Chisato went into the bathroom to freshen up.
Taking advantage of this moment, Youko shook her head slightly, signaling that she didn't want any more porridge.
She then softly asked Kazusa:
"Kazusa, about Chisato-kun… After I fell asleep last night, did you two secretly get intimate here?"
She deliberately started the conversation with such an ambiguous topic, intending to conceal her true objective.
It wasn't that she didn't trust her daughter, but Youko understood Kazusa's personality well. She wasn't unintelligent, but she was too simple-minded.
If Kazusa carelessly mentioned this conversation to her boyfriend later, it might make him more vigilant—which was not what Youko wanted.
By starting with such an intimate topic, there was no need to worry.
Unlike her mother, Kazusa wasn't as open-minded and would absolutely never discuss such things with her boyfriend.
Just as Youko expected, the moment Kazusa heard the word "intimate," her face turned slightly red.
Since her mother was a patient, she refrained from arguing back like she usually would and instead responded in a much milder tone:
"Mom, you're still in this condition. How could I possibly be in the mood for that?"
"In other words, if I were just suffering from a common cold, would you be in the mood?"
"Don't twist my words! Also, Mom, you should really focus on resting right now instead of thinking about such nonsense!"
"How can my own daughter's love life be considered nonsense?"
Youko smiled, then smoothly steered the conversation toward the information she truly wanted to know.
"If you weren't getting intimate last night, then what were you two doing?"
"What could we possibly do here? It was just normal stuff—I stayed by your side, and when the nurse came in, I helped her take your temperature and such."
"And what about Chisato-kun? He's a teenage boy—shouldn't he be thinking about being close to his girlfriend at all times?"
"Don't project your past experiences onto Chisato."
If only he were as passionate as you say… Kazusa thought to herself.
Even when we stayed at a hotel together before, he didn't lay a finger on me.
Kazusa placed the unfinished porridge on the bedside table and continued,
"As for him, he wasn't just sitting around doing nothing."
"When he saw that I hadn't eaten much during the day, he left the room at night to buy me some snacks from the vending machine."
"Then, when he saw that I was getting thirsty, he kept pouring me water several times."
"I see."
Youko didn't obtain any concrete information from her daughter.
However, given her preconceived suspicions, she couldn't help but connect some of what Kazusa just said with her own thoughts.
For instance, perhaps Chisato deliberately bought snacks that would make Kazusa thirsty, thereby ensuring she kept drinking water—which in turn increased her chances of going to the restroom.
That way, he could create more opportunities to be alone with Youko.
But ultimately, this was just speculation. She still lacked solid evidence.
While she was deep in thought, Chisato finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom.
Youko smiled at him and casually asked him to turn on the television.
Shortly after, Norimasa entered the hospital room. He was smiling warmly, just about to say something when Youko slightly shook her head, stopping him.
Norimasa immediately understood and turned to Kazusa and Chisato.
"Apologies, but could you two step outside for a moment? There's something I need to discuss with Youko in private."
Since they weren't just doctor and patient but also old acquaintances, Chisato had no objections.
Kazusa, though slightly displeased, still allowed her boyfriend to lead her out of the room.
Once the two of them had left, Norimasa spoke.
"Youko, congratulations. We can now confirm that your body has completely recovered."
"So it really is true…"
Youko murmured to herself, then looked at him seriously.
"Norimasa-kun, I need you to do me a favor."
Norimasa nodded.
"What is it?"
"There are surveillance cameras in my hospital room, right?"
"That's right. They're linked to the fire alarm system and positioned directly toward your bed."
Under normal circumstances, hospital rooms wouldn't have surveillance cameras, as that would be an invasion of privacy.
However, this hospital wasn't a typical public facility. Its fees were significantly higher than those of standard hospitals, meaning that most of its patients were either wealthy or influential.
Years ago, an elderly patient had been admitted here. Due to a dispute over inheritance, one of his sons grew resentful.
One night, the son secretly visited his father to renegotiate the inheritance.
However, when things didn't go as he wished, he lost his temper and smothered his father with a pillow.
It took three whole months of police investigation before the truth was uncovered.
During that time, the son—like a true hypocrite—accused the hospital of negligence, claiming that their poor care had led to his father's sudden death.
He even attempted to sue the hospital for compensation.
For those three months, the hospital was engulfed in controversy, its reputation taking a severe hit.
Fortunately, when the truth came to light, the hospital was finally cleared of any wrongdoing.
After that incident, in order to prevent similar occurrences and to provide security for other patients, the hospital installed surveillance cameras in its rooms.
Every admitted patient was informed of this and required to sign a related agreement before their stay.
Youko had signed such an agreement when she was admitted, so she knew for a fact that her room had a surveillance camera.
But Kazusa and Chisato had no idea.
They wouldn't have expected that a private hospital room would have a surveillance camera.
And this was the key to uncovering the truth.
I wonder if the kind soul who cured me was truly so meticulous—so clever—that they managed to avoid exposing a single flaw, even under the watchful eye of the surveillance camera.
"I want the surveillance footage of my hospital room from last night—every single minute of it."
Youko made her request.
Norimasa was no fool. After a brief moment of thought, he understood what she was implying.
"You suspect that your recovery wasn't a miracle of your own making, but rather that someone did something to you?"
"Exactly. Rather than believing in some vague and illusory deities, I'd rather believe that there are people in this world with extraordinary abilities."
"...That's not necessarily any easier to accept than the former."
"That depends on perspective. So, Norimasa-kun, you'll help me, right?"
Norimasa let out a bitter smile.
"I would love to help you, but I'm a doctor. Surveillance footage falls under the jurisdiction of the hospital's security department—I have no authority over it."
Youko smiled faintly, showing no sign of disappointment.
"That may be true, but as the highly esteemed head of the hospital's medical department, I'm sure you can find a way."
"You..."
Norimasa shook his head with a helpless chuckle and stood up.
"Don't get your hopes up too much. I can't guarantee success."
"Got it. Just don't make me wait too long."
Norimasa turned and left. As he did, Kazusa, who had been waiting outside, pushed the door open and walked in.
She looked at her mother with concern, asking what she had just discussed with the doctor.
Youko calmly stroked her daughter's head and smiled, brushing it off as an unimportant conversation about the past.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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