Heroes Always Bounce Back
"How are you feeling, Sion? Can you stand?"
"……."
Sion was hanging from the parallel bars at waist height, gripping tightly with her arms and legs to hold herself steady. Even though we'd stripped away quite a few buffs, she didn't show any signs of collapsing from exhaustion.
It looked like she'd be ready for walking training under buffs if she gained just a bit more strength...
"Sion?"
But her expression. She was going through the motions of the exercises and following instructions, but her face was blank, like her soul had wandered off somewhere. She wasn't hearing a word I said.
"Let's call it a day, Sion."
"Huh?"
"Mirei, log the buff sensitivity at 3.3."
"Got it."
While Mirei recorded the exam results, I gently supported Sion from the bars, released the buffs, and settled her back into her wheelchair.
"Director Hope, I didn't even do anything today?"
"If you can't focus on your muscles during exercise, training won't do much good anyway. Better to rest up today."
"……."
Sion hung her head, looking dejected. This was...
"Sion."
"Yes?"
"Are you still hung up on what happened last time?"
"……."
Last weekend, we'd gone out to the village together, and Sion had a paranoid episode. It had taken everything to calm her down. It happened in a crowded place, so it was a close call. She seemed down because of it.
"...Yeah."
"It's okay, Sion. What did I tell you?"
"That I'm the most important."
"That's one, but the other thing."
"The other one?"
Sion pondered it with her head bowed. Then, as if remembering, she glanced up at my face cautiously.
"...Pain isn't something to apologize for."
"Exactly. So don't look so down."
Skipping rehab for a day wouldn't hurt, but if her depression dragged on and affected her mental state, it could turn serious. I hoped she'd perk up soon...
"Director Hope."
"I'm listening."
"I know it's okay to lean on you. So from now on, instead of saying sorry, I'll say thank you."
So she wasn't moping out of guilt. That was a relief, at least...
"I was really grateful back then too. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would've happened... I keep owing you."
"It's fine. It's my job."
She was saying thanks, but her face was still dark as she bowed her head, hands neatly folded in her lap.
"But these incidents keep happening, and it's starting to scare me more and more."
Was she trembling just from saying she was scared? Her fingertips were quivering.
"I feel like monsters are always watching me from somewhere, and sometimes I even see them. The screams from the battlefield and that ear-splitting dark magic noise keep echoing in my ears. I hear someone calling for help over and over... even the voices of people I couldn't save, resenting me. I know it's hallucinations, but they're so terrifying I can't bear it."
So she'd been dealing with hallucinations all this time... If she was even seeing them, it was classic schizophrenia symptoms. That she'd kept up a bright front until now was thanks to her superhuman willpower.
Hallucinations and delusions in schizophrenia patients—even in modern times, with all the awareness—are impossible for the sufferer to dismiss as "just hallucinations," even if they know they've been diagnosed. To them, it's real.
"It feels like I've become someone else, and I end up doing weird things without realizing. Even though you told me yesterday there's no such thing as a witch... my head gets so cluttered it feels like it'll burst, and I can't breathe..."
Her hands were shaking harder now. I knelt to meet her eye level and took both her hands in mine.
"...Director?"
"Stop shaking and calm down. I know it all, so you don't have to say it."
Thankfully, holding her hands stopped the trembling right away. We gazed at each other in silence for a moment.
Her hands were warm despite the shaking, and I couldn't help smiling.
"Sion, I was happy back then."
"Huh?"
I gave her a light smile, but she still looked puzzled.
"When you were lost in your head, I didn't really do anything. I tried everything to calm you, but the episode wouldn't stop. In the end, all I could do was appeal to faith. Remember?"
Sion nodded silently.
"When I asked you to trust me, you said you did. You snapped out of it because you trusted me. That wasn't me saving you—it was you overcoming it."
Thinking back, it was still a heart-stopping moment. If she hadn't trusted me, what would I have done?
"That's why I was happy. You called me a comrade. You said you trusted me. So let me thank you too, Sion. Thank you so much."
I'd lied to her about so many things, but this was pure truth. We got through that episode because she fought it off, and I was genuinely thrilled that she trusted me and called me a comrade. Even though I'd faked it at first, I could finally be a real one in her eyes.
"Director Hope..."
Sion looked down at me from her wheelchair, her crimson eyes shimmering and trembling.
"Are you crying, Sion?"
"Ah... no?"
Caught out, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, like she wanted to hide the tears.
"I haven't cried yet?"
"That's a nuanced answer. Doesn't that count as crying?"
"But it's true. Heroes don't lie."
"You were about to."
"But I didn't."
She made a resolute face, like she was holding back tears with sheer willpower. It was basically crying anyway—couldn't she just admit it? But whatever, it didn't matter. My words had reached her, and I'd said my thanks properly.
"Anyway, rest today. Mirei will take you to your room. I've got other patients..."
"No, I'm fine. Let's do the rehab as scheduled."
"I said don't push yourself."
"I'm really okay. I told you, I don't lie."
Sion lifted her head defiantly, pulled her hands from mine, clenched them into fists, and raised them in a fighting pose at chest level.
"Heroes always bounce back from setbacks. Especially..."
She looked straight into my eyes.
"...when a comrade cheers them on."
This patient was using "comrade" like a cheat code because she knew it made me happy, just to get her way...
"But patients have to follow the doctor's orders."
"I'm really fine though???"
"Sion, this is my call. You need to rest now."
I couldn't let her cheat her way through. Time for my counter-cheat.
"You trust me, right? Then follow my instructions."
"That's mean..."
She finally gave in with a pouty face. Good—now she could rest without pushing too hard.
"Mirei, take Sion to her room and brief Serin on the situation."
"Understood."
"Hiiing..."
Sion had no more protests and let Mirei lead her back to her room.
Today's rehab was canceled, so I'd note that. Rehab was a marathon anyway. A one-day gap wouldn't matter as long as she stayed consistent.
More importantly, tomorrow was the monthly kingdom council meeting, so tonight I'd need to finalize the reports on the rehab center's operations and status.
"Mm..."
The next day's council meeting went off without a hitch. The king and ministers praised and supported me as always, and patients continued flowing in and out of the center as people returned to daily life.
My concern, though...
"What's troubling you?"
This was a non-work day due to the meeting, but it was also day for Sion, so after the meeting, I'd gone to her room and restored a tiny bit of her stats. She must've noticed something was off.
"Another business trip came up. Some country's opening a new rehab center."
"Where?"
"Praine."
"Ah... the Holy Nation of Praine."
The nation ruled by the pope where everyone worshipped the gods, full of clerics specialized in healing and recovery. They'd been the first to take notice of rehab centers. Later than the Keroa Empire only due to infrastructure differences. Praine had high prestige and diplomacy but harsh terrain and few resources—not a wealthy place.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. They want me there ASAP again."
"Oh."
Normally I'd just go, but after canceling yesterday's training, it was a problem. Without my buffs, she couldn't train, and a full week off would definitely stall her recovery.
"That's what I was worrying about."
"Simple fix."
"You're not thinking of training without me, are you?"
"Come on, even with my history, that's too much worry. I'll just come with you."
Come with? Sion on the trip?
"It's a rehab center opening, right? I can tag along, cheer on the patients, do a demo with you, maybe even a workshop?"
Hm, solid idea. Best part: her rehab wouldn't skip a beat. Sion always came first.
"Good thinking. Let's do that."
"Yay! Serin, I'm going on the trip tomorrow—get things ready."
"Understood."
Serin could handle a rush like this no problem. And so, the trip to the Holy Nation was set. Traveling with Sion... I hoped nothing went wrong.