Stroke of Luck 5
"Are you awake, Seongha oppa?"
I still couldn't open my eyes. I could only guess she was here from her voice. Meeting Mikoto right now wasn't a good idea. It would have been far better to wake up dead.
"Sorry. Guess I'm still asleep..."
Mikoto didn't leave. She crept closer, oh so carefully. Her tiny feet padded lightly on the floor. A faint vibration hummed up through the bed into my body. Emptying my mind was getting harder.
Mikoto's condition hadn't improved yet.
"It's morning..."
Unable to shake me awake, she paced anxiously, not knowing what to do.
How men died from the disease was common knowledge. But the progression everyone knew—a slow fade over months: lethargy, endless sleep, mounting fatigue, endless questions, then never waking. They'd never imagined plunging into critical like this, so suddenly.
If I died right here, could Mikoto avoid blaming herself? Knowing her, she'd spin some nonsense like I could have saved him.
It was rationally impossible. Not like dozing off mid-conversation, or calling emergency services for an extra hour of sleep. That was just paranoia.
But Mikoto was still a patient herself. Could she even think that straight?
"Still sleeping?"
On second thought, self-blame was bad enough—but my death alone would shatter her. Unease gnawed at me.
If I collapsed like this, Yukiko and Karin could muddle through somehow. But Mikoto? Counseling sessions kept going; she was hardening up. Yet a hole shaped like me was carving out in her heart, pulling her deeper into dependence.
Unlike Yukiko, who'd chosen to love me on her own. Unlike Karin, who'd held onto herself.
Karin would grieve but shake it off surprisingly quick. Yukiko would ache deeply but, sharp as she was, wouldn't follow me in death.
Mikoto was different. She'd actually die.
"..."
No sound of her leaving, no footsteps. She just stood there blankly, watching over my sleeping form.
"Sorry..."
Mikoto finally spoke. Lately, I'd been dodging her. Admitting I'd failed her was unbearable. Every glimpse of her face felt like staring at a living zero on an exam.
"It's gotta be tough because of me, right, oppa?"
I couldn't resent her. Couldn't even beat myself up over my mistakes—I had no clear answers on what I'd done wrong.
"I love you..."
Hearing her whisper sweet nothings to herself was a little eerie, but I knew she did it. I shunned her; she craved my side. So she'd slip in before I stirred or after I crashed. Nights with another woman made it rare, though. Usually, she'd pace like this and leave.
But not today. She took that extra step. Her body pressed against mine. I heard her heartbeat. She was hugging me—or trying to. Too tiny to cradle me properly, she just clung to my right shoulder.
"Wake up..."
I had meds for this. The kind for non-enhanced folks, just to drag out the inevitable. But the bottle in the cabinet? Useless to me now.
Even remembering other people was starting to feel like a chore. Was it the disease? My life felt like a total bust. Or maybe because Mikoto was the one here at the end.
Still, I couldn't let it end in failure. The test wasn't over.
I could've stomached dying if she followed. But her drowning in guilt? No. That was wrong. I refused to dump my screw-ups on anyone else.
I mustered my resolve. Feeble compared to the old days, a watered-down grit. My mental edge had dulled; my heart had toughened to numbness. But I didn't need to nurse strangers or charge into gunfire anymore.
I focused every ounce into my eyes. Lifted the thin skin of my eyelids.
I had to wake up. Decide. Declare I wouldn't die.
I didn't know when or how it'd claim me—but not today. No silent nod to the reaper hovering over my bed.
I opened my eyes. Mikoto's face filled my vision. She beamed at first, then clocked something off.
Forcing my mouth open, a deflated wheeze escaped. A few more tries, and words tumbled out.
"Left... cabinet... blue... pills..."
Thoughts wouldn't shape right. Negative questions swarmed my skull: No point. Waste of time. My own voice, mocking.
"O-okay! Just hold on!"
Mikoto bolted in shock. My mumble was barely intelligible, but she nailed the right bottle.
The pill slid down my throat, slow. Only then could I sleep.
/////
I woke to Mikoto curled in my arms, asleep. I tried slipping out without stirring her, but her grip was iron.
She woke before I even sat up.
"Y-you're awake! Oh god, I thought you were gone for real..."
Her shout yanked the door open with a bang.
"You're awake, Master! The doctor's on the way. Please let him examine you right—"
Yukiko fretted, but I shook my head.
"I'm good for now. Got that physical enhancement procedure checkup in two days anyway—no need to rush today."
"Understood. Still, humor the doctor with a quick once-over."
I nodded, knowing it'd be pointless. I was the expert on this disease.
For now, just seeing their faces was enough.
"How long was I out?"
"Three hours... or so."
Mikoto mumbled, head bowed. If she was this wrecked from saving me, god knows what she'd do if I'd actually died.
But a near-miss was a near-miss—and opportunities were for using.
Mikoto, Karin—they had nothing left to give me. Like a game maxed on resources in god-mode. I'd wrung them dry.
But today? I'd gotten something from Mikoto.
"Thanks. You saved my life."
"S-Seongha oppa?"
She flushed, flustered.
"N-no way, that's a lie! It wasn't that bad, right? Just under the weather...?"
"I was really dying."
Yukiko brought cold coffee. I grinned and took a sip.
"Sleeping sickness. Anything could've happened. That's on you, Mikoto."
The nostalgic drink, that sharp sweetness—it worked on this disease. Old folk remedy from when real meds were scarce. Useless for critical cases like mine, but...
"N-no... Seongha couldn't go out that easy, right?"
"Could've."
Unexpected, sure. But death waited for no one.
"L-lie..."
Mikoto seemed less proud of saving me, more terrified I'd been that close.
"Truth. Just like I saved you—you saved me."
I laid it out gently, but she wasn't hearing it.
"Did I... actually help you, Seongha?"
"Yeah. Big time."
Head still foggy. I'd known it was risky, but staring death down crystallized it: Stalling meant never finishing what had to be done.
"No way. You went through hell to find me..."
"Wasn't risky. Honestly? Just a pain wandering around."
"I didn't do anything—just popped in this morning..."
"And that was plenty."
Strength was creeping back. Stomach growling; one more slurp in this position and I'd spill, straw or no.
I eased up in bed. Mikoto tensed and let out an adorable squeak.
"N-no, it's nothing..."
I pulled the rigid girl into a hug and dropped the bomb she never wanted to hear.
"Hey... ever thought about voice acting again?"