Chapter 14 - Sungjin Mental Hospital #4
Sungjin Mental Hospital #4
Translator : Elizabeth
They don't know me. The Administration Bureau agents cannot know my identity.
The 'existence of an F-Rank agent' who disappeared after drawing weird aggro in the Daycare long ago has already been processed as dead among them.
In other words, I was an 'unidentified' helper who could legally use the identity of an Anomaly.
"Do you have any uncomfortable places?"
"I, no, that is."
"Do you have any uncomfortable places?"
When I said it with a smile, the woman who was about to open her mouth to say something—soon bowed her head as if giving up and sighed.
"...Just what, how is this going."
"Do you have any uncomfortable places!"
Saying that to reassure her, I immediately lifted my phone and took a picture of the woman.
Click.
"Wait, what... A phone?"
There was a small accident where the agent watching my behavior had her thoughts stopped again, but whether she did or not, I tried sending the saved photo to the Mod immediately.
**[↳ User: Do you know who this person is?
↳ User: (Photo taken just now)
↳ ?
↳ Why is our side's agent there?
↳ User: She was here though?
↳ Ah.]**
The Mod, barely regaining senses hurriedly, sent an answer.
**[↳ That person is an Awakener. Name is Shin Hae-in, B-Rank agent.
↳ User: Oh-ong
↳ And gallery nickname is 'SafeToday'.
↳ User: ?
↳ ?]**
"Oh-uh-uh-uh?!"
I looked at the woman, startled.
"Wh, What. Why are you..."
'What the! You were SafeToday?!'
My heart pounded thump thump with the thought that I found my benefactor.
"What?! Why are you here?!"
"...Ugh."
"Ah, do you have any uncomfortable places?!"
As if hearing some unpleasant sound, SafeToday's expression crumpled.
I immediately used Anomaly-language(?) to convey my happy heart.
Holding her thin hand tightly with my two hands, I even did a one-sided fan meeting handshake.
"Uh...? Huh? Eh? Uh?"
Like that, the woman who couldn't follow my tension for a long time only regained stability after I roughly organized my mind.
To meet like this...!
This, looks like I have to take responsibility and help her?!
Just like she protected me from the Senior Nurse Anomaly earlier.
"You... Just what, no. Do you have no intention to harm me?"
Nod!
I nodded to that, expressing with my whole body that I would become your complete ally.
Still, the woman, meaning Shin Hae-in, showed a reaction wondering just what this situation was—
Then soon, as if realizing this situation was a golden opportunity that wouldn't come again, vitality returned to her eyes.
"...I want to get out of here. I have to get out."
'I want to get out too?!'
Our goals fit very well.
Maybe because we had experience exchanging banter on the F-Rank board, instinctively feel like our soul wavelengths match well!
"Can you... help me...?"
"Do you have any uncomfortable places?"
I answered that, showing the safest and most harmless expression in the world.
"....."
...But how do I help? I'm also trapped here suddenly working?
B-Rank agent and Awakener 'Shin Hae-in' felt a ray of light entering amidst the despairing situation due to an unexpected helper(?).
It's still a situation where she can't completely relax, but looking at the existence of small build fidgeting in front of her eyes.
"...."
Because she felt like she would keep relaxing. She had to keep her wits about her while pressing her palms with her fingernails press press.
"Phew..."
Flinch!
Fidgeting and glancing around even at the breath she exhaled to organize her mind, just where did that existence pop out from?
"...If you really want to help me, listen to my story."
"Do you have any uncomfortable places?"
An Anomaly taking a listening posture while saying the exact same thing as the nurses of Sungjin Mental Hospital.
Looking at such a small Anomaly, Shin Hae-in opened her mouth while still lying on the patient bed.
"I am currently trapped in this patient room. Don't know if you originally knew, but originally in the place I'm lying, there should have been another patient."
Like that, she brought up the story about 'Patient Room 208'.
The structure of the patient room itself is no different from other places, but here, an 'Anomaly' who does not think of itself as a patient is located.
Therefore, agents dispatched here always had to check if the door to Room 208 was open.
"...?"
The Anomaly tilting her head as if not understanding what she's saying.
Accordingly, silvery hair fluttering flows down to the side slide.
Shin Hae-in, forcibly tearing her gaze away from that, added explanation.
"Right now my spot, I have to find the original Anomaly that should be in this bed. Otherwise, I can't get out of here."
".....!"
Only then, as if understanding what she meant, she makes a pose clenching fists with both hands to gather will.
"I also want to go out to find that patient somehow, but alone I can't do anything. That is the rule of Room 208."
Then in the end, it means finding the Patient Anomaly of Room 208 who ran away from here?
The silver-haired girl who was listening quietly to Shin Hae-in's explanation understood completely.
"Can you... help me?"
It was Shin Hae-in asking with eyes not yet fully cleared of suspicion, but the girl read the desperation contained within.
This is totally, a job only I can do...?!
To think the time to repay the debt came so quickly...! Motivation is springing up wildly?!
Even more affection goes because we are in the same boat trapped in the hospital.
「▶ You naturally melt into human society and come to devise a plan to trample their hope even more desperately. A truly Anomaly-like idea.」
'Shut up!'
Putting aside the status window babbling weird words alone far away.
I decided to look for that Anomaly said to have run away from Room 208, even to let Awakener Shin Hae-in escape from here.
"Ex, Excuse me."
"....?"
A voice calling me who was about to leave the patient room.
Looking back, eyes met with Shin Hae-in for a long time.
"That... never mind."
However, since she avoided gaze first and blurred her words, I moved my steps immediately to find the runaway patient.
Tat-tat!
Where I am right now is the 2nd floor of Sungjin Mental Hospital.
For now, I searched for various information to find the Patient Anomaly that needs to be returned to Room 208.
**[↳ User: Just encountered an agent in Room 208, she says she has to find the Anomaly to return there.
↳ User: Do you have any information regarding this?
↳ The Room 208 Patient Anomaly is usually found only in other areas of the 2nd floor.
↳ The problem is... the difficulty is extreme because you have to check the patient rooms from 201 to 215 one by one.
↳ User: Ah...]**
Okay, so it means it's somewhere on this 2nd floor, right?
Since I checked Rooms 201 and 202 before entering Room 208 earlier—
It seemed I just need to look into the rest in order continuously.
Click. Click.
While moving to Room 203 first, I discovered another nurse Anomaly patrolling on the opposite side.
"Oh my, you're a rookie~"
"Yes."
"Where are you going?"
"There is a sick patient so I am moving to give help...! There is a patient who left their seat for a moment."
"Oh dear, working hard~"
Whether she found me admirable, the nurse paused in place and took something out of her pocket and handed it over.
"A gift for the kind junior~"
'Star Candy?'
It was a star candy that looked like it would taste sweet if eaten, existing without any packaging.
「Item acquired.」
**「▶ Sungjin Mental Hospital-made Star Candy x1
A star candy that can be consumed once. Eating it can recover 'Minor Injury' status wounds.」**
Wow... Is it something like a potion?
I received it quickly for now and bowed my head.
Then the nurse, still wearing a smiling face, left making heel sounds on her way.
Room 208, Room 208, Room 208...
Muttering so inwardly, I tried entering Room 203.
Swish.
"...."
Checked all four placed beds, but there were no parts different from other patient rooms.
...Bang.
Next Room 204.
Rattle.
Still four beds in the same position as other patient rooms, and.
"Hic."
Center of the room, I faced the corpse of a person hanging by the neck, dead.
Drip. Drip.
Sticky water dripping under the faded black shoes drew my gaze.
The patient room was quiet. Still quiet.
"....."
Words someone in the gallery said before flashed by.
That they think they can't escape from here, sorry to their children.
That person must have ended their life here with such thoughts too.
"Sniff."
Sniffling once for no reason, I left Patient Room 204 with a heavy heart.
"Next iis..."
Even after that, the search continued.
Met nurses a few times again while walking the hallway, and if there was a wandering patient, I put them back into the patient room in front of them.
Arrived like that, in front of Room 211.
Crash!
"...Basically advertising."
Why didn't I come here first earlier.
Just looking, a presence appealing that someone is inside is felt...!
Creak...
Trying to open the door and peek inside stealthily like that.
"Kkhihihihi."
"Uiek."
Center of the bloodied patient room, I could discover an Anomaly with disheveled hair laughing as if insane alone.
Don't know what was done to the hands, but sharp blades are embedded digging into the skin, and eyelids are forcibly torn open as if pinned, glaring bizarrely.
Four patients who should have been sleeping quietly in beds originally were rolling around covered in blood, ruthlessly hacked by the intruder's hand.
'Anomaly, it's an Anomaly, a real Anomaly, no need to be scared, originally like this, seriously dog-like place, dog-like place!'
If I could follow my heart, I wanted to accompany the nurse, but she wasn't in her spot just at this timing.
What if I go to call her for no reason and it moves to another patient room?
Squeeze...
I repeated while stroking the Crying Child-brand doll well hung on my waist once.
Applying my current state, I see the probability of that Anomaly presumed to be the patient of Room 208 attacking me as significantly low.
Because Anomalies encountered so far have always treated me well...!
Crying Child, Director, Nurse, and even wandering patients.
I believe in the favor from all those places.
Yeah, hate the agent but don't hate me... Then I think I'll be really sad.
Composing my mind once, I approached the patient staring at me intently since earlier.
"Nurse! You are a Nurse!"
"Yes, yeees..."
"I am fine now! I think I can be discharged! Patients also congratulated me and got torn to shreds like this! How is it? I am totally healthy, right!?"
"Ah..."
"Quickly tell the Doctor that I am so healthy there is no need to be in the patient room, otherwise I think I will become so sad and depressed that I will harbor bad thoughts!"
Doctor.
The Nurse Anomaly clearly said not to bother them who would be lurking somewhere in the hospital.
"...No."
Stop.
When I expressed refusal, Room 208 patient's reaction hardened as if time stopped.
"Why?"
"Because the Doctor is very busy right now."
"Why. Why. Why. Why. Why. Why."
"Let's go back with me. Other people are worried."
"No I won't go back. I said I'm fine. Do I have to show more here? I can do it. I am really healthy. Not sick. Hihihihi."
Moment of instant, the body of the patient whose body was twisted grotesquely—
Shot out like a whip and approached toward me.
Very fast speed, enough to be barely tracked even with eyes turned into an Anomaly.
I closed my eyes tightly and thrust forward the Daycare doll hanging on my waist.
Whoosh!
And at that moment.
Red tentacles ejected from the doll struck the approaching patient's body roughly.
Kwa-a-a-ang!!
Tremendous power impossible to imagine coming from a small doll's body.
A huge crack appeared on the patient room floor, and soon scattered blood splattered once again.
Patter.
Without wiping the thing splattered on my cheek, I looked at the Room 208 patient lying face down.
"Hurts, hurts, hurts, it hurts."
"See. It hurts a lot, right? Because you left the patient room."
"Sorry, I was wrong, I will receive treatment quietly, sorry Nurse."
Whether the rod of love was effective, I guided the immediately docile Room 208 patient carefully.
"You will go back to the patient room, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes sorry."
"You thought well."
Recalling the typical appearance of Nurse Anomalies in my mind continuously, I tried to copy their attitude as is.
'Ah, think I peed a little.'
Of course unlike the cool-headed mind, the frail and weak body had no choice but to be weak to external stimuli.
With trembling legs, I headed to Room 208 again to put the patient back in place.
「▶ You have 'physically' persuaded and returned the unauthorized departure act of Patient 208, the headache of the hospital. This is work execution ability far exceeding the level of an Intern.」
「▶ Work proficiency in 'Sungjin Mental Hospital' has increased.」
「▶ Now you have obtained the qualification to become a Formal Nurse, not an Intern.」
Formal Nurse...?
Then does it mean things I can do or authority increases more here?
「▶ A Formal Nurse can accompany the charge patient.」
At such news, thoughts of 'SafeToday' came to mind first.
Se, Seems good...?
Rattle.
Opening the door to Room 208 and entering, I see Shin Hae-in with a very tense expression.
I showed the Room 208 Patient Anomaly brought together with an expression saying I did it.
"J, Just now what sound...! Ah."
"Do you have any uncomfortable places!"
I did well, right...?!
With confidence radiating such momentum, I looked at Shin Hae-in with a dumbfounded expression.