Editing City Series:Volume3b Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 2===

The hospital was the same one Akira had been hospitalized at.

However, they went to a different building.

“Building 2’s power supply is on the fritz, so she’s in Building 3 despite her serious injury. You were in a special room in Building 1.”

“Well, I am a Nein Engel. I can’t use a normal bed. …Oh, using the main entrance would be the long way around, so let’s head directly in over there.”

Akira avoided the main entrance and walked to Building 3’s courtyard-side entrance.

“It sounds like the boss has some kind of idea. I was hoping you could ask her what it is.”

“Just between us girls, you mean?”

“Sorry.”

Akira nodded and circled the entire hospital from the courtyard.

There was no one on the grassy courtyard.

The buildings surrounded the courtyard with Building 1 on the left, Building 2 straight ahead, and Building 3 to the right.

They were all giant white-walled buildings.

However, all of the windows in Building 2 were dark.

As Kouga had said, it seemed to have stopped functioning.

…''The hospital’s power supply is out?

Building 2 was used for seriously injured patients.

“…”

“What’s that worried look for?”

“Oh, just feeling a little down.”

“Yeah, I can’t stand the smell of disinfectant either.”

“Because you’re a vampire?” asked Akira. “Oh, sorry,” she quickly added.

However, Kouga only smiled bitterly without getting angry.

“Maybe that is why. Now that you mention it.”

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask about your family.”

“My mother’s a vampire and my father’s human. It’s the same arrangement as your family.”

“No, not that. Have they left Hong Kong?”

“They went to London for a six-month trip,” he answered. “They’ll come back eventually. This is the only place where people like us can live and enjoy ourselves. I doubt my old man’s thinking of completely ditching this place.”

“I see.”

“I wish I could strike back at the enemy like you can. The civil team will probably be stuck taking everyone left in Hong Kong to the New Territories.”

“That’s an important job, isn’t it?”

“The General said the same thing.”

“Well, he and I can be a lot alike.”

They arrived at Building 3’s entrance as they spoke. Akira hesitated a little, but she walked ahead of Kouga and pushed the glass door.

The door silently opened and she stepped inside. The smell of disinfectant grew stronger and she was surprised to find it was brighter than outside.

The brightness of the lights confused her and Kouga ran into her when she flinched back.

She began walking again.

“Which room is she in?”

“404. …Oh, I was told not to use the elevator.”

“That’s fine since I don’t like elevators, but I need to Tune heal her as quickly as I can.”

“You sound motivated now.”

“Yeah. I need to take this seriously, so I’m psyching myself up.”

With that, she turned toward the emergency staircase.

She climbed the stairs.

As they moved their feet, Kouga spoke to break the silence.

“Speaking of families, the boss’s came by. They apparently have some connections on the mainland.”

“Will Rin…be moving there?”

“In liberated Broad City – Shanghai, apparently. But that was the first time I learned her Wild Name.”

“She’s from the Feng family, right? And your family name is Yamashiro, isn’t it? I know everyone’s since I’m with Cleared.”

“The Feng family is famous. That must be why her family wants to get moving so soon.”

“Probably. …What do you think the General will do? Will he move to the mainland, too?”

“Who knows. No one knows much about his family.”

“He apparently has a wife. He’s always talking about her. Have you ever seen her?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe she’s imaginary.”

With that offhand comment, Akira came to a stop.

She took a breath and heard Kouga speak behind her.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking the fourth floor is so high up.”

As she climbed the stairs, she found herself out of breath and her pulse racing.

…''Maybe because I always use my wings to fly.

She smiled bitterly and Kouga gave her a serious look.

“Are you still not feeling well?”

“Eh? Why do you ask?”

“Well…”

He pointed at the number on the landing. They were only on the second floor.

It was true this was too early to be exhausted.

“Maybe it was too early to ask you here…”

Kouga sounded worried and Akira frantically spoke up.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I was just kidding.”

Akira herself knew best of all that was a lie. Her breathing and pulse were far from “fine”.

…''Kouga’s right…but what does it mean?

She started up the stairs again to hide her confusion. She forcefully stepped forward to continue the climb.

She consciously restrained her breathing. That quieted her breaths, but they were even more disturbed than before. And that disturbance sent her pulse racing even faster.

She started sweating.

It was a cold sweat.

This was not the warm sweat of exhaustion.

…''What is going on?

The answer became clear once she reached the fourth floor.

“…”

She could no longer walk properly.

“Eh?”

She looked down and found her legs shaking on the fourth floor landing.

No, it was not just her legs that were trembling. Her arms and body were also shaking. It was a weak tremor, different from the tension of exertion.

…''A chill? No, this is different.

She had seen the Lives of people trembling like this.

Their Live would have a cold purple Word Color and a Tempo like a racing metallic pulse that was too high-pitched to hear.

“Why am I afraid?”

She suddenly looked up.

“I get it now…”

She realized she had made a serious misunderstanding.

At the same time, she received the answer to all of her questions.

It was not her exhaustion or the lack of practice that was keeping her from Tuning.

…''I’m afraid of Tuning.

Her body briefly recalled the ensemble of screaming Lives she had heard on the night of the flying dragons.

“!”

Her pulse grew stronger, the purple Word Color surrounding her turned black, and the Tempo briefly stopped.

Her chill grew worse and her arms moved on their own to hold her body.

Kouga passed by her without noticing how she was acting.

“404’s right in front of you.”

Rin’s hospital room was straight ahead from the landing.

“Right here. They weren’t allowing visitors until yesterday.”

She spoke without turning around and she did not respond.

Akira watched him reach for the doorknob and she removed the Device at her waist.

She then hid it from Kouga by placing it behind the railing of the next flight of stairs up.

Her pulse calmed a little.

She looked back just in time to see Kouga opening the hospital room door.

A chill of surprise raced through her body like an icicle had stabbed down her spine.

Once that door opened, she would have to Tune.

“Kouga!”

She just about shouted for him to stop, but the sunlight on the other side of the door stopped her.

The hospital room was bright.

It was pure white.

The bed was best described as sterile, but…

“It’s empty,” weakly muttered Kouga.

Akira also saw the empty space.

Rin had vanished from the hospital room.

“…”

She also found she had stopped trembling.