Around 2 p.m., Norimasa returned to the hospital room.
"Kazusa, I suddenly have a craving for pudding."
Youko's request came out of nowhere.
Kazusa immediately refused.
"Mom, until we're certain about your condition, you should hold off for now."
Although Dr. Takayanagi had mentioned last night that her mother's condition seemed to have fully recovered, he had also added that there was a possibility of a machine malfunction causing the abnormal results.
In the morning, Norimasa had only shared the latest test results with Youko alone, leaving Kazusa still feeling anxious and uncertain.
At this moment, Norimasa cleared his throat and interjected.
"Given Youko's current condition, a little bit of pudding shouldn't be an issue."
Since even the doctor said so, there was no way to argue further.
"I'll go buy it. Youko-san, what flavor would you like?"
Chisato spoke up voluntarily.
From earlier, his phone had been buzzing in his pocket from time to time, likely messages from the various girls around him.
Youko's request had conveniently provided him with an excuse to step away from Kazusa and avoid dealing with those messages—a perfect opportunity he couldn't pass up.
"Get a variety of flavors. Also, pick up some grapes from the fruit store. Thank you, Suzumiya-kun. I'll reimburse you when you get back."
"No need. I rushed here yesterday and didn't bring any get-well gifts. Consider this making up for it."
Just as Chisato was about to leave, Kazusa grabbed his wrist.
"I'll go with you."
"No need, Kazusa. Someone should stay with Youko-san. You keep her company—I'll be back soon."
Hearing this, Kazusa nodded and said no more.
Chisato left the hospital room, successfully sent away as per Youko's plan.
This hospital was located far from the city center. Once outside the hospital gates, one had to walk quite a distance to reach the shopping district.
Buying pudding from a store, then heading to a fruit shop for grapes—factoring in both the time spent shopping and the walk there and back—it would take at least half an hour.
That was plenty of time.
However, there was still one uninformed person left in the room.
Youko used the same old trick, looking at her daughter.
"Kazusa, could you step outside for a bit? I have something to discuss with Dr. Takayanagi."
This time, Kazusa didn't obediently leave like she had in the morning.
She looked skeptical, her gaze shifting between Norimasa and her mother.
"I already felt something was off this morning. Mom, is there something going on between you and Dr. Takayanagi? You keep trying to send me away to talk in private."
"There's nothing like that, Kazusa. We just—"
"Is it your condition? Has something worsened?"
The sudden thought struck her, making her immediately anxious. She turned to Norimasa, her emotions growing more intense.
"Dr. Takayanagi, is that it?"
"Uh…"
Norimasa raised a hand but hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
Youko sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
"It's not what you think, Kazusa—"
"Then let me stay. Stop keeping secrets from me."
"You already hid it from me once! If it weren't for Ms. Miyoko calling me, I wouldn't have even known how serious your condition had gotten!"
Kazusa had long been upset with her mother for hiding her illness.
She had kept those feelings to herself before because she didn't want to add to the burden of a sick mother, forcing her to worry about Kazusa's emotions on top of enduring her illness.
But now, yet again, her mother was trying to push her away, keeping things from her. This time, Kazusa couldn't stand it anymore.
Seeing her daughter's emotional outburst, Youko smiled—a mix of frustration and affection.
Norimasa also spoke up.
"Youko, Kazusa is your daughter. It's okay for her to know, isn't it?"
Indeed, there should be no secrets between a mother and her daughter.
But Youko didn't want Kazusa to know the truth behind her miraculous recovery. She had her own concerns.
However, under these circumstances, it seemed impossible to keep hiding it.
She could only hope that what she feared wouldn't come to pass in the future.
"I understand."
Youko compromised.
She beckoned with her hand, and the sulking Kazusa quickly suppressed her dissatisfaction and sat beside her.
"What I'm about to discuss with Dr. Takayanagi is extremely important."
"If you can promise to sit here quietly, no matter what we talk about, and keep your curiosity in check without interrupting, then I'll let you stay."
"I promise."
Hearing her mother's words, Kazusa nodded immediately, like a chick pecking at grains.
"Alright, that settles it."
Youko withdrew her hand from patting her daughter's head and looked toward Norimasa Takayanagi.
"Let's get started as soon as possible. I hope we can finish before Suzumiya-kun returns."
Norimasa Takayanagi nodded, turned to lock the hospital room door, then walked over to the television.
He took out a USB drive from his pocket, plugged it in, and picked up the remote to operate something.
Meanwhile, Kazusa Touma was filled with questions.
Strange… aren't they supposed to be discussing Mom's condition?
What are they going to watch?
Since she had already promised her mother, Kazusa could only suppress her confusion and fix her gaze on the television.
As the screen displayed the footage, her initial doubts were soon answered.
The TV screen showed a clear overhead view of the hospital bed, with the surrounding area gradually expanding outward.
And lying in that bed was none other than her mother, Youko. Kazusa also saw other familiar people on the screen.
Miss Miyoko, Dr. Takayanagi, herself, and Chisato.
It was a surveillance recording from this very hospital room.
Kazusa instinctively raised her head, searching for the camera's location.
There was a camera in here?
The timestamp in the bottom right corner of the screen indicated that this footage was from yesterday evening.
Why is Mom watching this now?
"Mom…"
"…"
Kazusa couldn't hold back and was about to speak, but the moment she met her mother's serious gaze, she remembered her promise.
Gritting her teeth, she shut her mouth and refrained from voicing her doubts.
Now that her daughter had settled down, Youko took the remote from Norimasa.
Chisato would return in about half an hour. She didn't have much time, but fortunately, the TV had a fast-forward function.
She first set it to 2x speed, but finding it too slow, she silently increased it to 8x.
At this speed, everyone in the hospital room moved in an absurdly fast manner.
How can you see anything like this?
Kazusa watched in complete confusion.
Every time she wanted to say something, she glanced at her mother and Dr. Takayanagi's solemn expressions and had no choice but to sit obediently and continue watching with them.
But her curiosity only grew stronger.
Suddenly, Youko pressed a button, rewinding the footage and reducing the playback speed.
At this point in the video, Norimasa and Miyoko had already left, leaving only Youko, Kazusa, Chisato, and the nurse.
The nurse could be seen clearly, feeding Youko her medication and giving some reminders before leaving with her tray.
Due to the sedative in the medicine, Youko soon closed her eyes.
Kazusa initially stayed by her mother's side, but after Chisato whispered something to her, she stood up and left the bed, disappearing from the camera's view.
Youko paused the video and turned to her daughter.
"What did Suzumiya-kun say to you at that time?"
"He asked if I wanted to wash my face, saying it might help me feel more awake."
"I see…"
Youko didn't press further and resumed the playback.
Since this involved Chisato, she disabled fast-forwarding.
As they watched, Kazusa's eyes slowly widened in disbelief.
Wait… Chisato, what are you trying to do to my mom?!
On the screen, as soon as Kazusa left, Chisato immediately leaned over the hospital bed, lowering his upper body toward the sleeping Youko and reaching out with both hands.
His actions made it blatantly clear that he was attempting something.
From the overhead camera angle, the scene looked as if he was trying to steal a kiss from Youko!
Kazusa covered her mouth with her hands.
Then, startled by a sudden noise, Chisato hurriedly withdrew, his panicked reaction making him seem all the more suspicious.
The nurse reappeared in the frame—she had returned to retrieve the thermometer she had forgotten earlier.
Chisato spoke to her casually, as if nothing had happened.
Kazusa was completely frozen.
Norimasa appeared deep in thought.
Only Youko seemed amused, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She continued watching.
Chisato didn't make any further moves, likely because Kazusa had returned.
Some time later, Chisato left the room and came back carrying snacks.
After handing some to Kazusa, he began pouring her water at an unusually frequent rate.
At the time, Kazusa hadn't thought much of it, but now, watching the footage, she realized something was off.
Sure enough, after watching herself drink too much water and head to the restroom, leaving the bedside, Chisato once again made his move.
Just like before, he leaned in close to the sleeping Youko, cautiously lowering his upper body and stretching out his hands…
"That bastard—"
"Kazusa, do you remember what I told you when I was teaching you piano? That you must always remain patient."
Just as Kazusa was about to curse in frustration at realizing she had completely misjudged Chisato, Youko interrupted her before she could finish.
"Remember what you just promised me? Be patient and watch till the end."
"…"
Kazusa clenched her fists, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She recalled all her past interactions with Chisato and realized she might have overreacted.
Suppressing her anger and doubts, she forced herself to keep watching.
Then, the next moment, all three of them—Kazusa, Youko, and Norimasa—felt their hearts skip a beat at the same time.
On the screen, Chisato's back blocked their view of his hands, making it impossible to see what he was doing.
However, in a fleeting moment, something flashed on screen—a brief glimpse of Chisato's right hand, holding something pinched between his fingers.
"Youko, rewind! Rewind!"
"You don't need to tell me!"
Youko rewound the footage to that exact moment.
Kazusa and Youko both leaned forward, widening their eyes in an attempt to see more clearly.
Norimasa even took a few steps closer, pressing up against the television screen.
The three of them fell silent, staring at the image for several long seconds.
Then, Youko pressed play again.
Now that they had identified what Chisato was holding, his actions no longer seemed so suspicious.
With force, he pried open Youko's mouth with his left hand.
With his right hand, he placed the object inside.
Then, he deliberately lowered his head, seemingly checking to see if she swallowed it.
Finally, he stepped back, revealing Youko's face on the hospital bed.
Her lips, which had been tightly shut before, were now slightly parted.
Shortly after, as he stepped forward again, Youko opened her eyes.
"Heh… Haha…"
Youko chuckled softly.
At last, the mystery of her seemingly miraculous recovery had been solved.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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