Light flooded my eyes.
At first, everything looked pure white. I fluttered my lashes, taking some time to adjust to the blinding glare of the lights above me.
Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I found myself hooked up to all sorts of machinery, enveloped in wires leading to machines with graphs and numbers, making an occasional beep every once in a while.
No doubt about it, I was in a hospital room.
Then I looked over to my left, and spotted a man and a young lady bickering like children. The man soon noticed my staring, and rushed over towards me.
"Ha—Told you he was awake!" The man grinned an annoying smile towards the young lady.
Standing before me was a tall, disheveled looking middle aged man in a long white lab coat.
A doctor?
The thing is, he hardly looked anything like a doctor, especially with his messy slick-backed blonde hair, and his small unkempt stubble on the chin. If anything, he looked more like a mad delinquent scientist out of some low budget film…
"Oh my! I am terribly sorry for what this dimwit did to you… Are you alright?" said the young lady, affectionate and caring.
She looked to be about in her early twenties, and was clad in a light blue uniform. Coupled with an unmistakable tone of voice and sense of safety, she was most definitely a nurse.
"Yes… I'm alright." I groaned, looking begrudgingly at an empty water jug that laid before me, and my clothes soaked beneath it.
The man scratched the back of his head, looking anything but apologetic.
"Ah, don't mind that little… spillage. Anyways, I'm Dr. Matsumoto, the wonderful genius doctor that'll be overseeing your speedy recovery!"
"Overseeing? You mean making a mess of things, as usual." the nurse muttered, rolling her eyes before turning back to me with a gentle smile.
"Please ignore this failure of a human being. I'm Nurse Shizuma. I'll be taking proper care of you." Shizuma handed me a towel to dry myself off with, and removed the jug that laid on my lap.
"A pleasure to meet you, Nurse Shizuma." I smiled.
"Ah—Jeez… Don't just ignore me! I am the one who woke you up after all!" Matsumoto exclaimed.
"Ahem—Anyhow, we'll need to conduct a few verbal tests to figure out the next course of action." Matsumoto declared, pulling out a clipboard from a nearby drawer and flaring his lab coat with unnecessary drama.
"So, let's start with the basics. Do you know your name?"
"Uh…"
What was my name again?
My mind went blank. That should've been the simplest question I could answer, and yet, I couldn't muster any words.
"Brilliant answer!" Matsumoto scribbled furiously on the paper.
"Next question. Which middle school did you go to?"
Middle school? I couldn't even recall my own name, let alone the place where I studied.
Who am I…
"Um…"
"Ten out of ten points for you, sir!" Matsumoto yelled, thrusting his fist into the air.
"Matsumoto-san!" Shizuma's sharp voice cut through his antics.
"Stop teasing the patient. He's clearly very confused—and he doesn't remember much of anything…"
Her words hung heavy in the air. For the first time, I realised the reality of my situation.
I don't remember. I don't remember anything.
…
…
…
"You're an amnesiac." Matsumoto spoke, his tone suddenly firmer than before
"An… amnesiac?"
"It means you've lost your memories." Shizuma explained gently.
"Not forever, necessarily—sometimes they'll come back in pieces. But for now… you won't be able to remember who you are." She added.
I ruffled my hair, still immensely confused by the situation. I glanced around the hospital room, until my eyes fixed onto a calendar hanging near the window.
2nd of February, 2025…
Then, it hit me.
"... How long have I been out?"
"Well, It's been almost a year, kiddo." Matsumoto spoke, his voice heavy with pity.
"A year… huh."
Shizuma gazed at me with sorrow clouding her eyes. "I'm really sorry. You fell into a coma shortly after the medical team were able to revive you."
…
"How did it happen?" I questioned suddenly, my heart slowly pounding faster in anticipation.
Matsumoto stepped forward, as if he were about to answer. Then, he paused.
"I'm afraid—we honestly don't know… Our current records don't show the cause of your condition." said Matsumoto.
"In fact, we have absolutely no records of you whatsoever. You're probably the most bizarre patient we've ever come across." he added.
"It pains me that we don't even know your name…" Shizumu responded.
Huh—no records at all.
I racked my brain, trying to remember anything, anything at all—until I remembered something.
"The voice…" I muttered.
I turned swiftly to Matsumoto. "Was there someone other than the medical team present at my revival—a girl?"
His eyes grew wide with surprise.
…
"Hah—was she your girlfriend or something?" he teased.
"Well—err, I honestly don't even know. It's just that I heard a strange voice during the procedure and—"
Matsumoto cut through. "Sorry to tell you this, we don't also have any records of who was there at the ER that day."
I turned to Shizuma for confirmation.
"I'm afraid he's right. There aren't any records of who was there at the time. And even if there were, I doubt we would have enough clearance to disclose that information to you…"
"Ah, I understand…"
"But don't worry, we can take it slow—There's no need to rush things. We can go at your pace." Shizuma spoke, consoling my running thoughts.
"And anyways, before anything else, we'll have to admit you for some further tests. You'll have plenty of time to think things through!." Matsumoto added.
"Don't worry, they won't be silly procedures like Dr. Matsumoto's." Shizumu quipped.
"Hey—low blow!" Matsumoto yelled out, Shizuma and I chuckling at his embarrassment.
Over the next few weeks, I underwent a series of proper tests. Multiple brain scans confirmed what Dr. Matsumoto suspected—that I was truly an amnesiac. All of my memories from the incident and before that were lost.
Still, it could have been far worse. At the very least, I still knew how to live and act like everyone else. And thanks to my fast recovery, I'll be able to be discharged from the hospital today.
Finishing my final medical examination, I exited the room and found Dr. Matsumoto leaning on a pillar next to the window.
"Here." he said, handing me a small plastic card.
I turned the card over, and read what was written.
青空中学校 | AOZORA MIDDLE SCHOOL
生徒証 | Student ID
氏名 | NAME: 拓実 創真 | Takumi Souma
生年月日 | DATE OF BIRTH: 2009/06/22
性別 | SEX: Male
学年・組 | GRADE & CLASS: 3rd year — Class 2
It was a student ID card.
"It was found under a bed in the ER, and apparently dropped from your pocket whilst the medical team was trying to revive you."
"Takumi Souma… That's… my name?"
"Apparently so."
Matsumoto stepped forward. "We've already contacted the school and asked about whether or not they had any information about what might've happened to you. But I'm afraid to say that they didn't know anything either."
"I see…"
"And your parents… We've had trouble trying to contact them. As of now, we haven't had a single clue of their whereabouts."
"My parents…" I whispered, juggling my thoughts in an attempt to remember them.
"Well… You'll have plenty of time to remember, you're discharged today after all!"
"Ha—ha… Yeah, I guess I am." I sighed.
Soon after, Matsumoto started to walk away, with one hand in his pocket and the other waving goodbye. "I'll be seeing you later, Souma-kun."
"Yeah… See you." I replied, bittersweet that it was already time to leave.
I proceeded to follow the signs that led towards the exit. And it was here that a large wave of uncertainty finally washed over me.
Where do I go from here? Where will I stay? Will everything really be alright from now on?
It was these questions that circled my thoughts, and made me aware that I had truly nothing. No house keys, no wallet, and no family waiting outside these walls.
With every step I took, the weight of my reality grew heavier.
Then, I finally neared the exit, and the sliding doors opened slowly, spilling rays of light across the floor.
I hesitated. I was stepping into a life I wasn't sure belonged to me anymore.
Maybe I'm not cut out for this after all…
Turning away from the exit, I started to head back inside. That was, until a very familiar voice called out to me from outside.
"Oi, Souma-kun! The exit is right there you dumbass!"
I looked back, and saw a tall, middle aged man with messy, slick-backed blonde hair, coupled with an uneven stubble on the chin, cladded out in an obnoxiously long lab coat.
"Dr. Matsumoto!" I exclaimed as I stepped outside, walking towards him.
"What, miss me already?" he said with a smile.
"Matsumoto-san, I thought you were still at work?" I questioned.
"Ha! Did you really think I'd let someone walk out of a hospital with no money, no family, and no home?" he replied, rubbing in the fact I had absolutely nothing.
"... Yes."
"Tch." he clicked
"Ahem—anyways. You'll be glad to know that from now on, you'll be under my care!"
…
"Well I am, aren't I? You're supposed to be a doctor…"
"No no, you've got it all wrong! I mean I'm taking you in!"
…
"Oh man." I muttered, turning a swift 180 degrees. "Sorry, Dr. Matsumoto—I need to take a number two."
"Eh—you serious?!" He said as his jaw dropped.
I waved a hand over my shoulder, already walking away. "Yep. Talk later."
Now, if I can just get out of here—
"Not so fast!" he said, grabbing the back of my shirt.
"If I let you go from here, who's going to take you in?" spoke Matsumoto, in a more serious tone.
"At present, you have no money, and no contact with your parents. You don't even know where your own home is."
"I'll… figure it out, I guess."
"Souma, I can take you in for now. It doesn't have to be forever. When you've got a concrete plan for the future, I'd be more than happy to let you go."
"..." I looked to the floor, in embarrassment that I was offered so much help—but also, in slight relief.
"So, what do you say?"
To be honest, I felt like running again, to avoid depending on someone I barely knew. But the reality was, I didn't have anyone else. And for some reason, Matsumoto's offer didn't feel empty.
I looked up at Matsumoto, and his usual grin was gone. I couldn't tell what was behind that expression of his, but to me at that moment, it was someone I could depend on. Then after a long pause, I drew in a deep breath and gave my answer.
"Alright… I'll take you up on that offer."
Matsumoto flared out his lab coat, and raised his fist victorious. "Yes—Mission complete!" he spoke, in broken English.
I let out a tired sigh. Ah—what the hell have I gotten myself into?