Najun stands beside the mysterious man. As the man explains, this hospital has many hollow spaces that he uses as routes for his futuristic elevator system. Najun had no idea that such technology even existed.

  ??? : “I suppose we should introduce ourselves properly. My name is Milton Bunny. Please call me Dr. Bunny. I am an anerican scientist and came here for my experiments and studies.”

  Dr. Bunny looks at Najun with a friendly expression. After his polite introduction, he expects one from Najun as well.

  Najun: “My name is Najun Sakiko. I was brought to this hospital under unknown circumstances while I was unconscious. I met a kind Ranger who actually wanted to help me, but we were stopped by a crazy rabbit woman and four strange members of some secret society. And now I’m here—with you.”

  Dr. Bunny: “That sounds terrible. Where is your Ranger? Should we go look for him?”

  Najun: “I don’t think we’ll find him. He was probably taken away or killed.”

  Dr. Bunny: “By those strange people?”

  Najun: “Yes. I really hope he managed to escape, but the chances are low.”

  Dr. Bunny: “But not zero.”

  The young man looks at the doctor. He understands that he’s trying to encourage him, but it would probably be better if he didn’t.

  Dr. Bunny: “As long as the probability isn’t zero, everything is possible. Don’t despair over a few bad numbers.”

  The elevator stops. The doors open, and the doctor steps out.

  Dr. Bunny: “Are you coming?”

  Najun hesitates for a moment, but then gathers his courage and pushes his doubts aside.

  Najun: “May I ask why you’re here?”

  Dr. Bunny: “I already told you. Because of my experiments and studies.”

  Najun: “I know that, but why exactly here? In this abandoned and filthy hospital. And I’m also wondering how and when you built all of this, because even this hallway has a high-tech vibe.”

  Dr. Bunny: “I like it quiet. Of course, at the beginning of my stay I worked in famous laboratories with twenty other scientists, but here I have as much space as I want. It took a long time to build everything, but in the end it was worth it.”

  Najun: “That’s impressive—but in a rather negative way.”

  Dr. Bunny: “Negative?”

  Najun: “Yes. It’s frightening that you managed to do all this.”

  They walk down the long hallway. It seems endless. Everything is completely white and clean. Not a single speck of dirt or dust is visible.

  Dr. Bunny: “We’re here.”

  Najun: “Huh? But the hallway keeps going.”

  Dr. Bunny: “One must always stay cautious. That’s why I created a labyrinth instead of a simple underground passage.”

  He presses several spots on the right wall, and suddenly a passage opens. It’s another corridor, but without any light. After a while, he does the same again—four times in total. Eventually, they reach a gate.

  Dr. Bunny: “Finally. This gate is biometrically secured, so only I can let things in or out.”

  After numerous hand, eye, and tongue scans, the gate opens. They step inside together. For the first time, Najun sees a professional laboratory from the inside. Like the corridors, it’s bright and spotless.

  Najun: “Is it really necessary to hide and secure your lab this much? Doesn’t that mean you can never leave it?”

  Dr. Bunny: “There are, of course, more routes than the one I showed you. And it’s not just my lab that’s hidden—my protection is secured as well.”

  Najun: “Protection from what?”

  Dr. Bunny answers with a quiet laugh. Then, out of nowhere, a young girl appears. She wears a black shirt with a long black skirt. Her hair ends just above her shoulders and covers her left eye.

  Dr. Bunny: “Kanashimi, please take my coat and bring our guest something to drink.”

  The girl does as instructed, taking the scientist’s coat. She then pulls a drink carton from a small refrigerator, inserts a straw, and hands it to Najun.

  Kanashimi: “It’s burger-and-fries flavor.”

  Najun: “What kind of flavor?”

  Kanashimi: “Burger and fries flavor.”

  Najun holds the carton up and stares at it in disbelief.

  Dr. Bunny: “Go ahead and try it. It tastes very good.”

  He takes a sip—and surprisingly, it really does taste good. The burger flavor is dominant, while the fries serve as a perfect secondary note.

  Najun: “Wow… that actually tastes really good.”

  Kanashimi: “That makes me very happy.”

  Dr. Bunny steps closer to the girl and gently taps her on the head—not hard enough to hurt, but enough for her to notice.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Dr. Bunny: “Don’t waste time, Kanashimi. Have you already taken care of our patients?”

  Kanashimi: “I started, but then you arrived, and I wanted to greet you first.”

  Dr. Bunny: “You sweet little fool. Take care of your duties immediately.”

  Kanashimi: “Yes, sir.”

  She immediately leaves to attend to the patients.

  Dr. Bunny: “In case you’re wondering—she’s my assistant. She helps with experiments, cleans up, prepares food, and always makes sure everything stays as bright and clean as it is now.”

  Najun: “So she’s basically an all-rounder?”

  Dr. Bunny: “You could say that.”

  Dr. Bunny leads Najun through the lab, showing him storage rooms and experiment tables. Najun grows more and more impressed by the place Dr. Bunny has created. It almost feels like a fantasy location.

  Dr. Bunny: “I’m also a doctor. I currently have four patients to take care of. So you could see this place as a private clinic as well.”

  Najun nods slowly. Dr. Bunny leaves him briefly to check on one of the four patients. Najun looks around on his own. From a distance, he sees a person.

  Najun: “[Is that a nurse?]”

  He walks toward the woman. She’s sitting in front of a door, asleep. Her legs are crossed, and the lower half of her face is covered.

  Najun: “[She seems to be sleeping. I wonder what’s behind that door.]”

  Next to the door is a window he can look through. Inside, he sees a person lying in a hospital bed, connected to many machines and wrapped in bandages. The condition of this possible patient looks grim.

  Najun steps closer to the nurse and leans his face toward hers. Without realizing it, he wakes her up. She instantly pulls a syringe from her sleeve and narrowly grazes Najun’s chin. He falls backward.

  Najun: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so close.”

  The nurse scans Najun from head to toe. She advances toward him with the syringe in hand—but before she can reach him, a bluish shockwave hits her and throws her against the wall.

  Dr. Bunny: “I told you not to be so aggressive if I’m supposed to help him.”

  The nurse stands up, brushing dust off her clothes.

  Nurse: “He is to stay away from him.”

  Dr. Bunny: “He would have done so if you had simply told him.”

  Dr. Bunny lowers the hand cannon he used to fire the shockwave and helps Najun to his feet.

  Dr. Bunny: “You’d better stay away from her.”

  Najun: “Who is she protecting?”

  Dr. Bunny: “I’m not entirely sure. Either her boss or her spouse. But she’s definitely protecting him from everyone and everything.”

  Najun glances back at the window and notices the nurse’s murderous glare.

  Dr. Bunny: “I’m serious. Don’t get close to her again, or that’ll be the end of you.”

  Najun: “Do you know who she is or where she’s from?”

  Dr. Bunny: “They arrived quite some time ago. I’m still searching for background information.”

  Their conversation is interrupted by a soft cough. Kanashimi bows to them.

  Kanashimi: “Please come with me. I’ve prepared the meal.”

  Najun: “Meal?”

  Dr. Bunny: “Yes. You look rather undernourished, so I told Kanashimi to prepare dinner for us. I hope you like scrambled eggs and pancakes.”

  Najun places a hand on his stomach—and realizes he hasn’t eaten in a long time. Curious, he follows them to a large table. Two plates sit empty in front of them, while the table is filled with other plates loaded with food: pancakes, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. There’s also a wide selection of drinks.

  Dr. Bunny: “Please, have a seat.”

  Najun sits down and thanks him for the food.

  Kanashimi: “What would you like to drink?”

  Najun looks over the options.

  Najun: “Orange juice, please.”

  She pours him a glass.

  Dr. Bunny: “The same for me.”

  She pours his as well. He takes a large sip.

  Dr. Bunny: “Orange juice is one of the best things in this world.”

  They start eating. Najun is far hungrier than he expected. He tries everything. The pancakes are his favorite—soft and sweet. With jam, they taste especially good.

  Dr. Bunny: “Do you know what happened before you lost consciousness?”

  Najun: “I remember being in Tongyo and attending a tribunal.”

  Dr. Bunny: “A tribunal? Do I have a criminal sitting in front of me?”

  Najun: “No. It was about false accusations against my family. I think it ended in a brutal fight. That’s probably why I lost consciousness. The Ranger I told you about removed some strange hand from my face—it was apparently the cause of my condition.”

  Dr. Bunny: “A hand? Perhaps an artifact or a machine designed to inject drugs?”

  Najun: “I don’t know. He didn’t want to tell me how he got it off. He said it could have caused severe brain damage or something like that.”

  Dr. Bunny: “That sounds terrifying—but also fascinating. Why didn’t you read the instructions yourself?”

  Najun: “That’s another strange thing. For some reason, I can neither read nor use my magical abilities.”

  The doctor drops his fork and covers his face with both hands. It’s unclear whether the news frightens or excites him.

  Najun: “Are you okay?”

  Dr. Bunny: “Okay? You’re asking if I’m okay? I’m more than okay. I’m delighted by your current situation.”

  Najun: “You’re delighted that I can’t read and have no magical abilities?”

  Dr. Bunny: “Yes—but not for the reasons you think. I’m delighted because I’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you.”

  He stands up, grabs Najun by the arm, and drags him across the room until they stop in front of a large capsule.

  Najun: “What is this?”

  Dr. Bunny: “The solution to our shared problem.”

  Najun: “Our problem? What are you talking about?”

  Dr. Bunny moves to a small monitor next to the capsule and presses a few buttons. The capsule opens.

  Dr. Bunny: “This is my Full Recovery Capsule. It’s a machine designed for virtually every imaginable medical emergency.”

  Najun: “That’s amazing. But what does it have to do with my loss of abilities?”

  Dr. Bunny: “One of the many questions I’ve asked myself is how magic in this world actually works. For some reason, there are many magical families in Jakan—but hardly any elsewhere. You could count them on one hand.”

  The doctor beams with excitement.

  Najun: “I didn’t know that.”

  Dr. Bunny: “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to continue my research here. I’ve already learned a great deal, but I still don’t know why there are so many here—at least not yet.”

  Najun: “You want to use me as a test subject to answer your research questions.”

  Dr. Bunny: “More or less. But I could also help you significantly. Three of my four patients are already in these capsules, so you don’t need to worry about success.”

  Najun: “I’m not so sure.”

  The doctor’s smile fades.

  Dr. Bunny: “Why not?”

  Najun: “I barely know you, and you expect me to step into some capsule where you might do who-knows-what to me?”

  Dr. Bunny: “But it would help you.”

  Najun: “I don’t know that. You could be a mad scientist performing strange experiments on humans.”

  Dr. Bunny: “Would it comfort you if I told you I’m not mad, but passionate?”

  Najun: “No. That might make it even worse.”

  Najun is determined not to undergo the treatment. His distrust toward this seemingly kind scientist is simply too great—especially after everything he’s experienced in this hospital.

  Dr. Bunny closes the capsule and looks disappointed.

  Dr. Bunny: “Man… I could’ve even checked whether we could optimize your abilities—or your body.”

  That statement sparks Najun’s curiosity.

  Najun: “You could optimize my abilities and my body?”

  Dr. Bunny: “Yes. If I’m already examining what’s wrong with you, I could also work on optimization—or at least improvement.”

  Najun: “[He could make me stronger? I could become stronger without much effort or training. That would make it easier to save Mother—and even become a hero within the family.]”

  The boy loses himself in the vision of a shining hero. He has to undergo this treatment. He has to become stronger.

  Najun: “Okay. I accept your treatment.”

  Dr. Bunny: “What caused this sudden change of heart?”

  Najun: “Weighing the options. And stupidity.”

  Dr. Bunny understands and reopens the capsule. He prepares everything and gestures for Najun to step inside.

  Dr. Bunny: “I’m closing the capsule now. You’ll likely enter a trance-like state.”

  Najun: “If I die—or realize you were messing with me—I’ll jump out of this capsule and rip your throat out. If I die beforehand, I’ll haunt you until your own death.”

  Dr. Bunny: “That sounds fair enough.”

  He closes the capsule with Najun inside. Najun hears strange noises, and various lights shine over him. He truly falls into a trance.

  This is the beginning of the Najun Reboot Experiment.