Only after the "trial run" ended did Akaseki open his eyes and stand up. He first checked on Little Tanuki Beast and saw that it still hadn't woken up. Its tail was twitching, though, so it might be close.
Akaseki didn't leave the Mask Storage Hall. He just tried running a few steps inside, dodging left and right...
The monster from the Temple had gotten faster the farther it ran, and it had attacked him, too.
Akaseki had "died" dozens of times during the trial run!
Although he wasn't sprinting at full speed now or making any unnecessary movements, just "getting a feel for it" was enough to make him realize that the "training" he'd just done hadn't been for nothing. The physical experience carried over completely.
After all, eight hours of "trial running" had amounted to just one hour in reality. It was highly efficient.
It was difficult to set up such a good training environment in real life. The pursuing monster had been just the right speed, and because his "hypothalamus" had been controlled, he'd felt the stimulation without actually dying. He'd also had unlimited stamina, so he hadn't needed to waste time resting.
Those were things he couldn't achieve just by putting in eight hours in reality.
After checking his condition, Akaseki began another round of "Immersion."
At the hospital, Shen Qingqing's colleagues were getting blocked one after another.
Everything was playing out exactly as before, which almost made Akaseki want to laugh...
But with his "hypothalamus" taken over, the feeling of wanting to laugh was replaced by urgency.
"The patient's blood pressure is dangerously low. She won't last two hours like this. Hurry, get someone!"
"I... I'll go find her!" Hong Yan said hurriedly.
Akaseki had been watching the show, but now that the plot had reached its turning point, he had no choice but to step in.
The Shen Family's driver took "Hong Yan" straight to the restaurant where Shen Qingqing was eating.
Hong Yan saw that she really was having a meal with some pretty-boy.
"Hmm? What are you doing here?" Shen Qingqing asked with a frown.
"Hey, Mr. Hong, don't get the wrong idea. Qingqing and I..." The pretty-boy smiled.
"Shut up. I don't have time for you! Qingqing, your mom's at the hospital. We need to get there right away..."
With his hypothalamus under someone else's control, Akaseki really was in a hurry.
"Enough! Who said you could talk to An'an like that?"
Akaseki: ???
"Heh, Mr. Hong, I know you're Qingqing's husband, but you can't make up a lie like that just to control her, can you?"
"That's right! Nobody gets to control me!"
Akaseki: ???
"If you don't go... you'll regret it!" Akaseki said, sounding almost genuinely upset.
"I'm the one who regrets marrying you! Keep spouting nonsense and I'll kick you out of the Shen Family!"
"I'm not going to argue with you. Just call your mom and let her explain..."
"You already tricked my mom! Now you want to team up and trick me, too? Heh."
Akaseki: ...
After an absurd back-and-forth, half an hour slipped by. The heroine still refused to believe her mom was in the hospital, and Akaseki was so angry he could only laugh.
Hong Yan returned to the hospital helplessly. Seeing the old woman who was barely clinging to life, he apologized through his tears for failing to bring Shen Qingqing back.
The vice president decided to perform the surgery himself. Just before entering the operating room, the old woman produced her will and called for a lawyer...
With all that time on your hands, why not check whether another hospital has a reliable Medical Ninja?
Akaseki had plenty to complain about, but he couldn't get a word out...
"Mom! Mom!"
Amid a heart-wrenching howl, the patient was wheeled into the operating room.
"Mr. Hong, don't worry. Although... my skills aren't as good as Shen Qingqing's, I'll still do my best!"
"Since Shen Qingqing isn't here, you're the patient's family member. Please sign here."
As Hong Yan waited anxiously outside the operating room, he saw Shen Qingqing arrive at the hospital...
"What? She's really in surgery?" Shen Qingqing asked the nurse at the station in disbelief.
"Of course! Mr. Hong was frantic... Dr. Shen, you'd better hurry to the operating room!"
Shen Qingqing stumbled, her expression turning dazed. She hurried toward the ward, but An Ruhai grabbed her from the side. "Hey... Qingqing, don't panic. It must be a misunderstanding..."
"What misunderstanding? Hong Yan already..."
"His mom must have come from the countryside for treatment. He deliberately said she was your mom to trick you into doing the surgery!"
"Is... is that so?"
Akaseki: ???
Wait, she believed that?
"Think about it. Why else would he be in such a hurry?"
"Well..."
"And if it were your mom, they'd have to wait for you to sign the consent form. Look at it!"
"You're right! It really is Hong Yan's mom!"
Akaseki: ???
How did she decide it was my mom?
"Hong Yan! You're despicable! Just to trick me into operating on your mom, you actually cursed my elderly mother!"
"Come on... after seeing you act like this, how could I trust you to do the surgery..." Akaseki didn't know Medical Ninjutsu, but he knew the surgeon had to stay calm during an operation.
The Uchiha Clan weren't suited to being Medical Ninjas in that regard...
But Akaseki was cut off halfway through his sentence, and the words were forcibly twisted into something else. "Qingqing, your mother really is in there. Hurry..."
"That's enough! You've lied to me time and time again, and now you expect me to save your mom?"
Akaseki: ...
Only now did Akaseki finally understand why the show had such a bizarre title!
So that was what "The One Who Died Is Your Mom" meant, huh?
And besides...
It had only been two hours!
What were the next six hours going to be like?
The story lasted twenty-four hours. Akaseki had already been put through a whole day without sleep, and there were still seventy-two hours to go...
It was obvious at a glance who was going to die, wasn't it?
And what was the point of the title? Why not just say her name?
Unfortunately, Akaseki didn't know what the old woman was called.
Even if he did, they probably wouldn't let him say it. Judging by how things were going, she wouldn't believe him anyway.
"Heh, life and death are in the hands of fate, Mr. Hong. Perhaps your mom was just meant to die... Ow!"
"Hey! Why are you hitting people... You've got some nerve..."
Unfortunately, the strength Akaseki could use in the show was no greater than an ordinary person's, and he could only strike back when the rules allowed it.
"Apologize! You have to apologize to An'an!"
"Me? Apologize to him..."
In the chaos, the operating room doors opened. The vice president came out, his face full of grief. "Dr. Shen, you came back too late..."
"Heh, go explain that to the family!" Shen Qingqing shot him a look, then left with An Ruhai.
"Hey, how can you act like that? You..."
As Hong Yan went in to pay his respects to the deceased, the second hour of Immersion finally ended.
Akaseki suspected his Overspread Burning (Fire Style range) might have nearly broken through 10%, so he activated the checkup function to take a look... Sure enough, it was 9.51%.
The "Scorching Heat" raised by his earlier Anger, and the "Incineration" raised by the sadness that came from the hypothalamus leading him around, had been the main ones improving so far.
But after "Scorching Heat" and "Incineration" broke through the 10% threshold, their progress slowed considerably. Even now, they were only at 12% and 11%.
But after watching You Called Me a Quack, So I Became a Veterinarian Instead, then spending two hours watching The One Who Died Is Your Mom, that feeling of "I can't help laughing at this" grew stronger and stronger, causing "Overspread Burning" to soar!
Before you continue