POST_METAMORPHOSIS

Chapter V/8 - The last push

Saki's routine comprised waking up, getting ready, talking with Emma, eating breakfast, doing therapy, working on herself with the help of her newfound friends, and going to sleep. All that since she met with Aleister. Nari's days would flow similarly. They were yet to know that all this would change on this day.

Nari was outside, on the balcony. She was already up at 7 AM. After drinking her coffee, she was smoking since she took that habit up from the day her unforgivable failure of a husband died. The smoke didn't reach Saki's windows since the wind flew in another direction. When she finished, she flicked the butt into the tray, freshened her breath with a mint pill, and went back to her ward, only to contemplate. To think about what she should improve on once she meets Saki again. Misa was always there to help her resolve any issues, while Shouji would join in regularly if not looking after Mikasa as her potential substitution for a father.

Saki just woke up. It was 7:30 AM.

- Good morning! - Emma greeted her with a soft voice.

- Good morning... "... Damn... I need to finish the therapy as fast as possible... It's gonna be so hard... I'd always end up crying whenever I... Nope! I dare not..."

- Are you okay? You seem startled.

- Almost...

- Almost what... Oh... Alright, you needn't say it... Look, you can do this, okay? Hell, you can even be brief. We can understand it. We heard it firsthand, remember?

- Yeah... 8 days since I met with Al... and blasted you with this shitstorm... I still feel awful about... possibly damaging you...

- No worries, I'm fine. I mean it.

- Okay... Are you sure?

- Yeah. I'm always being put under diagnostics at the end of each day.

- Alright... Well, gonna take a shower first...

- Alrighty. What would you like for breakfast?

- Surprise me, please.

- Roger! "I know just the right meal she would like most..." I'm glad you're breaking out from your monotonicity.

- It's about damn time...

Saki went to the memorial to swap the incense at her father's memorial crafted by herself not so long ago on her bedside cabinet. Yuumi helped her while making it since she mastered several practices related to occultism and supernaturalism out of her self-diligence in her home back then. They noticed Saki's dreams wouldn't turn into dreary nightmares while they were emitting a calming smoke, so she would light those incense each night before she went to sleep. She then went to her bathroom to take a shower before Emma sent a call to Al to make her some breakfast.

Meanwhile, at Nari's ward,

- Good morning, everyone! - Minerva entered the room.

- Hi...

- Fret not. She's with Al - Misa was inside as well.

- Indeed. Minerva Drakensang. A pleasure to meet you.

- Uh... Nari Yoshida... Same here..., I believe... - Nari was still a little sleepy. She held her second mug of coffee.

- Great. Before we would begin, I'd like to mention a few things.

- About Saki?? What happened to her??

- Not about her, don't worry. She's still alright.

- Oh... Okay.

- She's in the best hands. About those things... First, you might have seen some silhouettes rushing towards you while you were collapsing onto the floor...