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Mirii's eyelids slammed twice, before fully open. Her limbs were all stretching on a soft bed, as a light sheet was covering her legs. Her head was resting on a cushion, as her tentacles were both wrapped behind it.
"… I… fainted…?"
Her irises twisted, finding a door ahead, a medical wardrobe on the left corner, her own smartphone sitting on a short table on the right side…
"… odd…" Her head instinctively pointed over her right arm.
A white sticking plaster covered its middle, as a cord was sticking out from it. The cord proceeded outside the bed, reaching a bag attached on a pole stand sitting near her right side.
"I still remember that fight I had against that Squid…" Her irises tilted to the left, focusing on nothing in particular. "As if I was really inside my… 'viewpoint'…"
She formed a shy, grimacing expression.
"It must be a dream… n-no conscious being could came up with such stupidity!" She looked down, noticing her shirt depicting a group of Squids holding each a guitar.
"… yet…" Her eyes closed. "I felt like fighting for real… as if I was defending myself from ideas who don't belong to me."
The door opened, as the girl immediately reopened her eyes: an Inkling man wearing a white coat and greenish gloves appeared at the entrance. His mouth smiled, as he proceeded just enough to close the door behind him.
"How are you?"
Mirii's head rose, scanning his face carefully…
"… whose Squid I have the pleasure to talk with…?"
"Jack." He opened his arms, reaching the right side of the bed. "One of the chiefs in command of this complex."
Her eyes went wide.
"Also the doctor who's in charge for your medical case." His hands went behind his back, as he kept smiling. "How about you, Miss?"
The girl looked away.
"I never asked to be helped… I could had made it just fine"
"You were found unconscious on the asphalt." He took a rapid look over the bag hanging nearby, before looking back at the girl. "Hardly a case where you could had made"
"I was thrown off guard, sir." She sighed, before looking back at the man. "I'm known to possess the strongest immune system, as well as the capacity of withstanding most of the pain occurring on myself."
Jack stretched his mouth to the right… as he turned behind and found a chair leaning on the wall. He walked over it, pulling the chair out of the wall and sitting on it.
"… for how long do you intend lying to professionals…?" His arms folded on his knees.
Sweat covered her forehead, as she moved her head away.
"… I-I'm not lying, sir…"
"Do you know what we found inside your stomach?" His mouth downturned slightly.
Mirii swallowed silently…
"… we found an infection." He nodded. "But not just any type of infection… the same one found on a very specific group of patients. Patients who were found unconscious outside a building…"
More sweat formed on her face.
"Unlike you, they testified about their previous presence… confirming that all of them were passing the night inside the Happy Squid Land structure." His eyelids lowered to the middle. "Miss, by any chance… were you also passing the night inside the same place?"
Mirii sealed her mouth.
"… I would like to mention how such infection was never recorded before in any medical files known to Squidkind." His eyes closed.
The girl took out all her air with her nose, producing a loud noise.
"We spent a whole night, trying to figure out what the shell was this infection… and right now, we are working on a temporary solution, before dismissing the patients." Jack leaned on the backrest, as his folded arms reached his chest. "Of course, each week we will send a medical request to all the related patients, for the weekly medical examination and verify if the solution is fighting the infection or not."
…
Mirii frowned slightly.
"… how come you took such decision?" Her head aimed at the man. "Shouldn't the patients stay inside the hospital until they are completely cured?"
"That would correct." Jack stands up, bringing his hands behind his back. "However, the solution I mentioned is considered temporary for a reason…"
Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit.
"… right now, the best medical scientists available were called by the president of this hospital." The man walked around the bed, stopping on the frontal side. "Most of them arrived this morning, two more will come in the afternoon. Right now, they are examining the infection… and soon, they will come up with a temporary solution to test outside the hospital."
"In other words, you want to verify if this solution doesn't cause any collateral effects during the ordinary days…" Mirii's head rose. "Am I right, sir?"
"Indeed." He nodded, as he resumed his walk and reached the left side of the bed. "By request, we will install technological systems to monitor our patients and continue the verification procedures." His eyes closed. "I would like to remind you that we are talking about requests here… not orders." He opened his arms. "You can even choose to not attend any future medical examinations, if you wish to do so."
"No… n-no!" Mirii frowned, while sweating on her forehead. "Th-they want to continue the experiments through the excuse of 'curing' the patients…!"
"In case you were wondering…" Jack turned behind, showing his back. "… we also sent a request to the government, for running such medical experiments on the patients." He let out one chuckle. "As you might know, it's not completely legal to utilize Squids as cavies…"
"Grrrrr…!" Mirii's frown increased uncontrollably, as her fists clenched. "H-he is taking me for a fool…!"
"Now…" The man twisted back, as he simply smiled at her. "How about you tell me where you last night…?"
"Hmpf!" Mirii's head rose. "I recall being simply at home…"
"Oh, really…" He lowered his eyelids to the middle, bending forward and looking closely at the girl. "… did you visited Happy Squid Land in the past?"
"No… no." Mirii's head shook. "The stomach aches appeared just as I was talking with the receptionist of this hospital."
"… hmm…" The man lifted his posture, as he downturned his mouth and lowered his eyebrows slightly. "… do you know anything about the place?"
"I heard the name when I watched the morning news where it was mentioned." Mirii nodded.
"… hmm…" His eyes closed. "… did you happen to take medicines in the last weeks?"
The girl flattened her mouth. Her mind was getting warmer…
"Ah, right." As he reopened his eyes, he smiled. "What's your name?"
"… Mirii." She felt something on her throat. "Mirii… Hanache." She swallowed 'it'.
"I see…" Jack slowly nodded. "… so, do you happen to take medicines?"
"I… I usually take…" Her mouth waved, as her irises went to the right side. "… food supplements… and the occasional aspirin whenever I have a headache…"
"… hmm…" The man walked away from the bed, keeping his hands behind his back.
"Nnnnnnnnggh!" Sweat kept flowing from her forehead, as her throat was waving all around. "Th-the Power Health was not approved by the government… I-I would be put under arrest, if they find"
"Alright, I will refer all those information to the scientists…" He looked at the girl, as he gave her one more smile. "… before I leave, I would like to mention that we gave you a 'reliefer' which will last for the whole day."
"A… 'reliefer'?" Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit.
"Let's say that it's a liquid who can ease any pain... we verified that it works great against this infection." The man walked over the metallic door. "I highly advice to stay here for at least half an hour, before considering to leave."
Jack reached the door, opening it.
"You can enter now."
"Hmm?" Her eyes blinked.
"Thank you, sir!"
Mirii's eyes went wide.
"Hunley?!" She lifted her back, slightly unwrapping her tentacles.
"Mirii!" Hun dodged the man, rushing over the girl. "Mirii, you are fine!" He smiled widely.
"Yes, I am." She nodded, smiling as well. "I managed to survive that vicious attack…"
The boy moved closer, as his hands gently pushed the girl back down: both were blushing. Jack was observing, as he carefully closed the door while smiling.
"… you don't have any idea how much I was worried about you…" Hun's hands grabbed her right one, as his head lowered.
Mirii's face went full red, as her mouth opened wide.
"Yo-you were?!" Her mouth downturned. "Bu-but I was"
"No, Mirii…" Hun rose his head, showing his downturned mouth. "… you weren't fine at all. You were suffering like mad… don't deny it, please!" He bended forward. "If it wasn't for the doctors, things would have been worse!"
Mirii's mouth opened, but no words came out. Hun sighed.
"Mirii… … they ran a medical examination on me, before…"
"WHAT?!" Her eyes expanded, as she rose her posture once more.
Hun's hands rose in front of his chest.
"Th-they were thinking I-I might had th-the same type of problem you had… s-so I agreed to run a medical examination on me…"
"Wh-what they did to you?!" Her eyebrows skyrocketed, as her teeth gritted.
"… well…" His hand grabbed his chin, as he looked the ceiling and tapped his foot. "I know they used machines on me… but I don't know how they managed to say the results from there."
"Did they used a-any syringes on you?!" Mirii began breathing loudly…
"NO!" Hun hugged himself, as his irises shrunk. "They wanted to, though! I-I'm so happy that I could refuse such thing!"
She let out a loud sigh, smiling at the end.
"Me too…" Her eyes closed. "Who knows what kind of wretched plan they have in mind…"
"What plans?"
"Hunley…" As she reopened her eyes, Mirii noticed Hun sitting on the chair nearby. "… I talked with that man who let you in…"
"I figured." Hun's arms rested on his knees. "What did he said?"
"He was reporting that I have an infection inside my stomach." Mirii's head rose, as hints of frowning appeared on her face. "Right now, there are scientists who are working on a solution… unfortunately, they can only afford a temporary one, considering how such medical problem was never encountered before."
"Well, at least we will have a solution!" The boy smiled. "You will be cured"
"Pay attention, Hunley…" Her head shook. "We are talking about scientists, here… scientists who are 'working on a solution'."
"Yes, I understood that." He nodded. "So?"
"S-so?!" Mirii frowned, bending over him. "Hunley! Have you forgot?!"
"No, Mirii… I'm sure I haven't forgot anything about this." The upper part of his face went darker. "How about you?"
…
"Did you forget what I said before…?" His mouth downturned.
"N-nonsense!" Sweat covered her face, as she leaned back. "No information could possibly escape my mind!"
"… Mirii… how are you going to solve the stomach ache you have…?" Hun lowered his head.
"H-Hmm?!" Her irises shrunk. "How do I… solve the stomach ache…?"
"Yes. How?" The darkness faded away, revealing lowered eyebrows on his face. "I clearly saw you suffering the stomach ache, falling down on the ground and fainting just when you asked my help!"
Mirii blushed, as her jaw dropped.
"I can't believe you are still denying the strength of this stomach ache!" Hun stood up immediately, as he opened his arms. "You cannot cure it by simply ignoring it! You have to find a real solution and get rid of it!"
"But trusting those scientists would be just as bad, Hunley!" Mirii's eyebrows couldn't lower. "They will"
"So what if they run experiments on you?!" He folded his arms. "Would you rather let someone solving your problems or let this stomach ache finish you off?!"
Suddenly, his eyes went watery.
"Why do you keep acting as if nothing will ever hurt you?! DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES ME HAPPY WATCHING YOU SUFFER?!" He gritted his teeth.
Mirii blushed… but at the same time, her eyes went also watery. Hun took some deep breaths…
"… this is the part of you I don't like at all…" He sniffed loudly. "This… c-cold Mirii who keeps emerging and emerging…"
She stood completely still…
"Well… even then…" He turned behind, lowering his head. "I learned to accept this side of yours… after all, it's part of you…"
He sniffed again.
"Bu-but… to see th-this side of yours e-even in such moment…" He stood still for some seconds. "… that's too far, even for you…"
A tear fell from Mirii's right eye. She sniffed, immediately drenching her eyes with her left hand.
"… Hunley…"
The boy didn't move an inch…
"… I… … I will think about it…" She whispered.
"You will?!" Hun twisted back, as his mouth opened.
"Sniff!" Mirii's head rose, as she slightly frowned. "For a whole day, the stomach aches will not return… thus, I have enough time to conduct a research and determine the best approach." She nodded, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "If I manage to find a better alternative than this… you will fully agree to let me adopt said solution."
"I promise!" Hun smiled widely. "If you don't find a better alternative, then you must let those scientists help you out."
"… for now, I have to wait less than a half an hour before we can leave this hospital." Her irises pointed over her smartphone. "Hunley, could you please bring me my smartphone?"
"Uh… smartphone…?" The boy looked around.
"Follow my forefinger." She pointed it over the device on the table.
Hun watched her forefinger, carefully turning behind… and finding the smartphone sitting on the table.
"Ah!" He smiled, picking it right up. "Here it is!"
Mirii giggled, watching the boy walking back with her smartphone on his right hand. He gently brought the smartphone over her left hand, as she picked it up and carried it in front of her face. Her thumb pressed on its screen.
"… I have been here for at least 20 minutes…"
"Aaaaah, now I remember!" Hun's right hand went behind his neck.
"Remember… what?" She lowered her smartphone, looking back at the boy.
"The word 'smartphone'… Grina asked me to find hers!" He shrugged. "Although, I'm not sure if it's even possible to find it at this point…" He sighed. "By the time we exit this building, that thing is already in the hands of someone else… maybe."
... Mirii grasped her smartphone tightly.