*****In the depths of an abandoned laboratory, at the center of a half-glass room, a boy lies in a coma on a metal bed.
Everything is silent except for the hum of the cardiac and respiratory machines, alternating in a monotonous rhythm. His bare body is covered with strange tattoos and mysterious symbols. His head bears the marks of repeated surgeries, and his partially shaved short hair reveals fresh wounds glistening under the cold light of the lamps.
Suddenly—a series of repeated knocks echoes through the hallway, followed by a faint shout of anger. The door to the adjacent room bursts open, and Tensho, one of the scientists, appears, his face stern as he mutters:
— "Damn… this state of affairs…" He then notices Dr. Kinnao. "Ah… Sir! Why are you here…?"
In the observation room behind the glass, Dr. Kinnao sits, calm as a statue:
— "Aren't you late for your shift, Tensho?"
Tensho fumbles, forcing a faint smile:
— "I'm sorry, sir… there was an emergency… my car broke down, reaching here was impossible—"
Kinnao presses the camera button, revealing the car outside:
— "It seems to be in good condition."
Tensho whispers awkwardly:
— "Umm… only from the outside, sir…"
Kinnao then turns his gaze to the boy. Tensho exhales deeply and says:
— "Nothing new… she'll never wake up, right?"
Kinnao:
— "It's not for us to complain. As long as we do our work."
Tensho:
— "We've tried everything, sir… every type of surgery, all neural activation techniques, even the forbidden ones. Even memory activation with Nen failed…"
Kinnao, in a heavy calm:
— "It's only been three days… not yet."
Tensho laughs bitterly:
— "Three days?! Vairo almost lost his life for that simple information! And now he's in the hospital… why should we endure all this?"
Kinnao slams the monitor panel:
— "Damn you, Tensho! As long as you're paid, do your work… stop philosophizing!"
Tensho lowers his head, his voice trembling:
— "It suffocates me… makes me frustrated. We are watched… afraid. And you, sir? Why did you abandon your life and achievements for this?"
A moment of silence falls. Kinnao raises his hand to his head, whispering:
— "What I did was right. I gave my life meaning… I felt, back then, it was the life I wanted. You don't know what feelings are, do you? But because of them, I suffer… and now everything has changed with her departure…"
He looks at Tensho with sorrow, then continues softly:
— "I only hope all of this ends… in some way… eventually."
Tensho whispers in frustration:
— "Even voluntary euthanasia… didn't work!"
Kinnao freezes:
— "What did you say?!"
He stands violently, knocking over his chair, grabbing Tensho by the collar:
— "Have you lost your mind?! How dare you try that without permission?!"
Tensho panics:
— "I'm sorry… it wasn't my idea! It was Vairo… but even that didn't work…
— "I just… wanted to end the connection, although I was sure it wouldn't succeed…"
Tensho collapses into a chair, sweating, face pale:
— "I know… I know you are guilty too… What about passive euthanasia? That didn't work either… right?"
Kinnao suddenly drops to his knees, whispering as if speaking to a ghost:
— "Five years… far too long to endure here. My promise to Madam ....… I can't stop now. The guilt is too great."
Tensho sits opposite, running his hand over his tired face, staring at his reflection on the darkened screen, whispering:
— "Look at me… I don't know myself anymore… all identity and face changes are meaningless in the end."
Silence falls again. Kinnao slowly rises, enters the glass room wearing protective gear, reconnects the machines to the girl's body carefully, tears burning his eyes:
— "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, little one…"
He approaches the memory stimulation device, disconnects the wires from her head, and places his hand on the power lock. Hesitating for a moment:
— "We tried everything… nothing wants you to return."
He whispers:
— "We thought having someone else in your life… would stir curiosity or longing in your mind."
He lowers his head, voice choked:
— "I remember what you said back then, little one… (I never wanted this kind of life…)."
Data appears on the screen, accompanied by images — the original name: Hiro Morow, and then the current name…
Kinnao recalls the words of Madam NozomiShura, the girl's mother, when she finally revealed her secret: her eldest son, whom she had abandoned long ago.
He stares at the screen, at the boy's features that resemble hers, whispering bitterly:
— "Yes… I see her face in you, dangerous man."
A photo of the woman appears on the screen. He reaches out, touches it gently, as if touching a distant memory. Her voice echoes in his mind — Madam Valtea: "Please, sit down, doctor…"
It was then that Kinnao fell in love with Madam Valtea (Nozomi Shura) at first sight—a moment that consumed him, breaking his pride, washing away his arrogance, and shattering even his ambition.
He mutters to himself:
— "I thought I was a fool… falling for a young woman at that age…"
He turns off the device and looks toward the lying girl:
— "I don't know where this life will take us… but did you really choose to give up? After everything she did, it was for you?"
At midnight, Dr. Kinnao leaves after gathering the results of his latest research and data.
Tensho returns after packing the files in Kinnao's car. His phone rings… Tensho panics, silences it, rushes back inside to take over the shift alone. He speaks on the phone in secret:
— "I told you to leave me alone… I told you I'm broke…"
He ends the call quickly. Using a phone is forbidden, but he is rebellious.
Back in the room, he sighs:
— "Damn this family… no one thinks of you… everyone is scheming for your money."
He mutters angrily, sitting down:
— "Everything in my life is frustrating… it's all because of you…"
A deafening scream with wide, glaring eyes through the glass:
— "Yaaah!"
He falls back from shock. Tensho presses the intercom:
— "Sir! Finally… Yuzura has woken up!"
The girl is awake suddenly, sitting and staring into the void…
Outside, Kinnao is in his closed car, unaware of the sound, holding his medicine, breathing slowly as if surrendering to something. He decides to move… when something collides with him, he stops abruptly:
— "Tensho, have you gone mad, fool?!"
Tensho exhales shakily, pointing inward:
— "The girl… she's awake! Sir!"
Kinnao's eyes widen in astonishment…....
*****In a faraway place, where time flowed differently, sunset had already fallen over Whale Island.
After a long, brutal day of training, Gon dropped onto the grass with a childish groan:
— "I'm tired… so tired…"
His muscles burned as if fire lived beneath his skin, yet he knew he had to recover fast. He took a deep breath; the air was unbelievably pure.
— "Feels good to be back!" he shouted suddenly.
But the moment he tried to stand, a sharp electric jolt stabbed through his leg — a hard muscle spasm.
— "Aaah! That hurts!"
He grabbed his leg, breath shaky, then smiled faintly:
— "I wonder what everyone's doing… Killua, Kurapika, Leorio… hmm....… Ging. I hope they're all okay."
He shut his eyes.
And in that instant—
a memory crashed in, vivid and sudden.
The moment he returned.