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.

Even if you have a doctor’s skills, even if you have a doctor’s spirit. Without a license, you can’t practice medicine in this country.

For about two years after my medical license was revoked, I spent my days in a slump. I don’t even remember what I was doing. I was so fed up with myself that I wanted to go somewhere as far away from this place as possible to forget everything.

I got a ten year passport and set out on a journey to the other side of the ocean. It didn’t matter where I went.

But the trip didn’t give me anything.

In the end, I came back to Japan without completing even half of my planned schedule.

In the end, I couldn’t quit being a doctor. I started to work as a kind of black market doctor for injured patients who had reasons why they could not be treated openly.

I put all the money I made into stocks except for the bare minimum living expenses.

It was just dirty money. I thought it would be a shame to lose it all.

What’s ironic is that my profits have gone up in the opposite direction, but I digress.

Now I’m a full-fledged game disease specialist. You never know what will happen in life.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

Nico, who was next to me, kicked my ass as hard as she could.

“That hurt. What’s wrong with you!”

“It’s your fault for ignoring me! I’m asking you how to get inside!”

Nico pointed to one side. Looking beyond, I saw the Seito Public Hall standing tall.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination.

This hall had once been the site of a national tournament for a very popular fighting game. This was the place where Nico had called herself “Genius Gamer N” and competed with Genius Gamer M for the championship.

I was the one who suggested this place.

According to Nico, at the time, Ex-Aid was a brash young man. This is because his body had been infected with Parad, and he had developed the Gamer M personality.

After the game tournament, Ex-Aid underwent an operation by Zaizen Michihiko, who was considered an authority on genetic medicine, to separate Parad from his body.

In other words, this was a place of great fate in Ex-Aid’s life.

I planned to challenge the story relying on Nico’s memory.

“Don’t ask me such an obvious question. Of course it’s from the entrance.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? You don’t have to tell me that, I know. Look at this.”

According to the information board nearby, there was an event going on in the hall.

Matchmaking in a haunted house! A new kind of marriage hunting party!

A haunted house…?

I can’t say it out loud, but I’m not a big fan of ghosts.

In fact, when I was a radiologist at Seito University Hospital, I saw one once in the hospital at night. I’m not going to tell you exactly what I saw. I don’t want to remember. It’s just that I’ve been traumatized ever since.

The hardest part of being a doctor is the hospital at night. I still can’t get used to that.

“It’s true, haunted houses are hard to get into…”

“No, no! That’s not what I want you to look at.”

“What?”

“It’s a marriage hunting party!? It looks like you can’t get inside the venue without entering. It’s super awkward! I guess we’ll have to sneak in through another entrance.”

“That would be trespassing.”

“What do you want us to do then!?”

When I looked at the reception desk at the entrance, I saw a staff member calling out for people to jump in and join the event, as if it hadn’t reached capacity yet.

“We’re gonna have to join in.”

“What!? Are you serious!?”

“We’re just going in. What are you so conscious about?”

“…Nothing. I’m not conscious at all.”

We made up our minds and headed for the reception desk.

The reception desk was divided into two sections, one for participants who had already made reservations and one for those who applied on the day.

At the reservation counter, there was a line of participants ranging from young people to middle-aged men and women who were looking to meet someone.

When I was about to head for the open window for onsite registration, Nico grabbed my arm.

“Wait! There’s a bunch of creepy old men staring at me!”

“That’s what they’re here for, so what the hell. Let go of me.”

After I told the attendant at the counter that I wanted to participate and paid the entry fee, I was given a profile card and forced to fill out the necessary information.

Registration number, name, age, address, blood type, star sign, height, occupation, workplace, annual income, hobbies, personality and favorite type.

Of course, I’ve never been to a place like this before, but I was surprised to find out that they ask for so much detailed personal information.

I guess it’s only natural. It’s a life-altering issue.

I quickly filled out the form.

I had filled in most of the items, but the last thing that troubled me was “personality”.

I couldn’t quite decide what kind of personality I had.

Nico looked at my card and said, “Oh, that’s where it stops, isn’t it?”

“Don’t look at me like that!” I put my card down.

“Then why don’t we write down each other’s personality?”

“You’re just going to write whatever you want.”

“Come on!”

Nico forcibly exchanged our cards, and I had no choice but to accept.

Well, sure enough. Her personality would be easy to write.

I ran my pen over Nico’s profile card and we exchanged our cards after we finished writing.

When I saw what Nico had written about me, I was surprised to see such a coincidence. Both of us had described the other’s personality as “not honest”.

“You know, in a place like this, you’re usually supposed to show off your strengths! Why are you writing something bad!?”

“I’ll return your words exactly as they are.”

“…Enough. Just write it down and get it over with.”

I agreed.

I looked at the card again and realized that the biggest challenge was waiting for me at the very end.

My favorite type.

I’ve never really thought about what my favorite type of person would be like. Well, there’s no need to think about it seriously. I wrote down “honest person”.

“Hey. Are you being sarcastic?” Nico looked at my card again.

“It’s not sarcasm. I’m just stating a fact.”

“That’s annoying.”

“Let me see yours.”

“Absolutely not!”

Nico hid the card in her pocket and didn’t show it to me.

Well, I guess it’s not something that I should be pursuing. I’ll leave it alone.

The procedure took an inordinate amount of time, but we were finally able to enter the venue.

We can’t fool around anymore. The slightest slip of the tongue and it could be game over.

I don’t care if it’s just me, but Nico is with me. There was no way I was going to let her lose the game.

We followed the instructions of the attendant and stepped into the waiting area of the venue. The participants all looked at us with a glare.

I understood Nico’s feelings a little better now.

The way they looked at me, trying to evaluate people based on first impressions, felt like it was piercing my whole body.

We should leave this place as soon as possible.

I’ve heard from Brave and the others about the conditions for participating in Mighty Novel X.

I borrowed the Gamer Driver for Nico from CR. It was the one that Genm was using. Nico refused to use it at all costs, saying she didn’t want it because it was gross. So I had no choice but to give her mine, and I had to use Genm’s driver.

As soon as we put the drivers on our waists, the game’s system sound echoed out of nowhere, just as we had planned.

“Mighty Novel X! Event Start!”

Our surroundings distorted into a mosaic.

The mission had begun.

The first thing that caught my ears was the shout of the noisy presenter.

“Here it is at last, the final game! Challenger N, a 12 year old girl, will challenge the previous champion M, perhaps in homage to him!”

The special space of Mighty Novel X had been beautifully transformed into a game tournament hall. Amidst the crowd of spectators and participating gamers who had probably already been defeated in the tournament, the final round of the fighting game showdown was taking place on stage.

There was one game cabinet on each side. They were set up so that they faced each other.

On the lower side of the stage, there was Ex-Aid dressed in his high school uniform, operating the buttons and levers. Even though he was still the young Gamer M, he seemed to have a cool atmosphere about him.

On the other side of the stage, playing a game on the upper side, was a little girl. She was twelve years old at the time. She was still in the sixth grade.

“Hey. The one on the right…”

As soon as I tried to call out to Nico, who was standing next to me, she covered my eyes with her hands.

‘Don’t look!”

“Hey, get off me!”

I quickly shook Nico’s hand away. She didn’t try to blind me a second time.

“What are you so embarrassed about?”

“…Because. It’s just so awkward when people see you in real life.”

“You care too much. Concentrate on clearing Mighty Novel X.”

Unusually, Nico didn’t argue with me. Most of the time, I can’t keep up with her outspokenness, and I usually end up giving in, but this time it was different. It seems that in her own way, she has a strong desire to save Ex-Aid.

“It’s decided! It’s M, the world champion, who has won the Grand Prix!”

When I turned my attention to the stage, I saw that the final matchup had ended.

Chibi Nico came down from the stage to the floor of the audience with a sulky look on her face.

The man who was hosting the event looked confused and followed Chibi Nico with his eyes. She was supposed to go back to the waiting room from the side of the stage, but it seemed that Chibi Nico had ignored the arrangements of the competition.

The audience on the floor must have been concerned, because they split in half like Moses splitting the sea, and Chibi Nico passed between them and strutted towards us.

She was either very disappointed or embarrassed to have lost the tournament, and her white skin was stained bright red.

When she was right in front of me, she suddenly stopped and looked down.

She hasn’t changed at all since she was a little girl. She is self-centered, competitive, and proud. She’s just like Nico now.

I crouched down so that I was at the same level as her, and tried to talk to her.

“Are you really that disappointed that you lost?”

“What? I didn’t lose in the game. It’s just that the character I used was incompatible with M’s character.”

Is it from this time on that she became so talkative? I can even feel a smile on my face.

The only thing was that Chibi Nico didn’t move her mouth and spoke like a ventriloquist dummy. And for some reason, she had a grown up voice.

“Hey. What are you grinning at?” Nico, who was standing next to me, pinched my cheek. It seemed that it was the adult Nico who had been talking.

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are! This is a novel game, after all. If you talk to a character other than the main character, Emu, they won’t respond.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“You can tell from her reaction. She’s completely immersed in the story.”

Indeed, when I looked at Chibi Nico, she seemed completely unaware of our presence.

Nico leaned close to her and whispered in her ear.

“Nico-chan, don’t talk to men like this. There’s a lot of harm and no benefit. It will only make you unhappy.”

“Hah? Don’t be silly. I thought she couldn’t respond when you talk to her.”

“If you come near me, I’ll kick you as hard as I can.”

“You’re the one who approached me first.”

“Got it, Nico-chan?”

As if she had heard the voice of her future self, Chibi Nico looked up at the right moment, spat out “I’m mad at you,” and left the venue.

It was probably directed at her opponent, Ex-Aid, but I felt as if I had been told off.

Due to the rules of the game, I couldn’t talk to Chibi Nico, which made me feel even worse.

If I had, I knew I would have lost the battle completely. One Nico alone would be a handful, but if I were to get into a quarrel with two Nicos, I would certainly be the one who would be torn to shreds. It’s as reckless as challenging a sturdy tank with just a pistol.

At least if it’s just one Nico, I can handle her. In the course of our long relationship, I’ve mastered the art of dealing with Nico.

When your opponent is obsessed with winning, just let them win. It’s not like there’s much damage if you lose. I’d rather raise the white flag while the damage is minimal, than make a wrong move and suffer an irreparable defeat. If that satisfies Nico, fine.

I looked over at the stage and saw high school student Ex-Aid disappear into the backstage.

This is no time to be thinking about stupid things.

What we need to do now is to continue Ex-Aid’s story.

We decided to leave the convention hall and wait for Ex-Aid. We waited at the entrance of the Seito Public Hall for twenty minutes.

All the people who had been watching the game competition had left, and the hall was quiet.

Then, Ex-Aid appeared from the backstage door and came towards me.

But there was something strange about him.

His gait was wobbly, different from when he was on stage. He looked a little pale, as if he had lost some of his blood.

When he came close to me, Ex-Aid suddenly collapsed. I couldn’t help but approach him and support his body.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“…Too many video games?”

“Ah… maybe it’s because I was up all night practicing the game for the tournament.”

“Are you trying to destroy your body?”

“Of course not. I just didn’t want to cut corners. I was really aiming to win.”

Good grief. Just like Nico who caught a cold, this guy is also a game idiot.

I’m not trying to deny or discriminate against gamers, but you should at least take care of yourself while playing.

“Sleep deprivation weakens your immune system. You need to get some rest.”

“No, I’ll make it home. Then I’ll go to sleep.”

Ex-Aid put his hand on my shoulder and stood up, using all the strength he had left to stand on his own. What a dumb guy.

I remembered what Ex-Aid had said to me once.

It was during the final phase of the Kamen Rider Chronicle strategy. That’s when I transformed into Cronus for the first time. In order to save Nico, who had been dragged into the special space of the last boss, I risked my life against Gemdeus Cronus. I was willing to accept any pain and suffering to save my patient.

This is what you said to me.

“It’s not good for a doctor to neglect his health.”

A doctor is responsible for the lives of many people. That’s why we doctors have to survive.

It’s because of Ex-Aid’s words that I am where I am today. For me, who was bound by the past, those words became a guidepost for living in the future.

I couldn’t help but laugh in my heart when I saw the high school student Ex-Aid almost collapsing in front of me.

I’m going to pay you back exactly what you said.

I never thought that such a foolish and undisciplined young man would become a doctor in the future, even if it was because of being infected by Parad. It’s ironic that such a man would give me a guidepost for the future.

Ex-Aid, I have a question for you.

When and where did you acquire the spirit of a fastidious doctor?

How did you develop an unshakable faith in the face of all adversity?

You really are a mysterious bastard.

A residential area in the fourth district of Seito City.

Nico and I followed Ex-Aid as he staggered back to his house.

From the front door to the living room, Ex-Aid’s house was a mess. Sneakers were thrown away at the entrance. A lot of mail was left on the shoe rack. Unwashed dishes piled up in the kitchen. Laundry was drying in the hallway. The damp, dusty air clung to my body.

I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but even I can clean up a little better than that. Of course, there is the basic premise that mine is a hospital that treats patients.

But what surprised me most was Ex-Aid’s room on the second floor. Unlike the entrance and living room, Ex-Aid’s room was kept reasonably clean. I felt a strange sense of discomfort at the difference.

“Are things not going well with his father?” Nico muttered next to me, perhaps feeling the same way.

“…Why do you say that?”

“Because. He only keeps his room clean. He’s indifferent to any living space other than his own. Irresponsible. It’s like he doesn’t care.”

I thought the same thing.

Only Ex-Aid’s room seemed to be in another dimension. It was full of an extraordinary cleanliness. It was as if we had wandered through a desert battlefield and ended up in an oasis.

In the room, there was a bed with a futon carefully laid out. An old but neatly arranged study desk with stationery and other small items. A state-of-the-art 26-inch LCD TV and high-function speakers that seemed to have been recently purchased. On the bookshelf that reached to the ceiling, there was an assortment of game software that made you think you were in a video game store, and it was clearly categorized by genre. Everything in the room was in its proper place, as if it had been calculated perfectly.

In the clear glass storage cabinet on the TV stand, there were many home video game consoles, some major, some minor, some old, some new, some stationary, some portable.

At a quick count, there were more than twenty of them. I was amazed that there were so many different types of game consoles available in the world, but I was also amazed that Ex-Aid had managed to collect such a large number.

The name Genius Gamer M is not just for show.

“These games. Did your father buy all of these for you?”

“Yeah, he bought me the old ones when I was a kid. But more than half of them I bought with my part-time job.”

It takes a lot of money to buy all these things. I thought he was a flighty guy, but he seems to have a straightforward spirit that is greedy for his own goals. There was an unmistakable glimpse of the man known as Ex-Aid in him.

“Hey, Emu. What kind of person is your father?” Nico said unexpectedly.

She just cut to the chase.

“…Well?”

“Come on, he’s your father, isn’t he?”

“On the family register, yes. In reality, he’s just a housemate.”

The man in front of me just discarded his father as a housemate. I didn’t feel any love, gratitude, or respect from his words. It’s not surprising that a high school student would be in a rebellious phase against his parents, but I had a feeling that Ex-Aid’s attitude was different.

I couldn’t immediately identify what that feeling was.

“Isn’t housemates kind of cold? He’s the parent who raised you, right?” Nico asked straightforwardly.

“I don’t remember him doing anything for me. He’s rarely home from work and I’m responsible for my own breakfast and dinner. I do all the cleaning and laundry. He pays my rent and utility bills, I guess. On the other hand, it’s easier for me to spend my free time however I want.”

Yes, this is the feeling.

What I sensed from Ex-Aid was “resignation”.

Normally, “frustration” and “anger” are emotions that arise when one’s expectations of a person are betrayed. But Ex-Aid had none of that. He didn’t have any expectations of his father.

He had already given up.

Every family has its own circumstances. There is no right or wrong way to be a family. No matter what kind of family environment Ex-Aid had, a third party should not say anything about it, and I have no intention of saying anything about it.

I took another look around the clean room.

When I thought about it, I felt as if the air in this room contained something completely different and alien that dominated the entire space.

This room was undoubtedly the residence of the man known as Ex-Aid, a fortress separated from the smallest and most limited society of his family.

It was then that something familiar in the TV stand caught my attention. It was a thick reference book on medical school entrance exams that had been used as a base for a game console.

I remember it well because it helped me when I was preparing for the university entrance exam. Apparently, although he pretends to be a gamer, he hasn’t lost his desire to become a doctor.

Ex-Aid changed into a jersey and t-shirt from his closet and threw himself on the bed. He was ready for a good night’s sleep.

“Do you really think you can keep living like this?”

Ex-Aid was lying down with his back to us, probably pretending not to hear us.

“You have to study, don’t you? To become a doctor.”

There was no reply from him.

“I don’t care what you think of your parents, but your life is your decision. No one’s going to help you if you laugh or cry.”

“…I can’t do it,” Ex-Aid muttered with his back turned. “I’ve studied pretty hard, and I’ve even gotten good grades, but I just can’t make it to the top of the class. It’s easy to win in games. So I guess I’m not cut out for it.”

“You can’t do it if you’re convinced you can’t.”

“Hey, Taiga,” Nico interrupted me.

“I’m not really the doctor type, am I? Well, there are gamers who make 100 million yen a year, so that might be a better career after all.”

“Is money the basis of your dreams?”

“…I’m tired, I’m going to bed.”

In the end, Ex-Aid quietly fell asleep without answering my question.

“Huh? Wait, wait. It’s impossible for the main character to fall asleep in a novel game!”

“After all, this is just a part of the scenario that Genm has set up. There is more to this story.”

“What’s the rest of the story?”

“Well, let’s just sit back and watch. Something will happen that will change Ex-Aid’s fate.”

Just as I had predicted, I felt the presence of someone coming from outside the room, opening the front door and entering the house.

Nico and I signaled each other with our eyes and hid in the closet while holding our breath. There was a gap in the closet door for ventilation, allowing us to peek at the scene outside.

I heard someone walking up the stairs. And it wasn’t just a single pair of footsteps.

There were two pairs of footsteps coming straight up to the second floor, as if they had a definite purpose.

Only Ex-Aid and his father were supposed to live in this house. There was no one else who could have opened the locked front door and let two people in.

The footsteps approached this room and stopped on the other side of the door.

Knock. Knock.

The sound of knocking on the door echoed eerily.

Ex-Aid, who was asleep in bed, didn’t notice.

Someone confirmed that there was no reaction from Ex-Aid, and quietly twisted the doorknob.

An unknown middle-aged man opened the door and walked in.

He was dressed in a pale gray suit with a dark red tie. He was about 1.80cm tall with a slender figure. He had a neat face, like a second-rate actor with a well-defined nose and eyes. He looked younger than his actual age, and his face resembled Ex-Aid’s enough to convince me that he was Ex-Aid’s father.

Nico seemed to have sensed this as well. To prove it, she put her lips next to my ear and whispered in a small voice.

“…If I make Emu look older with the aging face app, he’ll look like that.”

“…Maybe.” I replied in a quiet voice that even mosquitoes couldn’t hear.

“But it’s strange. Why is his father here when he’s supposed to be at work?”

Ex-Aid’s father turned around to look out the open door.

“…You may come in.”

In response to the voice, another person stepped into the room.

The figure that stood in front of us left us in awe.

It was a man in a dark suit that perfectly matched his tall figure – Genm.

“…Hey, wait. Why would Emu’s father bring Dan Kuroto here?”

“…Perhaps we’ll get to that answer soon.”

Genm opened an aluminum attache case on the study desk.

He took out some unused rubber gloves from inside and put them on both hands, then began to inject clear liquid into an anesthetic syringe. When it was ready, he approached the bed and injected an IV into Ex-Aid’s left arm.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was about to rush out of the closet, but Nico stepped on my foot as hard as she could.

I swallowed an involuntary gasp and looked at Nico.

“…This is also part of the story of the novel game set up by Dan Kuroto, right?”

She’s right. What was I thinking?

I took a deep breath and shifted my gaze to the room again.

Genm had finished anesthetizing Ex-Aid and began to put away all his tools in his attaché case.

“I’ll take care of the rest.” Genm told Ex-Aid’s father, then he lifted Ex-Aid from the bed and carried him out of the room.

After this, there was only one place Genm would take Ex-Aid. It must be the Next Genome Institute, where Parad’s separation surgery was performed.

Ex-Aid’s father was the only one left standing in the room.

“…Emu. Don’t feel bad.”

What did those words mean?

What are you apologizing for? Is it even an apology at all?

At that time, we had no idea.

The ninth district of Seito City. The Next Genome Research Institute stood in a unique location on the outskirts of an industrial area.

Its director was Zaizen Michihiko, an authority on genetic medicine.

The main activity of the institute was the research and development of advanced genetic medical technology with the aim of contributing to the development of medicine and biology. This was ostensibly the goal of the institute, but in reality, no one knew the actual status of the institute because its activities were rarely disclosed to the public.

As it turned out later, it was a place where clones, mutant organisms, or whatever they were, were created through genetics by people who were obsessed with crazy research.

In the deepest part of the laboratory, there was an operating room with a large amount of equipment that was probably used for some kind of research.

On the operating table lay Ex-Aid, who had been put to sleep with general anesthesia.

In the room, you could see Genm and four figures in surgical gowns.

“I’m counting on you, Dr. Zaizen. Now is the time for a revolution in genome research.”

I could see one of them in surgical attire nodding.

That man was probably the primary surgeon, Zaizen Michihiko.

If that’s the case, the other three were his subordinate researchers working at the institute.

Kuruse Soji. Ageha Takeda. Ryuzaki Kazushige.

Parad, who had been infecting Ex-Aid’s body for years, was finally going to be separated by their hands.

Even though I saw the whole thing with my own eyes, I couldn’t understand how they succeeded in the separation surgery. I guess they were just applying advanced genetic medicine technology.

As the separation surgery reached its climax, a large amount of the bugster virus flew out of Ex-Aid’s body and scattered throughout the operating room.

Zaizen and the others panicked at the unexpected situation and were infected by the bugster virus. It didn’t take long for the four crazy researchers to disappear.

After that, the bugster virus that was floating around in the room formed into a human shape and took the form of Parad.

Genm came into the operating room, as if he had sensed that everything was over.

Parad was wary and glared at Genm.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the one who’s been looking forward to your birth.”

“…Why am I here?”

“I’ll tell you more later. First, let’s mourn the death of those who contributed to your separation surgery. They worked hard for me, not knowing that they would become infected and disappear.”

Genm meditated, but I didn’t feel the least bit of mourning from him.

It was part of his scenario that Zaizen and the others would be wiped out by the infection. The only thing he wanted to get was Parad. Once he was done, he would have to shut up the people who were involved in the separation surgery.

All that’s left to do is bring Ex-Aid back to his room at home, and the whole plan is complete.

“What’s with him? Has he always been this bad?” Nico said angrily.

“Yeah. His whole plan started when he got Parad’s virus. In order to evolve the bugster virus, he triggered the Zero Day that wiped out a lot of people.”

“He’s really the worst.”

“Genm doesn’t have any ethics. He’s willing to make any sacrifice or betray anyone to create the game he envisions. That’s the kind of man he is.”

“…It’s because of him that you were deprived of your medical license, right?”

“…That’s a different story.”

It’s true that Genm is the cause of all this. He’s deeply guilty of sacrificing a large number of patients. But my personal problem was caused by the decision I made. I’m not going to blame anyone else.

Back in Zero Day, I was convinced that I was the only doctor who could cure game disease patients. I continued to transform no matter how much my own body was destroyed by the side effects of the Proto-Gashat. And then, after ignoring the Ministry of Health’s instructions and going out of control, I failed to operate on Brave’s girlfriend.

It was all my own fault. I have no regrets about that.

If I have any regrets, it’s that I couldn’t save Brave’s girlfriend at that time. It was beyond my power. I was inadequate. That’s all.

If I had saved her, Brave wouldn’t have been involved in the battle against the bugster virus. No, not just Brave. If only I had stayed in CR, I wouldn’t have gotten Ex-Aid involved.

Me and Genm. If only the two of us could have settled this alone…

“Taiga. You’re getting into that bad habit again.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. It’s written all over your face. ‘It’s all my fault’.”

“…Who?”

“Did you forget how long we’ve been together? I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

I had no words to reply.

Bad habits…. It’s annoying, but she’s right.

Every time I look back on the past, I find myself lost in the middle of the desert of war.

The sun is shining. A cloudless sky. Sand as far as the eye can see.

Sometimes I wander north in search of a single flower, and other times I wander south.

I keep looking for the bud of hope that will turn the desert green. But I have never found a flower.

It was obvious from the beginning. I knew from the start that there were no flowers anywhere in that desert.

Just as a medical license can never be regained once it has been revoked, the desert will forever dry up the earth and make me thirsty.

In the end, there is only one answer.

Don’t think about turning the desert green. Accept the desert and live with it in your heart for the rest of your life. That’s the only way.

“Yes, yes. Poetry time is over,” Nico said suddenly.

“What poetry?”

“I know how it is, you know. You never say it out loud, but when you’re quiet, you’re writing a poem in your mind.”

…Does this guy have some kind of psychic ability to read people’s minds?

“You… how did you know that…!”

“Because that’s what lonely people do?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not like that.”

“That’s why you should talk to me.”

“Hah?”

“Whatever’s on your mind. You’ve got someone here to talk to.”

I didn’t realize it at the time. A flower that was not supposed to be there had begun to sprout in the desert.

“Hojo Emu. It was the right decision to choose you as my guinea pig.”

We were back in Ex-Aid’s room. Genm leered at Ex-Aid, who was lying on the bed as before, and told him so.

Genm had brought Ex-Aid back from the Next Genome Institute.

“We will meet again.”

Genm smiled an unpleasant, disgusting smile and turned to leave the room.

Nico suddenly walked up to Genm and started to taunt him, yelling at him.

“Idiot! Pervert! What kind of god are you? Gross! You should change your name to Dirty Dan! It would suit you better!”

Genm didn’t respond to Nico’s words at all. This was because the rule was that no one could interfere with characters other than Ex-Aid.

Nico took advantage of this and choked him with all the verbal abuse she could muster until Genm left the room.

She too has been put through a lot because of the Kamen Rider Chronicle that Genm created. I’ll turn a blind eye to this kind of stress relief.

Anyway, we can’t forget the most important thing.

We already knew about Genm’s evil deeds up to this point, but the problem is that even Ex-Aid’s father was involved.

I don’t know what kind of intentions and maliciousness were involved, but it is clearly abnormal to allow one’s own son to be put under anesthesia and carried out of the house.

It’s possible that this Mighty Novel X game still contains more truths we don’t know. We need to stay vigilant.

At that moment, Ex-Aid began to turn over. It was as if Genm had done all the calculations so Ex-Aid would wake up from the anesthesia at this time.

Ex-Aid stretched and yawned heavily.

“Oh… You’re still here? I’m sorry. How long have I been asleep?”

“Hey, Taiga, he just said sorry! Why is he being so polite?”

“Because Parad has been separated from him, Ex-Aid has regained his true self.”

I quickly fished through the clear glass storage cabinet of the TV stand. I pulled out the reference book for the medical school entrance exam that was on the base of the game console and thrust it at Ex-Aid.

“Huh, wait, what is this?”

“You’ve finally come to your senses.”

Ex-Aid took a glance at the reference book and his face clouded over.

“…I don’t need this anymore.”

He got off the bed and threw the reference book into the trash can. Without any hesitation. Easily.

I picked up the reference book from the trash can and thrust it at Ex-Aid’s chest once more.

“You can’t just throw it away.”

“…I’m in third year of high school. It’s too late for that.”

“You think there’s no way you’ll get into medical school? You’re giving up before you even try?”

“It’s not just that… I… someone who can’t even take care of himself after staying up all night… can’t possibly be a doctor who takes care of other people’s lives… I’m not qualified for that.”

It’s not just your fault. It’s because you had Parad in your body. It made you a better gamer, and it made another you. You just grew up to be Genius Gamer M. No matter how rough you are now, you are a man who will become a doctor.

The words were on the tip of my tongue.

I looked at Ex-Aid and saw that he was staring into the void with a stagnant gaze.

“…I’m a person who didn’t understand the value of life.”

I felt a chill run down my spine at Ex-Aid’s sudden remark.

Didn’t understand the value of life? That Ex-Aid?

I couldn’t understand the meaning of the words of the man in front of me.

This guy had been in a car accident when he was a child. He knew the fear of death through that experience. He must have understood the importance of life better than anyone else.

But in the depths of Ex-Aid’s gaze, I felt a strong sense of alienation. It wasn’t dissatisfaction or anger. It wasn’t resignation. It was a completely different, unidentifiable foreign substance.

Just as the desert dwells in my heart, something unidentifiable dwells in this guy’s heart. That’s what I intuited.

“There’s no way I can be a doctor. Don’t you think so?”

With those last words, Ex-Aid froze and stopped moving like a cactus in the desert.

A holographic monitor appeared in front of us, displaying three choices.

《You can’t be a doctor》《You can be a doctor》《Other》

“Taiga… this is the turning point of the novel game. If you make a wrong choice here, the game will be over. So be careful.”

But my mind had already reached a boiling point. I didn’t listen to Nico’s advice at all, and before I knew it, I was grabbing Ex-Aid by the chest.

“Say that again!”

“Stop it, Taiga! What if you do something weird and it’s game over?”

I know him.

I know an intern who was always saying that he wants to bring smiles to people’s faces.

I know a pediatrician who has sworn in his heart that it is the duty of adults to protect the lives and smiles of children.

I know a doctor who is more pure and straightforward than anyone else.

《You can’t be a doctor》《You can be a doctor》《Other》

There’s only one answer I have to give.

“You can be a doctor! You’re a man who will become a doctor!”

There are people who have been saved because you became a doctor.

There are smiles that have been regained because you became a doctor.

You’re the one who told me that doctors have a responsibility to survive.

I am what I am because of you.

If you didn’t become a doctor, who would?

“Listen to me. You’re destined to become a doctor, so do what you have to do without questioning it! It doesn’t matter if you die trying! I’ll say it however many times you need! Do your best!”

At this point, I had forgotten that in psychological counseling, the words “Do your best” can have the opposite effect on patients with mental illness.

I had lost my cool.

The thought of Ex-Aid’s psychological treatment and the attack on Mighty Novel X had completely slipped my mind.

I just kept screaming at Ex-Aid as my emotions took over. I couldn’t help it.

It was you, Ex-Aid, who made me do it.

I came back to myself when I heard the voice announcing the end of the game.

The unexpected ending left me speechless.

⇦ BROKEN INNOCENCE (HIIRO) | CHAPTER INDEX | BROKEN INNOCENCE (KIRIYA) ⇨