"Name?"
"Akaji."
"Age?"
"Uh... we're both eighteen."
What do you mean "both eighteen"? The doctor, who had been focused on writing the medical history, paused, looked up, and gave the young man across from him a peculiar glance. Suppressing his curiosity, he said, "Tell me about your symptoms first."
"Okay," Akaji nodded. "Actually, I just think there's something wrong with my eyes. I keep seeing strange things."
"Strange things? Do your eyes hurt?"
"No, they don't hurt..."
"Do you experience any itching, light sensitivity, excessive tearing, or similar symptoms?"
As the doctor continued his meticulous questioning, he flipped through the medical records Akaji had brought. His brow furrowed slightly when he reviewed the patient's history.
"Your record shows you suffered an eye injury in a car accident and later underwent corneal transplant surgery. Given this, we should consider potential complications from the corneal transplant. Have you had any follow-up examinations?"
"Yes, I have. Here are the lab results and diagnostic reports." Akaji retrieved the documents and handed them to the doctor with both hands.
After carefully reviewing the lab results and diagnostic report, the doctor frowned.
According to the lab results and diagnostic report, Akaji's eyes showed no signs of abnormalities and had recovered exceptionally well. In fact, compared to all cases of corneal transplant surgery, his recovery was among the best.
"Strange," the doctor said. "The reports show everything is normal. Could you describe specifically what unusual things you've been seeing?"
"Do I really have to?" Akaji's gaze darted around as he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, betraying his nervousness.
The doctor smiled reassuringly. "Young man, don't worry. I don't mean anything by it. This is just part of the standard examination process—to understand your condition better."
I'm not scared for myself anymore, Akaji thought. I'm worried that what I say will scare you. He sighed softly. "Alright, you asked for this!"
"By 'strange things,' I mean that sometimes, when my mind wanders, faint, fleeting shadows appear before my eyes."
"Oh, and sometimes I hear strange sounds too..."
"What kind of shadows and voices?" the doctor interrupted.
"Well... the shadows are mostly blurry and indistinct. I see them less often during the day and more at night. If I had to describe it, it's like catching someone out of the corner of my eye—behind me or to the side. When I turn to look, I see a dark figure flash by, but then I can't find it anymore. As for the voices..."
"Wait a minute!"
The more the doctor listened, the more uneasy he felt. He couldn't help but interrupt Akaji again. "Wait, from what you're saying, it sounds suspiciously like... you've been seeing ghosts?"
Akaji frowned slightly and said with earnest seriousness, "Doctor, this is a hospital. I came here because I believe in modern medicine. Please don't bring up feudal superstitions—I'm easily spooked!"
The doctor felt a bit awkward. "My apologies, I misspoke."
It was all the fault of the countless urban legends circulating these past few years, making people constantly paranoid. Hearing Akaji's description, the doctor had inadvertently jumped to those tales.
Thinking this, the doctor chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Let's continue. Double vision is a common side effect of corneal transplant surgery, but based on your lab results and diagnostic reports, the likelihood of a pathological cause is relatively low. We can't rule out psychological or other factors."
By "other factors," the doctor meant the phenomenon of residual memory in the optic nerve. In specific situations, corneal transplant recipients might experience glimpses of images the donor had once seen. However, this phenomenon usually fades with time.
The doctor considered this possibility as a potential cause for Akaji's strange visions but refrained from mentioning it explicitly, as there's insufficient scientific evidence to support such claims.
"If we consider the latter..." the doctor paused for a few seconds, then pressed further, "are all the shadows you see blurry and indistinct? Can you ever see clearer images?"
If Akaji could perceive clearer images, it would significantly increase the likelihood that the latter two possibilities were the cause.
"I can... but is it really necessary to say?" Akaji hesitated. If I tell him, will he kick me out like the last doctor did?
The doctor gestured for Akaji to speak freely. "Speak your mind!"
"Uh, alright, I'll tell you," Akaji said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I've had three clear sightings. The first time was late one night when I was hungry and went out for some barbecue skewers. At an intersection, I saw a girl wearing a beige floral-print lolita dress. Behind her trotted a yellow-and-white Corgi as big as a family car. In the blink of an eye, she was riding her dog, soaring into the sky..."
"Ha ha!" The doctor chuckled at Akaji's tale, his initial tension easing slightly. "Young man, have you heard the rumors about Magical Girls in our city? But those are just rumors, right?"
"Of course I've heard them, but I never took them seriously. What does this have to do with my eye problem?"
"Everything," the doctor replied with a smile. "What you often think about can influence how you perceive the double vision you're experiencing."
Akaji: "..." So, you're saying everything I've seen is just my imagination?
I'm not freaking mentally ill!
"You said you've seen it three times. What about the other two instances?"
"The other time was five days ago when it was raining. I bumped into a Senior Sister in the men's locker room at the school bathhouse. As soon as she saw me, she turned and fled..."
"Bumped into a Senior Sister in the men's locker room..." The doctor frowned. "She probably just got lost. Think about it: a girl accidentally wanders into the wrong locker room and happens to be seen by you. Of course she'd be embarrassed and run away! That's a perfectly normal reaction, right?"
Yeah, that sounds like a normal reaction.
It seems highly likely this kid is just overly stressed, leading to distorted perceptions.
I knew it! Where else would all these bizarre visions come from?
Emmm, time for a sip of tea to calm my nerves.
"Of course there's a problem!" Akaji's voice rose in emphasis, his hands gesturing wildly to emphasize the size. "Such a big head falling on the ground, and she didn't even pick it up before running off! How is that not a problem?!"
"???"
The doctor imagined the scene Akaji described, a chill running down his spine. His hand, which had just lifted a teacup, trembled, spilling tea that soaked his shirt.
"So, what did you...?"
"Call the police, of course! In that situation, what else could I have done? Any normal person would call the police, right?"
The doctor stared at him, speechless. A normal person would probably panic and run away, wouldn't they?
"Then... what happened next?"
"Ugh, don't even ask." Akaji sighed. "When the police arrived, I took them to the spot where Senior Sister's head had fallen. But where her head should have been, all that was left was a hairpin—one of those cute, pink ones with white polka dots."
The doctor's lips twitched. Seriously? You didn't need to observe such trivial details so closely, you know!
"Could you have mistaken what you saw?"
"I considered that possibility myself, but the police didn't buy it. They thought something was wrong with me and suggested I come to the hospital for an evaluation."
The doctor stared at him, speechless. To be fair, you do seem a bit off.
"The last time I saw one was just now—that was pretty intense! Even now, the thought still makes my skin crawl. When I entered the hospital, I saw a man muttering to himself, sounding like he'd just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Then, in a daze, I saw massive, black tumors erupt from his body, spewing thick smoke. Oh, and he was right over there..."
Self-interest clouds judgment!
Hearing Akaji mention strange things in the hospital, the doctor couldn't sit still.
"Ahem, wait a moment, stop talking! Young man, this is a hospital. Be serious and stop telling scary jokes."
A lunatic?! That patient was freaking terrifying!
Could it be true... that such things really exist?
No, no, no! How could that be possible?!
The doctor shook his head, forcibly dismissing the thought that had crept into his mind.
I'm a highly educated professional, a Party member! I can't let the twisted logic and evil fallacies of class enemies corrupt my mind!
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Akaji asked.
The doctor looked up at Akaji's face, his expression utterly solemn and earnest, showing no trace of amusement.
"Ahem, then... if you keep seeing those... those things, aren't you afraid?"
Akaji replied blankly, "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid! I'm terrified to death!"
When Akaji first saw those strange shadows, he was terrified, convinced he was going mad. But he never imagined his nerves were far tougher than he thought, resilient enough to withstand the ordeal without showing any signs of mental illness.
At most, he'd occasionally glimpse fleeting, odd shadows on the street, hear glass marbles bouncing upstairs at night, hear water running in the bathroom in the middle of the night, or hear sighs while trying to sleep...
Nothing too serious, really. He just had to endure it!
What else could he do? Life had to go on.
Even if he was afraid, he had to keep going.
As he spoke, Akaji rolled up his sleeve, revealing his arm. "Look, goosebumps all over."
"Wait, is that your expression of fear?"
"Ah! That's another ailment," Akaji sighed. "You've seen my medical records, right? You know my eyes were injured in a car accident. Just flip back two pages, and you'll find my other problem."
The doctor picked up the medical record again, flipped back two pages, and froze when he saw the youth's other diagnosis:
Tear of the temporomandibular joint ligament causing facial muscle weakness and delayed response?
This is just facial paralysis!
No wonder his expression hasn't changed since he walked in!
"Doctor, if my facial paralysis can't be cured, that's fine. It doesn't really affect me much anyway. But what about this thing with my eyes? I keep seeing strange things. Is there any hope for that?"
Incurable, hopeless. Please leave!
The doctor desperately wanted to unleash this classic three-part dismissal on the most difficult patient he'd ever encountered. But his professional ethics held him back.
"Haha!" The doctor maintained his practiced smile. "Young man, there's no need to worry. I've reviewed your case, and since there are no physical symptoms, we should consider psychological factors. How about I write you a referral to the psychiatric department upstairs?"
Skillfully passing the buck to other departments was an essential skill for any seasoned doctor.
"You mean the psychiatry department?"
"Uh, yes, psychiatry..." The doctor's smile stiffened slightly. "But young man, don't be alarmed. Mental illness isn't some incurable disease. With proper treatment..."
"No need," Akaji said, shaking his head. "I just escaped from there."
The doctor blinked, bewildered.
What... exactly do you mean by 'escaped'?
I believed your bullshit for so long, and it turns out you're just a goddamn lunatic?!