NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: finding out.
A soft creak of the door pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head just in time to see a nurse step in, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me.
For a second, she just froze.
Her surprise was obvious - her posture stiffened, and her grip on the clipboard tightened just slightly. She hadn't expected me to be awake.
Then, as if snapping back to routine, she quickly composed herself, offering a polite, professional smile. "Oh! You're awake. How are you feeling?"
I blinked, considering my response. Physically, I was fine. No pain, no fatigue, nothing.
"I feel fine," I answered.
The nurse nodded, though her expression still flickered with uncertainty. "Alright. Let me go get the doctor."
Without another word, she turned on her heel and hurried out, leaving me alone once more. my gaze recinding back to my hand.
Wait... did that nurse have goat horns?
I frowned, my mind sluggishly processing what I'd just seen, as I had just gotten to relax in what felt like years. Goat horns? No… that had to be a mistake. Maybe I was still disoriented - some side effect of whatever had happened to me.
But the image was clear in my mind. Small, curved horns protruded just above her forehead, sea mlessly blending with her short hair as if they had always belonged there. like it was a natural appendage.
I slowly sat up, glancing toward the door she had just exited. My surroundings, the technology, it was all similar to what we had in the past, with it being slightly more... advanced looking, I'd say.
But for over 200 years to have passed, the changes seemed minimal. Too minimal.
That meant one of two things - either humanity had hit a wall in technological growth, or something had happened that slowed progress to a crawl. It didn't add up. Two centuries should have been more than enough time for drastic advancements.
Something was off.
But right now, I had nothing to go on. No information and no context - just guesses.
For now, I had to wait. Maybe once I had internet access, I could start piecing things together.
Not that my phone would be any help. Even if it still worked, the network protocols and IP addresses would be so vastly different that it wouldn't even connect.
so, i must wait.
---
After a while, a doctor finally came in and went through the usual procedures—checking my vitals, shining a light in my eyes, the standard stuff.
Unlike the nurse from earlier, she looked completely human. So, whatever was up with the horns, it wasn't a universal trait. Maybe a different race? A mutation? Something to figure out later.
She asked the usual questions - how I was feeling, my name, my age. I answered as best as I could, keeping things vague where necessary. No need to raise any more red flags than I already had.
But I had already fucked up with that, when she asked a seemingly simple question - one I had no clue about. It had to be something new to the future.
"So, Miss Akemi, what is your quirk?" The doctor's voice was calm and professional, but there was a slight curiosity behind her words, like she expected me to know exactly what she meant.
Quirk??? what is a quirk?! Was this another term for something I didn't understand? I thought for a second, trying to piece together any clue I might've missed. Was she asking if I was quirky? like one of my traits? i dont know, I don't know. I can't risk it. Maybe if I play off that i have some memory loss, and ask about it. then i would seem less suspicious.
"Quirk? Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean. I think I should know, but I can't remember anything related to what you just said. Sorry for the inconvenience," I said, keeping my tone professional while making sure it came across as genuine confusion, as if I had amnesia but was unable to notice it.
The doctor's expression softened, though there was still a trace of curiosity in her eyes. "Ah, I see," she said, nodding slowly. "It's quite possible you're just having some trouble adjusting after... well, after your situation. No need to apologize, Miss Akemi. We can go over that later."
She jotted something down on her clipboard, though I couldn't catch what exactly. She seemed to buy the confusion act, at least for now. Maybe this would buy me some time to figure out what this "quirk" was without raising suspicion.
She cleared her throat, adjusting her glasses before continuing, "A quirk, Miss Akemi, is a unique ability that nearly every person in the world has. It's a genetic trait that usually manifests by the time they're four. Some quirks are subtle, while others are quite... extraordinary. But I digress. Thank you for answering my questions, Miss Akemi."
She paused, glancing at the clipboard in her hands. "I just need to check a few more details, but I'll leave you to rest for now. I'll be back shortly."
With that, she gave a polite nod and left the room, closing the door behind her. I let out a small sigh of relief, the tension in my shoulders easing. This whole 'quirk' thing was a new puzzle to me, but there was a strange satisfaction in understanding the reason for the nurse's horns.
A quirk, huh. I see. It was evolutionary, but she had called it a "unique ability," which meant some of these quirks could be far more powerful than others. But how did one gain such an ability through genetics? but that question would be put on the back burner as a fond memory came up.
"Heh…" I let out a small laugh, thinking back to the manga Madoka had shown me. She had a whole collection, and I remembered how much she loved romance stories. But she also had a lot of shonen since her dad was into them, too.
My expression faltered, a wave of melancholy washing over me as I remembered those loops. Decades of living them, over and over. Sometimes, she'd invite me to her home. Other times, we were just barely friends. Occasionally, she hated me. But every single time, it would all get reset, and everything would vanish.
My lips quivered, and I swallowed hard, trying to push the sadness away. Would I ever get to see her again?
I felt a tear trying to push its way through, but like all those decades of times, when I was on the verge of despair. I pushed it deep down, forever locked. because as a magical girl, emotions were dangerous.
A/N quite short, like me, maybe useless like my life, but I like these short chapters, with just talking, but maybe you guys don't. idk.