Getting into the rhythm of school feels strange; it's as if my brain remembers how this is done, but my body doesn't. Towards the end of the class, Hisao started yawning and counting the minutes left. I shouldn't be this tired on my first day of school. Maybe it's a long time spent in the hospital that made me like this. I'm even feeling physically weak and lifeless. Before long, the final bell rings. School is finally over for the day. He thinks before noticing Shiro hastily making his exit. I wonder what he said to Shizune, must've irked her a bit.

Beside Hisao, Misha and Shizune are having a short conversation. After a bit of deliberation, Misha turns to him.

"..."

"Unfortunately we can't stay and show you around today, Hicchan. We've got to hurry already since there is a lot of work for us to do." Misha explains; Shizune stands up from her seat.

"…"

Misha follows Shizune's lead. "You'll find your way around here, I'm sure of it."

"Ah, wait! The teacher said I'd have to see the nurse. Where do I have to go?"

"Is that so? We can at least show you that much~! Come on, the nurses have their own building, so we have to go outside."

Hisao complies, following them and joining the flow of students making their way down the stairwell and outside; with the girls pointing out other senior classrooms in the same hallway as theirs. A disembodied silvery feminine voice stands out from the crowd.

"Yahallo! Shiro-senpai!"

Hisao looks in the direction but can't locate the source; noticing he started to fall behind - he speed walks to catch up to the girls before they reach the lobby.

When they get outside, the girls make their way to the smaller building near the school. It's built in the same style, so it looks like it actually looks similar to the main building. It's not that much smaller, oddly enough.

"…"

"This is the auxiliary building here. There's a lot of official and important stuff inside, like the Yamaku Foundation office and all the nurses' offices. They even have a swimming pool!" Misha explains, happily showing off the official and important building.

"How is that official?"

"..." Shizune signs, rolling her eyes afterwards.

"Don't be silly, Hicchan! It's for physical therapy of course. Anyway, all the nursing staff facilities are in there too. The head nurse's office is on the first floor. You'll be fine from here, right~? We'll be going, then! See you tomorrow!" Misha replies with a wave; the pair making their exit.

Hisao gives his own wave back. "Yeah, thanks. Bye."

A whole building for stuff that has nothing to do with the actual education? I guess it's necessary for a place like this. I walk in, hoping that this really will be only a quick visit like the teacher said. On a white door on the left is a green cross with the text 'Head Nurse' and a nameplate. A voice from the inside responds to his knock almost immediately, but he can't quite make it out. It sounded a bit like an invitation to open the door Hisao contemplates to himself, so he invited himself further in.

The room is not large and it smells strange. A friendly-looking man turns around on his office chair to face Hisao as he enters. The man's desk is neat and tidy, but the bin under the table is overflowing with used medical utensils and at least a dozen coffee-cup rings are lingering on the desk."

"Hello there. What can I do for you today?"

He is young-looking and sort of rugged, but the dimples in his cheeks wash that impression away when he smiles.

"Erm, are you the nurse?"

He smiles like a person who has heard the very same question hundreds of times.

"Why yes, I am. It says so on the door, no? You can call me by my name or just 'the nurse' like everyone else." The man answers, extending his hand to the boy.

Of course. Hisao shakes off my confusion, realizing he should grab his extended hand, and returns the gesture. This handshake is rather firm and friendly.

"Right... err, I'm a new student and my homeroom teacher told me to come and meet you. My name is Hisao Nakai." He explains.

Nurse's eyes light up with revelation and he snaps his fingers.

"Oh, you're THAT Nakai. I was just reading your file in the morning. Some kind of chronic arrhythmia and related congenital heart muscle deficiency, right?" The head nurse recalled, gesturing for Hisao to sit down in the vacant armchair in front of his desk.

"Eh, yes."

"Good. Well, you've probably been briefed about the school enough, so I'll just go over this quickly. We have all kinds of facilities available, mostly physical therapy and such. There's always someone from my staff around, even at night, so never hesitate to call us if there is a problem." Nurse explains.

The famous twenty-four-hour nursing staff.

"Wow, this is like a hospital." Hisao comments, being a bit put off.

"Well, not exactly. For instance, we don't do brain surgery here." The friendly-looking man jests.

His joke feels so out of place that I'm left thinking why he even said it.

"Yeah... just that it's really weird to have so many medical people at a school."

"You'll get used to it."

I'm not so sure of that myself but I'm not going to let the nurse know it.

"Now, let me just find your file again..."

While he searches for something from his computer and shuffles stacks of papers around, Hisao lets his gaze wander around the room. It's the epitome of generic, I'd like to say. Beige walls and ceiling, dark grey laminate flooring, and all the equipment you'd expect from a school nurse's office. Even the ridiculous educational posters are hanging on all four walls, reminding me to eat properly - three times a day and from all the food groups.

Smiling, the nurse draws a thick file from a stack of similarly thick files and opens it. "So, you already have medication for the arrhythmia, just remember to take your pills every morning and evening or it won't be much help. Apart from that... do you do any sports? Rash stuff like... I don't know, boxing?"

He grins at his own joke but Hisao doesn't.

"Eh, well. I played soccer occasionally with some classmates."

"All right, I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend you refrain from doing that. At least, for the time being."

"Oh."

His lack of reaction makes Nurse raise an eyebrow. Really, I'm not too bothered by him forbidding me to kick a ball around. I guess I never did it out of burning passion for the sport. Just to have something to do.

"Any kind of concussion might be very dangerous to your heart and risking another attack is not a good idea. Was the previous one caused by a sudden concussion to the chest area? There is no mention of the cause in your papers."

"Err... not exactly."

Hisao sidestepped the question acceptably, causing Nurse to glance at him over his papers, with a more serious expression on his face.
"Still, you need to keep your body healthy so some exercise would do you good. We have physical therapy and such available as I said, but I don't think you really need such heavy measures. Just get some light exercise regularly. Brisk walks or even light jogging, jumping rope, that sort of thing. Swimming, maybe? There's a pool here."

"So I was told."

"You were? Very good. At any rate, and I'm sure you've been told this before, you just need to take care not to overexert yourself."

He wags his finger to emphasize the point.

No need really, I've heard this a thousand times already.

"Absolutely no unnecessary risks. Take care of yourself."

"Okay."

He goes over the heart-troubled boy's papers one more time and sets them on the desk, obviously content.

"Good. That's it, then. Come meet me if you ever need something."

Hisao is ushered out before even realizing it.

A quick visit, indeed. He thought to himself as he made his way to the exit of the building. Just before he reached the doors, they swung open; revealing the tall, one-eyed student from earlier and a much shorter girl accompanying him.

Passing by each other, the two boys exchange eye contact and a quick greeting.

"Yo."

"Hey."

Komachi looked over at Keegan as they headed back for the nurse's office.

"Who was that, Senpai?"

"Oh, just a guy in my class. Another new transfer, I'm pretty sure." He explains, glancing back at the front door.

"Really? Three transfers on one day? Isn't that kinda weird?"

"Sure, but it's also weird to have what appears to be a friggen' 24/7 hospital staff. I guess it's just one of those places, Komachi."

The petite girl stops to pout and stare.

Keegan looks back at her. "What? Don't make that face, it's not that bad."

She groans in response, shoving her way past him. "Not what I was getting at, dummy."

What? What's the issu… Nah. She wouldn't actually be upset about… would she?

"Oh. So what were you getting at, Komachi-chan?" He replies.

She pauses for a second, Kegan noticing a small warming smile as she looks away from him. "Nothing."

She totally fucking was and it's adorable. He can't help but smirk at the sight.

As they finally make their way to the head nurse's office, Keegan plops onto the waiting bench yet again. Komachi gives him a confused look.

"What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? Sitting. Oh. And letting you go first, just make sure the door is actually shut this time - I'd rather avoid being a creep and eavesdropping." He explains.

"Oh…" She replies, looking dejected by his response.

Eh? Should I be concerned? I'm concerned.

"What? Don't tell me you want someone to eavesdrop!"

Her reaction confirms she in fact, does not; going wide-eyed and blushing slightly. "No! Obviously not! Idiot!"

Looking away, she speaks in a quieter voice than her normal one. "Um.. I was wondering. If you'd… come inside?"

Phrasing! Good lord, phrasing! Ignoring his immature thoughts, he gives her a cautious look before speaking. "Not that I have a problem with it, but why?"

She starts wringing her hands together nervously, looking back at her senpai.

"That last time… I was in the hospital…"

She wasn't alone, but she is now. Got it. That's all I need.

He cuts her off by raising his hand. "Ah, no need to go further. I understand." Keegan states, lifting himself off the bench.

"After you, Komachi-chan." He says while bowing and gesturing her towards the door.

She gives a wide grin that prominently showcases a fang-like tooth in return as she knocks on the door.

A voice responded from the other side.

"Come in!"

The pair do so, entering the generic office; lined with medical equipment and health-safety posters. They are greeted by a friendly-looking man in a lab coat sitting at a relatively clean desk.

"Well, Hello there!"

"Yo. Our teachers told us to come by for a check-up or something." Keegan explains their presence.

"Ahh! I see. So you two must be the other transfers. Shiro and Hikigaya, I presume?"

"You presume correctly."

The nurse looks back and forth between the two. "Well. I'm the head nurse, you can just call me 'Nurse' or my name. So? Who would like to go first?"

"C-can I?" Komachi speaks up, albeit just barely.

Keegan glances at her. "Go for it."

Nurse stands up.

"Very well then, Shiro-san, would you please wai-" He speaks before being interrupted by the fang-toothed girl.

"Um! Actually, if he… could s-stay with me… I'd be more… comfortable." Komachi explains.

I feel something tugging at my heart strings and I'm really not digging it.

Nurse raises his eyebrows for a second, a curious look on his face, before turning back into his grin.

"Well. If it's not a problem for you…" He says, directing the statement at Keegan.

The boy waves dismissively. "It's not. I'm…."

A realization sets in for the one-eyed young man, one he is troubled by. I'm much more comfortable when she's around too. Almost more than that. Why does the thought of that bother me? I haven't even known her a full day. Maybe that's it? The thought that someone could have an influence on me like that is unnerving. Ah. Yes. That's gotta be it.

The pair of stares he received, reminds Keegan that he trailed off in the middle of his sentence.

Clearing his throat, he speaks up. "Uhh. Yeah it's no problem for me."

The nurse nods, turning to his desk to rummage through papers and folders as Komachi gives Keegan a concerned look. He gave a small smile in an attempt to reassure her, with mild success.

"Ahh! Ok, here we are. Hikigaya, Komachi. I see here, it's a mild case of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. RRMS for short. I'm sure you've already been through the explanation process numerous times so I'll keep it brief. It says here you're already been prescribed to receive your DMTs. As you know, the side effects vary for each one." Nurse explains.

"DMTs?" Keegan questions, his concern growing.

"Disease-modifying therapies. My medication basically." Komachi answers him in an uneasy voice, feeding the student's concern.

I don't like this feeling. Or rather. I'm not used to it. Maybe learning more about her disease will placate it or something. I should try to find the library at some point.

"Indeed. Since your case is mild, your previous doctor only prescribed two DMTs. I'm fine with that as long as your condition doesn't worsen. Still, we'll do periodic MRI scans to see how you're faring and check-ups to make sure that you're staying in fair health. Just remember your daily and bi-weekly medicine."

"Right."

The nurse scratches his chin. "I'm sure he has gone over this as well but better safe than sorry. A well-balanced diet and regular exercise will help you mitigate some symptoms. Unless your RRMS affects you too aversely, I recommend getting as much exercise as your body will allow."

"Okay."

He does a quick double-take of the folder in his hands before smiling and setting it down, appearing satisfied. "Alright then, keep that in mind and that'll do it for you."

Nurse turns to Keegan, a surprising look of confusion on his face. "Now you, on the other hand, are a bit of an enigma."

Komachi's face switches to resemble the Nurse's as she hears the statement; he holds up an irregularly thin folder, compared to the others.

"I received the raw essentials. This includes your incident as well, for the record." Nurse flips through the few pages that are there.

"Noted. Is that not normal?"

"No, not usually, I understand you suffered a heart attack while already at the hospital?"

Yeah, one of the few times in my life I was in the right place at the right time.

"Yeah. What timing." Keegan answers apathetically.

"Heart attack?" Komachi chimes in, visibly concerned.

He can only give her a small nod in response.

"Indeed. What concerns me even more, is the type of heart attack it was. You know STEMI can only occur with complete blockage of a heart artery? Complete. Blockage. For someone your age? A fit, healthy teenager?" His questions seemingly turn into something else.

I get the feeling I know where he's going with this. "Strange, huh."

Nurse sighs rubbing his eyes. "Shiro-san. We can't help you to the best of our abilities unless you work with us."

"I don't know what you want to hear."

"Are you still smoking?"

"No."

His answer was instantaneous. Komachi could only look at him with a glare. He could read the look easy enough.

'You're lying."

Nurse takes a moment, letting another sigh go. "Then this shouldn't take long. Aside from… that - my instructions shouldn't be anything you haven't heard before either, take your medicine daily and painkillers accordingly. Make sure you eat healthy as you can, and exercise. Reduce the risk factors as much as possible. It's important to avoid high blood cholesterol and high triglycerides. Avoid causing any undue stress to yourself."

"A-firm," Keegan mumbles.

"Huh?" Nurse looks at him, slightly confused,

"Got it."

"And about your eye or lack thereof; any unusual swelling? external bleeding? motor control issues, etc. ?"

"Nah. Well. Aside from the bouts of dizziness and still trying to adjust to having one eye." Keegan answers honestly.

"Dizziness, eh? That's to be expected. Replace your bandages daily, and be sure to come here if you're out. An infection to your prosthetic… wouldn't be pretty." Nurse instructs.

"Don't gotta tell me twice." He replies, shuddering at the reminder of certain related traumatizing YouTube videos.

Nurse puts down the folder in his hands before turning back to the pair. "Anyways, that should about cover it. A hospital staff member is always working so we're available whenever you might need us."

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks." Keegan nods at the medical professional, exiting the room with Komachi following silently.

o—o

As they walk through the corridor, the dark-haired girl spoke up."Why did you lie?"

"Reflex."

"What?" She asks, slightly confused.

"It was on a reflex. I didn't want to admit it. I'm ashamed about it, I guess." Keegan admits to the frowning girl, exiting the building into the midday sunlight.

She pauses in her tracks, before jogging back up to him. "Phone."

"What?" He asks, being the confused one this time.

"Give me your phone," Komachi demands, stopping him and holding her hand out.

Still confused, Keegan slowly pulls his phone before quickly having snatched it out of his hands.

"Hey-!" He's silenced by her flicking his forehead as she punches in the keys on Keegan's phone with her other hand.

"Rude."

Komachi shoves his phone back into his hand; turning away to make for the female dorms, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Keegan. Upon inspection, he notices a new contact has been added, he lets out a chuckle which turns into laughter as he receives a message from the newly-acquired number.

Sender: The Best Kouhai Ever!

[Since ur gonna lie to the school help :( Komachi will just have to help instead :D dummyy] 6:46p.m