Chapter 20 - Frustration and Incompetence
And now, currently. After carrying the unconscious Alicia, Genkō gave a brief explanation of the situation to Risu along with Mio. What was said afterward was simply the word “rest.” Normally, Mikoyuki would have gone home or followed Misogi and the others, but this time was different. As soon as Mikoyuki arrived at the hospital, he was rushed to the intensive care unit, and now, Genkō was facing Mikoyuki’s doctor—
“What do you mean by restricting Mikoyuki’s ability usage!? Is Mikoyuki going to recover?”
“Y-Yes… He will recover, but ‘complete recovery’ is impossible.”
“……..?”
For a moment, Genkō couldn’t understand what the elderly man who introduced himself as Mikoyuki’s doctor meant.
The doctor cleared his throat and, while looking at the medical records, explained the situation to Genkō.
“Yes, indeed. His current condition is severe. If it were external injuries, we could manage. However, the issue is the inside of his body—his internal organs.”
“Internal organs… Is it a disease or something?”
“It’s not a disease. If it were a disease, we could treat it immediately. …In his case, it’s a bit different. Although it appears to be healed, damage remains in his body. Genkō, have you ever had a ‘fracture’?”
“I’ve had fractures frequently since I was young—arms, legs, and even finger bones.”
Genkō, who had been a rambunctious child, reflected on his past mistakes while speaking. Hearing this, the doctor presented a small human model in front of Genkō.
“There are several processes for bone fracture repair. The process involves three stages: ‘inflammatory phase,’ ‘repair phase,’ and finally ‘remodeling phase.’ The bone returns to its original state after going through these stages. What we can do is to complete these stages as quickly as possible.”
Healing-type ‘enhancement abilities’ generally only enhance others’ self-healing abilities.
Some ability users can even revive lost flesh, but that’s an exception, and generally, everyone is like this.
“So, if during the repair process, the same area fractures again… what do you think will happen?”
“What will happen… It’s obvious that it will start over from the beginning.”
Genkō, turning the round chair half a turn, said with undisguised irritation, as if he wanted a straightforward answer.
“Yes. That’s precisely the situation with Mikoyuki.”
“…Huh?”
“Fracturing the same area again during the repair process. So, there is still damage from the fractures in his body, and he is still in the process of repairing. That’s Mikoyuki’s current condition.”
Even Genkō, who had no medical knowledge, understood clearly from the doctor’s explanation. In short, Mikoyuki had been fighting in a state close to being completely battered.
“But, even if it’s just one or two injuries, if he takes a long enough break…”
“What if it were ten or a hundred? His body is already in tatters. Hundreds of injuries open up every time he comes here. Even minor injuries are no different from major ones for his current body. …As a doctor, I would say ‘absolute rest.’ For an extended period.”
“……….”
He finally fell silent.
He recalled the sight of Mikoyuki from just a few minutes ago in the hospital room.
Pinned with various tubes, lying quietly, looking as if he were dead.
“Damn it…”
Genkō muttered in frustration while hitting the wall. He felt a deep resentment towards himself for being unable to do anything.