Kamu Zenin

In an intensive care unit at a hospital in City A.

I had been here for two years.

Every day when I opened my eyes, all I could see was a lonely, lifeless expanse of white. Aside from that, there was the smell of disinfectant that lingered around my nose, never fading.

Perhaps my illness really did stem from my childhood at the orphanage. Even after reaching adulthood, my health remained poor. I wasn't surprised to find myself in the hospital now.

Life in the hospital was fairly quiet. Occasionally, I would see other people admitted to rooms like mine. Then, some days later, I would hear people crying.

Why cry?

Everyone dies sooner or later.

At first, I had watched their reactions with keen interest. Then I lost interest. Once, while the doctor was examining me, I asked him that question.

But he looked at me with bewilderment, surprise, and something more complicated in his eyes. He didn't answer me. Before leaving, he merely sighed and said, "What a pitiful person..."

I didn't understand.

Even now, I still didn't understand what the doctor had meant, but I no longer wanted to look into it.

This world truly was utterly boring.

"Did you hear? That patient who spent two years in intensive care died!"

"Seriously? Didn't her attending physician say she could be moved to a regular ward soon if her condition stayed stable?"

"That's the problem-it wasn't stable! Her illness got better, but something was seriously wrong with her mental state! She actually asked her attending physician why so many people were sad when someone died!"

"Whoa, it had gotten that bad?"

"Exactly! So I'm not surprised at all that she killed herself by taking sleeping pills."

As they spoke, the person sharing the news began to sigh again. "She had a hard life, too... I heard her family abandoned her at an orphanage, and she nearly froze to death. She finally pulled through and even made quite a lot of money, only to become seriously ill at such a young age. Two years, and not a single person came to visit her..."

The hospital was like a pot of boiling water, filled with countless unexpected incidents. This was merely one bubble among countless others, and it soon vanished without a sound.

I hadn't expected to wake up again.

After regaining consciousness, I faintly heard voices not far away.

That doesn't sound like my attending physician... Was my condition so difficult to handle that the hospital handed me over to someone else?

I wanted to see what he looked like, so I opened my eyes.

Huh?

Instead of that unchanging white, I saw a pattern of wood grain.

My mind was a little sluggish, so I slowly sat up and surveyed the place.

These decorations... this layout... Have I traveled back to ancient times?

The door suddenly opened, and a child who looked about five or six walked in from outside. Arms folded arrogantly across his chest, he eyed me with ill intent. "You're the illegitimate daughter Father brought home?"

What's going on?

I looked at him without speaking, taking in the enormous amount of information his words contained.

It was only then that I noticed my body had become that of a small child.

The boy before me seemed to have grown impatient, or perhaps he hadn't expected his words to go unanswered. He suddenly stamped his foot, looking furious. "You're nothing but trash my father had with some ordinary woman, and you dare give me that attitude!"

The attendant beside him hesitated before reminding him quietly, "Young Master Naoya, Miss Kuang Wu hasn't awakened her Cursed Technique yet..."

"So what! Her mother's trash. Even if her child has a talent for Jujutsu, she can't possibly be all that strong!" Naoya Zenin scoffed. He had awakened his father Naobito Zenin's Projection Sorcery. As long as this illegitimate daughter didn't awaken the Ten Shadows Technique... Forget it. How could that possibly happen!

The attendant still seemed a little worried and added, "Miss Kuang Wu has only just been brought back from outside, after all..."

Naoya Zenin thought for a moment before saying reluctantly, "Fine. Then send her off to learn some proper manners, so she won't be this rude the next time I see her!"