Mighty Novel X

Broken Innocence T

(Broken Innocence - Taiga)

A dull pain shot like a bang through my head.

I have a pretty good idea why.

Ten percent of the reason is jet lag. I just came back to Japan from the US. The other ninety percent is Nico's voice, who's been chattering away next to me since a while ago.

After leaving CR, we headed to a certain destination to challenge Mighty Novel X.

We took the subway to the nearest station of the 6th district of Seito City and walked for about five minutes from the station.

"I miss this road. Oh, look, look! There's a new arcade!"

Nico ran up to the game center along the road and peered into the store with unnecessarily high spirits.

I was an idiot for expecting her to round out a bit as an adult. In fact, she's become Americanized by living abroad and is now more boisterous than before.

I thought I could live a little more quietly now that Nico was gone.

It all started with a single phone call to the hospital I run, the Hanaya Game Disease Clinic. It was right at nine o'clock, the clinic's opening time. The woman on the other end of the line spoke after coughing a couple of times in an exaggerated manner, as if she was trying to be heard over the phone.

"Taiga~ I caught a cold~"

The tone of voice was so easy-going that it was hard to imagine someone who was sick. It was almost like a prank call.

Originally I wanted to ignore it, but as a doctor, I just couldn't.

"How's your temperature?" I asked her with a sigh.

"Thirty-seven point five degrees."

"It'll go away after you eat and sleep."

"What? What if I die!?"

"If you've got the energy to argue, don't worry about it."

"I'm running a fever. I can't do it anymore. It's Taiga's fault. Hurry up. Be here in 30 minutes."

"What? Are you serious?"

"You're the one who said you're my doctor no matter where I go! I'll be at the address I wrote on the postcard I sent you before."

Nico hung up the phone without waiting for me to answer. Her behavior was almost gangster-like.

Three years ago, after she left my hospital, I received a postcard.

It was a postcard with a picture of the Statue of Liberty printed on it, with only my address and her address as the sender. There was no other message. It was a mystery to me what the meaning of the postcard was, but maybe it was just to let me know her address.

She still had the same thick nerves.

I had no choice but to check my passport, which unfortunately was still within the expiration date. If it had been for five years, I could have used the excuse that it had expired, but it was for ten years.

In the end, I left the clinic with nothing but my clothes on, and by the afternoon I was over the Pacific Ocean.

I was lucky to get a window seat in economy class, thanks to a seat that happened to be available.

It's been years since I've been on an airplane... come to think of it, I had a window seat that time too.

In the past, I was stripped of my medical license and lost my place in this country.