CHAPTER 223: SWEETS

"..." I wake up and look around, surprised to find myself in an uncomfortable white bed. I see a window and a door, which provides an escape route, indicating that I’m not imprisoned.

The room has a strange, unpleasant smell that reminds me of a hospital filled with strong medications. I notice a vase of flowers next to me on a small table, along with some cut-up fruit, but no knife to cut more.

There’s also a chair in the far corner, and the windows in the door and the wall are covered with blinds, blocking the view. I quickly throw off the sheet and confirm that I’m not restrained.

’Seems...like a modern world.’ The stark white room immediately makes me think of a modern setting. I’ll try to get up, but someone enters the room, and I see a very beautiful girl.

She has pink eyes and long black hair that reaches her waist, with a seductive smile but a sharp gaze. Her medium-sized breasts display a red cross symbol, and her cap immediately gives me the impression of a nurse.

"You’re awake, Shizune? Good, you’re up early today," she says, glancing at a watch on her wrist as she approaches me.

"Who...are you?" I ask uncertainly, having no memory, but feeling a strange sensation.

"Have you already forgotten me? That really hurts my feelings," she says, dramatically placing the back of her hand on her forehead as if she’s about to faint.

"Well, please try not to forget again, okay? I’m Maya Veil," she says, as if my forgetting were a recurring thing. At least I know she knows me.

"Now it’s time for you to eat your little candies," she says, taking a jar from the drawer of the side table. The jar is full of colorful little balls, but the vibrant colors seem to hurt my eyes.

"Candies?"

"Yes, Shizune, it’s time for your candies, you know?" she says seriously, looking at me intently.

"How are your eyes?" she asks, seeing how I’m straining to look at the candies.

"...It hurts," I say, the vibrant colors of the candies seeming to burn my eyes. As soon as I say my eyes hurt, she grabs a green "candy."

"Okay, anything else?" she asks with a smile.

"Other colors...seem muted, and there’s a buzzing sound..." I say, as if this were a routine my body has followed for a long time. Hearing this, she grabs a yellow "candy" and a blue "candy."

"Okay, eat these three candies," she says, handing them to me. I look at her, then at the candies.

[Hey, don’t do that!!] I hear a neutral voice and look at the medication.

[Don’t even think about eating me!!] My hand trembles as I hear the green "candy" speaking to me. I look at the nurse with strangeness and a certain fear.

’W-What the hell?’ I look at the candies as if they’re the strangest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

"Any problem, Shizune?" she asks as I swallow hard.

[Answer quickly or this annoying woman won’t stop asking] The yellow candy says in a monotone voice.

[Just deny having any problems] The blue candy says, and I’m completely shocked.

’Am I...hearing voices coming from this? Why?’

"Shizune...why don’t you take your med...I mean, candies? If you don’t remember, let me explain. These little candies are good for you, you need to take them every day, and I can assure you they’re delicious," she says, looking at me pleadingly, as if urging me to try them.

"Hey...what is this?" I ask nervously, staring at the supposed candies, but not mentioning that I heard the candies talking.

"They’re just candies, Shizune...look at the time, we can’t be too late, so could you please eat them? Just chew and savor the flavor, then swallow," she says with a smile.

’Nurse...colorful candies...strange symptoms and hearing voices from inanimate objects...am I crazy?’ I stare at the "candies" that now, upon closer inspection, seem more like medications.

She asked about my condition before choosing what to grab, as if she was seeing what I needed at the moment.

"Hey...are these really candies?" I ask, and she smiles and nods.

[Hey, hey, hey!!! Don’t even think about eating us!! Stop now!!!] The candies speak to me as I bring my hand to my mouth, trying to ignore the voices. I just put them in my mouth and bite, feeling a slight sweet taste of strawberry and orange as I chew and swallow.

"Very good, Shizune," she says as I think about how to test if the candies are indeed medications.

"Can I have another? They’re quite tasty," It’s not a lie, the flavor is good, but if they’re medications, she’ll likely deny it, since medications are not meant to be eaten, and taking multiple is dangerous.

"No, Shizune, you know the rule, only 3 candies at a time, at the proper times. Have you forgotten that too? Hmm...maybe later it’ll be time for the pink candy," she murmurs the last part.

’...’

"Where am I?" I ask, and she seems surprised.

"You don’t even remember that?..." She asks, and I shake my head no.

"You’re...in a really nice place, here I’ll take care of you, and we can play together and do all sorts of other fun things, you know?" She says, and I look around the room, noting that the flower vase is plastic.

And that there are no medical equipment or dangerous things, nothing metal or glass that could cut.

"Can I leave?"

"Of course you can, but we have schedules for that, so you can’t leave the room right now, okay? We can go out together after lunch," she says, and I look at the door.

[Hey, are you really going to believe her?] The door suddenly speaks, making me shiver.

[Isn’t she suspicious? Isn’t this woman strange? Is it safe to consume the suspicious things she’s giving you?] The door raises questions that stir my paranoia, but I try to control myself.

As far as I know, doors don’t talk, and Maya doesn’t seem to notice the objects talking to me, so I feel like the problem is me.

’Am I crazy in this world? Do I have some strange illness?’ First the vibrant colors hurting my eyes, and now objects talking to me.

"Shizune?" Maya waves her hand in front of my eyes, bringing me back to focus.

"S-Sorry, I just got distracted..." I say, still staring at the door that spoke to me.

"I understand. Would you like me to read you a little story?" Maya asks sweetly.

"No...I...just want to be alone..."

"...Shizune, are you feeling anything strange that you don’t want to tell me, aside from what you’ve already said? You know I’m here to help, right? If you see, hear, or feel anything strange, you can tell me and I’ll fix it," she says, as if she knows something more.

"...It’s nothing..."

[I believe the lady in white is suspiciously suspicious, and acts in a most dubious manner] The table next to me speaks strangely, and my gaze goes to the table.

"Hey... Maya, this place...where am I really?" Why doesn’t she say this is a hospital?

"Well, I’ve already told you it’s a nice place, but it’s also meant to help you overcome some problems, but don’t worry about that, let’s just focus on what makes you happy," she says, and I analyze my body.

Thin, not malnourished or anything, just thin, as if I’ve been bedridden for a long time, and my body hasn’t been able to fully recover. This makes my heart ache.

"Shizune, do you feel unwell?" She says as I put my hand on my rapidly beating heart.

"I-I’m not feeling good...can I...be alone?" I say, and she seems to ponder.

"Of course...but I’ll be right outside, I’ll come in if you need help, and if anything strange happens, just press that button on the wall and I’ll come help you..." She says as she goes to the door.

"...And I’ll take the candies with me, if you don’t remember the rules, it’s better you don’t have them nearby, so you don’t...get greedy and try to take more secretly," She says in a sweeter, more contained way, changing how she was going to say it.

’...Candies...what a joke.’ I’m not stupid enough not to notice that this is medication. Now the question is... does this medication help me, or hinder me? I didn’t even have time to look and see if Maya is a yandere.

Seeing things talk has shaken me a bit, I have to admit. The world is modern, so I never would have expected something like this.

[Was expelling the lady in white truly the correct choice?] The table asks.

[Good thing she’s gone, she could have done bad things] The door adds, and I look at them confusedly.

’If this is just in my head...then this is how I see her...but why in this way?’ I wish Nyzz would show up and explain, because all this is starting to feel like a bad joke.

[Do not worry, Bedridden Maiden, I believe you are safe for now] The table calls me Bedridden Maiden, quite different from how Maya called the "lady in white."

’...’ I try not to think about what the objects are telling me. I get up and go to the window, opening the blinds. Immediately, my eyes burn, and I feel like my head is going to explode, so I quickly close the blinds again.

"Ow..." I saw a mess of colors green, white, gray, and something like sand color. It seemed to have the same effect as when I looked at the "candy" jar, but much worse.

’Looks like I can’t look at very colorful things...just like I hear voices...’ I throw myself back on the bed.

"Great...reborn as a crazy person in a hospital bed who has to take lots of medications every day..." At least I’m not tied to the bed or in a straitjacket, so I at least don’t seem to be considered dangerous.