Aura's voice in his ear was firm, but affectionate:
"Stay strong. The hospital data says she's stabilized, but she needs you there."
Ryuichi whispered, as if begging for time:
"Please... Don't be in too much pain... Mom..."
The two arrive at the door of Mira Central Medical Center-one of the city's most prestigious hospitals-where Ryoko follows the emergency entrance, then lands with the sudden grace of a meteor that has stopped falling.
Putting Ryuichi on his feet, he said:
"Go. "I'll stay outside in case you need me."
Ryuichi ran off without turning around.
Ryuichi forcefully opened the emergency door, as if he had a life in his hands that couldn't bear a moment's delay. He jogged toward the front desk, his heart pounding so hard he could barely hear it.
He approaches the receptionist-a young woman in a white uniform, looking at him quizzically:
"Please!" He said, placing his hands on the table, panting:
"My mom... Her name is Sera Ayajin... She just arrived... Where is she? What is her condition?"
The employee took a quick breath and started tapping on the keyboard. She looked at the screen, then said in a professional, but not unkind tone:
"She was admitted 12 minutes ago to ward C, third floor, room 317. She is currently stabilized, but under observation."
Confused, Ryuichi looked around as if the directions had suddenly become blurred symbols.
He asked her anxiously:
"Third floor... Where are the stairs? Or the elevator?"
She pointed to the right:
"Down the hall, the elevator is over there."
He thanked her hastily, then sprinted across the polished tiles, passing patients and visitors as if the distance between him and Room 317 was a path to his own heart.
Ryuichi stood in front of the door to Room 317, breathing heavily. His right hand trembled slightly as he raised it to the door handle, while Aura whispered softly in his ear:
"I remind you, rushing doesn't change the outcome, it blurs the details. Don't forget to see, not just reach."
He closed his eyes for a second, regained his breath, and slowly opened the door.
The room was quiet, sunlight filtered through the white curtains, and the heart monitor beeped monotonously and regularly.
There was a woman lying on the bed... with gray hair that had grown a little longer, and a face that looked tired but calm.
He didn't need to be asked.
With a shaky whisper, the word came out:
"Mom..."
But what he didn't expect... There was someone sitting next to her.
The girl slowly turned toward the door, her eyes meeting his shocked ones.
Mikiko Sato was sitting by the side of the bed, holding a glass of water in one hand and gently holding the woman's blanket in the other, as if she had been soothing her for moments.
Ryuichi's face paled, and his pulse quickened again, not out of worry this time... but out of deep surprise:
"...Miko?"
She looked at him with a slight smile.
Ryuichi hurriedly approached the bed. He knelt down next to his mother and gently took her hand, looking at her weary face. Her eyes were half-open, a tear glistening in them, but her smile remained steady.
"Mom... I'm here, are you... Are you okay?"
She squeezed his hand gently and whispered:
"I knew you would come, don't worry baby... It's just a minor pressure attack, the doctors said I'll be out in two days."
Ryuichi nodded slowly, trying to keep his tears from falling, then turned quickly to Miku, his tone a mixture of nervousness and reproach:
"Miku... Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you call me right away?"
Miku sighed lightly and pointed to her small bag on the chair:
"I forgot my phone in the lab, and I was accompanying your mother when she collapsed in front of the nearby grocery store. Luckily, I was visiting her after class to give her medicine she had forgotten to buy... Suddenly, I noticed that her face was yellowing and her balance was slipping, so I immediately called an ambulance."
Stunned, Ryuichi hesitantly said:
"But... How did you know she needed immediate transportation?"
Miku answered in a matter-of-fact, hushed voice:
"Your mother was experiencing symptoms similar to those of a transient ischemic attack, such as sudden dizziness and poor concentration. I had studied these cases before, and I knew that delaying would be dangerous. Someone called an ambulance and I escorted her here."
Then she added, her tone softening:
"I wasn't going to hide it, just... I ran out of time, and I couldn't leave her alone."
Ryuichi looked at Miku nervously, trying to calm down, but his anger and irritation didn't subside easily. The words came out with a pent-up intensity:
"I... I almost lost my mind, you know? When I heard the news from a strange number in the middle of the road... I couldn't even think."
Miku took a step closer, hands behind her back, her voice tilted regretfully:
"I know... I know you should have been the first to know. But I didn't want to add to your stress, especially after the exam... You know how much your mom depends on you."
Inside, Aura began to send subtle signals to his nervous system, creating a slight ripple in his chest and shoulders, with soothing verbal messages:
"Ryuichi... Your pulse rate is high, your stress level is threatening your clarity of thought. Remember: The priority now is reassurance, not calculation. You can talk later, but don't let anger steal the moment from you."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then exhaled deeply and said softly:
"Sorry, Miko. I shouldn't have yelled... Thank you for being with her."
Smiling tiredly, Miko said, gesturing to the bed:
"What's important now is that she regains her health, the rest can be taken care of."
At that moment, the door to the room quietly opened, and a doctor in his forties entered, carrying an electronic medical file and wearing a stethoscope over his shoulder. He took a quick glance at Ryuichi and Miku, then smiled:
"You're Mrs. Iagen's son, aren't you? I was about to call you... We have some findings and would like to talk to you... in private."
Ryuichi approached the bed, his eyes searching for any signs of pain on his mother's face, but her usual smile was there, albeit slightly pale.
She said in a warm tone, as she always used to break his tension:
"The world stopped because I was hospitalized? Son, I'm stronger than you think."
He leaned toward her, holding her hand gently, his voice hoarse:
"Mom... Don't say that, just the thought of something happening to you... I can't bear it."
She smiled and placed her other hand on his head, stroking his hair as she used to do when he was little:
"I'm fine now, just fatigue... Pressure and low sugar, nothing more. The doctor said I'm stable, they just need some tests to be sure."
Aura sent quiet pulses through his nervous system, then muttered in his mind:
"Life signs are stable, her words are consistent with the initial report. You can go with confidence."
Ryuichi slowly got up, then whispered:
"I'll go talk to the doctor, come right back."
The mother nodded with a slight smile, and said:
"Go, and be quiet. Don't start with the doctor in your usual manner."
He smiled, despite the anxiety, then turned and left the room, heading toward the doctor's office with a mixture of nervousness and hope.
Ryuichi entered the office, where the doctor was seated, reviewing electronic paperwork on a transparent screen in front of him. He raised his head with a professional smile:
"Welcome, Mr. Ryuichi, please come in."
Ryuichi sat down without returning the greeting, his voice sharp:
"What exactly happened to her?"
The doctor sighed, then turned the screen toward him to show a simple chart of the pressure level and the activity of some neurological markers:
"Severe hypotension, synchronized with physical and mental exhaustion. Nothing serious now, but she was about to go into a nervous spasm if she wasn't brought in in time."
He was silent for a moment, as if hesitating what to say next:
"...and there is only one thing that caught my attention in her scans. Unstable mana energy indicators appeared for very brief moments... like an anomalous oscillation signal."
Ryuichi arched his eyebrows:
"Are you saying that she was targeted by something?"
The doctor shook his head:
"No, I can't say for sure. Maybe it's just a glitch in the device, or... some kind of rare genetic reaction. I've only seen something similar once in an old archive, for a case recorded 18 years ago in my research lab, but it wasn't followed up then."
Aura whispered in his ear in a low, barely audible voice:
"Ryuichi, the mana fluctuation we observed in college... Isn't it the same as what the doctor is feeling right now? I remembered it immediately... this... is not human."
Ryuichi couldn't hide his confusion after this comparison. His heart began to beat faster with this uncanny resemblance between the two events.
Ryuichi couldn't hide his turmoil after this comparison. His heart began to beat faster with the uncanny resemblance between the two events.
"Do you think these things are connected?" Ryuichi asked, almost hearing his own voice echoing in his head.
Aura didn't answer right away, as she herself was in a whirlwind of thought. But moments later, her response was strangely profound:
"I can't quite remember, but it seems to me that there was something more than just a coincidence.
Ryuichi felt something cold in his chest, but he held it together.
The doctor said:
"I just need a few more tests to make sure she's completely fine. You don't need to worry."
Ryuichi nodded, but his chest began to tighten slightly... That word: "abnormal oscillation"... kept ringing in his ear.
Ryuichi walked out of the office, his mind buzzing with questions... And Aura looked more confused than he had ever seen her before.
On the way to his hospital room, Ryuichi's steps were heavy, though his feet moved quickly. His emotions were a mess: Concern for his mother, shock at the surprises, and uncertainty about everything.
Aura's voice interrupted his thoughts:
> "Ryuichi... I don't think it's wise to tell her about the wobble."
He answered her without looking around, but his features were taut:
> "I was thinking the same thing... I don't want her to worry more, especially after all she's been through."
Aura continued in a calm but cautious tone:
"There's something unnatural about these oscillations... and if they're connected to her, someone could be tracking it. Any conversation with her could open the door to something we can't control."
Ryuichi knitted his eyebrows and whispered as if talking to himself:
"This is more than just a disease... but you're right. I'll keep it between you and me until we find a real explanation."
Ryuichi quietly entered his room, and no sooner had he closed the door behind him than he heard his mother's soft voice calling him:
"Ryuichi... what did the doctor tell you?"
Pausing for a moment, he turned toward her and smiled a reassuring smile despite his inner turmoil.
"Nothing to worry about... just extreme fatigue and you need to rest, that's all."
His mother looked at him with eyes dull with fatigue, but smiled gently, as if she believed him, or at least wanted to believe him.
In the corner, Miku was standing silently watching the scene. She didn't say anything, but her eyes never left Ryuichi's face, as if she was weighing his words, watching his expression. A strange feeling came over her... something wasn't right.
Ryuichi noticed her gaze, but ignored it, heading toward his mother's bed, holding her hand:
"Rest now, mom... I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
In the back of his mind, Aura was also watching silently, memorizing every detail, memorizing every frequency.
After the atmosphere had calmed down a bit, Ryuichi's mother sat on the cushion, watching her son with the look of a mother who was tired but had not lost the warmth of tenderness.
"How did the exam go, Ryuichi? I haven't had a chance to ask you before..."
He smiled and approached her, sitting on the edge of the bed:
"It was good, don't worry. I was completely focused, and I think I did a good job."
She nodded in relief, but Ryuichi suddenly remembered what he had forgotten in the middle of the storm:
"Uh... wait, I just need to go to the restroom, I won't be late."
He got up, and as he turned toward the door he turned quietly, his eyes meeting Miku's for a fleeting moment. He nodded lightly. Miku, who had been watching silently, immediately understood the signal.
Moments later, Miku followed him into a side corridor of the house, stopping near the door leading to the back kitchen.
"What is it?" Miku asked, whispering.
He looked at her seriously and whispered:
"Today at the exam... the person who was watching me... wasn't just any proctor. It was Hiroshi."
Miku's eyes widened in surprise, but she held it together:
"Hiroshi? By himself? You're sure?"
Ryuichi nodded confidently:
"Yes. I can't be wrong. That explains a lot, Miku... and it's not just a coincidence."
Miko, with her hand on her arm, thought intently:
"If there's anyone worth keeping an eye on personally, it's Hiroshi... but he doesn't usually move without a solid reason."
Ryuichi:
"That's what worried me. Having him there was not a routine procedure. I felt like he was watching me specifically, not the rest of the students."
Miku:
"Did he say anything to you? Did he try to communicate?"
Ryuichi shook his head:
"No... He was completely silent, but he exchanged glances with me a couple of times. Like he wanted to communicate something... or confirm something."
Mikiko crossed her arms, her gaze growing sharper:
"Ryuichi... there's something you should know. You might not like it."
Ryuichi sharply:
"Say it."
Miko responds clearly and seriously:
"I think... Hiroshi has been watching you because he thinks you're Aura's manipulator."
There was a heavy silence, interrupted by a short gasp from Aura inside Ryuichi. He looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide:
"What? Me?! Again? I'm Aura's manipulator? Are you out of your minds?"
Miko:
"I didn't say I was sure... but there was a glitch that appeared in Aura's data, repeated more than once. Unprogrammed behavior, changes in priorities... Someone tampered with her system. No one knows about it. Even Aura doesn't know."
Ryuichi with a mixed feeling of anger and sadness:
"And did you tell Hiroshi that?"
Miku shakes her head:
"No. It was a secret. Only Kazuma and I noticed it. But Hiroshi... he acted like he knew himself. Maybe that's why he showed up today. He didn't tell anyone, and he didn't ask for a formal accusation. But he wanted to see how you behaved."
Ryuichi, with a grim face and hushed voice:
"And do you really think I'm... manipulating Aura?"
Miku looks at the floor for a moment, then responds:
"I don't want to believe it, but you're the only one who can interact with her like that... and no one understands how."
Then Aura's voice came into his mind, calm and clear:
> "Ryuichi... don't show your confusion. Don't let them see you're nervous. Deny everything... It's better for us right now."
Ryuichi muttered to himself:
> "Aura... are you listening?"
Aura answered:
> "Yes. And I trust you. But we can't reveal what we don't fully understand. Just stick to denial... let them think what they want until we know exactly what's going on."
Regaining some composure, Ryuichi took a deep breath, then raised his eyes to Miku:
"Miko, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't manipulate Aura, and I won't. I'm trying to understand what's going on myself."
Miko gave him a long look, as if trying to break through his defense, then said:
"Maybe... but I'll keep watching."
The conversation between Ryuichi and Miku was still charged with tension and suspicion.
Ryuichi's voice cracked:
"I told you... I didn't do anything. Aura appeared to me herself in front of you at the symposium. I didn't program her... I didn't manipulate her."
Mikiko pushed her glasses back a little, then said:
"But no one else can do what you do... that's what scares me."
Before he could say another word, the air was suddenly permeated with this heavy sensation...
A strange fluctuation in mana, a cold wave passed through his body like thunder... and then time stopped for a moment.
Aura's voice inside his head, sharp and piercing:
"Ryuichi...! The waves are back... only this time they're stronger!"
His eyes suddenly widened, his gaze froze, and he stared at the door to his mother's room.
"Over there... it's coming from my mom's room...!"
At the same moment, the medical staff began to move with suspicious speed. Quiet alarms began to sound. Doctors and nurses rush into Sera's room.
Miku unconsciously gasped to herself, then looked at Ryuichi in amazement:
"Did... did your mother's mana get sensitized?"
Ryuichi didn't answer, his breath was quickening, his body taking one step and then another...
With an inner iconic voice, he muttered:
"No... not now... Mom...!"
And Aura in her confused voice:
"This... isn't fully human mana... it's... fragmented... uncommonly wobbly..."
Ryuichi took off, running without thinking. Miku followed quickly, also sensing that something unnatural was happening.
The two arrived in front of the room, its door partially open, one of the doctors shouting:
"Give me the biostimulator quickly! Pressure's dropping!"