The distinctive scent of disinfectant in the infirmary was overwhelmingly thick in Shiina Taki's nostrils.
Warm afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, but it did nothing to dispel the heaviness and anxiety in her heart.
Yahata Umiri lay on the white bed against the wall, her eyes tightly closed, her complexion still an unhealthy pale, the purplish hue of her lips had faded slightly, but her breathing remained faint and shallow.
Taki pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, leaning forward, her hands clasped tightly, her fingernails almost digging into her palms. Her black hair fell somewhat messily over her shoulders, her sports vest and shorts were still stained with red plastic pellets and dust, and the scrapes on her knees had been simply treated by the school doctor and covered with clean gauze.
The female school doctor, wearing a white coat, pushed up her glasses and put down the examination report. She had just completed a series of emergency treatments and preliminary checks, ruling out dehydration, hypoglycemia, and heatstroke.
"There's no immediate danger to her life, but her body is very weak," the female school doctor's voice was professionally steady, attempting to soothe the young girl before her.
"Currently, it's highly suspected that it's an electrolyte imbalance caused by strenuous exercise, leading to arrhythmia and sudden syncope. Her body entered a state of deep coma as a self-protective mechanism."
"Electrolyte imbalance?" Taki suddenly looked up, her voice dry and hoarse, "She's usually... very healthy. Today, besides the 800-meter run, she didn't have any other strenuous activities..."
"Even the healthiest body can encounter problems under extreme circumstances. For example, has she had irregular eating habits recently? Or excessive mental stress? These could all be contributing factors," the school doctor explained.
"Of course, this is just a preliminary diagnosis. To be safe, once this student's condition stabilizes a bit more, it's best to transfer her to a hospital for more comprehensive examinations, including an electrocardiogram and blood electrolyte analysis."
Although the school doctor's explanation sounded reasonable, the shadow of doubt in Taki's heart did not completely dissipate.
Umiri's steady pace before she collapsed, her guiding with plenty of reserve, were clearly etched in Taki's mind; that was certainly not the state a sick person would exhibit.
However, the school doctor's confident tone and the conclusion that Umiri was temporarily out of danger did allow Taki's taut nerves to relax just a little.
Yet, before she could even catch her breath, worry immediately surged back like a tide—when would Umiri wake up?
"I understand, thank you, doctor," Taki said softly, her gaze returning to Umiri's lifeless face.
The school doctor nodded, picking up her clipboard: "Alright, I need to register this student's basic information. Her class, name, student ID? Also, did she say she felt unwell before she fainted? Or did you notice anything unusual?"
Taki's heart skipped a beat; Umiri wasn't a Haneoka student at all!
"She... her name is Yahata Umiri, she's... she just transferred, the paperwork might not be fully processed yet..." She tried to make her voice sound less guilty, "As for anything unusual... no, she looked very normal when she was running, she even reminded me to adjust my breathing..." She skirted the issue, not mentioning Umiri's presence in the school wearing a second-hand uniform, "She just said... she took a sick day today, but felt well enough, so she came by to watch my test..."
The school doctor frowned slightly as she recorded the information: "Just transferred? Came to school for strenuous exercise after taking a sick day?" She clearly found the logic a bit inconsistent, but seeing Taki's tired and worried expression, she didn't press further.
"Alright, we'll need to get a full understanding of the situation once she wakes up. Also, contact information for her family..."
Just then, the infirmary door, which was slightly ajar, was gently pushed open.
"Excuse me~ Shiina-san, and this... um, Yahata-san? Is she alright?" Takagi Naoko poked her head in, a signature, overly sweet smile on her face.
She had already changed back into her school uniform, her dark green hair falling smoothly over her shoulders, her lightly made-up face showing just the right amount of concern, as if the chaos on the track and the conflict under the shade of the trees had never existed.
Taki's back instantly tensed. She sharply turned her head to the door, her gaze as keen as a knife.
Takagi Naoko's appearance stirred up a churning disgust and deeper unease in Taki's heart.
What was she doing here? Crying crocodile tears?
"What are you doing here?" Taki's voice was as cold as ice, her hostility undisguised. She even instinctively shifted slightly, blocking Umiri's bed.
Takagi Naoko seemed not to hear the sting in Taki's tone, walking directly towards the bed. Her gaze swept over Umiri's pale face, and the smile at the corner of her mouth seemed to deepen a bit more.
"Oh dear, I was really scared," Takagi's voice carried an exaggerated concern, "Shiina-san's friend suddenly collapsed, it was terrifying! How is this student now? Doctor, she'll be alright, won't she?"
She turned to the school doctor, blinking her eyes, looking innocent and eager for information.
The school doctor put down her clipboard. Out of professional habit, she needed to maintain order: "Student, please keep quiet, the patient needs rest. Also, unrelated personnel please leave the infirmary first."
The smile on Takagi Naoko's face instantly froze, then stretched into an even wider arc: "Oh dear, don't be so cold, Doctor. I'm just concerned about my classmate, and Shiina-san and I are in the same class! Right, Shiina-san?" As she spoke, she even tried to bypass the school doctor to get closer to the bed.
"Get out!" Taki stood up abruptly, her voice trembling slightly from suppressed anger.
The school doctor also sensed trouble, stepping forward and blocking Takagi Naoko, her tone stern: "Student, please cooperate. Leave the infirmary immediately, or I will notify your homeroom teacher."
The school doctor's obstruction and the comment "unrelated personnel" were like a lit match, instantly igniting the keg of already twisted and spoiled gunpowder in Takagi Naoko's heart.
The carefully maintained, sweet and false smile on her face, like a cheap mask, instantly shattered and peeled away. What replaced it was a chilling, distorted ferocity.
"You... don't recognize me either?" Takagi Naoko stared at the school doctor, her voice suddenly rising, becoming sharp and piercing, filled with disbelief and the madness of humiliation.
"You actually don't recognize me?! I clearly... clearly tried so hard! I appeared in front of everyone every day! I imitated her hairstyle, her clothes, her habits... I even joined that damn brass band club! I lived my life as her shadow! And you still don't recognize me?!!"
This sudden outburst and completely incomprehensible accusation left the school doctor stunned: "Wh-what? Please, calm down..."
"Calm down?!" Takagi Naoko let out a sharp sneer, a laugh as grating as glass scraping a blackboard.
"You people only have eyes for the best! She's at least 'Shiina Maki's sister,' you can still notice her figure when you're looking up at the brilliance!"
"What about me?! What am I, then?! A shadow's shadow?"
Before her words even finished, in an instant neither Taki nor the school doctor could react, Takagi Naoko moved.
Her movements were unnaturally fast, carrying an inhuman brutality. Without warning, without winding up, her tightly clenched right fist shot out like a cannonball, smashing fiercely into the school doctor's unguarded cheek!
Bang—CRACK!
A sickening thud accompanied by the subtle sound of bone shattering exploded simultaneously.
The school doctor didn't even have time to cry out in pain; her entire body was like it had been hit by a speeding truck, lifting off the ground and slamming violently backward onto the desk behind her.
The heavy solid wood desk groaned under the strain, and folders, a stethoscope, a blood pressure monitor, and other items on the desktop were sent flying by the immense impact.
The school doctor's body slumped softly onto the desk, her head tilted to one side, a horrifying purplish lump rapidly swelling on her forehead, blood trickling from her nostrils and the corner of her mouth, completely unconscious.
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