The smell of disinfectant filled the air, stinging the noses of anyone smelling it.
Noah and Rentaro sat on the bench with their eyes on one of the doors along this hallway.
That's the door to a surgery room in this hospital.
The red light with characters "Surgery ongoing" on it lit up, telling everyone that door is meant to stayed shut.
Rentaro and Noah sat there without talking. Naturally, it's not because Noah avoided conversations. Rather, it's because Rentaro's current state made conversations very hard to carry on.
Noah helplessly shook his head when he saw Rentaro who is sweating profusely from nervousness.
"Rentaro, calm down, alright?"
"Nn."
Rentaro nodded but his distant look and sweating forehead suggested otherwise.
"I know that."
Rentaro said, however, he clasped his hands together tightly which looked like he was just giving Noah lip service.
"No matter how anxious you are, it will not help her situation."
Noah advised.
"The doctor also said the current medical service of Tokyo Area is so high level this operation cannot possibly fail, the risk is negligible so can you stop being a nervous Nelly?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Rentaro sighed.
"I just can't help it."
"I guess you have a point."
Noah nodded with a troubled look.
"Right, how about you find a topic to talk about?"
"Yeah?"
Rentaro said.
"Thank you."
"Hmm?"
Noah didn't know where this came from.
"What's with you?"
"Kisara-san would have never gone through with this if you didn't interrupt."
Rentaro's eyes flashed with thoughts, he voiced the ideas in his head.
"Actually, I am starting to think her kidney problem goes beyond affecting her physical health, to some extent, I think it's affecting her mental health."
"Mental disturbance?"
Noah urged him to go on.
"What is going on with you?"
Rentaro stopped for a second, he started explaining after this brief pause.
"Didn't you notice it? Whenever she talks about the Tendo Clan, isn't her reaction too extreme?"
"You mean that's abnormal?"
Noah tried to recall Kisara's reaction.
"Sure, but isn't that because she's so obsessed with ending the Tendo Clan?"
"It would have been fine if that was the case."
Rentaro bitterly laughed.
"A friend of mine told me that isn't normal. For one, her entire mood changes completely. She thinks that Kisara's hatred got enhanced by the suffering she got from her kidney problems. It's like she can see her parents telling her to avenge them at all cost."
Noah also felt a bit confused when Rentaro placed it like this.
He can sense her going off the rails whenever she goes on and on about how she wanted to destroy the Tendo clan.
Like a vengeful spirit returning from hell, Noah frowned whenever he saw her acting like that.
Indeed, Rentaro might be right to call this a mental affliction.
"Kisara-san probably recognizes this so she didn't want to do the transplant procedure, right?"
Rentaro sighed repeatedly.
"Without those hallucinations, she's afraid she will forget her desire for revenge. She is probably relying on this health problem to continuously remember her vengeance through pain and hallucinations."
Noah nodded and he loosened his expression.
"If so, you must be really happy now, right?"
"That's why I said thank you."
Rentaro laughed.
"Honestly, I don't want to see her dirtying her hands with revenge or curse her own clan like that. It makes me very uncomfortable whenever she's like that."
Noah shared this sentiment.
Noah, however, is neutral in regards to her vengeance.
If it's Noah, once somebody harms his family, he will definitely want revenge.
Now, he might differ in the method through which he executes his own revenge.
At least, Noah doesn't think he's someone who would stop at nothing to get payback.
Kisara exhibits a rather dangerous trait of reckless abandon when it comes to revenge.
Noah is uncomfortable with her revenge not because of her motivation but because of her attitude.
If this transplant can solve that, then all the better.
Beep
The [Ongoing Surgery] light dimmed down as the doors opened.
A few doctors in scrubs came out. They can't see their faces but they can see the surgery went fine judging by their relaxed eyes.
Rentaro sighed in relief.
Kisara's operation went without a hitch.
"Doctor!"
Rentaro caught one of the doctors and he asked him.
"How did it go?"
"Relax, the operation was successful."
The leading surgeon told him.
"Since she's still under anasthetic, I recommend coming back after tonight. She will also be placed under medical care so we can make sure she's healthy for discharge."
"I understand."
Noah and the surgeon shook hands.
"Thank you, doctor."
The doctor bade them farewell and they exited the hallway.
Rentaro and Noah exchanged smiles before they entered the surgical room.
Tokyo Area 1, Holy Residence...
The base for national defense opened up.
Seitenshi entered the room with Kikunojou greeting her followed by other high-ranking officials.
Seitenshi gestured for everyone to sit down. Then, she looked at Kikunojou with a grim expression.
"What happened?"
"Yes."
Kikunojou nodded.
"At 2130 today, Monolith no.32 experienced a Gastrea infestation as the troops stationed there were attacked by an unknown number of Gastrea monsters."
Seitenshi balled her hands into fists.
Gastreas appearing near the Monolith?
That should have been impossible.
Excluding Stage 5 Gastrea, weaker monsters should have stayed clear of the obelisk.
Kikunojou said nothing. He displayed the screen behind him.
"This was the last photo sent to us by a soldier there before he expired."
Seitenshi looked at the screen.
On it, she can see a blurry photo taken in low-light setting.
Darker than the night itself, he saw a long-necked Gastrea attaching itself to that Monolith.
Seitenshi recalled something ominous.
"This Gastrea, I think I have seen it somewhere before..."
Seitenshi obtained her memories from her mental files as she immediately gasped in shock, covering her mouth, she voiced her disbelief.
"Stage 4 Gastrea, Aldebaran?!"
The room immediately went into a turmoil.
"Aldebaran?"
"The Gastrea that can produce varanium-corrupting fluid?"
Seitenshi's hair stood on ends as she rubbed her cold hands together.
Why did Aldebaran appear here?
Why did it attack Monolith 32?
Seitenshi couldn't find an answer for her questions.
However, she can confirm one thing. Tokyo Area is in big trouble.