Pov: Kyo
Some time had passed, and I was starting to get impatient. I began to swing my legs while looking around, waiting for my mom. As I said before, I don't like being alone, so I was starting to feel uneasy.
Besides that—
The headache came back.
It wasn't unbearable, but it was annoying enough to make me uncomfortable. I doubted I'd even be able to sleep with this kind of pain. "Mom?" I called out.
Fortunately, as soon as I did, the door opened.
However, it wasn't my mother who walked in—it was a handsome man wearing a white doctor's coat. He must be the doctor taking care of me.
Where's my mom? Isn't she with him? What about my dad?
"You must be Kyo. My name's Sato, it's nice to meet you."
Even though I was only three years old, the doctor spoke to me as if I were much older. I stared at him for a few seconds and then asked:
"Where's mommy?"
"Your mother's outside. She asked me to come talk to you for a bit."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, Kyo…"
The doctor pulled up a chair and sat down. Despite me being just three, he started explaining a bunch of things—using complicated words, too. Had this guy never treated kids before?
Luckily for him, I'm not exactly a child mentally.
And from what I understood…
I have cancer. Brain cancer.
That's what I got from his words.
Hearing that made my small mouth slowly open, but no sound came out. I stayed silent, thinking about what to do from now on. What do I do? What do I do?
I'm only three years old—there's no way I'll survive something like this.
How could I endure chemotherapy at my age? I'm definitely going to die.
But I just got here. This is so unfair.
I just received such amazing abilities.
"I don't want to die." I said, my voice trembling.
My small, childish voice reached the doctor's ears, and he smiled at me. Then, he placed his hand on my head.
"Kyo, don't worry. You've got a tiny little thing right here, see?" The doctor pointed to a spot on my head.
That's where the tumor was.
"Like I said, this little thing isn't as bad as it sounds. We'll take it out soon, and you'll recover completely!"
He finally started talking to me like I was actually three.
"So it's a benign tumor?" He hadn't explained that before. Isn't that great?
Tears kept rolling down my cheeks out of fear.
"Yes, that's right. You're a very smart boy, just like your mother said." The doctor ruffled my hair and added, "I'll be going now. Get some rest, okay? You'll be all better very soon."
After saying that, the doctor left the room.
Then, my parents came in, both wearing sad expressions.
Their eyes were swollen—they had cried a lot.
"Mom, Dad, it's okay," I said, tears still streaming down my face.
Even though it was a benign tumor and could be removed, I couldn't say I felt calm.
I was terrified.
After that, a few days passed, and the day of my surgery finally arrived.
####
"..."
My eyes opened slowly.
I had been sedated, so it took a while for my vision to return to normal.
Then, I turned my head to the side and saw my mother sitting in a chair, asleep.
"M-Mo…m…" I tried to say something, but I couldn't—it was like my mouth wouldn't listen to me.
My tongue felt twisted.
I tried speaking again, but everything came out slurred. It was completely unintelligible. My blurred eyes widened, and I began to panic a little.
I tried to sit up, but then noticed all the wires attached to my chest.
I looked to the side and saw a machine tracking my heartbeat. My heart was racing.
Why can't I speak properly? What's happening to me?
I tried again, but the words wouldn't come out.
Then, I heard a voice.
"Kyo? You're awake?"
It was my mom. She approached with a smile, and our eyes met.
"You look a bit pale, I'll call the nurse."
She tried not to panic as she noticed my accelerated heartbeat and left the room.
After a short while, the nurse came in to check on me.
"So you're Kyo. It's the first time I've gotten to talk to you—you're so cute, you know that?" she said while checking the wires connected to my small chest.
I tried to say something again.
But my tongue was tangled. It was as if I had forgotten how to speak.
My mouth refused to obey. I made a few strange sounds. I managed to say a couple of words, but definitely not enough for anyone to understand.
The nurse, clearly not understanding a thing I'd said, didn't seem surprised—she just kept smiling.
"Everything looks fine with him. Call me if anything happens, okay? I'll bring your food soon, Kyo. Get some rest, alright?"
"T…enk…u." I thanked her as best I could.
My mom gently stroked my head, careful not to touch one side—that's where the surgery had been done. I felt the air on my scalp.
Why didn't they just shave all my hair off?
"Kyo, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. You're probably having trouble speaking because of the anesthesia. You'll get better soon." My mother kissed my forehead and sat back down.
I lay in the hospital bed and looked at the system screen.
That's when I noticed a new piece of information.
[ Health - E ]
My health rank was really low.
Is it because of the tumor?
Feeling exhausted, I eventually drifted off to sleep.