“You’re lying, right?”

 

I was struck with disbelief after hearing Ayano and the doctor’s explanation. How come something like that happened in the first place? What are the policemen doing?. A lot of random thoughts began to spread like film rolls in my mind tremendously while at the same time creating a spiral made of confusion and disappointment and harmoniously vibrating in the same latency.

 

“Unfortunately, I’m not. I even wish I was lying, Touka.”

 

Ayano’s perplexion surfaced on her face, along with a slight feeling of guilt for not being able to give any more details. As for me, I began to understand how other people were feeling. I didn’t really know the reason though.

 

“Seriously…”

 

What I could do was only lower my head in disbelief. Who would believe when told such things? Nobody would, right?

 

“I’m sorry, Touka.”

 

Ayano was seemingly drowning in her own guilt but I just ignored it. Heartless, maybe, but I had another thing inside my mind that had been bothering me since I woke up the first time. And as if I was struck by a lightning called reminiscence, I quickly rummaged through the bed I was laying down on frantically.

 

“... What are you doing?”

 

Seeing me acting strange, Ayano questioned. The reason was actually simple. I was looking for the metal thingy I had coughed out the first time I opened my eyes earlier. After about 15 seconds of fumbling around my bed left and right, my right hand made contact with a small object that was quite hard and serrated.

 

“This is it!”

 

I pulled my hand with all my might and showed what I had found to Ayano and the doctor.

 

“That is… Don’t tell me!?”

 

Ayano made a surprised face and stared at me intensely. Meanwhile, the doctor only squinted his eyes and nodded, to my surprise, calmly.

 

“It looks like a bullet.”

 

Between my index and middle fingers, I held the small object that was golden brown colored and made of some kind of metal alloy. There was also a pair of writings on that object that caught my attention.

 

230 Days…, I read it internally. To be honest, even up to that point, I still had no idea what that meant and cluelessly thought of more random things that seemed more important. And I know, at that time I should be asking things like what time it was or something like that. I now regret that I was being that ignorant…

 

“How in the world did you get your hands on this kind of thing!?”

 

Ayano held her head with both her arms and made a really stupid look on her face. I couldn’t help but giggle seeing that kind of expression of hers. Well, Ayano is known for her stern and serious looking face but deep down inside, she has the heart of an angel.

 

“I coughed it out.”

 

I replied honestly but it seemed too unreal for Ayano to believe. I, too, would doubt my own words if I didn’t experience it for myself. Although I was the one who coughed it out as it was stuck in my throat for who knows how long it was…

 

“You… what?”

 

“I coughed it out.”

 

“... Seriously?”

 

“I’m dead serious.”

 

“... Gosh…”

 

Ayano facepalmed and then stared at me with serious eyes. Hearing me explaining things quite abruptly perhaps chipped her logic away.

 

“May I take a look at it?”

 

Without replying, I handed over the small thing. Frankly speaking, my chest tightened a little bit and I felt that it was kind of disgusting since that thing came out of my mouth and Ayano just nonchalantly took and observed it closely, right in front of her face. I mean, that thing was full of my saliva, albeit at that time it was already dry. After a brief moment, she heaved a sigh and confirmed.

 

“This is… indeed a bullet.”

 

Yep, I thought so too. Although I never once saw a real gun in front of me, just a small glance to the thing already gave away its origin.

 

“Miss Touka, let me ask you a question.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“This might be impertinent of me, but how in the world did you cough out a bullet that was supposed to be inside your skull?”

 

I went silent after hearing the doctor’s question. Never once after all this time did that kind of logical question flash up in my mind and being asked that completely caught me off guard. It was a perfectly normal question yet I didn’t even have the answer to that.

 

“Miss Ayano, can you hand it over to me? I’ll take it to the lab and have the personnel identify it. And as for you, Miss Touka…”

 

The doctor paused for a brief moment.

 

“We need to advance your rehabilitation. I’ll come back later with the schedule.”

 

The doctor bowed after explaining and by the time he reached the door, he added.

 

“Oh one more. Miss Ayano, I suggest that you stop your parents from going too wild outside. Their bickerings might disturb other patients.”

 

With a blushing face from ear to ear, Ayano only nodded and bowed profusely. Just right before the doctor exited the bay, I called for him.

 

“Doctor!”

 

He then turned his body and only made eye contact with me, indicating that I shouldn’t bother him further.

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Touka!?”

 

Ignoring Ayano’s shout that was caused by my impolite and rude question, I kept staring at the doctor until he responded. Well, I had my reason to do so.

 

“... I’ll be 49 next month.”

 

“I see… Thank you, doc.”

 

He then nodded and smiled slightly, and quickly walked out of the bay.

 

It’s completely different… What is that number for, actually? Yes, I was thinking about the number ‘56’ on his head I had been seeing from the beginning, while the uncertainty began to corrode my sanity, rapidly.

 

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

 

“Say, Ayano…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

After the doctor exited the bay, Ayano and I went silent for almost 1 minute before I broke the ice by asking her a question.

 

“What happened to mom and dad?”

 

“Ah, that is…”

 

Ayano scratched her head in response to my sudden question.

 

“You see, you’ve been in a coma for more than 7 months, right?”

 

“Yeah. What about it?”

 

“There was a debate between those two. One of them insisted on keeping your life support going, and the other one gave up and decided to cut off your life support to let you rest for good.”

 

Ayano’s tone turned grievous. I could see her clenching her fists and grit her teeth. Was it the machinery with cables and pipes earlier? Probably it was, right?

 

“By life support, do you mean a machine with lots of cables and pipes?”

 

“... That’s what you’re asking?”

 

Ayano put on a troubled face and sighed heavily. Cluelessly, I could only tilt my head a little.

 

“Alright, let me get this straight. Touka, don’t you want to know which one of our parents gave up on you?”

 

Hell no, I tried to avoid entering that domain by changing the topic but Ayano deliberately shoved herself in. Heavy-heartedly, I could only nod while preparing for the worst answer possible, albeit I was able to roughly guess who it was.

 

“That Souichiro bastard did. I know, I know, he’s also my father but due to all my respect, I can no longer see him as a proper father now after what he did… No, he didn’t actually give a shit about doing a thing and only wept in sorrow as if he was the only victim. Pathetic.”

 

Ayano’s face was quite hard to look at, as many veins bulged through her fairly white skin and gave away the impression that they could explode at any time now. I didn’t even know what to do and just placed my hand on hers, and she replied by throwing a forced smile. She then continued her unfinished words.

 

“And guess what? He even stopped working and just lazed around drinking and gambling all the hard earned money. Really, if I’m not his daughter, I’d kill him for sure…”

 

Hatred. I could only sense hostility coming from Ayano’s words. But strangely enough, I couldn’t sympathize with it, nor did I get hurt by the fact that dad had given up on me. Starting from that point, I began to realize I had changed, in a way I never wanted to.