Youko had a dream.
In her dream, she was attacked by nightmares that had taken the form of her illness.
They circled around her with menacing claws and sharp fangs, tearing at her and biting her flesh, inflicting unbearable pain.
She tried desperately to fight back, but it was futile. Her strength was too feeble—she couldn't escape their encirclement, nor could she change the situation even slightly.
All she could do was instinctively curl up, hoping to slow the collapse of her body.
Then, suddenly, the dark sky was torn open by a burst of radiant light, shining directly down upon her.
The nightmares let out ear-piercing shrieks as they disintegrated into black smoke and vanished.
Covered in wounds, she gazed at the brilliant light, only to feel an abrupt sensation of weightlessness—her footing gave way, and she plunged into a body of water that was incomparably warm.
The panic within her quickly faded. To her astonishment, she realized that the excruciating pain that had wracked her body was gone.
The water enveloping her entire being flowed gently across her limbs and bones, as if it were healing her.
She surrendered to the sensation, and in the midst of this soothing experience, she gradually lost consciousness and closed her eyes.
When she slowly reopened them, the dream had ended, and she had returned to reality.
The first thing she saw was a young man standing just inches away from her.
And his fingers… were touching the inside of her lower lip and her teeth.
Given that he was her daughter's boyfriend, Youko's initial reaction was that their current posture might be a little inappropriate.
So, after a brief moment of thought, she didn't dwell on it and, true to her usual nature, made a playful remark.
But thinking about it now, Youko couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed a crucial opportunity.
If she had seized his wrist at that moment and gazed into his eyes with utmost seriousness, wouldn't she have caught him off guard and forced him to reveal a slip—one that could have clued her in on the meaning behind his actions?
What exactly had he been doing to her mouth?
Her body had completely healed in just a matter of hours…
Could it have been because of him?
Could this unbelievable, miraculous event have happened to her because of something he did?
Thinking back carefully—Miyoko, Ohara-san, even Kazusa—when they first entered the hospital room and saw her, each of them looked utterly grief-stricken. Their faces were filled with sorrow.
But as for Chisato…
He hadn't shown any particularly unusual reactions. His demeanor was similar to the others; he spoke a few words to her by the bedside.
Yet, for some reason, Youko couldn't shake the feeling that, unlike the others, he wasn't truly grieving for her from the bottom of his heart.
After speaking with her, he naturally stepped aside to give Kazusa space.
He stood by the bedside, his brows slightly furrowed, gazing out the window into the distance—almost as if something was troubling him…
What had been on his mind?
Had her illness inconvenienced him?
Or was he troubled by something else?
For instance…
Perhaps he knew how to improve her condition, but because others were present, he had been trying to figure out how to get everyone to leave so he could be alone with her.
And conveniently, it would be best if she were unconscious at that moment… something like that.
Youko furrowed her brows and rubbed her temples.
Most of what she was thinking about now was just speculation, and it might not mean anything.
She also understood that if things were really as she suspected—if Chisato had indeed played a role in her miraculous recovery—then even if she confronted him again, he would likely just brush it off with another excuse, just as he had done before.
Even so, Youko was desperate to uncover the truth behind her sudden recovery.
For those who wronged her, she believed in repaying them tenfold.
And for those who saved her life…
If it really was Chisato who helped her, there was no way she would let him enjoy the satisfaction of being a hidden hero all on his own.
It would be difficult, but with the right approach, uncovering the truth wasn't impossible.
After Dr. Takayanagi left the hospital room, it was already past three in the morning.
Youko turned her head, glancing at Kazusa sleeping soundly on the accompanying bed. Then, she looked at Chisato, wrapped snugly in a blanket and fast asleep on the sofa.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips.
…
Early the next morning, the results from the blood tests Dr. Takayanagi had requested from other hospitals the night before were delivered to his email inbox in the form of electronic documents.
At that moment, he had been dozing off at his desk in the attending physician's office.
The ringing of his phone startled him awake. He adjusted his glasses, answered the call while expressing his thanks, and quickly moved his mouse to open his inbox.
There were multiple test reports from different hospitals, and he meticulously reviewed them one by one.
At the end of it, he leaned back in his chair, his face blank with disbelief.
In the span of just a few hours, his entire worldview had shattered, been reconstructed, and then shattered once more.
"What the hell…? Everything I've learned about medicine over the past few decades… what does it even mean now?"
Norimasa muttered self-mockingly. But after a few minutes, he ultimately removed his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a wry smile.
No matter what, if his crumbling worldview meant that Youko was cured, then it was a trade well worth making.
The reports from the other hospitals weren't much different from the one from his own hospital the night before.
This confirmed it—just yesterday, Youko had still been suffering from leukemia, with severe organ damage.
Even if a bone marrow transplant had been performed, the chances of success were only around 20%.
And even if the surgery succeeded, her remaining lifespan—due to rejection reactions, organ failure, and other complications—was theoretically less than five years.
But now, she has made a full recovery.
And it had happened within mere hours.
At this point, there was no use dwelling on it anymore. What mattered most was delivering this joyous news to Youko and her family as soon as possible.
Norimasa stood up, walked to the door, and rubbed his greasy face.
After thinking for a moment, he turned around and headed for the bathroom—he might as well wash his face before going.
Meanwhile, in the hospital room…
After Youko woke up, Chisato pulled back the curtains, while Kazusa took the breakfast porridge brought by the nurse and carefully fed her mother by the window.
Given Youko's current physical condition, not to mention drinking porridge, she could easily get out of bed, do several sets of squats, and even jump rope.
However, she deliberately chose not to reveal this, enjoying her daughter's rare display of attentiveness—something she had never experienced before.
This was also part of the plan she intended to execute.
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