Trigger Locked: The Mind Control Assassins

Chapter 7

My head still hurts when I wake up. It's not just my head, but my whole body hurts too. It's aching all over. My mind still feels fuzzy. Maybe it's because I've been asleep for too long. I can't recall what happened after that because I may have collapsed on our way home. I'm glad that both Hayato and I are safe from the explosion. But it terrifies me whenever I think about what Satoru Yuuya did to Shiori. It was unforgivable.

With these injuries, I doubt that I can go to school as planned. It's funny that I'm still thinking about school even in this kind of situation. I try to move as slowly as I can, but it still hurts even if I'm only moving an inch. I guess my injury must be so bad that it's painful enough for me to move. What can I say; my injury must be so severe that it's a miracle that I'm still alive even after this intense fight.

As I'm examining my wounds, Ms. Chiyo comes into my room. "Touka, I'm so glad that you're doing fine." She carries a few rolls of bandage and begins to change it. "How long have I been unconscious?" I ask her. "It's been two days already. You were unconscious when your dad brought you home. Your injury was a lot more severe than the last time. We thought that you had no chance to survive. But then again, we're grateful that you're okay."

Well, I'm amazed at myself as well. Whenever I look at my wounded body, I can't help but think about Shiori. She looked so beaten up when we found her. Even in this kind of condition, she still worried about me. She had to endure a lot of things too. I guess my injury is nothing compared to her.

"Ms. Chiyo, I had a lot of injuries in such a short span. I know that it's too late for me to say this, but I begin to worry the impact it will have on my body. I bet that it will put my physical body at risk too. Am I going to be alright?" I ask her. "I'm glad that you're aware of your physique. Frankly speaking, you won't be putting yourself at risk. That is as long as you don't get such injuries that frequent. You just need to be careful," she answers.

She seems worried when she advises me about this. "You're just like Minoru. You can be so reckless that you put yourself in danger. But then again, we don't just fight any kind of opponent this time. We're fighting against people who are much stronger than the average person. So, it's not surprising that any of you will get injured. Whatever it is, I want you to remember that you won't be so lucky all the time."

I admit that dad and I can be so reckless when it comes to attacking people. And I know that I won't be so lucky next time. Our medical advancement isn't sophisticated enough to resurrect someone from the dead. But it's still sophisticated enough to treat my injuries in such a short period of time, though. "Putting that aside," I say to her, "How come my injuries heal faster than before? My body still hurts, but the injuries aren't so visible anymore."

She smiles as I begin to examine my injuries. "You should thank Dr. Narusawa for that. He's a doctor who works with Self Defense Force. And he's also an expert in a technique called platelet-rich plasma therapy. It's known as PRP for short. In a simple explanation, it's a method to use your blood to heal your body." Now, that explains everything why my injuries heal much faster than before. It feels great that I'm able to experience a treatment like this.

"On top of that," she says to me, "Your recovery process is much faster because you're still young. That is also one of the reasons why you have such a quick recovery. With this speedy healing process, I think you'll be able to go to school in a matter of days. As usual, we will continue with our operation once you're fully recovered. Minoru wants the rest of us to lay low for the time being."

Yuuto and Hayato come into my room once Ms. Chiyo is already done with changing my bandage. Both of them look guilty when they come to my room, though. "I'm glad to know that you're alright, sis, "Yuuto says, "But I'm sorry to hear what happened to Shiori. It's hard to believe that Satoru Yuuya already got her. I felt frustrated that everything took place when I was in school. I couldn't even help you at all."