed a bit. "He must be insane or something, right Daikou-san?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... Come to think of it, that man was admitted to this room around the same time as I am, although I couldn't really see who he is, since I passed out into a coma before I could see anything. And when I woke up, I had tubes all over my body, and the curtains were shut. I couldn't really move, so it's quite the mystery."

"Surprised how he can still run and dive in such a sorry state. It's kinda strange... It's like a fight or flight system, when he heard us enter and talk with you, he just... ran for it." Nino analyzed.

"Say, Daikou-san, did you have anyone visit you earlier, like earlier in the morning or the day before?"

"Let me see... I did have Achilles, Athena and Mr. Kocho visit me yesterday." Daikou recalled his memories.

"Did that patient have uhh... a similar reaction? Or any reaction at all?"

"As far as I see it, I don't think so. He was quiet the whole time."

Meanwhile, Emika's fast feet stopped her in the courtyard. It had nothing.

"Huff.. Darn it! Puff... Huff...," her back hand wept a drenching sweat on her forehead, "He can't be far enough. But, where? There are lots of ways to go from here."

I, with nearly no stamina to stand on my feet, held on her hands and panted, "It'd... Huff... Be way too... Puff.. Long to... Huff... Find that... Puff... guy..."

Emika opened her bag zipper then grabbed a water bottle towards my hand. "Thanks," I twirled the cap then filled my throat with its contents. Ahh... much better.

"Ichika, the man I'm looking for was just in front of my eyes! I won't waste my chance to talk to him in person," Emika's speech wanted to hurry.

"We shouldn't waste our time searching. Bet he has changed clothes, blending with everybody else. Why do you want to meet him so bad, anyway?"

Emika let her hands shake uncontrollably, "I-I just want to know why. Why could he do such a cruel thing to his colleague? What kind of business did he have that he saw... Dad... as a huge hindrance? WHY KILL HIM? HUH!?" She dropped on the tile, knees first, "He could've just, made him get disqualified just like everybody else, but no. HE HAD TO MURDER HIM!" She planted her face to the ground.

Without any warning, I connected myself to Emika's emotions. Rageful vengeance accompanied with deep sorrow. That's what she only had at that moment. It made me hate myself by my initial negligence in finding out what was behind Dad's parting from this world. Those emotions didn't come to my mind at first, because I ran away by staying silent, thinking that it'd fade one day.

That was the past, though, thanks to Nino who encouraged me to face the challenges to uncover it, and Emika who reminded me to not get back to my past, bad self again.

I puffed a heavy breath, then wrapped my arms around Emika's body, "I know what you're feeling." A plan showed her the flashdisk, "You want a fair payoff, right? Let's spread this worldwide. Let everybody know what actually happened."