The Mitakihara City Central Hospital was neither busy nor noisy at night.
The outpatient clinic had long since closed, leaving only the emergency entrance, which was currently empty of patients in need of urgent care.
Beyond the outpatient building, the inpatient ward was just as deserted and quiet.
Most inpatients required a peaceful resting environment, and even those who needed exercise wouldn't be too loud about it.
Especially at night, the majority of the elderly patients, whose energy waned early, were already asleep.
In the desolate hallway, Madoka instinctively felt a little scared and edged closer to Su Mo.
Without asking any nurses or doctors, Madoka simply followed Su Mo's lead. She trusted that with his power, he could surely find the girl's location, even though a normal person wouldn't be able to identify the braided girl from her description alone.
When they reached the sixth floor of the inpatient ward, even without Su Mo saying a word, Madoka quickly found the girl.
It wasn't because she had some precognitive ability, but because in the otherwise silent inpatient ward, there was one exceptionally loud spot that had already drawn the ire of numerous patients and medical staff.
It was a room at the end of the corridor.
Several burly, tattooed yakuza were menacingly surrounding a thin, frail man. In the hospital room behind the man, the girl with the braids stood at the doorway, her face pale, as if she had just heard something unbelievable.
The onlooking medical staff exchanged glances, and security personnel were nearby, but no one stepped forward to intervene. Patients watched from a distance, but none interfered either.
This wasn't just due to the city's apathetic atmosphere, but also because of an important reason: the identity of the frail man.
"Is that... the girl's father?!" Madoka's face lit up with surprise, not expecting to find their target so quickly.
With Lord Su Mo present, money was a trivial matter. A mere ten million yen was nothing. Whether it was the girl's illness or her father's debts, if Su Mo was willing, it could all be wiped clean.
However, before she could rejoice, she saw the girl's father fall to his knees, crying and wailing.
"Homura! It's Daddy's fault! Daddy is useless, I don't have the money to treat you—"
"But look, these big brothers said that as long as you go with them and be obedient, their leader will definitely cure you!"
"Daddy promises you, this leader is definitely a master! As long as you nod your head and join their sect, you'll definitely be alright!"
A father kneeling before his daughter, crying and begging—at first glance, it might seem like a display of deep affection. But hearing his words, everyone present felt a chill run down their spine.
The so-called "sect" was, in fact, a cult.
However, just like in neighboring South Korea, this type of cult was not illegal in Japan; it was even protected by law. So much so that even child protection laws had to yield to it.
As long as the little girl before them verbally agreed to join the cult, whatever happened afterward would be an internal dispute, and even the Metropolitan Police would have no jurisdiction.
This was why the security guards were hesitant to act.
If a parent was determined to send their child into a cult, outsiders were almost powerless to stop it.
Hearing his horrific words, a nurse nearby couldn't stand it anymore. She shouted from behind a security guard, "As a father, how can you send your child to a place like that? Don't you know what the higher-ups in those cults want to do? Are you trying to personally harm your own daughter?"
Such a question, of course, could not change the man's mind. The man, who had just been groveling and crying on the floor, immediately raised his head and shot the nurse a vicious glare.
"What's it to you? You got a problem with our holy sect? You defile our faith again, and believe it or not, these big brothers will come looking for you!"
Hearing this, the burly men, though they disdained to pay the man any mind, still shot the nurse a collective glare in support.
With the protection of a certain politician, ordinary citizens were not allowed to use insulting or derogatory words when discussing the church. Even if the church itself was truly a cult, common people had no right to judge.
"..."
The nurse shrank back, truly not daring to speak again. Otherwise, they would have legitimate grounds to call the police and have her arrested.
Seeing her back down, the man's "benevolent" expression returned as he spoke to his daughter. "Don't listen to the nurse's nonsense. They just want money!"
"But it's okay. Once you join the sect, the leader said he'll reward me with a large sum of money. Then I can pay off the medical bills here and shut these bloodsuckers up!"
He would get a large sum of money just for his daughter joining the church? Was that a real reward, or was it money from selling his daughter? And with his shameless character, would he really pay the hospital back?
Unfortunately, while an adult could see the contradictions, it wasn't necessarily clear to a child. Even some of the medical staff were momentarily fooled by the promise of repayment and hesitated.
The scene fell silent for a moment. The man stared intently into his daughter's eyes, awaiting her answer. According to the rules of this country, if the child herself refused, the security personnel would have a legitimate reason to intervene.
If the girl succumbed to the pressure and agreed, then not even the gods could save her.
Faced with such silent pressure, an ordinary child would have likely broken down long ago. But the pale, braided girl before them bit her lip tightly and did not yield.
She looked at her father with a blank expression, her small hands clutching her hospital gown so tightly that her fingertips turned white.
Anyone could see the immense conflict raging within her.
Seeing the girl's pitiful state, the compassionate nurse spoke up again with a reminder. "Homura, don't agree! This could affect your entire life!"
The other security personnel also stepped forward. As long as the girl refused, they could throw these scumbags out.
Noticing the shift in atmosphere, the frail man grew anxious and immediately said to his daughter, "This is such a good opportunity, Homura, you have to seize it! You don't want to keep living like a beggar, accepting charity from others in the hospital, do you?"
"..."
Before, the girl's figure had been slender yet strong, but at these words, she finally couldn't help but tremble.
Children are often more concerned with their dignity than their lives. Especially for a naturally kind-hearted child, accepting the kindness of strangers every day like a beggar was a form of torture.
It was precisely because she knew these medical staff were kind that she found it even harder to accept their pity with a clear conscience.
If a useless thing like me could be exchanged for some money to pay off the debts, wouldn't that be a net gain?
Such a self-deprecating thought was completely normal for a child. She knew the father before her was not her salvation, and she believed she would never be saved. Rather than this, it was better to exchange herself for some money to compensate those kind people.
With that thought, Homura Akemi raised her head and her lips parted.
Under everyone's gaze, just as she was about to say something, her eyes couldn't help but fall on a slightly familiar pink-haired girl in the distance.
A strange sense of familiarity washed over her. Is that... the girl I saw last time? Her name was Madoka, or something like that.