Amused, Kai smiled at Sage, who merely blushed but didn't change her expression in the slightest. He quickly turned to look at Eva and commented in a calm tone, all while sweeping his Observation Haki across his entire property. He noticed several people in the medical room who seemed to be organizing the space, something that inevitably reminded him of that strange black-and-white vision.
"We better go inside."
After a unanimous nod, everyone calmly walked toward the mansion's main hall, where Kai sat on one of the double sofas. Yumiko and Keiko sat on either side of him, just as Salem leapt down from Kai's head and landed on his lap. After kneading for a moment, the little creature lay down comfortably—until a beautiful white cat climbed up to curl beside him, forcing him to shift his position.
At the same time, Eva sat across from Kai, keeping little Oliver on her lap. The child still felt insecure and became extremely anxious when separated from her, clearly still suffering the psychological aftermath of all he had endured in that hell. Fortunately, a mental health specialist who visited the mansion in the afternoons was already addressing his condition.
"So, Eva, how have you been feeling? Any injuries or lasting physical effects?"
As he accepted the tea and T-shirt that Mrs. Yoshiko handed him with elegance—though accompanied by a rather cheerful smile—Kai asked, returning the smile to his ever-reliable housekeeper. Eva quickly shook her head in response and answered in a more serious tone, reaching for a small box of tissues floating in front of her as if by magic, and began wiping away the traces of her tears.
"I've felt very safe. Your family has done everything possible to make us comfortable, and regarding the injuries, several doctors hired by your family have been treating us and helping with the therapy, so everything is going very well..."
"I see..."
Kai nodded calmly, then glanced once more at the mother and child, a sight that flooded him with memories of his past life. And perhaps due to the earlier confrontation with Yumiko's ex-husband, his mind seemed trapped in a strange loop, forcing him to revisit every detail of his misfortune and those who caused it. But shaking his head gently, Kai forced his thoughts back into order and added in a soft tone.
"Eva, I don't know if you remember Sage."
Kai asked as he extended his palm forward, prompting Sage—who had been resting on his master's shoulder—to quickly fly over and make a graceful spin in the air, as if elegantly introducing herself. Eva immediately smiled, full of gratitude.
"How could I forget her? Even though I didn't know her name, that little fairy was the one who saved my life, and I'll be grateful to her until the end of my days."
Without hesitation, Eva bowed her head toward Sage, mimicking what she had seen around the mansion in recent days, and expressed her thanks with heartfelt sincerity—something her son quickly imitated with slightly nervous movements.
"Thank you so much, Sage. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."
"I was merely following my master's orders, so if you want to thank someone, you should thank him instead." Sage replied in a calm and elegant tone, a gentle smile on her beautiful face. To that, Eva responded seriously.
"That may be the case, but it doesn't change the fact that you saved my life. Thank you."
"…Then I should say, You're welcome?"
Visibly unsure and feeling a strange sensation in her chest, Sage commented with a curious expression, which made Yumiko and Keiko chuckle softly. At that moment, Kai spoke in a calm tone as he slipped on the T-shirt Mrs. Yoshiko had given him.
"Well, Eva, it turns out our little Sage has the ability to heal people. So, if you'd like, she can examine you. It's possible she could heal you completely and save you the trouble of all those therapy sessions."
"…Alright, I'll be in your hands."
Upon hearing Kai's words, Eva couldn't help but look at the little fairy in surprise. Sage only responded with a calm smile. Eva quickly composed herself and answered in a steady tone. Although, for some reason, she had developed a slight discomfort with being touched in recent days, this tiny fairy was her savior—and small enough to make her feel safe, even though she was well aware of the terrifying power held within that delicate form.
"Then I'll proceed… Huh?"
Flying toward Eva, Sage spoke calmly. Eva nodded in response, so Sage quickly placed her tiny hand on the woman's forehead. At that moment, her wings began to glow with shifting colors. But in mere seconds, the beautiful fairy let out a soft sound of surprise—imperceptible to everyone except Kai, who immediately asked through their mental link.
[What's wrong, Sage?]
[Master, this woman has a very rare latent autoimmune disease. If I hadn't been doing such a thorough scan to identify her Quirk factor, I would've missed it. That means it's highly likely the doctors haven't noticed it either. It's so rare that there's no cure yet—only treatments to mitigate the symptoms.]
Sage quickly responded in an incredibly serious tone, which caused Kai's expression to tighten slightly—something both Yumiko and Keiko noticed instantly, immediately alerting them that something was wrong with Sage's examination, prompting both of them to furrow their brows.
[Use Angel's Breath.]
To Sage's surprise, her master soon gave the command in a calm tone, causing the beautiful fairy to turn her head to look at him in mild astonishment—only to find a serene smile on Kai's face. He quickly added through their mental link.
[Don't you find it curious to see whether Angel's Breath can heal an autoimmune disease? Since we know it only cures what it detects as an anomaly, it can't fix congenital conditions—but what about something autoimmune? We've never tried it, after all. And the month is almost over, so the uses will recharge soon. The risk is low. This is a great opportunity.]
[… That's true as well... Then I'll try it.]
Sage responded after a short pause, not looking particularly convinced. At that moment, two different cards materialized at her sides—Isolation Veil on the left and Angel's Breath on the right—causing great surprise in both Keiko and Yumiko. Yumiko even gently tugged on Kai's shirt, then asked in a whisper.
"What happened? Is her condition so bad that you have to use that ability? The doctors said she was fine aside from some superficial wounds and a few infections…"
"Something like that. She has a rather complicated illness, so I'm going to try to heal her, though it's not guaranteed."
Kai quickly leaned in toward Yumiko and whispered softly into her ear, which greatly darkened the expression of the beautiful blue-haired woman. For something to make even Kai uncertain about the outcome, it had to be incredibly complex—and likely incurable by current means. At that moment, Keiko also tugged at Kai's shirt to ask.
"Is it really necessary to use the angel? You've already used it once, and you only have a very limited number of uses…"
"Yes, it's the only ability I have that might be able to heal her—and it's also a kind of test, since I'm not sure. It's a very rare autoimmune disease, and with the month coming to an end, this is a good opportunity to find out. If I'm not able to heal her, I'll immediately start working on ways to make it possible. It's better to be prepared in case someone in the family ends up suffering from something similar."
Still whispering into Keiko's ear, Kai replied in a calm tone, prompting Keiko to nod, though a faint look of suspicion lingered in her eyes.
"I understand."
Meanwhile, Eva decided to ignore the quiet exchange between her hosts and instead focused on the two cards that had appeared beside the beautiful fairy. They immediately reminded her of the cards Sage had used to create the barrier and get her off that island, making it very likely they were tied to her Quirk. This led her to ask, somewhat worried.
"What do I have?"
"It's a very rare autoimmune disease. I'll try to heal it, but it's not guaranteed. Still, don't worry—the method I'm using has no side effects." Sage replied calmly as she extended her hand toward the Isolation Veil card. At that moment, Eva quickly spoke in a serious, almost pleading tone.
"Wait, I think I know what it might be. My mother died from an autoimmune disease called 'Denyra syndrome', and I was warned that I could have inherited a genetic predisposition to develop it in the future. So before anything else, please, Sage—check my son."
Hearing Eva's request, Sage quickly turned to her master, who gave a calm nod. The beautiful fairy then turned back to Eva, nodding in acknowledgment and replying in a composed tone.
"Alright, I'll examine him."
"Thank you so much…" Eva quickly expressed her sincere gratitude, then looked directly into her son's eyes and spoke with a warm voice full of motherly love.
"Sweetheart, the little fairy is going to check you to see if you're feeling unwell. Let's be brave, okay?"
"…Okay, mommy."
The little one nodded and added in a soft, slightly fearful voice—something that inevitably broke Eva's heart. Seeing her normally energetic and outgoing baby act this way was truly heartbreaking for a mother. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Eva turned to Sage and spoke in a low voice.
"Please, Sage."
"Right away."
Sage replied calmly and immediately reached out to gently touch the child's head. He involuntarily trembled a little, prompting Eva to hold him tightly. Meanwhile, Keiko and Yumiko couldn't help but cling tightly to Kai's arms. As mothers, they deeply understood Eva's pain, and at the same time, a rapid flood of memories resurfaced—memories of when Alisa and Jiro had died, especially the devastating impact that tragedy had on their beloved Kai.
"… Fortunately, your son doesn't have the disease, and it seems he doesn't share your genetic predisposition to it either. Though he does have some minor issues—if you'd like, I can heal them now and spare him the need for therapy. It would be much easier than treating you."
"…"
Eva fell silent for a moment, feeling uncertain. But after a few seconds, she gathered her courage. Choosing to trust those who had saved her life and treated her with such kindness, she spoke in a serious tone.
"I entrust my little one to you, Sage. He's the most precious thing I have."
"Don't worry—it'll only take a few minutes."
Sage responded calmly, and at that moment, her tiny right hand lit up with a soft blue glow, while her wings began shifting colors at high speed—all under the anxious gaze of Eva. After a few minutes, Eva watched with her own eyes as all the superficial wounds on her son's body vanished without a trace, and even his overall appearance improved significantly, filling her heart with endless gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Sage. I truly have no words to express how grateful I am to all of you. One lifetime won't be enough to repay you…"
Visibly moved, Eva spoke in a tearful voice as she clung to her son, who, now feeling much better, couldn't help but smile while hugging his mother tightly. At that moment, Yumiko spoke, her voice tinged with emotion and tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't worry, you don't have to repay us. Seeing a mother and her child happy is all the reward we need…"
Meanwhile, Keiko hid her face in Kai's arm, her mind drifting through memories of her own daughter, Momo—especially in her early years, when it took every ounce of strength not to reject her due to the deep trauma left by the worthless man she had foolishly chosen as the girl's father and the terror she felt upon hearing of Alisa's death and Kai's injuries.
"Well, your son should be in perfect condition now. He should even be able to run just like he used to—though it's best if he stretches a bit first."
As she withdrew her hands from the boy, who looked at her with a mix of nervousness and curiosity, Sage spoke in a calm tone. Eva nodded in response and gently set her son down on the floor, prompting a frightened expression to appear on his young face. But as he managed to stand without any pain or discomfort, the child couldn't help but look at his legs in surprise—then began moving them in different ways, overjoyed and full of curiosity.
"Thank you… truly, thank you…"
Watching her son finally find the courage to take a few steps on his own, Eva once again expressed her gratitude through a torrent of tears. She felt as though she had emerged from the depths of hell to touch the heavens with her own hands. She had probably never been as happy in her entire life as she was in that brief moment—not even on her wedding day. And that meant something, considering how deeply she had loved, and still loved, her late husband. But compared to seeing her son healthy and smiling again, nothing else could ever come close.
***
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