"Phew—"
Letting out a deep breath, Ray collapsed onto the bed, feeling sore all over.
Just as he had suspected, switching to an alternate personality wasn't without limits. After various experiments, he had finally figured out the boundaries of this alternate state.
First, the duration he could maintain the alternate personality was directly related to how much physical energy he expended after switching. The more intense the exertion, the shorter the duration.
For instance, fighting consumed the most energy.
After some initial testing, he arrived at a rough estimate—if he engaged in combat, the alternate personality could be maintained for only about ten to fifteen minutes at most. After that, he would need to rest for a while.
Conversely, if he just sat still, he could maintain it for hours with ease.
Of course, he wasn't yet sure how long he could keep it going if he truly remained motionless, as he didn't have the time to test that.
The Kuro alternate personality didn't mind helping with that kind of test, since once it was deactivated, it would go dormant and get just as bored.
But for now, Ray wasn't planning to do that.
It was enough to confirm that the duration of the alternate state depended on physical exertion.
Additionally, during further testing, Ray discovered another minor function of the system—Equipment Materialization.
Based on his hypothesis, this function should allow him to materialize equipment associated with the alternate personality's original character. However, it would cost general points, and most likely have a time limit.
Unfortunately, he didn't have any points left at the moment, so testing it was out of the question.
He'd have to wait until he earned more points to try it out.
Gurgle~~ gurgle~~
Just then, his stomach growled loudly.
A glance at the digital clock on the wall revealed that it was already dark outside—he had been so caught up in testing that he'd missed dinner.
"Oh well, I'll just sleep."
When even a small movement made his whole body ache, he decided without hesitation to go to bed hungry. It wasn't like skipping one meal would kill him—he could eat in the morning.
…
The next day, Ray woke up naturally at dawn.
His soreness was gone, but the hunger was far worse than the night before.
It was already past 6:40 AM. The hospital cafeteria should be open by now. After quickly washing up, Ray headed straight for breakfast.
After picking out what he wanted and sitting down, David came over with a tray and sat across from him, cheerfully greeting him:
"Morning, Ray—"
"Morning," Ray replied, though he couldn't help but feel tense seeing David.
But with his composure, he managed to conceal his anxiety. He wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, so David didn't notice anything odd.
"Sleep well?" David asked with a smile.
"Definitely. Slept for over ten hours straight—hard not to feel good after that," Ray shrugged.
"When you didn't show up for dinner, I figured you hadn't woken up, so I didn't come bother you," David said, spreading jam on a slice of bread with the hospital's butter knife.
"Yeah, I woke up after dark and decided to just keep sleeping."
"I see." David nodded. "You did look off yesterday—your face was pale. Haven't been sleeping well?"
Why was my face pale yesterday? You really don't know?
Seeing this world-ending lunatic out of nowhere—who wouldn't turn pale?
Ray suppressed the urge to retort, replying calmly, "Probably just sleep deprivation. But after a good rest, I feel much better today."
"Glad to hear it," David said in relief. "I was worried they gave you some new meds again."
Ray could tell David genuinely cared about him. But since he wasn't the original owner of this body, he didn't want to dwell on that too much. So he changed the subject:
"What about you? You've been looking stable lately—haven't had any episodes. Have you considered applying for release?"
"Of course I have! But you know how hard it is to get out of here. Even a psychology expert like you can't get discharged—I don't think I stand a chance," David said helplessly.
"That's not necessarily true. I couldn't get out due to some... special circumstances. Doesn't mean you can't." Ray shook his head. "How about this—after breakfast, I'll run a simulation test with you. If you pass my assessment, there's a good chance you'll pass the hospital's as well. Sound good?"
"Really? That would be amazing!" David's eyes lit up.
He'd known Ray for a long time, and he was aware that before his illness, Ray had been a top psychologist—more professional than most of the hospital's resident doctors.
Just as Ray had said—if David could pass his test, passing the hospital's would be a breeze.
He'd considered asking Ray for help before, but never found the right moment. He planned to wait until Ray himself was about to be discharged to bring it up.
But now Ray had offered on his own, and David was overjoyed.
"Thanks so much, Ray!" David said, genuinely moved.
"It's nothing. We're friends—don't make it sound so formal." Ray smiled casually.
"Yeah!"
David nodded repeatedly, still unable to hide the excitement in his eyes.
Seeing David like that, Ray actually felt a little guilty—because he had his own little scheme behind the offer.
First of all, getting discharged through official channels in the short term was practically impossible for him.
After those stunts with the "French private detective" and the "Rosenhan experiment," Dr. Beth no longer believed he was sane. There was no way she'd approve his release.
Sure, if he switched to the Kuro personality, escaping would be easy.
But unless he had no other choice, he didn't want to resort to that brute-force method.
This was the 21st century—surveillance was everywhere, and facial recognition was highly advanced. He didn't want to live as a fugitive, constantly hiding.
Plus, unlike in his previous life, this world had organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. Who knew what kind of trouble he might attract if he ran?
Considering all this, Ray figured it was best to play it safe and wait.
But being stuck around David—who was basically a doomsday-level lunatic—was a nerve-wracking experience.
So, he decided to take a different approach.
If he couldn't leave anytime soon, why not help David get out?
After all, in the original timeline, David would've left the hospital eventually, even without Ray's interference. He'd just be accelerating things a bit.