"Name?"
"Akaji."
"Age?"
"Um... we're both eighteen."
What do you mean by "we're both eighteen"? The doctor, who had been engrossed in writing medical notes, paused, looked up, and gave the youth across from him a peculiar look. Suppressing his confusion, he said, "Why don't you tell me about your condition first?"
"Alright," Akaji nodded. "Actually, I just feel like there's something wrong with my eyes. I keep seeing strange things."
"Strange things? Do your eyes hurt?"
"No, they don't hurt..."
"Any symptoms like itching, light sensitivity, or excessive tearing?"
As the doctor continued his meticulous questioning, he flipped through Akaji's medical records. His brow furrowed slightly when he reached the past medical history.
"Your records indicate you injured your eyes in a car accident and later underwent corneal transplant surgery? In that case, we might need to consider postoperative complications from the transplant. Have you had any examinations done?"
"Yes, I've already been examined. Here are the lab results and diagnostic report." Akaji produced the documents and handed them to the doctor with both hands.
After carefully reviewing the lab results and diagnostic report, the doctor frowned.
According to the reports, Akaji's eyes showed no signs of deterioration and were recovering exceptionally well. In fact, compared to all other corneal transplant cases, his recovery was among the best.
"Strange... the reports show everything is normal! Why don't you tell me more specifically about the strange things you've been seeing?"
"Do I really have to?" Akaji's eyes darted around as he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, betraying his nervousness.
The doctor smiled gently, reassuring him. "Young man, don't be afraid. I'm not trying to pry; this is just the standard examination procedure to understand your condition."
I'm not afraid for myself, Akaji thought, but I'm worried about scaring you if I tell you. He sighed lightly. "Alright, you asked for this!"
"When I say 'strange things,' I mean that sometimes, when I space out, faint, flickering shadows appear in my vision."
"Oh, and sometimes I hear strange sounds too..."
"What kind of shadows and voices?" the doctor interrupted.
"Well... the shadows are mostly blurry and indistinct. I see them less during the day and more at night. If I had to describe it, it's like catching someone in my peripheral vision, standing behind me or beside me. When I turn to look, a dark figure flashes past, and then it's gone. As for the voices..."
"Wait a minute!"
The more the doctor listened, the more uneasy he felt. He couldn't help but interrupt Akaji again. "Wait, based on what you're saying, does this sound like... you're seeing ghosts?"
Akaji frowned slightly and said with utmost seriousness, "Doctor, this is a hospital. I came here because I believe in modern medicine. Please don't bring up feudal superstitions—I'm really scared of that stuff!"
The doctor felt a bit awkward. "My apologies, I misspoke."
It was all the fault of the bizarre tales circulating these past few years, making people constantly jittery and superstitious. Hearing Akaji's description, he'd inadvertently jumped to those stories.
Thinking this, the doctor chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Let's continue. Double vision is a common side effect of corneal transplant surgery. However, based on your lab results and diagnostic reports, the likelihood of a pathological cause is relatively low. We can't rule out psychological or other factors."
By "other factors," the doctor meant the phenomenon of residual optic nerve memory. Under specific circumstances, corneal transplant recipients may experience fleeting visual impressions of things the donor had once seen. However, this phenomenon typically fades with time.
The doctor considered this possibility as one potential explanation for Akaji's strange visions, but he refrained from mentioning it explicitly, given the lack of robust scientific evidence to support such claims.
"If we consider the latter..." The doctor paused for a few seconds before pressing further, "Are all the shadows you see blurry and indistinct? Can you ever see clearer images?"
If Akaji could see clear images, the likelihood of the latter two scenarios being the cause would increase significantly.
"I can, but... is it really necessary to mention that?" Akaji hesitated. If I tell him, will he kick me out like the doctor at the last hospital?
The doctor gestured for Akaji to speak freely. "Go ahead and say whatever's on your mind!"
"Um, okay, here goes!" Akaji took a deep breath, composing himself. "I've seen them clearly three times. The first time was one night when I was hungry, so I went out for some grilled skewers. At a crossroads, I saw a girl in a cream-colored floral lolita dress with a yellow-and-white Corgi dog the size of a small car trailing behind her. In the blink of an eye, she was riding the dog and flying into the sky..."
"Ha ha!" The doctor chuckled, amused by Akaji's tale. His initial tension eased slightly. "Young man, you've heard the rumors about Magical Girls in our city too, haven't you? But those are just rumors, right?"
"Of course I've heard them, but I never took them seriously. What does this have to do with my vision problem?"
"Everything," the doctor said with a smile. "The things you often think about subconsciously can influence how you perceive the double images in your vision."
Akaji: "..." So you're saying everything I've seen is just my imagination?
I'm not fucking crazy!
"You said you saw it three times. What about the other two?"
"The other time was five days ago, when it was raining. I ran into a Senior Sister in the men's locker room at the school bathhouse. As soon as she saw me, she turned and ran..."
"Ran into a Senior Sister in the men's locker room..." The doctor frowned. "She probably just got lost. Think about it—a girl accidentally wandering into the wrong locker room, and you happen to see her. She'd be mortified! Turning and running away is perfectly normal, right?"
That does sound like a normal reaction, doesn't it?
It seems highly likely this kid is experiencing distorted perceptions due to excessive stress.
Just as I thought. Where would all these bizarre visions even come from?
Emmm, time for a sip of tea to calm my nerves.
"Of course there's a problem!" Akaji's voice rose in emphasis, his hands gesturing wildly. "A head that big, dropping to the ground and then just running away without picking it up—is that normal ?!"
The doctor imagined the scene Akaji had described, and a chill ran down his spine. His hand trembled as he lifted his teacup, spilling tea down his shirt.
"So, what did you do?"
"Called the police, of course! What other choice was there in that situation? Any normal person would have called the police, right?"
The doctor fell silent. A normal person would probably panic and run away, he thought.
"Then... what happened next?"
"Ah, don't even mention it." Akaji sighed. "When the police arrived, I took them to the spot where Senior Sister's head had fallen. But where her head should have been, there was only a hairpin—one of those really cute ones, pink with white polka dots."
The doctor's lips twitched. You really don't need to be observing such irrelevant details so closely!
"Are you sure you didn't just missee it?"
"I thought that might be possible too, but the police didn't agree. They thought there was something wrong with me and suggested I come to the hospital for a checkup."
The doctor fell silent again. To be honest, you do seem a bit... off.
"The last time I saw one was just now—it was really intense! Even thinking about it now gives me the creeps. When I was checking into the hospital, I saw a man muttering something about being diagnosed with lung cancer. Then his vision blurred, and I saw huge black tumors erupt from his body, spewing thick smoke. Oh, and he was right over there..."
Personal involvement breeds chaos!
Hearing Akaji mention strange things in the hospital, the doctor couldn't stay seated any longer.
"Ahem, wait, stop! Young man, this is a hospital. Be serious and don't make up stories to scare people."
Crazy?! This patient is fucking terrifying!
Could it be that these things... actually exist in the world?
No, no, no! How could that be possible?!
The doctor shook his head, trying to shake off the thought.
I'm a highly educated professional, a Party member! I can't let the enemy's twisted ideologies corrupt my mind!
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
The doctor looked up at Akaji's face. His expression was utterly serious and earnest, showing no trace of humor.
"Ahem... So, you've... seen these... things often? Aren't you scared?"
Akaji replied flatly, "Scared? Of course I'm scared! I'm scared to death!"
When Akaji first saw those strange shadows, he was terrified, convinced he was going mad. But he never imagined his nerves were so resilient; even now, he showed no signs of developing a mental illness.
At most, he occasionally glimpsed odd shadows flitting across the street, heard glass marbles bouncing upstairs at night, the sound of water running in the bathroom at midnight, or sighs echoing while he slept...
Nothing major, really. He just had to endure it!
What else could he do? Life had to go on.
Even if he was scared, life had to go on.
As he spoke, Akaji rolled up his sleeve, revealing his arm. "Look, goosebumps all over."
"Wait, is that your expression of fear?"
"Ah! That's another condition," Akaji sighed. "You've reviewed my medical records, so you know my optic nerve was damaged in a car accident. Just flip back two pages, and you'll see I have another problem."
The doctor picked up the records again and flipped back two pages. When he saw the boy's other diagnosis, he couldn't help but freeze.
Tear-induced dislocation of the mandibular ligament causing facial muscle weakness and delayed reflexes?
This is just facial paralysis, isn't it?
No wonder his expression hasn't changed since he walked in!
"Doctor, even if you can't cure my facial paralysis, it's not a big deal—it doesn't affect me much anyway. But what about this condition where I see strange things? Is there any hope for that?"
Incurable. No hope. Go home!
The doctor desperately wanted to deliver this professional trifecta to the most difficult patient he'd encountered in his career, but his professional ethics wouldn't allow it.
"Ha ha!" The doctor maintained his smile. "Young man, don't worry. I've reviewed your case thoroughly. Since there are no pathological symptoms, we need to consider psychological factors. How about I write you a referral to the psychiatric department upstairs?"
Skillfully passing the buck to another department was an essential skill for any seasoned doctor.
"You mean the psychiatric department?"
"Uh, yes, the psychiatric department..." The doctor's smile stiffened slightly. "But don't worry, young man. Mental illnesses aren't incurable. With the right treatment plan..."
"No need," Akaji said, shaking his head. "I just escaped from there."
The doctor stared in disbelief. "???"
This...
Escaped? What kind of game is this?
I can't believe I wasted my time talking to you. You're a fucking mental patient all along, aren't you?!