The hospital corridor smelled faintly of antiseptic and quiet exhaustion.
Morning light filtered through the tall windows, illuminating rows of pale walls and polished floors that reflected the slow movement of nurses and doctors passing by. The atmosphere carried a strange mix of hope and despair, the kind that only hospitals seemed capable of holding.
Inside one of the rooms, Rubika lay quietly on the bed.
Her small body looked fragile beneath the white blanket, and several machines beside her monitored the slow rhythm of her heartbeat. The soft beeping of the equipment filled the room with a steady, mechanical reassurance that she was still fighting.
Standing beside the bed were Ryuki and Aavya.
Ryuki's normally sharp and intimidating expression had softened the moment she entered the room. The fierce fighter who terrified half the students at AUMC looked completely different here.
She looked like nothing more than an older sister trying to stay strong.
Rubika slowly opened her eyes when she heard their voices.
"Big sister…" she murmured weakly.
Ryuki immediately leaned closer to the bed, her expression gentle.
"I'm here," she said quietly.
Rubika's gaze moved toward Aavya, who stood beside Ryuki holding a small medical kit.
"Who's that?" Rubika asked.
"This is Aavya," Ryuki replied softly. "She's helping me."
Aavya gave Rubika a warm smile and waved lightly.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "Your sister talks about you a lot."
Rubika smiled faintly.
For a moment the room felt peaceful.
Then Aavya carefully opened the small medical case she was holding. Inside were sterile syringes and testing tubes that Akshat had asked her to bring.
Aavya hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Ryuki… I'll take the blood sample now."
Ryuki nodded slowly.
Akshat had specifically instructed Aavya to collect a small blood sample from Rubika. He had said it was for educational and medical analysis purposes, something that could help them better understand the strange illness affecting her red blood cells.
Aavya gently cleaned Rubika's arm with an alcohol swab.
"This might sting a little," she said softly.
Rubika nodded bravely.
The needle slid carefully into the vein as Aavya collected a small amount of blood into the syringe. The dark red liquid slowly filled the tube.
Ryuki watched closely, her fists tightening slightly as she forced herself to remain calm.
After a few seconds Aavya removed the needle and placed a small bandage over the spot.
"All done," she said reassuringly.
Rubika smiled faintly.
"That wasn't scary."
Ryuki gently brushed her sister's hair.
"You're stronger than most people I know," she said quietly.
Rubika looked up at her with tired but trusting eyes.
"Will I get better?"
The question hung in the air.
Ryuki paused for a moment before answering.
"Yes," she said firmly.
"You will, you must."
____________
Later that afternoon, Ryuki and Aavya walked through a busy shopping street near the medical campus.
The city was alive with movement. Vendors called out to customers, bright store displays flashed colorful lights, and people crowded the sidewalks as they rushed between stores and cafes.
After spending hours in the quiet tension of the hospital, the lively atmosphere felt strangely refreshing.
Aavya carried a small bag of supplies they had purchased from a medical store. Ryuki walked beside her with her usual calm stride, her eyes scanning the crowd almost automatically.
For several minutes they walked in silence.
Then Ryuki suddenly spoke.
"Aavya."
Aavya looked at her.
"Yes?"
Ryuki hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been lingering in her mind.
"You and Akshat…"
She paused briefly.
"Are you dating?"
Aavya blinked in surprise.
Her cheeks immediately turned slightly pink.
"W-What?"
Ryuki looked ahead casually, pretending the question wasn't important.
"You spend a lot of time together," she said. "And last night…"
She stopped talking.
Aavya's face turned even redder as she realized what Ryuki might have seen.
After a moment she shook her head.
"No," she said quietly.
Ryuki raised an eyebrow.
"You're not?"
Aavya gave a small, uncertain smile.
"I can't even imagine dating someone like Akshat."
Her voice carried a strange mixture of admiration and insecurity.
"He's… too far above someone like me."
Ryuki frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Aavya looked down at the shopping bag in her hands.
"Look at me," she said softly. "I'm not strong like you. I'm not smart like the top students. I'm not even pretty."
Her voice became quieter.
"My body is chubby, my skin is dark, and most people at college used to call me ugly."
Ryuki didn't respond immediately.
Aavya continued.
"Akshat is someone who could stand beside anyone," she said. "Someone powerful, someone important."
She gave a faint laugh.
"I'm just lucky he lets me stay near him."
Ryuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Aavya's next words were even softer.
"If I can remain someone he enjoys being around… even if it's just as his play toy…"
She forced a small smile.
"That's already enough for me."
Ryuki stopped walking.
She stared at Aavya for a moment as if trying to understand what she had just heard.
Then she shook her head slightly.
"You're strange," Ryuki muttered.
Aavya blinked.
"Why?"
Ryuki didn't answer.
But something about Aavya's quiet devotion left a strange impression on her.
_________
Meanwhile, back at the hostel, a very different conversation was unfolding.
Inside the large living room, Akshat, Tae Jin, and Thomas stood around a wide table covered with documents, photos, and digital maps displayed on a tablet screen.
The atmosphere was serious.
Akshat studied a list of names displayed on the tablet.
"These are all the missing students?"
Thomas nodded.
"Every confirmed case from the past six months."
Tae Jin leaned over the table, examining the information carefully.
"Shintae was right," he said quietly.
He pointed toward a column on the screen.
"Look at their backgrounds."
Akshat followed his gaze.
Every name on the list shared something in common.
Orphan.
Orphan.
Orphan.
Again and again.
Students without families.
Students without anyone powerful enough to demand answers.
"They were perfect targets," Thomas said grimly.
"No one would immediately notice if they disappeared."
Akshat leaned back slightly, crossing his arms.
"And if they were taken outside campus…"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Then the university can pretend it has nothing to do with it."
Tae Jin tapped the screen again.
"But the question is still the same."
He looked at Akshat.
"Who's taking them?"
Akshat's gaze slowly shifted toward the city visible through the villa's glass windows.
Somewhere in that vast city…
The Fallen Star Auction continued operating in the shadows.
And if their suspicions were correct—
The missing students of AUMC were not simply disappearing.
They were being sold.
Akshat's eyes narrowed slightly.
The game was becoming darker than any of them had expected.
End of ch 45
To be continue...
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