"Alright, then. Please tell me your name, date of birth, age, and the school and class you attend."
"My name is Makoto Fujimiya. I was born on July 4th, 2022, and I'm fourteen years old. I'm in Class 3-2 at Ikawa Municipal Central Junior High School."
Makoto answered the doctor's questions from her hospital bed.
On the left breast of his white coat was a nametag that read Kido.This was Ikawa General Hospital—one of the largest hospitals in the city.In the room with Makoto stood Dr. Kido, Nurse Yokomine, and her mother, Miyu, who had rushed over.
As time passed, Makoto's body had gradually regained strength, her voice had returned, and her mind had cleared.She was now able to go through a simple cognitive check.
Dr. Kido, a middle-aged man with glasses and a beard graying around the chin, tapped Makoto's forehead lightly with the back end of his stylus as he continued questioning her.Meanwhile, Nurse Yokomine typed Makoto's answers briskly into her tablet.
"Hm. Then what's your favorite food?"
"Um… the ramen from Horaiken."
"Oh? And what about that, ma'am?"
Kido turned his head toward Makoto's mother behind her.
"Yes, that's right. She loves Horaiken," Miyu replied with a smile.
Kido glanced back at Makoto.
"Where is Horaiken located?"
"It's about a ten-minute walk from Ikawa Station."
"Anything distinctive nearby?"
"Uh… there's a two-story parking structure beside it. We always park there before we go inside."
Kido checked with Miyu again, and she nodded. "Yes, that's right."
"I see. From this simple evaluation, it seems your awareness and memory are functioning normally. However—are you truly saying you don't remember anything?"
"Yes… I don't. Why… why am I even here?"
Makoto could recall her name, age, and daily life, but not the reason she was in the hospital.
"Let's see… it's been about three days, hasn't it?"
Kido looked at Yokomine. She nodded and began explaining while scrolling through her tablet.
"Makoto Fujimiya was brought here on June 3rd. At 9:23 PM, her mother, Miyu, made an emergency call. When paramedics arrived, they found Makoto unconscious from severe blood loss and transported her here immediately."
Makoto's eyes widened.
"Severe blood loss? Me!?"
Her voice cracked. Miyu placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder and continued.
"That's right, Makoto. When I went to tell you to take a bath, you were collapsed in your room, covered in blood. I—I completely panicked…"
"Wh– why… blood? How…?"
Makoto asked, confused. Miyu hesitated, her face troubled.
Makoto quickly checked her own body—no pain, no injuries, nothing.
Seeing her confusion, Kido stepped in.
"Ah, don't worry. There are no injuries. Absolutely no wounds anywhere."
"Then why was there so much blood…?"
A heavy silence filled the room.It was clear Kido would have to explain.
With a resigned sigh, he said:
"In short—it was a nosebleed."
"...Huh?"
"You had a massive nosebleed and fainted."
At the ridiculousness of the explanation, both Yokomine and Miyu stifled laughs.
"Eeeeeeh!?A—a nosebleed!?"
Makoto practically shouted.At her age, the embarrassment stung more than anything.
"Well, well. Even a nosebleed can cause fainting when you lose enough blood," Kido said lightly, though his expression quickly turned serious.
"But… you were using your personal device online right before collapsing, correct? Ma'am?"
"Yes, she was. Why do you ask?"
"What we were most concerned about wasn't the nosebleed—but the possibility of Virtual Syndrome."
Virtual Syndrome
A condition triggered by prolonged use of computers and electronic devices.Symptoms may include dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, memory loss, and abnormal mental states.In severe cases, sudden death has been reported.
It was originally found in heavy VR gamers, but is now known to occur simply from long periods of device use—not only gaming.
Miyu was already aware of the syndrome's dangers from the news and had warned Makoto many times.But for kids today, personal devices were practically extensions of their bodies—impossible to avoid.
"So… doctor, is Makoto going to be alright?"
Miyu asked anxiously.
"Yes. Based on her current exam and test results, there's nothing alarming. Her awareness is clear, and she's responding accurately to questions. And—you said you dreamed, didn't you?"
"A dream…?"
One of the screening questions had been "Did you dream while you were asleep?"Makoto had mentioned the strange white world… and the cat she met there.
Kido explained:
"Patients affected by Virtual Syndrome tend to stop dreaming altogether.But since you did dream, it's unlikely you're suffering from severe symptoms."
It was a diagnostic detail they had never heard before, but Miyu visibly relaxed.
"Still, the memory gap and the fact that you were in a coma for three days are concerning. To be safe, we'll run a full examination tomorrow."
"Yes, please do," Miyu replied immediately.
Kido glanced at his old wristwatch.
"It's already past seven. Yokomine, please reserve the MRI and other equipment."
"Yes, doctor."
After she quickly arranged the bookings, Kido turned back to Makoto.
"Well then, Fujimiya-san. Do you have any questions?"
"Um…"
Most of her earlier confusion—where she was, why she was here—had been resolved.She almost said "No, nothing."Until she remembered something.
"Oh—right. Um… does this hospital keep any cats?"
"'Cats?'"
All three—Kido, Yokomine, and Miyu—reacted in unison.
"When I woke up, I felt like… a cat was sitting on my stomach."
Kido stroked his chin, puzzled.
"No, this is a hospital. We don't keep any cats… Come to think of it, you said a cat appeared in your dream, didn't you?"
"Oh, yes."
"Then you were probably just groggy when you woke up."
It wasn't strange—dreams often bled into reality while half-conscious.Kido's explanation made sense, and Makoto nodded.
But—there was one thing.
As Yokomine checked her tablet… her fingers stopped moving.
As if she'd noticed something.
As if something didn't add up.