Xeno approached Stanley, his sharp scientist's eyes scanning the bloodstains lingering on his lips and nose.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice low but unable to conceal his concern.
Stanley spat out the blood pooled in his mouth, trying to appear nonchalant. He grinned, his garnet blue eyes turning towards the girl, harboring a newfound, indescribable emotion.
"More than alright."
Xeno narrowed his eyes, skeptical.
"You can go to the infirmary to treat your injuries and rest."
With his extraordinary physical resilience, Stanley quickly overcame the trembling and stood up straight. He wiped the dried blood from his face and lit a cigarette.
"My priority is protecting you. If she goes berserk and attacks you again, I'm not sure you'll survive without my intervention."
"She's not a wild beast, Stan. She's just disoriented from amnesia. Besides, she told you to let go of her, but you didn't, so she attacked."
Stanley rolled his eyes.
"Damn it, maybe I should learn Japanese to avoid making mistakes again."
Xeno patted his best friend's shoulder reassuringly, then turned to Gen.
"Mr. Gen! Since you understand this girl better than we do, I want you to calm her down before we move her to another room. If you can't, you'll stay here with her."
Gen, who had been silent throughout, observing the chaos like a hawk, analyzed the indigo-haired girl's behavior, then concealed the smile spreading across his lips with his long sleeve. If she really had amnesia, wouldn't that be convenient for him? Of course, her remembering was only a matter of time. But until then, he would create a new reality, making her trust him completely and willingly follow his plans.
Gen sat on the edge of the bed, cautiously moving closer to the girl. He understood that even a slight mistake, a light touch, could trigger an attack. But he needed to calm her down, or all previous agreements would fall apart.
"May I touch you?"
He asked, his voice soft and respectful.
The girl's tearful eyes looked up, glistening like pearls, at the man beside her. He wasn't as intimidating as the other two men, and his gentle smile helped her calm down somewhat. She sniffled and nodded, allowing him to touch her. Gen's warm hand slowly stroked her slender, bare back.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, I'm your friend, I'll help you regain your memory."
"F-Friend?"
She asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.
Gen affirmed firmly.
"Yes, we're friends because we used to work with Dr. Taiju."
A long silence ensued. After a few minutes, Hinata spoke, her voice so soft that only Gen could hear.
"I...I think I remember my name."
Gen glanced at the two men standing in the corner, observing them. He needed to know her name, or all his efforts would be in vain.
Gen whispered.
"Good, tell me everything you remember."
She stammered nervously.
"I-I only remember my name is Hyuga Hinata...the rest...I don't remember anything."
Gen patted her back gently, encouragingly.
"Don't worry, Hinata-chan~ everything takes time to recover, with me by your side, you have nothing to fear."
Hinata smiled, a weak but sincere smile.
"Thank you so much, you are...?"
"I'm Asagiri Gen."
He smiled brightly, a red rose suddenly appearing in his hand, which he offered to her. Hinata blushed and shyly accepted it.
"T-Thank you, Gen-san."
Gen grinned, his slender fingers gently smoothing Hinata's soft indigo hair, making it less disheveled.
Xeno spoke, his voice thoughtful.
"They seem quite close. Now I understand why he refused to reveal the girl's identity."
Stanley, instead of making his usual teasing remarks, simply nodded silently, the cigarette clenched between his lips.
Gen stood up, turning to the two men.
"Hinata-chan has calmed down, you can move her to a more comfortable place now."
He held out his hand for Hinata to take, helping her stand up. But as soon as her feet touched the ground, she collapsed, her body aching and weak.
"Are you alright?"
Gen knelt down worriedly.
Hinata frowned and shook her head.
"My body hurts too much...I can't stand."
"Then let me." Gen lifted Hinata up, but after a few seconds, his legs trembled, unable to hold her. Stanley, seeing his struggle, spoke up.
"Give her to me. You're shaking like a leaf, how can you carry her?"
Gen raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you have the strength after that hit?"
"I have more strength than you, now give her here."
Stanley urged, impatient.
Gen sighed, handing Hinata to Stanley. As soon as the indigo-haired girl was in the soldier's arms, she wrinkled her nose, coughing slightly from the strong smell of cigarettes. Stanley frowned, muttering "Troublesome." He flicked the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
Xeno ensured Hinata was in a comfortable room with a guard outside and her injuries were properly treated by Luna Wright - a former medical student. He asked Maya to keep an eye on Gen while he and Stanley went to the infirmary.
Xeno ordered.
"Take off your shirt."
Stanley crossed his arms, smiling teasingly.
"Just the shirt? Don't you want to admire my perfect body in its entirety!?"
Xeno replied dryly.
"I'm not interested, so the answer is no."
Stanley unzipped the top of his black bodysuit, revealing his muscular upper body with a prominent purple handprint on his chest. Xeno frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the bruise on Stanley's chest.
"This mark is not simple."
The scientist murmured, his long metal claws gently touching the bruise. Stanley flinched, feeling a jolt of electricity run down his spine.
"Don't touch me like that." he growled, but couldn't help shuddering at the coldness of Xeno's claws.
Xeno ignored Stanley's complaint, continuing to examine the injury closely.
"This handprint indicates a direct and concentrated impact."
He said, his tone analytical.
"Not only is there external bruising, I suspect internal damage."
Xeno began a meticulous examination. He pressed lightly on the areas around the bruise, observing Stanley's reactions.
"Does it hurt here?" he asked, his finger moving to a sensitive spot.
Stanley grimaced, nodding.
"Yes, a little sharp."
Xeno continued the examination, his metal claws gliding over Stanley's skin, searching for abnormalities.
"Take a deep breath." he ordered, placing the stethoscope on Stanley's back.
Stanley inhaled and exhaled, his broad chest rising and falling.
"It seems there's fluid in the lungs." he murmured, his voice thoughtful. Then he moved the stethoscope to Stanley's chest.
"The heart rate is slightly fast, possibly due to stress, but also possibly due to injury."
It took Xeno over an hour to complete the examination, finally, the scientist concluded.
"You have a slight pulmonary contusion, damage to small blood vessels, a few fractured ribs on the right side, and signs of nervous tension."
Xeno said, his tone serious. He taking out a small bottle of pills and a bandage from the medicine cabinet.
"Take this medicine three times a day, after meals. This bandage will help reduce the bruising. I'll check on you again tomorrow."
Stanley took the bottle, looking at Xeno with a questioning gaze.
"What kind of medicine is it?"
"Pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Don't worry, I've calculated the appropriate dosage."
Stanley nodded, looking at the bruise on his chest, then at Xeno.
"Do you think she could inflict these injuries with just her bare hands?"
Xeno was silent for a moment, then said.
"Ms. Hinata is not an ordinary person. Her striking force focuses on the acupoints on the body. If you're not careful, you could suffer more serious injuries."
"Acupoints?" Stanley frowned.
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'm sure about Ms. Hinata's martial arts technique. But how to generate such a powerful impact, I don't know." Xeno affirmed.
Stanley sighed, rubbing his temples.
"So we have another problem."
"Indeed. However, Ms. Hinata has amnesia, we cannot exploit enemy information, but in return, we can build trust and bring her to our side. If Ms. Hinata is added to your team, victory is certainly in our hands."
He paused, then looked at Stanley, his eyes thoughtful.
"For now, you need to rest and recover quickly, then if you have free time, you can learn some Japanese to communicate with Ms. Hinata."
Stanley left. In his mind, the idea of learning Japanese began to take shape. He didn't want to have to rely on Gen or Xeno to translate every time he encountered Hinata, or worse, find himself in awkward situations where he couldn't communicate.