Chapter 8: Chapter 6 – Three Days (2)

The bright rays of the sun illuminate the inside of a certain young lady's room in a condo in Tokyo. The sunshine seeping through one of the room's windows fell gently upon the face of a beautiful black-haired young woman, creating a picturesque scene. Any artist would suddenly find themselves struck by inspiration the moment their eyes fell on it, even though said beauty was only wearing an extremely baggy shirt and her panties at the moment.

Nevertheless, as the time passed the sun's rays grew in intensity. Eventually, they managed to rouse the beauty awake.

"ugh..."

'fuck, why is the sun so bright...?' Kyouka complained inwardly. She had been researching something all day yesterday. She had even turned off all communication so she could focus. Before she knew it, it was almost midnight and she was dead tired, so she decided to take a short nap after getting something to eat. She knew she wouldn't be as productive if she forced herself to work in that state. After she ate some light snacks, she set an alarm for 12:30 pm, then promptly fell asleep. The sun shining on her face was certainly quite an annoyance, interrupting her short rest.

'Hm... the sun?' While still fighting with drowsiness, Kyouka noticed an abnormality in the situation. Then she bolted upright in realization.

"Why is the sun here!?!?" Kyouka exclaimed. She hastily looked for her phone and checked the time on it. It was 10:51 am.

"Huh!?!? But I just closed my eyes for a bit! Why is it 11 am already!?!?" Kyouka had every intention to take a short nap. And by short, she definitely did not mean a nap that lasted for eleven hours. "Why didn't my alarm go off!?"

Kyouka checked her phone's alarm settings to find that instead of 12:30 pm, she had set an alarm for 12:30 am instead. She must have set it wrong due to extreme fatigue.

"FUUUUUUUCK!!!" Kyouka swore loudly. She had an image to maintain in public, after all, she couldn't seduce girls if they thought she was crass, but since the room was soundproofed well and nobody was around, she didn't care. She opened her laptop, and after checking something on it, she threw her hands up in the air. But then started furiously started typing on the laptop while shouting angrily, "It's a mess! Everybody's raging in the comments... ugh. People are even asking if I died. Like hell I did! It's just a few hours delayed, why are you idiots already preparing funeral rights!?"

After a while, she calmed down. She then remembered that she had shut off communication with her subordinates, the ones that kept an eye on her big brother's condition. That wasn't good, what if something happened to her big brother? She wouldn't be informed! She hastily turned off airplane mode on her phone and called someone, it didn't even get the chance to ring since the call was answered right away, as if the person on the other side had been waiting for the call all day.

"Young miss, you finally answered!!!" The other person on the phone shouted. It was Seito, one of the Kagami Family's butlers, the person who was in charge of managing the personnel under her payroll.

'My ears...' Kyouka momentarily wanted to scold Seito for wailing on the phone like that, but she noticed the urgency in his voice. She feared for the worst. Did something really happen to her big brother!?

"What is it!? Did something happen!?" Kyouka hysterically screamed at the phone.

"The young master! He woke up!!…also young miss, you shouldn't talk on the phone so loudly. My ears..."

Kyouka ignored the latter half of what Seito was saying. Her big brother really woke up!? "I-is it really true? Who told you he woke up?"

"I saw him myself, young miss." Seito answered.

"Oh, okay. I didn't know you visited him. Did you always do that?" Kyouka asked. She was relieved that nothing bad happened, and even happy that her big brother had awakened. After she freshened up she would go to him immediately. Those bastards online, who kept pestering her, could wait for a bit more.

"?... No? I don't really visit the young master often. The last time I visited was a few years ago, during his eighteenth birthday. And that was because you dragged me along with you to carry all those presents..." Seito replied, taking the opportunity to complain.

"Huh? then what do you mean you saw him yourself? Did you video call him or something? Also, stop complaining, aren't you paid quite well?" Kyouka said impatiently. She didn't like how this insolent butler was delaying things by being like this. If it wasn't because she had grown somewhat attached to him after so long, she would have fired him already.

"Well, I do indeed get paid quite well. Oh, I didn't see him in a video call or anything, rather I saw him in person. He came over here to the manor yesterday." Seito replied casually.

"...w-w-what. Huh?" Kyouka was stunned. 'If he just woke up from a coma, shouldn't he be suffering from a bunch of side effects right now?'

"What did he do there?" Kyouka asked after she snapped out of it.

"Hmm. I believe he talked to Master Koutarou about something. Oh! He also walked around the Manor's grounds and chatted with a few of the servants he was close to." Seito answered.

"H-h-he walked..." Kyouka was stammered.

"Yes. He walked around." Seito confirmed.

"But what do you mean he walked around...?" Kyouka managed to ask, despite how utterly confused she was at the moment.

"?... Uhm, I mean he put one foot in front of the other continuously..." Seito explained hesitantly. Why was the young miss asking what walking meant?

"I know what walking means!! What I meant was, why did my big brother, who was supposed to be bedridden, able to walk around the manor's grounds!" Kyouka explained in a huff.

"Oh, that? Why wouldn't he be able to? The young master seems to have been cured of his illness after all." Seito said matter-of-factly.

"C-cured...? Eh?" Kyouka's brain was scrambled at this point. Her brother was cured?

"Yes, young miss, cured. It means that his illne--" Seito tried to explain, but was interrupted by Kyouka's angry bellow.

"I know what 'cured' means! You moron!"

"My ears..." Seito cradled his ears in pain. He felt extremely wronged at the moment. Why was he getting shouted at when all he did was try to answer his young miss's questions? He really had to ask for a raise. He couldn't stand the injustice otherwise.

"If he was cured, why didn't you tell me that immediately?!?!" Kyouka demanded angrily. Seito had just kept talking nonsense, without telling her the most important fact first. She really wanted to strangle him to death right now.

"Eh? But I did tell you though?" Seito answered.

"Huh? When!?!"

"Just now? Did I not tell you just now?" Seito once more answered matter-of-factly. His young miss was really off her game today. He usually respected her a bit since she was capable in all sorts of aspects, but today she was asking about obvious things and even forgetting things he had said literally only a few seconds ago.

'Maybe her mental health is degrading because of worrying about the young master all the time?' Seito thought inwardly. He pitied his young miss a little. He had to continue to serve her well in the future, so that he could ease her of her worries a little. 'I'm such a good butler. They'll definitely raise my salary at this rate.'

"..." Kyouka was so angry, that she went right around and became calm instead. "You're fired, Seito."

"...huh? I don't think I caught that well, young miss. Maybe the phone reception there is quite bad? I thought you said I was fired...haha." Seito chuckled.

"You heard correctly. You're fired." Kyouka said, in her best impression of the matter-of-fact way of talking Seito used earlier. Then she ended the call and quickly blocked Seito's number.

Of course, Kyouka didn't really mean to fire the butler. She just thought that he needed to be taught a bit of a lesson. It wasn't because he managed to royally piss her off or anything. Definitely not.

She then called one of the people she stationed to keep an eye on her big brother, confirming that Ken was indeed, cured. She also confirmed that he was still in the hospital. She quickly put on the nearest pieces of clothing she could get her hands on, which were a pair of black sweatpants and a white hoodie. She didn't bother putting on makeup of any kind, but she did make sure to fix her hair into a ponytail. It was her favorite hairstyle, and she had been doing this for years. It was almost a reflex at this point.

After she made sure that she at least looked like a proper human being, she dashed out of the room.

 

*****

 

"Whew. That was so good. I almost cried." Ken wiped his eyes of the trace amount of tears that was caused by the movie he had just watched.

He was sitting on a sofa, with his laptop in his lap and a pair of headphones in his ears. He hadn't gotten a single wink of sleep after he returned last night. He glanced at the time display on his laptop and saw that it was 11:01 am.

"I guess I'll get something to eat." Ken got up from his seat. He hadn't eaten anything since last night's dinner, so he was getting a bit hungry now. The hospital provided three meals a day, and he wasn't exempt from this. He just usually opted out of getting served breakfast, since he usually slept in until lunchtime.

'It'll be lunchtime soon anyways, so I guess I'll just get a light snack to tide me over.' Ken mused. He was just about to walk towards the fridge, but his eyes caught sight of two transparent water bottles, filled with yellowish liquid placed on the floor beside the sofa he was just sitting on. 'Oops, better get rid of that before anyone sees.'

Ken had only gotten up from the sofa since he sat there last night, once. It was when he had to go to the bathroom to take a dump. That was the only instance. Whenever he had to take a leak, he used those water bottles instead.

'It's a bit gross, but I don't have much time after all. Every second counts, so to speak.' Ken inwardly made excuses to no one in particular.

After, flushing the contents of the bottles down the toilet, Ken washed his hands thoroughly. Afterward, he walked toward the fridge and inspected its contents. It was finally time to decide what he was going to snack on. The inside of the fridge contained a wide variety of biscuits and pastries bought from a wide variety of places. One glance at their packaging would inform anyone who saw that the contents of the fridge, which was so full that its contents almost spilled out, were not the type one would find at one's local grocery store. Every one of the pieces of food there was bought from famous brands.

'This is one of the weaknesses of having too many options, It takes me so much time to decide what to eat. I know they're all good though.' Ken thought. He just couldn't decide, and ended up just standing in front of the fridge for two minutes. He was about to just give up, close his eyes and pick something at random, when someone opened the door to his room and entered, pushing a food trolley in front of him.

"Ah, young master. It seems you've woken up. Why didn't you call for me?" Hanzo, who had just arrived, asked.

"Hm. I didn't really see a need to call for you yet. Also, I was under the impression that you would return to the manor." Ken said, not bothering to correct Hanzo's misunderstanding. He didn't wake up since he never slept.

"Why would I return? Since you have been cured, and will most likely start running off to all sorts of places like back then, why would I possibly return there?" Hanzo said matter-of-factly.

"Haha, I suppose. By the way, I'm assuming that's for me?" Ken asked while pointing at the food trolley that had, well, food on it. There was still steam coming off of some of the dishes, so they were obviously cooked just recently.

"Yes, of course. Although I acknowledge the hospital's abilities in the field of medicine, I don't believe they are up to par with me when it comes to cuisine. So I took the liberty to borrow their kitchen to prepare some things for the young master. I hope you don't mind." Hanzo said, with a bit of pride. This old butler was actually on the same level as a three-star chef. There would be something wrong in the world if Ken minded being served with food he made.

'This guy... you probably troubled the staff in the kitchen. I'll have to apologize later. Also don't just casually diss the kitchen staff. I've been eating their food for thirteen years and it's really good.' Ken scolded the old butler inwardly. He knew what a futile effort it was to do so for real, so he just kept it to himself.

"Then I'll dig in then. Thank you, Hanzo." Ken thanked the old butler. Even with all the trouble he undoubtedly caused the people in the hospital, it was still an act done for him. He found it hard to be mad, though he did feel quite troubled.

"It is my honor to serve." Hanzo replied as he dipped his head a bit. He watched his young master, whose every movement caused him incredible pain in the past, voraciously eat the food he made. He couldn't even be bothered to warn his young master about his table manners and whatnot. He felt overwhelming happiness over the simple fact that Ken could sit at a table and just eat so vigorously without wincing. All these years he could do nothing to ease Ken's pain. All he could do was manage his subordinates and run errands for him. He had never felt so utterly worthless in his entire life, as he watched his young master grow up in such agony. But now, Ken was well again. Hanzo was determined to serve at Ken's side until his body stopped allowing him to do so.

"By the way, what are your plans for later, young master?" Hanzo inquired. He wanted to know what Ken was planning so that he could make preparations for whatever it was.

"Hmm... I want to visit the lab, and preferably have dinner with them. Please reserve a place to do so. You know how those guys are, they won't feel comfortable if I take them someplace super fancy, so find a nice and big place without a dress code. Somewhere we can just eat good food in peace. Also, send me their contact info, I want to invite them myself." After a short moment to think about it, Ken stated a list of orders for Hanzo to do.

"Understood. However, could I not send a message in your place instead?" Hanzo suggested.

"No. The purpose of meeting them is to thank them. How could I leave inviting them to someone else? I naturally have to be the one to do it myself. It's the minimum amount of courtesy to do so." Ken shook his head, immediately turning down Hanzo's suggestion. He then continued eating.

"I understand. I will see that it is done. However, there is quite a bit of time before dinner, young master. What do you plan to do before that?"

'I don't really know. It feels like a waste to stay inside during the day...' Ken thought. He didn't want to stay inside and watch anime or read novels during the day. He wanted to be out and about during this time. But other than the lab, there wasn't really anywhere he wanted to go to at the moment. The lab's researchers had a night owl's schedule, so it was highly likely that they were still asleep at the moment, which meant he couldn't go there yet. He contemplated for a bit, then suddenly thought of something.

"I'll take a walk around the hospital." Ken said after he finished chewing a particularly juicy piece of meat.

"A... walk, you say? May I inquire as to why?" Hanzo asked, confused. His young master had been in the hospital for thirteen years, so if he wanted to take a walk why would he want to do it here? Weren't there better places to take a walk?

"It's because I don't really know a lot about this place," Ken admitted. "I've been here for so long, but the only places I've been in is this room, and the path leading from here to outside. I'm curious about the place is all."

"I see. Then perhaps I can be your guide?" Hanzo proposed, eagerly.

"You? Why? You don't even work here." Ken didn't have any problems with Hanzo escorting him, but he wondered why the old butler looked quite eager to do so.

"Young master, nobody knows about this hospital more than I do." Hanzo said 'humbly', while bowing deeply.

'Huh? What does that mean... Was he a construction worker before becoming a butler? Wait, the hospital's been here way before Hanzo was born, so that's out.' Ken thought about it for a bit but gave up. Why would he need to rack his brain when he could just ask the person in question?

"Elaborate." Ken said.

"Certainly." Hanzo dipped his head a bit, then started explaining, "Young master, before you were even confined here, I had comprehensive background investigations on all the people who work here. Doctors, nurses, clerks, and all other types of employees. The same went for all of the patients, and their friends and family members. I have continued to do that ever since, updating it whenever a new person is employed or a new patient is admitted. I also have a blueprint of the entire hospital, and even learned about 3D modeling so that I could create a 3D model of the buildings and its grounds. I also walk around and inspect the vicinities, and all its rooms, once in a while. Although I cannot inspect the rooms that only the hospital personnel can go into frequently, I make sure to give them a monthly inspection at the very least. With all that said, I can confidently say that nobody knows more about this hospital than I do."

After going on that long tirade, Hanzo bowed deeply once again.

'Wow. His talent as a stalker is surprisingly higher than his talent as a chef and servant.' Ken thought. Hanzo was certainly quite amazing in many ways, especially how casually he treated having thorough background checks done on people and going into restricted areas.

"How thorough." After Ken snapped out of his thoughts, he acknowledged how meticulous Hanzo was. How could anyone not acknowledge it? In any case, it was obviously done out of a sense of concern for him, so he let his appreciation seep into his voice, although he also included a bit of exasperation to it as well.

"I'm unworthy of your praise." Hanzo said modestly. However, he couldn't hide the hint of a smile on his face. It certainly felt nice to receive praise when one worked hard.

After Ken finished eating, Hanzo poured newly brewed tea into a cup and placed it in front of Ken. Ken picked it up and blew on it. He had a cat's tongue, so he had to wait for it to cool a bit before sipping.

"Hanzo, It'll be a while before I go take that walk, so go take the opportunity to do the things I asked of you. Oh, and if you haven't had lunch yet, get to it. Come back at around... 2 pm." Ken said, while still blowing on his tea. He took out his phone with his other hand and opened up the ImperialRoad site. He wanted to use the time to catch up on any new chapters.

"Certainly. Oh, and I've already had lunch." Hanzo bowed deeply once, then left the room to complete Ken's orders.

Ken took a mall sip of tea while he watched him go, only to almost spit it out.

'Fuck. It's still too hot...' Ken swore inwardly, then resumed blowing on the tea.

 

*****

 

Two 'oclock in the afternoon. Ken was currently checking how he looked in the mirror.

'Goddamn. I look fucking good. I'd put idols out of a job if I entered showbiz.' Ken thought to himself, smiling smugly. He was currently wearing a simple monochrome-themed outfit composed of a white collared shirt with a black blazer over it, and black skinny jeans. He had a watch on his right wrist and wore a pair of white sneakers. Of course, even if they were simple articles of clothing, everything he owned was bought from High-end brands.

He started performing various poses on the mirror, even some anime poses, like ones from Koko's Unusual Adventures and the poses that the five members of the Kingyu Force from Dragon Testicles. He spent a bit more time trying out various poses until he heard the sound of the door opening. Ken quickly stopped, and started 'fixing' his outfit.

"Young master, I have returned. I have also completed your orders. I assume that you have already sent a message to the lab members?" Hanzo asked. He naturally didn't notice what Ken was doing before he came in, although even if he did, he wouldn't have mentioned it. Hanzo was nothing if not loyal, he would have taken the embarrassing scene with him to the grave.

"Yep. Most of them haven't replied yet though. They're probably still asleep, haha." Ken chuckled, thinking how similar he was to those guys.

'If only I was as smart as them too.' Ken mused.

"Let's go then." Ken said, walking out of the door.

"Certainly." Hanzo bowed once, then quickly followed him.

 

*****

 

"Hanzo." Ken called out.

"Yes, young master?" Hanzo replied.

"Why... Why are there so many guards here?" Ken asked.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about, young master? Isn't there just the six behind us, and the two left behind to guard your room?" Hanzo said calmly.

"Don't try that crap on me, Hanzo. I recognize some of these 'bystanders'. They're definitely from our security team. They were clearly assigned somewhere else, what are they doing here." Ken demanded.

Their procession was led by Ken with Hanzo diagonally behind him to the right, and six bodyguards following them closely behind. Ken was a bit shocked that Hanzo had acquiesced to his request to lead the way on this little walk, but Ken just thought that Hanzo was being more considerate of Ken's desires.

It didn't take long for him to be proven wrong though.

Ken's intuition was screaming at him that he was being watched by a lot of people. It wasn't like he was being watched due to his looks or anything, although he sensed that some people were doing a double-take at him or just outright staring at his face with open mouths. No, the gazes he felt were the ones watching him protectively, just like the way the seven people behind him looked at him. He soon noticed that some of the supposed bystanders, visitors, patients, and even some of the hospital staff were actually people he had seen before. Ken knew what all the servants looked like so they couldn't be servants, and since he wasn't involved in any of the family's businesses, if he recognized them that meant they were from the family's security team.

Ken stared at Hanzo intently, waiting for an answer. Eventually, Hanzo's loyalty could no longer allow him to continue hiding information from him. He quickly divulged everything.

Apparently, Kyouka had demanded the security in the hospital be increased greatly. She had given the reason that the assailant who attacked me thirteen years ago might have infiltrated the hospital and done something to make my illness suddenly get worse. A lot of upper management, led by Hanzo, agreed. So, they placed a whole bunch of people to constantly monitor the place. Some of the people the security division sent out were included in the hospital staff Ken had dined in yesternight.

'Oh my god. It wasn't just Hanzo... They're so talented at stalking. Also, Kyouka lied huh. I'm being a bad influence on her... although, I suppose it's good that she knows what she wants and does what's needed to make them happen.' Ken brooded. Inwardly growing prouder of his sister, but also worrying whether it was really okay to let her continue to grow in that direction. He then started looking around.

'You guys are really inconveniencing the hospital staff!' Ken was really close to getting pissed off. The people who were just visiting might not have noticed, but the hospital staff definitely noticed these strange gentlemen who seemed to always be around. He was about to get them to go back to where they came from but stopped.

'They'll leave when I'm gone anyway.' Ken thought. He chose to ignore the problem for now. It would solve itself soon anyways.

Ken's procession continued touring around the hospital. They naturally didn't go inside any of the private wards and personnel restricted areas. They had just about gone to everywhere they were allowed to go inside the building, so Ken made his way outside.

'As expected, fresh air is nice~.' Ken closed his eyes for a bit, reveling in the pleasant wind caressing his face. Just when he felt that spending any more time like that would start looking really cringe, he heard the pleasant laughter of children.

'Oh? What's going on...' Ken looked around for the source of the noise and saw a group of children in hospital gowns playing with small dogs in the grassy area close by.

'Cute... It's like a bunch of little Kyoukas and baby dogs.' Ken watched the children play around fondly. Kyouka and dogs. His two most favorite things. He had to express a great amount of self-control to stop himself from just running over there and playing with them. He opted to continue to watch them while smiling. 'It feels like I'm being purified of evil.'

Hanzo, quickly noticing his young master's interest, explained. "Young master, those children are from various unfortunate backgrounds who are afflicted with illnesses that can't be treated or they can't afford to get treated. Most of them are actually in the terminal stage. They are being treated in this hospital due to the help of a charity called Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation. The Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation has been doing charity work since fifteen years ago. According to what I found, they are sincere in their desire to help people. I've dug around and found no sign of embellishment, rather, a lot of the Foundation's upper management actually pour their salaries into the foundation's account. They have helped quite a lot of children all over Japan. They even have some branches overseas, although most of their activities are focused in our country."

After hearing Hanzo's long and detailed explanation, Ken's tranquil smile disappeared.

'That turned bad real fast. Now I'm all depressed. It's all this old man's fault.' Ken cursed Hanzo inside his head. Why did he need to be so thorough? And couldn't he let him have his moment of tranquility for a bit longer?

Hanzo, not noticing his young master's blaming look, continued explaining, "From time to time, some people from the foundation would come and do some events to lift the children's spirits. Things like bringing idols or celebrities with them to visit, giving out toys or clothes, or dressing up as clowns or characters from cartoons to amuse the children. This time, it appears they brought them out to get some fresh air and play with puppies."

"I see." Ken nodded at the explanation. Since he had been in a similar situation as these kids, he couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness with them. The only difference between him and them, was the origin of their respective illness and the fact that Ken was wealthy. He also instinctively had a good impression of these people from the Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation.

'Although their name is a bit strange...' Ken mused inwardly, but then remembered a fact that he heard from an anime a long time ago. It was something about snakes being a symbol of prosperity and healing. 'I guess it is a good name for a foundation focused on helping sick kids.'

While Ken was thinking, one of the children noticed him looking at them and started running up to him. His guards noticed and were about to step up to block the child but Ken signaled them to stop.

'What the hell is wrong with you guys? It's a fucking child, for God's sake. Did you think someone trained child assassins and strapped bombs on them or something?' He sighed, exasperated at his bodyguards. Although he did understand that they were just doing their jobs, he found it unpleasant that they almost scared the child coming this way. Ken walked forward to meet that child halfway, telling Hanzo and the guards to not come too close to avoid scaring the child.

Upon closer inspection, the child was actually a boy.

"Hey there, mister!" The boy chirped. "Were you watching us just now?"

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Ken smiled warmly at the boy, "Yes, I was. Did I bother you?"

"Nope! But why were you watching us though?" The boy asked while tilting his head in curiosity.

"It's cuz I have a little sister, and you guys reminded me of her." Ken said while chuckling. He reached out and stroked the boy's hair.

The boy didn't seem to feel Ken's actions unpleasant, as he continued to smile, and asked another question. "Reminded you? Why? Is she... dead?"

"Oh, no. Unlike me, she's very healthy. Although she was quite sickly when she was younger." Ken explained slowly, amused at the way the boy asked a personal question to a stranger, failing to keep his curiosity in check. He knew kids were like this. They had no filter, and just said what they wanted. Well, the normal ones did.

"I see, that's good." The boy visibly sighed in relief, making Ken look at him even more fondly. However, what the boy said next made him stiffen.

"I'm glad she doesn't have to go with me when I go to heaven." The boy happily said while he smiled innocently.

"I see..." Ken was at a loss for words for a second. He had just been informed of the nature of the children being helped by the foundation, but it was still a bit shocking for a child to bring up something like that so casually. "Are you scared to go to heaven?"

"Why would I be scared?" The boy looked at Ken weirdly, but the smile returned to his face as he explained, "Mom said that it's a nice place, where I won't have to be sick anymore. A lot of my friends are there waiting for me too! We'll even get lots of candy and toys to play with! And puppies! We get a lot of puppies too!!"

"I... I see. That does sound nice." Ken smiled wryly as he answered trying his best not to let his emotions show. Watching the boy brought great turmoil to his mind.

'If I believed in the afterlife. Would I be able to feel the same way he feels right now?' Ken mused. He couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration for the boy, as well as a touch of envy.

The boy looked at Ken's face. Perhaps sensing something wrong, he worriedly asked Ken, "Are you scared, mister?"

Ken thought about how he should answer the boy, but he decided to answer honestly in the end. He glanced behind him, making sure that Hanzo and the others were out of earshot, and saw that they were quite far away. He turned back to the boy, his smile gone.

"I'm very scared." Ken said quietly, almost like he didn't want anyone to hear. However, it felt like something was released within him the moment he said it. He had always been scared. He had accepted it, but he had never been unafraid of it. Ken had lied to a lot of people, and sometimes even lied to himself. However, even he could not deceive himself into thinking that he was not scared. Throughout the thirteen years he spent in this hospital, the fear was worse than the pain. After all, no medicine could cure fear.

"Don't worry, mister!" The boy didn't notice anything strange from Ken, he just smiled as he said, "We can just go to heaven together! If you have a friend to come with you, you won't have to be scared. It might even be fun!"

'Wow, it wouldn't be strange to hear a line like that in a horror movie or something.' Ken thought. Nevertheless, he was still moved by the boy's concern. He patted the boy, on the head.

"Thanks for the invitation." Ken smiled warmly at the boy. "But, I don't think our time of departure will match up."

'I'll be leaving before you after all' Ken said inwardly.

The boy was confused. He didn't know what some of the words Ken said meant. Before he could ask though, Ken quickly brought the boy's attention away from it.

"By the way, my name's Ken." Ken smiled and asked, "What's yours?"

"Ah! That's right, I didn't even tell you, huh!" The boy clapped his hands in realization. He then spread his legs sideways and puffed out his chest. "My name's Akihiko! It means Shining Prince!"

Ken chuckled. The boy had said the name as if it was the most amazing name ever created. He was obviously very proud of his name, and Ken wasn't about to rain on his parade.

"I see. That's a super great name!" Ken exclaimed, doing his best to really appear as if he was amazed.

"I know! Mom gave it to me before she went to heaven!" The boy smiled innocently as he said something that would immediately depress most people.

But Ken had been desensitized throughout the conversation with the boy. He nodded and said "I see. Then you have to treasure this name forever, Akihiko."

Akihiko nodded firmly, then smiled as well. "You don't have to tell me, I planned to do that all along!"

Seeing Akihiko's smile, Ken couldn't help but pat his head again. He decided to do it a bit more roughly, messing up the boy's hair.

"Ah! Hey, what are you doing!?!" Akihiko tried to get away from the older boy trying to mess up his hair but failed. Ken had grabbed the boy and lifted him like a sack of potatoes. He then started walking toward the other children.

Ken couldn't help but laugh all the while.

 

*****

 

Ken spent the rest of the afternoon playing around with those kids and the puppies brought by the people from the foundation. The people from the foundation didn't stop him but were rather happy that a young man started playing with the kids. The children seemed to like him a lot too, although the dogs seemed to be strangely docile around him.

Eventually, the sky started to darken and the kids had to go back inside. Ken accompanied them. Ken had rolled around in the dirt and sat on the ground with these children, so his clothes got a bit messy. He'd planned to directly go to the restaurant after his walk, but he couldn't go there with grass and dirt sticking out of all sorts of places, so he decided to go back to the room to get a change of clothes. The reservation was for 7 pm anyways, and it was still 5 pm so he had a lot of time.

"Hey, big bro Ken! Do you really have a mountain of snacks in your room?" A little girl asked Ken, tottering along beside him.

"I think he's lying." Another child, a boy this time, chimed in from behind Ken. He didn't believe that someone could have that many snacks.

"It's true, it's true," Ken assured the children. "You can all have them. I can't eat them all anyway."

After hearing what he said all the children around Ken, which numbered around fifteen, squealed in delight and anticipation. A mountain of snacks? They couldn't even fathom how many that would be.

They eventually reached the room, then the children filed excitedly but orderly inside. The guards guarding the room were completely ignored by the children, the thought of snacks was all that filled their tiny little heads. Ken had called them and said to not stop the children while they were on their way here.

Ken promptly opened all the fridges in the room containing snacks, then reveled in the admiration of the children. They were all wide-eyed in amazement. They'd never seen so many snacks in one place before. They then stared at the owner, Ken, with admiration in their eyes. Was he really going to give them all of it?

'This feels nice.' He admitted inwardly.

"Alright, there are five fridges and there are fifteen of you, so you each get a third of a fridge." Ken said to the children. The children didn't know what a third meant, but there were so many snacks that they knew they were getting a lot. Taking his eyes away from the kids, who were jumping around in joy, Ken looked at Hanzo who was behind him now. "Hey, Hanzo. Have some of our guys help these kids carry the stuff to their rooms."

"Certainly. We only have six guards available to move around, so they will have to make multiple trips." Hanzo was just about to turn around and instruct the bodyguards outside when Ken interrupted him.

"What are you talking about? We have a bunch of people just standing around and doing nothing. Have them help out too." Ken commanded, his tone brook no argument.

"...I understand." Hanzo bowed once and then left to complete Ken's orders.

Ken talked a bit more with the kids, telling them which snacks he liked the best, or which snack went well with another snack when eaten at the same time. Afterward, he changed clothes in the bathroom.

After he finished changing, he tried to say farewell to the children. "I'll have to leave now. Don't worry the big guys outside will help you take the snacks back to your room."

"Eh~ You're leaving? Why~?"

"Don't leave. Play more."

"Please~?"

The children tried to stop him by pleading adorably at him. Ken had to admit that they knew what they were doing.

'They're really... I kinda wanna stay now...' Ken was being tempted to just play around here.

"Hey! You guys! Stop it!" Akihiko started shouting and stopping the kids from trying to grab onto Ken to prevent him from leaving. "Big bro Ken has to go and see his friends! We shouldn't stop him you know."

"Eh~ but..."

"Don't wanna."

"But aren't we friends with him now, too?"

The kids all started protesting, while Ken was really troubled.

"Grr... How would you feel if some people stopped you from seeing your friends!?! Wouldn't that feel really bad?!" Akihiko shouted at the children. When Ken saw that, he felt that Akihiko was really living up to the name 'Shining Prince'. At that moment Akihiko looked like a noble, illuminating the correct path for his people.

"I... I don't want that..."

"Me too."

"Sorry Big bro Ken."

Seeing the children apologizing dejectedly, Ken smiled warmly at them and said, "Don't worry about it, I actually wanted to play around with you guys too. Actually, how about we meet up tomorrow? I'll keep the whole day open."

"Really~?"

"Awesome."

"That sounds great!"

The children started jumping around happily again. Ken couldn't help but beam at the sight. "Right, see you all tomorrow then, I really have to go. "

After saying that, Ken rushed out the door, afraid that the children might change their minds and try to attack him with his own guilt.

 

*****

 

Kyouka was royally pissed.

On her way to the hospital, she suffered from a series of bad luck.

The condominium complex's elevator broke down, so she was stuck inside for hours. Then the car she was riding broke down too, and when she rode in a taxi instead, the slow-moving traffic delayed her even more. She left at 11 am, but arrived at her destination at 5:30 pm! She should have gotten to the hospital by noon on a good day.

Kyouka was royally pissed, indeed.

But that didn't matter now, because she finally arrived.

After throwing money at the taxi driver, which was most likely many times more than what she had to pay for, she ran as fast as she could. She eventually reached the door to her brother's room, threw it open, and rushed inside. The guards had naturally recognized her from far away and didn't stop her, although they had to check twice since Kyouka, who was normally very clean and pretty, looked quite haggard at the moment.

"BIG BR--" Kyouka was just about to shout for his big brother but froze up once she saw that the room was full of kids. She scanned the room and quickly came to a conclusion. Her big brother was not there.

"He's not here!" Kyouka exclaimed. While ignoring the sense of déjà vu, she quickly went outside and asked the guards where her big brother was.

"Where is he!?" Kyouka said in an interrogating tone.

"Young miss, the young master just left. He's to have dinner with researchers from the lab." One of the guards replied.

"Guhh."

'I just missed him...' As Kyouka was pondering over the futility of life, she felt someone tug at her clothes from behind.

"It's a pretty lady~"

"Wow"

"What's a pretty lady doing here? Is she gonna give us some snacks too? Just like Big bro Ken!"

Before she knew it, kids were swarming all around Kyouka. They were saying this and that.

"Wh-what's happening...?" Kyouka was confused and troubled. On one hand, she wondered why there were so many kids here, and on the other hand, she really wanted to go to where Ken was, but she couldn't really cuss out these kids and tell them to fuck off.

"Ah, actually young miss..." One of the guards promptly explained what Ken had been up to this afternoon.

"So that's it..." Kyouka nodded in understanding.

'While I was suffering, trying to get here as fast as I could, you were out and about playing with these kids?!' Kyouka felt wronged.

"Are you Kyouka? Big bro Ken told us a lot about you!" One of the children said. "I'm Akihiko, by the way!"

The boy, Akihiko, then puffed his chest out proudly, as if he believed his name was the absolute best.

'What's with this guy? He's fucking adorable.' Kyouka found the little boy amusing, and couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face. She extended her hand and stroked the boy's hair.

"Yep, I'm Kyouka, Ken's younger sister!" Kyouka proudly said, she also puffed her chest out, imitating Akihiko. "By the way... What'd he tell you about me?"

"Super pretty~!"

"Annoying."

"He said you had a nice voice!"

Kyouka was barraged with compliments, although she chose to ignore one of the voices. She felt good that her big brother was telling people good stuff about her.

"Play with us~"

"Stay."

"Could you please, play with us? It'd just be for a bit!"

"Eh ah... but I have to go to big brother..." Kyouka wanted to refuse. However, unlike Ken, who was somewhat used to dealing with younger kids, Kyouka didn't have any experience. She was quickly cajoled by the kids.

"W-well, if it's only for a bit... But just for a bit okay? I have somewhere to go." Kyouka tried to say firmly.

"Yay~"

"Happiness."

"Thank you! It won't take long!"

Kyouka was not able to leave.

 

*****

 

Ken was on his way back from the dinner with the people from the lab, which ended uneventfully. It was a dinner with a group of introverts, so they quickly ran out of steam after socializing for about an hour. Ken didn't want to keep them longer, since that would just make them uncomfortable. He said his thanks sincerely, which was greeted with a storm of "Your Welcome"s and "It was nothing"s. And then Ken proposed the same thing he did to the hospital's staff. He said that if they needed anything, they should just tell him, and he'll try his best to fulfill it.

But just like it was yesterday, his offer was also unanimously refused. The researchers just shyly said that they were just glad that he felt better.

'Do people think I scam others out of their money? Is that why nobody wants to take it off my hands?' Ken jokingly thought in his head.

In any case, he now had a massive amount of money, which he had to spend by the end of the day tomorrow. He was thinking of ways he could spend it when he remembered the kids he played with this afternoon.

'Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation, huh. Let's see...' Ken looked them up on his phone and quickly found their website. 'Ah, this is it. They even have a picture of one of the kids I played with earlier.'

The website not only had information about the foundation and its purpose, the site also recorded its various activities. In fact, he actually found a picture of himself on the site, albeit with his face blurred.

After looking at a bunch of other things on the site, Ken finally decided. He went and donated every cent he had.

'This feels fucking amazing. I just spent millions of dollars with a single tap on my phone.' Ken checked his bank balance and saw that it was completely empty. He didn't particularly feel sad about it, rather he thought the money would find better use in buying snacks, toys, and clothes for those kids.

'This... feels good. I should have donated to charity a long time ago.' Ken ruminated on the pleasant feeling in his chest. He had always moved for his own sake. Even when he was kind to others, he still viewed it as being for his sake, since it would benefit him in some way. Even when he was being kind to Kyouka, he still viewed that as being for his own sake as well, since if Kyouka was sad or hurt, he, as someone who loved her, would suffer as well. This was undoubtedly the first time Ken did something kind without taking himself into consideration.

While reveling in the feeling of doing something nice, Ken eventually made it back to the room. As he arrived, he noticed one of the guards seemed to want to say something, but Ken signaled him to stop. He already knew what the guard wanted to say.

'Kyouka's probably waiting for me inside.' Ken mused. He opened the door and scanned the room with his eyes.

The kids were long gone by now. It was already 8 pm, not a time that kids should be spending in another person's room. The only person in the room was sitting on the comfy-looking armchair next to his bed. She looked haggard, and her eyes spoke of the magnitude of her mental fatigue. Her clothes, a white hoodie and black sweatpants, were a bit wrinkled too. She was staring at Ken's bed blankly, not even noticing him enter the room.

"Hey there, Kyouka." Ken called out airily, which prompted Kyouka to snap out of her daze and stare at Ken with eyes widened.

Ken raised his hand and waved it a little.

"You look like shit. Haha"

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