I, Who Acquired the Ability to Read Memories, Am Being Swallowed by Darkness - While I Should Be Protecting Beautiful Girls, I Am Being Drawn into Darkness Each Time I Use My Power, Yet for Some Reason, My Harem of Beautiful Girls Keeps Growing - Chapter 52: At the Prefectural General Medical Center

Chapter 52: At the Prefectural General Medical Center

Prefectural General Medical Center.

A massive 15-story building cast its shadow against the twilight sky.

Ginta Yamashita.

He fell down the stairs, suffering complex fractures in his cervical spine and lower limbs, leading to a six-month hospitalization.

A miraculous survival from an injury with a 30% mortality rate.

And after discharge, his grades suddenly improved, his personality changed… and he began using hypnosis.

“Excuse me.”

I head toward the general reception.

“It’s about a patient who was previously admitted…”

A middle-aged female staff member peers at the computer monitor.

“Mr. Ginta Yamashita, correct? He was admitted to the 8th floor orthopedic ward… It was a severe accident.”

“I’d also like to speak with Dr. Oyama, who performed the surgery for his fractures.”

“Dr. Oyama…”

The female staff member’s expression darkens.

“He’s been taking a lot of time off recently.”

At that moment, an elderly nurse passing by stops in her tracks.

“About Dr. Oyama?”

She shows interest in our conversation.

A name tag reads Matsuoka.

She seems to be the head nurse of the orthopedic ward.

“I remember Yamashita-kun well,”

Nurse Matsuoka says quietly.

“To survive such a severe injury… It’s remarkable.”

I’m led to a break room, where Nurse Matsuoka shares a shocking story.

“To be honest, Dr. Oyama has been acting strange lately too.”

She lets out a sigh.

“She suddenly called off her engagement and started taking leave with her vacation days…”

“What was Yamashita like during his hospitalization?”

“Well…”

Nurse Matsuoka searches her memory.

“At first, it was really touch-and-go. He was brought in unconscious and in critical condition, and Dr. Oyama performed an emergency surgery that lasted 12 hours.”

“But…”

She tilts her head.

“His recovery after the surgery was unbelievably fast. His rehabilitation went almost too smoothly. And…”

“And?”

“His personality completely changed. He used to be introverted with a stutter, but suddenly he became full of confidence…”

I nod quietly.

It all began during this hospitalization.

There’s no doubt that Yamashita gained the power of hypnosis during this time, when he returned from the brink of death.

“That hospital room should still be there.”

Nurse Matsuoka stands up.

“Shall I show you?”

Room 805, guided by Nurse Matsuoka.

It’s currently an empty room.

“At the time, Yamashita-kun was in this bed…”

I touch the frame of the bed.

Memories from six months ago come flooding back vividly.

…The hospital room at night.

Yamashita, lying immobile.

Cervical and leg braces.

IV tubes.

The sound of the heart monitor.

Then, a man in a black coat appears.

“Good evening, Yamashita-kun.”

A low voice echoes quietly in the room.

Sharp eyes glint from beneath a black hat.

“Eek…”

Yamashita recoils in fear.

He must have felt an instinctive terror toward this unfamiliar visitor.

“I’m Takejiro Hyakuto. I was worried about you.”

“I-I don’t… know you.”

His stutter worsens.

“P-Please… leave.”

“A fall down the stairs. They’re saying it was an accident, aren’t they?”

Hyakuto’s voice turns cold.

“But that’s not true, is it?”

Yamashita’s eyes tremble.

“Onizuka pushed you, didn’t he? Am I wrong?”

“…!”

“Why hide it? Are you fine with a life of just taking it?”

Hyakuto leans forward.

“Are you planning to keep living, accepting this weak, pathetic version of yourself?”

The air in the hospital room grows heavy and oppressive.

“N-No…”

A faint voice echoes in the room.

The sound of dripping IV fluid is the only thing breaking the silence.

“N-No… th-this weak self…”

“That’s right.”

Hyakuto smiles.

“You want to change. You want to become a strong version of yourself that no one can mock.”

The trembling voice gradually becomes more resolute.

“Deep down… I want to make them all regret it.”

“Then…”

Hyakuto pulls a pair of glasses from his inner pocket.

“I’ll give these to you.”

A simple pair of black-framed glasses.

Yet, they exude an eerie presence unimaginable from their plain appearance.

“What are these…?”

“Glasses imbued with a special power.”

The moment Hyakuto’s right hand touches the glasses, a pale blue light flashes.

“Wear these, and you’ll be able to control people’s minds.”

“P-People’s… m-minds?”

“That’s right. The power of hypnosis.”

Yamashita’s eyes gleam with a brilliance they’ve never shown before.

“You can manipulate those who looked down on you however you please.”

Hyakuto’s voice sounds sweet.

“You can make everything go exactly as you want.”

Yamashita’s hand hesitantly reaches for the glasses.

“However,”

Hyakuto adds.

“This power only works if you have a strong desire. It won’t work with half-hearted feelings.”

“I-I can use it.”

The stutter has vanished from Yamashita’s voice.

“I-I… I absolutely want to become strong.”

Yamashita takes the glasses.

In that instant, a pale blue light envelops the hospital room.

“Good boy.”

Hyakuto smiles with satisfaction.

“Now you can change. Make them all regret it.”

Hyakuto stands quietly, his black coat fluttering as he leaves the hospital room.

His figure seems to melt into the darkness as he disappears.

Left behind, Yamashita stares at the glasses in his hand.

His expression no longer holds fear or weakness.

Instead, it’s filled with an unfathomable look of ecstasy.

I let go of the bed. The memory cuts off.

This was the beginning of it all.

The moment Yamashita obtained the power of hypnosis.

And the event that transformed him into who he is now.

But a new question arises.

Who is Takejiro Hyakuto?

Why did he give Yamashita this power?

And what is the true nature of those glasses…?

A silent weight lingered in the twilight hospital room.