Is There a Problem? - Part 1: Emotions and Controls

When morning came, Mika had prepared to leave. He checked his phone. It had been about half an hour since he received Saya's message saying, "I'm coming out!"  Saya knocked on the door. Mika opened.

"Are you ready?" Mika asked. He was wearing a pink dress.

"Yes, let's go."

At that moment, Mika's grandmother also came to the front door.

"Good morning, Saya, wow, you look beautiful!" She looked at Saya.

"Good morning, Aunt Ava, th-thank you." Saya's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at Mika, silently hoping for his approval.

"Hey, Mika. Why don't you compliment Saya?" Aunt Ava said, smiling.

"W-Well, I don't really want to do something like that-"

Mika hesitated for a moment, his practical nature conflicting with the idea of compliments. "I'm not one for giving compliments, but... I must admit, you look beautiful."

Saya started looking down, feeling embarrassed.

"T-Thank you."

Mika's grandmother walked toward Saya from the entrance and hugged her.

Grandma approached Saya with a warm smile, embracing her in a gentle hug.

 "Take care, dear. It was lovely to meet you, Saya. Thank you for being there for Mika. But remember, don't push yourself too hard," Grandma whispered, her voice filled with genuine care.

"Hey, what did you say to her again?" Mika asked casually.

"It's a secret." Grandma looked at Saya and smiled. Saya felt embarrassed and confused as she looked at Grandma.

"O-Okay, thank you, Aunt Ava."

After saying their goodbyes, Mika and Saya walked together to the front of the garage.

"What are we going with?"

"Bicycles."

"W-What? Is it close?"

"It's kind of close, it will take about 20 minutes by bike."

"IT'S NOT CLOSE AT ALL!" Saya said in astonishment. 

"Hey Mika, tell me, why don't you want to go by public transportation? If it's okay for you, of course."

Mika thought for a while.

I guess if I don't explain, I'll keep getting this question.

"Do you remember when I told you about an incident that happened to my mom?"

"The car accident? Yes, I remember."

"The thing is, I was in that car too."

"What? Were you injured?" Saya asked in astonishment and wonder.

"Well, apart from minor scratches and a slight shock from the impact, no, I was on the other side of the car. The driver's side was hit. Long story short, after that incident, I can't get in a car or use public transportation in any way."

Saya looked at Mika in disbelief. She stared at him silently for a while, not knowing what to say.

"M-Mika, I-I didn't know. I'm so sorry I'm so, so sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have pushed you this much."  Saya's voice came across as regretful and saddened as she asked.

"It's okay, I was the one who didn't tell you, so you don't have to feel bad."

Mika unlocked the bicycle lock and prepared it.

"If you're ready, shall we go?"

"W-What? Oh yes, sure..."

They got on their bikes together and started heading to the hospital.

***

They finally arrived at the hospital. Mika was sweating.

"You made it! Congratulations," Saya said, her voice filled with genuine pride.

Mika replied breathlessly, 

"Yeah."

They entered the hospital together and started waiting. While sitting next to each other, Mika noticed that Saya was acting strangely.

 "Are you okay, Saya?"

Saya's voice trembled with a touch of anxiety as she replied, 

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Is something... wrong?"

"You seem a bit different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, like you're excited and stressed."

"H-How did you notice?" Saya stammered, her curiosity piqued.

"Well, I used to feel that way when I was younger, and you know, I can observe people, you know?"

"Right, sorry, yes, I'm stressed because of you."

"Why?"

"Why? You know... I don't even know what it is, I'm curious."

"Don't worry, I'm fine, it's just a routine check-up. That's all."

"But why every month? Wasn't the surgery a long time ago?"

"Yeah, but I think it's related to the area where the tumor used to be. Since I had a tumor in the Amygdala in the past, they probably want to monitor it regularly."

"Hmm, I didn't quite understand, but never mind..."

At that moment, the doctor came out of the room and saw Mika and Saya.

"Hello, Mika."

"Hello, Kota."

"Kota?" Saya found it odd that Mika only used Kota's name.

"He's our family doctor, he prefers to be called that way."

"Hello, I'm Doctor Kota." Kota reached out his hand to shake hands with Saya.

"H-Hello, I'm Saya. It's nice to meet you," Saya said, extending her hand to shake Kota's.

"Nice to meet you too. So, your grandmother or mother isn't here today? Saya, is she your...?"

"My friend."

"Oh... a friend, I see. I thought you brought your girlfriend to the doctor's appointment for a moment, hehe, but it was a mistake, sorry."

"G-G-Girlfriend?" Saya blushed, her cheeks turning rosy.

"Anyway, what are we going to do today?" Mika asked, disregarding the conversation and asking his own question.

"Yeah, right, let's start with a general examination. Saya, if you want, you can sit on the side or wait outside."

"I'll sit here. No need to go outside." Saya sat there, curious and stressed, observing the examination silently.

As Kota conducted the examination quietly, he whispered to Mika, "Is she quite dominant?"

"What?" Mika asked.

Kota chuckled softly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

"Couldn't help but notice, she seems to have quite an influence on you. Am I wrong?"

"Yeah, it's possible, to some degree," Mika replied, his voice calm and measured.

"Why don't you resist?" Kota asked, his tone filled with curiosity.

"Why don't I resist? Well... I simply don't want to upset her, I suppose."

"Hmm, not wanting and I guess, huh? Alright then." Kota suddenly became serious.

"Alright, Mika, you can sit over there," Kota pointed with his hand and then sat at the computer, typing something. He continued speaking, "Today, if it's convenient for you, I'm planning to have a brain tomography done. I think the last one was about 7 months ago."

"Sure, I'm available. I didn't have any plans for today anyway, since I knew I was coming to the hospital."

"Great, I'm glad to hear that. Then, we can take you right away," Kota finished typing, looked at Mika and Saya, said, 

"Follow me, please."