Chapter 57: Visiting the Hospital
So they're leaving this up to me... Kira thought for a moment, then asked a question that had been puzzling him. "In the Conflagration Zone, were you the one who used the walkie-talkie to report to the other areas?"
After Jodo Chenjie nodded without hesitation, Kira smiled and said to Inspector Tsukauchi, "I'm not sure how much he helped me. I can only say that without his report, I probably wouldn't have been able to contact the other students."
"Is that so? So you were the one who reported from the Conflagration Zone... No wonder some things didn't add up when we were taking statements from the others..." Inspector Tsukauchi had already pieced together a relatively complete picture of what had happened from the testimonies of the other students and criminals. He thought for a moment and quickly made a decision. "If the enemy hadn't received the news that the students in the Conflagration Zone had been captured, they might not have let their guard down. The students from the other zones might not have arrived in time at the last moment, and All Might might have..."
"Ahem!!"
After All Might's sudden cough, Inspector Tsukauchi said to Makoto, "You can take Jodo Chenjie with you, but if there are any new developments in this case, you must ensure that he can be reached immediately."
"...I'm being released?" Jodo looked dazed, not having expected things to turn out this way. He had already prepared himself for a few years in prison...
"If we didn't release you, your big brother here might have torn down my police station," Inspector Tsukauchi said with a rare display of humor, handing him a piece of paper. "Sign this. After you sign, you can go. Remember to leave a phone number, and if you're going to leave the city, you must report to the police in advance..."
Just then, Kira saw All Might's body suddenly tremble. He stood up and was about to leave.
"All Might, is your time up?" Inspector Tsukauchi turned his head with a knowing look. "Did we keep you here for too long?"
"It's fine. After all, we've dealt with the Nomu situation," All Might said, turning to Kira. "Young Kira, you're going to the hospital in a bit, right? Say hello to Aizawa-kun and Thirteen for me. I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
Kira didn't suspect a thing. After all, for a busy person like All Might to spend so much time with him had already made him feel a little overwhelmed. He even started to wonder what he had done wrong to warrant such attention from All Might.
After seeing Kira nod, All Might finally turned his gaze to Makoto and said with a wry smile, "Makoto-kun, although I don't know why you have a grudge against me and stopped being a Pro Hero, in my heart, you'll always be the hero who was active in the danger zones."
Makoto glanced at him but said nothing, even holding back Jodo, who was about to speak.
Kira had no reason to stay any longer. He had originally wanted to hitch a ride with Inspector Tsukauchi, but since he was busy, he had no choice but to take the subway. Fortunately, the nearest subway station wasn't far, and it was past rush hour...
After saying goodbye to Officer Sansa, Kira left the police station and reached the subway station in less than ten minutes.
As Kira was looking at the map, trying to figure out which stop to get off at, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"I didn't actually help you, did I? I was just an enemy you graciously let go. Why did you say that?"
Kira turned around. Jodo Chenjie was standing behind him, his eyes burning with intensity.
The police naturally hadn't given him time to change or shower. He was still wearing the same ripped jeans, looking as if he had just rolled in a garbage dump. He must have run all the way from the police station after signing the papers; his face was still beaded with sweat. The office workers and students passing by all gave him a disgusted look and deliberately walked around him, even taking the long way to avoid the spot closest to the next subway train.
But Jodo wasn't the type to care about such things. Although Kira had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, he didn't show it now. He said calmly:
"You said you wanted to play on stage again, didn't you? I just want to hear you play. That's all."
"Is that so... Both my benefactor and Makoto-san have said so. It seems I have no choice but to go on stage..." Jodo muttered to himself, then looked up, his eyes full of confidence. "I hope you can come to my next concert."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Jodo Chenjie pointed a finger at Kira, as if he wanted to say something but didn't. He took a few steps back, turned, and ran into the stream of people coming out of the subway entrance. The people around him subconsciously made way for him.
"Aren't you going to follow him?" Kira said, looking at his retreating back. "You just saved him, you know."
Makoto emerged from behind a sign, walked up to Kira, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, watching Jodo's back. He sighed, "This is the second time I've seen Chenjie with such a confident expression. The first time was when we formed our band. The second time is now..."
"He's like this because of you. I'm grateful to you," Makoto said in a nonchalant tone, making it hard to feel his sincerity. "Let me give you a piece of advice..."
"If I were you, I'd get away from U.A. as soon as possible. All Might is no longer your safe harbor."
After saying this, Makoto walked toward the exit, as if he had only come here to warn Kira. He quickly blended into the crowd and disappeared.
"..." Kira silently followed the crowd onto the subway that was pulling in from the distance. He found a relatively spacious seat and said softly, "I already know that, even without you telling me."
In this superhuman society, some people with healing Quirks, after receiving professional training, would be assigned to work in hospitals. This type of person wasn't very common in regular hospitals, but in this private hospital specializing in heroes, they made up the majority of the staff.
There were many such students in the support course at U.A. High. They didn't have powerful Quirks, but they admired heroes and came to work at this hospital where they could be in close contact with heroes and treat their injuries. But their work was mostly that of nurses. Most of the doctors in this hospital were top students from prestigious universities.
It was well-known that the medical department was the most difficult to get into in this country's universities. Students who graduated from there would have a seven-figure annual salary as soon as they started working. Besides well-paying private hospitals, this hospital that specialized in treating heroes had the most of them. With advanced medical equipment and the assistance of people with healing Quirks, they treated the heroes' injuries efficiently.
The place Kira had come to was this very hospital that specialized in treating injuries that couldn't be shown to the public—the Private Hospital for Heroes.
"Hello, I'm a student from U.A. I'd like to visit Shota Aizawa and Pro Hero Thirteen in room 505."
The receptionist at the front desk looked at Kira with some surprise. "So you're the student from the U.A. Hero Course who was attacked. I never thought the enemy would be so brutal as to injure two Pro Heroes so badly..."
"They were protecting us students," Kira said softly.
"It seems your teachers' efforts weren't in vain..." the doctor said, suddenly smiling at Kira. "You probably don't know, but you're the fourth student to come and visit today, you know?"
"The fourth?" Kira was a little surprised. Had someone else come here besides him?
"There's a student visiting right now," the receptionist said, glancing at the time. "If you time it right, you might be able to meet her. She's a real beauty, by the way. A perfect match for a handsome guy like you," she said with a mischievous smile.