Date A Mysterious Being

Chapter 14 - Tempest Yamai

Mana Takamiya opened her eyes slowly with a short sigh. Her field of vision was blurred, as if she were seeing the world through a filter, perhaps because she hadn't used her eyes in a long time. She felt weak, and her whole body ached.

"Where...am I...?"

For a moment, she didn't recognize the voice as hers. Dry throat, ringing ears. That was more than enough to give her pause.

After a few minutes, she regained control of her body more or less and took a look around to figure out where she was and what was going on.

White room. Large bed. Bandages wrapped around every part of her, IV stabbed into her left hand, oxygen mask covering her mouth. Electrodes were attached to her chest, and a monitor pinged in time with her heartbeat.

Mana half grinned. With all this gear, she could be a model for a patient in critical condition.

"Why am I so...?" she started, and then her eyes flew open wide. She ripped the oxygen mask off and sat her aching body up. She turned her head and glanced at the digital clock on the shelf.

2:00 PM. 5th July.

"It's...July...fifth?!"

Mana gasped. Unless the clock was wrong or someone had deliberately changed the date to mess with her, nearly a month had passed since the day she fought the Magician- Lucas. Since the day Mana had been utterly crushed by the full might of the Magician, who used an unknown technique on her.

And then she finally realized something very basic.

"Why...am I not dead...?"

True, her body ached. Yes, her vision was hazy. She would have been hard pressed to say that she was anywhere close to tip-top shape. But she was alive. Mana had been exposed to that monster at her most helpless, her most defenseless, and yet she continued to exist.

Now she was even less certain of what had happened that day.

Mana found it hard to believe that anyone in this world possessed enough power to beat her that easily.

But how else could she explain the fact that she was alive? Unless that twisted girl let her go on a whim or for revenge or something.

Mana put a hand on her throbbing head. Although she'd survived, she had no idea if the others had come to harm or not. What had happened to them?

"...Huh?" Mana frowned.
The door to her room had opened, and several people in black suits were now stepping inside.

"Takamiya Mana, yes?"

"Is this someone's idea of a joke?" Mana's gaze grew sharp. "Doctors and nurses in black, hmm?" The men in black did not so much as flinch.

"You'll be coming with us. I'd rather not do this the hard way, but that isn't out of the question if you resist."

"...Uh?" Her face scrunched in doubt, and she glared at the man who had spoken. "Do you realize who you're speaking with? The hard way? With me? Ha! Go ahead if you think you can."
Mana stood up and cracked her knuckles.

"Ms. Takamiya, is something the matter?" the nurse asked, opening the door. The moment she peered inside, she froze in place. "What...?"

She had come to check in on Mana Takamiya after noticing an irregularity in her EKG reading, but there was no one in the room.

Oxygen mask, electrodes, and IV needle were scattered on the bed, and there was a faint indentation in the mattress indicating that someone had been lying there recently.

But when she scanned the room and even checked under the bed, her supposedly unconscious patient was nowhere to be found.

The nurse hurried to the head of the bed and pressed the CALL button.