The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

A gut feeling

"Hahahahaha, seriously?! With a plastic cup?" Kuina held her stomach laughing as we sat together on the couch in the large living room in the evening. She was now a regular guest in the shared apartment because she also got along very well with the other two.

I buried my face in my hands and hoped I would sink into the ground. I was still embarrassed.

"Not the thin plastic kind...," I muttered, "But more like the hard, sturdy hospital cups!" She patted me on the back.

"The fact still exists," she grinned, and I rolled my eyes.

Then I grabbed my iPad and opened my notes. Kuina leaned towards Ann and Hinata, who had fallen into a conversation about some boy band.

Today had gone quite well apart from this one small incident. I met with a few other psychologists in the afternoon and was allowed to ask them a few questions. In fact, they had managed to allay a little of my fear of the new everyday life. I felt a little safer now.

Chishiya and I sat together briefly at the end of the shift.

He had provided me with some useful information.

I should focus on Haruka Yura and Asahi Kento for now. Chishiya had an examination carried out on the little girl, but she showed no signs of any physical problems. So, my instinct turned out to be correct - there was a mental problem.

I also wanted to talk to Asahi-san a little so that he could overcome his biggest fear.

That was my daily plan for the next few days.

There was only one thing that bothered me.

The name Sarumi Asami did not appear in my list.

Chishiya hadn't said anything when I asked, but his eyes had told me what he had been thinking: he didn't trust me to be able to help her.

Sure, I probably would have thought the same if I had experienced the patient's reaction today from his perspective, but it still hurt.

I felt the need to help her. She may not have wanted the help, but it was at least worth a try.

I knew that I shouldn't go against his decision. He was in charge, took precautions that couldn't be questioned - and I trusted him, without question! But in this case... I wasn't so sure.

A knot had formed inside me.

It was this dull feeling that gave me inner unrest. The tingling in my fingertips didn't make it any better.

"Hey! Ayu? Why are you staring into space? Maybe your brain has been damaged?" Ann wanted to know amused, and I stuck out my tongue at her.

"I'm leaving for the day," I replied instead, "My eyes are about to close." Hinata agreed with me before standing up too.

"Ayu and I have an early shift tomorrow. I don't want to be too tired when we have to get up," she said, and we waved to the two of them before we went our separate ways.

But sleep wasn't an option for me.

My mind kept whirring to Sarumi-chan.

I knew something was going to happen.

I just couldn't quite put my finger on what it was yet, but her behavior sounded far too familiar.

-------------------------------------------------

Tired, I collapsed onto one of the chairs and Chishiya grinned at me with amusement. "Tired?" he asked, and I nodded before rubbing my watery eyes. I had spent almost two hours with Asahi-kun.

We had made normal small talk and I quickly noticed that his discomfort was decreasing. We quickly started talking about interests, lives and theories that shaped us.

It was one of the many steps I wanted to take. I preferred to start slowly before looking into the deeper levels.

"Your luck, Yura-chan is waiting for you," he informed me as he walked past me. He stopped briefly and placed his clipboard on my head. I looked at him questioningly and he simply grinned before continuing.

"Chishiya?" he stopped again with his back to me, "I would like to talk to Sarumi-san."

I couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking, but he seemed to be weighing his arguments.

"Why?" he then asked to my surprise, and I stood up before joining him and we continued walking together.

"It's my gut feeling," I confessed to him, "It just doesn't give me peace... Maybe it may sound strange, but it's just one thing I need to make sure." I looked at him as he tucked the clipboard under his arm.

"All right," I almost lost my breath. Okay, I wasn't expecting that... "But don't blame me if things go south." I simply nodded before bowing slightly and hurrying away.

Somehow, I didn't want him to see how happy I was about it.

Instead, I tried to continue fulfilling my duties. I took the two food trays that I had pre-ordered and then made my way to Yura-chan.

She laughed quietly as I walked into her room. It was never a good idea to have both hands full while trying to open the door.

"Room service!" I announced and she grinned as I put the two portions down. For a moment I thought her eyes got a little bigger.

"Then let's have lunch together, right?" I sat down next to her and prepared the meal.

To my surprise, she suddenly nodded energetically. I watched as she picked up the chopsticks and began to greedily devour her portion. Then I grabbed my chopsticks myself and started shoveling the hospital food into myself. My stomach, which had been growling the whole time, thanked me.

Yura-chan ate her tray completely empty. I was pleasantly surprised, but also surprised.

I had a suspicion, but I had to check it first.

According to Obiki, she was only four years old - an age that should not be underestimated.

I chatted briefly with the little one and asked her a few questions, which she happily answered.

She was very lively. Despite the situation, she was a little ray of sunshine who didn't let herself get down.

You couldn't help but smile when you saw her. I hoped that she would be allowed to go home soon.

"See you soon, Yura-chan!" I said goodbye and she waved to me.

"See you soon, Ayuna-san!" she called after me while the dishes were being packed onto the designated cart, then I made my way to the lounge.

Now one more patient, then I was off work.

I was sure that the longed-for ending would take a while.