Something UNUSUAL

    The nurses sat Mirai down in an examination room, with one quickly stating that she’d go review the personnel database before exiting the room. Meanwhile the other nurse began reaching for what looked to be some sort of monitoring device. “We’ll have a doctor come see you soon,” she murmured as she fixated the machine to Mirai’s head, only for Mirai to quickly grab hold of the nurse’s arm. “It has to be her!” she exclaimed, throwing the nurse into a bout of confusion, “I won’t talk to anyone else,” before dragging the device off.

     Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, the nurse questioned if Mirai was aware of when she last spoke to the doctor, but Mirai simply shook her head.

“Umm,” the nurse yearned her neck as she looked around the room in search of something. “I’m not sure who this Doctor Tsumi is, so when a doctor does come you can ask-”

“I don’t want to talk to another doctor; I WANT TO TALK TO HER!”

     Mirai clenched her grip tighter around the nurse’s arm, sinking her fingers into her skin. Frightened, the nurse pulled away, dropping the monitoring device to the floor. Clutching her arm in her hand as she massaged the pain away, the terrified nurse found herself struggling to look away from Mirai’s daunting glare. “Psychiatrist,” Mirai stated, “she’s a psychiatrist.”

     Reluctant, the nurse nodded her head as a faint “okay” escaped her mouth. I’ll go call for her and try and get her to you.”

     As the nurse stepped out of the room, Mirai swiftly made an exit and began navigating her way through the hospital corridors. All converging into a staunch image of birth, life, and death. A child, just born into the ever-changing world; the living person, clinging so desperately to their already fractured selves; and the lingering aura of the now deceased, ridded of the pain brought on by the horrors of society.

     Slowing her steps as she met with two employees bending the corner towards her, Mirai glanced down at herself, noting that she was the only person walking around in plain clothing. The two employees stared on as Mirai ominously looked towards them: her endearing presence filling the narrow hallway. Just as she shifted her foot towards the two’s direction, a deep and weighted voice bellowed from the far end of the hall. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. I tell the nurses to never leave a patient unattended, yet here we are.”

     A young doctor casually stepped forward, his every step prominent as the sounds of his feet grew closer. Mirai was peering at the two employees as the man’s steps came to a stop just a few feet from her. She gave a quiet nod as the employees cautiously went on about their way, before turning to face the man in front of her.

     Mirai stared at him in the eyes with a stern look, but the doctor simply turned his back and headed down the hall. Confused by his unusual behavior, she steadily followed behind him, and as they approached a door, she questioned “Do we know each other?” With his hand firmly gripping the doorknob, he said, “You do look very familiar, that much I can say.” Intrigued, Mirai fixed her lips to interrogate the man, but found her words lodged in her throat as the doctor beat her to the line.

“You seem to be dealing with a lot today.”

     He then pushed the door open and stepped into an office. One that eerily resembled Yukue’s study back at her home. As he took a seat behind the desk, he slightly leaned back into his chair and watched Mirai as she stood frozen in the doorway.

     She let the edge in her demeanor settle before responding with a stern voice, “I was hoping that coming to this place would help with that.”

     The doctor audibly exhaled through his nose as he rested his arms atop the desk, “Mind telling me what you’re looking for?” he probed. Mirai gazed at him as she stepped into his office. Reaching for the door handle, she eased it shut and stated bluntly, “I’m just a patient.”

     “I have a feeling your definition of ‘patient’ is skewed,” the doctor cautioned. Mirai, still twisting the doorknob in her palm, retorted, “It really all depends on perspective.”

     Back at the lobby, Shiyui tremblingly gripped a tablet in her hand ripe with the words SHIYUI GENSHI, followed by PATIENT ID: GRCH38.

“Huh?”

     “Hey!” she bellowed, grabbing onto the nurse’s arm just before she could walk away, “I’m not actually the patient here.”

     The nurse turned to her with an easing smile, politely replying, “Oh, just fill out the form for now, and we’ll manage the issue within the system.”

     Shiyui returned a blank grin to the nurse who struggled to fight the awkward air brewing between them. “Why would I fill out the form if I’m not a patient…? So, yeah… Maybe we could save the form for after my friend gets her brain stitched back up?”

     Letting her anxiety imbue her with a feeling of frustration, Shiyui then passively snipped, “Honestly, are you allowed to just take personal information?” as she gestured towards the scanner at the entrance.

     With a delayed chuckle, the nurse kindly tapped the bottom of the tablet which displayed a check mark beside text about data access.

Prior consent to personal data provision has been granted by the patient. For questions regarding data and privacy, please contact the Inagi Municipal Office.

“Staff can diagnose your ailment once they run the examination, but for our internal filing system we just need you to fill out what trouble you’re having that brought you here today.”

     Hearing this, Shiyui nearly blurted out how Mirai was the patient, but choked on her tongue as she thought to herself, Secret mission!

     Now caught in a twist, Shiyui resorted to following up with another drawn-on grin.

     “You should start talking,” the doctor then repeated as he switched on the lamp beside him and calmly tapped his fingers on the surface of the desk. He then gestured towards the chair in front of him, and as Mirai solemnly indulged him, she locked the door and stepped towards the doctor. Standing over the chair and looking down upon him.

     Leaning back in his seat he returned a similar gaze towards her. “What was so important you needed to sneak your way into the medical ward?”

“I need to know who my sister’s patients were.”

“Patients? As in, she was a doctor here?”

“You’re pretty good at deduction.”

     The doctor followed with a small acquiescing gesture before continuing, “Excuse me if I’m being curt, it’s just... I’m not quite following what you’re saying to me.”

     A waft of confusion touched upon Mirai’s conscience, but she soon found herself stuck focusing on the footsteps coming down the hall.

“You wanna tell me what it is that I said that’s so confusing to you?” she returned to the doctor.

“You know, you won’t accomplish much if your mind is as rigid as it is,” he measuredly stated.

“I’m not good with taking advice from strangers,” Mirai pressured.

Kerchuk

     The door handle began to shuffle back and forth, drawing Mirai’s attentions as she briefly glanced over her shoulder before turning back towards the doctor. Raising from his seat, the doctor straightened his coat and stepped out from behind his desk. I’ll keep all of that in mind the next time I catch you randomly lurking through the halls,” he peppered as he gestured towards the door.

     Finding his demeanor unnerving, Mirai quipped, “I thought we were having a conversation?” Looking at her with a defeated grimace, the doctor slipped in one witty remark of his own, “I thought you didn’t want to talk to strangers,” before once again nodding towards the door.

With the rattling carrying on endlessly, Mirai figured she’d acquiesce for the time being. But as Mirai finally swung the door open, she was surprisingly met by…

No one.