After bidding farewell to the girls, Chatora went down the stairs and arrived in the main hall, where he encountered a man of about fifty years old with short, neatly combed gray hair, seated on one of the room's sofas and gently sipping a cup of tea. The man quickly rose from his seat and greeted him with a slight bow.
"Yawara-san."
"Doctor Tsunashi, please follow me to the medical room."
Chatora remarked in a calm tone. The older man quickly nodded, grabbed the briefcase that stood beside him, and followed Chatora out of the mansion. Shortly thereafter, they arrived at a medical room that looked quite minimalistic, where there was already a beautiful foreign woman with blonde hair and olive skin, dressed in a simple white dress.
"Mr. Chatora."
Noticing the arrival of Chatora and the doctor, Eva—who had been seated in a comfortable swivel chair not far from the MedPod—quickly rose and greeted them in a serious tone. The muscular professional hero responded with a smile, then pointed to the doctor beside him and spoke in English.
"This is Dr. Kojiro Tsunashi, a specialist who will examine your son to ensure everything is alright."
"Thank you so very much; I really don't know how to repay all that you are doing for me…"
Deeply moved, Eva placed her hands over her heart and said in a voice choked with emotion. To that, Chatora replied with a confident and assured tone, befitting a professional hero of his experience.
"Don't worry about that. As I mentioned, here most of us are professional heroes; helping those in need is our vocation."
"…Thank you so very much…"
Wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes, Eva spoke in a voice full of innumerable emotions, at which moment Chatora announced in a serious tone.
"Argus, bring out all the medical equipment."
[Understood.]
With that response from the synthetic voice, several mechanical shutters in the walls opened—catching Eva slightly by surprise—revealing all manner of medical equipment, unveiling new rooms, and rapidly transforming the minimalistic, elegant space into essentially a fully equipped hospital boasting the latest in medical technology. This transformation surprised the doctor somewhat.
After all, although Lady Yaoyorozu had mentioned that they possessed all the necessary equipment, he hadn't expected it to be so complete—indeed, even better than his own hospital, since that room even held things that supposedly couldn't be acquired with money alone. But just as the doctor was looking around, Chatora turned to face him and said in a serious voice.
"Doctor Tsunashi, the little one in the MedPod sustained injuries of varying severity and is currently undergoing treatment, so we would like you to examine him."
"Of course."
After nodding firmly, Dr. Tsunashi quickly approached the MedPod at the center of the room and began reviewing the young patient's data. Internally, however, he couldn't help but criticize the imprudence of placing a child in a MedPod without specialized medical supervision.
Even though the MedPods were truly impressive and capable of many things on their own, the reason they were not sold to non-hospital entities was that they could still commit errors, which might prove fatal.
Although, well, being the owner and founder of one of the few companies capable of creating those technological marvels, it wasn't inconceivable that they kept a few at home.
After a few minutes, Dr. Tsunashi found himself somewhat surprised as he scrutinized the holographic screens filled with data. Merely by reviewing those records, he realized that the MedPod was, in fact, far more advanced than any currently available on the market—a realization that inevitably made him worry a bit about the future of his profession.
Not so much for him, though, as he was already a well-known and affluent doctor, and as impressive as the MedPod might be, doctors like him would still be needed. However, such an advancement could undoubtedly end up disadvantaging the new doctors who were just beginning their careers.
Yet throughout his own career he had had to adapt to the constant emergence of new technologies that supposedly would harm doctors, but even now, 40 years later, they remained necessary and well paid.
"The young one is doing fine. I made a few minor adjustments to the treatment and will prescribe some medications for later, but his wounds aren't too complex and—with proper rehabilitation—they shouldn't leave any lasting damage."
After a while, the doctor turned to look at Chatora and spoke in a calm tone—a comment that brought a smile to the muscular hero's face. He quickly translated the message for Eva, who couldn't help but leap for joy. With tears in her eyes and hands pressed firmly to her chest as she tried to contain her emotions, she said.
"Thank you so very much, doctor; thank you, Mr. Chatora. I really don't know how to express how much this news means to me."
"You can now be at ease, but you should also let Dr. Tsunashi examine you. I couldn't help but notice that you also have several wounds." Chatora commented with a kind smile, to which Eva quickly shook her head and replied hastily.
"No, it isn't necessary. You have already done more than enough for me, and I'm already imposing. The fact that my little Oliver is okay is all that matters—I'm fine."
"It's nothing; the doctor is already here and has been paid in advance. Besides, later he must examine Kai, so if he doesn't examine you, it would be a waste of money."
Thanks to his years of experience as a hero, Chatora had learned a thing or two about dealing with overly "shy" people. He promptly commented with confidence—a remark that, just as he had hoped, made Eva hesitate. She adorably pressed her lips together in indecision, and Chatora quickly delivered the final push.
"It won't take long; he'll just examine you and prescribe something for your wounds—it won't take him much time."
"…Alright… then I'll take advantage of your kindness once more…" After a few moments, Eva responded with some reluctance, but quickly looked Chatora in the eyes and added in a tone filled with firmness and resolve-
"But rest assured, Mr. Chatora, I will do everything in my power to repay you for everything you are doing for me—even if it takes a lifetime. I especially owe young Kai; to him, I owe not only my life but, more importantly, my son's. If it weren't for him, it's likely that we would now be in the stomach of one of those spiders."
"When Kai wakes up, you can tell him yourself."
Chatora replied with a huge smile on his face, truly proud of what Kai had accomplished. For even though the proper decision might have been to abandon Eva and her son, he went against his own words and ended up rescuing an innocent mother and her child from the clutches of hell—a feat worthy of a true hero.
Although that heroic act nearly cost Kai his life—and while he earnestly hoped that Kai would never have to endure such a terrible experience again—Chatora was still a hero by calling. He had chosen this career not for money or fame, but out of a genuine desire to save the world and make it a better place. Moreover, witnessing the young person he had known since childhood grow into an impressive hero inevitably filled his heart with pride.
Even more so because he had never truly imagined that Kai would do something like that. He had always thought that Kai would be one of those who would step back when it came time to help someone in danger—a reaction perfectly understandable and one he wouldn't harshly criticize, since deciding whether to save others was a personal decision, and it is human instinct to flee from danger.
But to go against that instinct and do what is "right" was something to be celebrated and applauded. And seeing the child he had helped raise—whom he regarded as almost his own son, family, and friend—filled him with a profound sense of accomplishment, making him feel that perhaps something he had tried to teach Kai had indeed taken effect, even if only slightly.
"I will do that…" At Chatora's words, Eva nodded firmly, prompting Chatora to turn and look at the doctor and request in a formal tone.
"Doctor Tsunashi, this is Eva. She has a couple of wounds on her body; would it be possible for you to examine her?"
"Certainly. With the equipment here, I can perform a complete analysis, and I also speak a little English, so it won't be much trouble." The doctor replied quickly in a calm manner, to which Chatora expressed his gratitude with a slight nod.
"Perfect, then we will be counting on your help." After expressing his thanks, Chatora turned to look at Eva and spoke in a calm tone.
"Well, Eva, I'll leave you in the care of Dr. Tsunashi; he speaks English as well. For now, I must attend to some pending matters. If you've already decided whom you wish to call, I can leave you my phone so you can do so."
"…I'll bother you about it later…"
After a few seconds, Eva responded with some difficulty. Chatora did not press further and left the medical room after a brief farewell. Moments later, after surveying the area a bit, the doctor quickly turned to look at Eva and remarked in somewhat rusty English.
"Mrs. Eva, please follow me to the adjacent room; the diagnostic equipment is located there."
"Of course, doctor, and my apologies for any inconvenience." Eva replied promptly in a formal tone, upon which the doctor smiled calmly before adding in a relaxed tone.
"Don't worry about that. As Yawara-san informed you, I have already been paid, so I must perform the work."
…
After leaving the medical room, Chatora returned to the mansion to meet with All Might, who had been making some phone calls in a room adjacent to the main hall. Chatora found him returning to the main hall with a grave expression on his face.
"I already got in touch with some friends, and really, they weren't able to find any records about that island; although they will keep searching, they told me not to have too much hope…"
Upon seeing Chatora, All Might spoke in a somewhat heavy tone as he approached, to which Chatora quickly nodded in understanding. After all, Sentinel had also been searching for information about that island and had found nothing. That virtual assistant was among the best things Kai had ever created, with an incredible ability to collect data and identify patterns; but even so, up to this point, it hadn't uncovered a single clue.
"Kai should have a way to identify that place, but as we know, he will remain unconscious for several days, so it is best to wait. Although I really don't want him to return to that place, I will continue searching on my own—and I would like to count on your help." Chatora said this in a serious tone while looking directly into All Might's eyes. All Might quickly nodded and replied with equal seriousness.
"I will also do everything I can to track down those spiders—they're far too dangerous to leave unchecked. Although Kai-shonen was exceedingly imprudent to go there alone, at the very least he could have called me."
"Well, regarding that—even though it was truly imprudent—the truth is there weren't many options. Kai initially wanted to gather information and, being adept at stealth, went alone since he is strong enough to keep himself safe and escape. But things took a turn for the worse with Eva's appearance."
Chatora commented with a somewhat complex smile, which prompted All Might to ask with curiosity—and a hint of anticipation in his tone.
"Now that you mention it, is Eva the woman that Kai-shonen rescued from that island? How did that come about?"
"Well, we still don't fully understand it. What I can tell you is what's in the data that Kai left behind, since we haven't yet had the opportunity to speak with Eva. But on that island, there appeared to be an indigenous tribe…"
Chatora began to speak in a calm tone while simultaneously pointing to one of the nearby sofas, where he and All Might then sat down. At that moment, Mrs. Yoshiko, who had also been keeping a vigilant eye on the situation, quickly approached with two cups of hot tea and served the professional heroes with great elegance.
***
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