Saiko jolted awake to the sound of metal clattering somewhere down the hallway. Blinking sleepily, he rubbed his eye and tried to focus. The noise wasn't like anything he usually heard in the early morning silence. With a small yawn, he stumbled out of his closet and made his way down the dimly lit corridor.
As he rounded the corner, he stopped, staring wide-eyed at the mess in front of him. Pieces of metal, plastic gears, and wires lay scattered on the floor, and right in the middle of it all stood Kisumi, looking unbothered as he examined his handiwork. The hospital's automatic nurse robot—a clunky machine that delivered supplies and occasionally helped around the ward—lay in shambles at his feet.
Kisumi looked up, catching sight of Saiko, and smirked. "Oh, hey, Alice. You're up early."
Saiko's eyes widened as he took in the destroyed machine. "Kisumi! Wh-what you do?" His broken English stumbled out, his voice rising in concern. "Robot... robot not work no more."
Kisumi shrugged, kicking a stray piece of metal. "This stupid thing got in my way, so I gave it a little... lesson." He folded his arms, looking quite pleased with himself, a smug glint in his green eyes. "Guess it wasn't so 'automatic' after all."
Saiko crouched down, gingerly picking up a broken piece of the robot, his face etched with worry. "Doctor... doctor not like this. Doctor very... angry." He looked up at Kisumi with a mixture of fear and concern, clutching the metal piece like he could somehow put the robot back together through sheer will.
Kisumi rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. That guy's never around, anyway. And if he does show up, what's he gonna do? Get mad at me?" He gave a short laugh, though his tail twitched with a faint hint of nerves that he tried to hide. "Besides, it's just a hunk of junk. I did it a favor putting it out of its misery."
Saiko bit his lip, unsure how to respond. He wanted to scold Kisumi, to say that breaking things wasn't right, especially not in the doctor's hospital. But his words got tangled up in his head, and he struggled to string them together. Instead, he just said, "Saiko... Saiko fix it maybe. Doctor like things in order."
Kisumi raised an eyebrow. "You think you can fix that? Good luck. Even if you did, wouldn't that just make me look even better?" He grinned, his fangs peeking out, clearly enjoying Saiko's flustered reaction.
Saiko stared down at the mangled robot parts and muttered, "Saiko try..." He wasn't sure he could fix it, but the idea of the doctor's anger was enough to make him desperate to try.
Kisumi watched him with mild amusement. "You're seriously going to try to fix that? You really are a little goody two-shoes, aren't you?" He crouched down beside Saiko, his tone mockingly sweet as he added, "What would your precious doctor think if he saw you in a mess like this?"
Saiko's cheeks flushed, and he looked down, not knowing what to say. "Doctor... Doctor care for Saiko, so Saiko... make things better. Doctor like order, yes?"
Kisumi rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the flicker of curiosity in his expression. "Man, you're hopeless, you know that?" He smirked, tapping a finger on Saiko's forehead. "Fine. Go ahead and waste your time. But I'm telling you now—it's not gonna work. That thing's broken beyond repair."
Saiko clutched the pieces tighter, determination settling on his face. Even if Kisumi teased him, he couldn't just leave the mess for the doctor to find.
As Saiko continued to examine the robot, trying to piece together what he could salvage, the heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, sending a chill down his spine. He turned just in time to see the doctor striding toward them, his face a mask of irritation.
"What's going on here?" The doctor's voice was low and commanding, cutting through the morning stillness like a knife. His icy blue eyes locked onto Kisumi, and Saiko felt a shiver of unease at the sight. The doctor's handsome features twisted with a mix of anger and disappointment as he approached the two boys.
