The mounted knight’s surprise could clearly be felt. He drew back the lance and looked down at the high school student with blank surprise.
“Hoh. Your name must strike a bell with him,” Mephisto teased. He asked in what was for him an unusually jocular tone, “What brings you here?”
“I came to see this funny flying house,” Kyoya said, taking in Mephisto and the knight with bright eyes. He’d disposed of the frightful burst of energy from the spear tip with a single swipe of his sword, yet made no mention of it. “I was hungry, and thought of getting a ramen. Lo and behold, here you are, causing trouble. I was going to wait to see how it turned out, but couldn’t resist. Sorry for sticking my oar in.”
“Not at all.”
Despite Mephisto’s nonchalant reaction, Kyoya looked at the knight. “So what are we gonna do with him?” he said, scratching his head. “Well, I’m here, so Gigantor can sit this one out. How about I take him off your hands?”
“Hmm.” Mephisto thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “We will meet again and discuss your therapy then.”
“On that note—” Kyoya held up a fist to the knight, a gesture of respect among fighting men of bad character.
Murderous intent once again welled up around the knight. Feigning naivete was Kyoya’s opening gambit.
“Kyoya Izayoi.” A voice as if from within the earth issued forth from the mouth of the helmet. “In deference to that name, I shall withdraw. The day will come when the decisive battle must yet be fought.”
“Whatever. No need to come to blows.” Kyoya nodded to the knight.
The horse turned its head toward Mephisto. The hooves stamped against the ground. The dark blue knight rushed past the Demon Physician.
“What the hell was that all about?” Kyoya asked, emerging from the alley. “I guess he wanted to become famous. Taking out Doctor Mephisto would sure do the trick.”
“In which case, that would make him a lot easier to deal with,” Mephisto said, patting his chest. “Fully unleashed, the energy and mental power in that spear could destroy half of Shinjuku.”
Kyoya only shrugged.
“And why did you come here again?”
“Like I said. To take a look at the floating house.”
“Here? There are much better sightseeing spots.” Mephisto smiled. In all of Demon City, this man would so reveal his humanity only to Kyoya and one other person.
“Say what?” Kyoya pursed his lips and glared at him, though there wasn’t any force behind it. “Hey, stop it with the funny looks.”
“This is Ichigaya, Kawadacho. Not only are there more suitable venues for house viewing and eating ramen, but more appropriate places where I would expect to find you.”
“W-what is that supposed to mean?” Kyoya flushed. He’d sent the strange apparition threatening Doctor Mephisto packing, and yet the same Doctor Mephisto could so easily knock him off his game. “What are you implying?”
“I haven’t implied a thing. As yet.”
Mephisto’s smile broadened. Kyoya hastily averted his gaze. When it came to hitting beneath the belt, the Demon Physician knew his weak points. “What I was going to say is that a mile or so on is the United Nations Philanthropic Hospital. My business rival, so to speak. There is a nurse in the surgical department by the name of Sayaka Rama.”
Kyoya feigned ignorance and stared up at the sky. “Nice blue sky.”
“I’d only be surprised if it wasn’t,” Mephisto replied crisply. “More interesting to me is the man who can’t man up to the fact that he came to see a woman. I’d be happy to accompany you the rest of the way.”
“Mind your own business,” Kyoya fumed. “I haven’t said one way or the other.”
“No need to put emotions into words. I am a doctor. When the blood rushes so violently to the head, my business is to look to the cause. Lead the way.”
The white door silently slid open to the side. A blue uniform approached, together with the scent of flowers, suggestive of freesia. Her waist-long hair swayed. She smiled brightly at the two men. “Hello,” she said. “Kyoya, Doctor Mephisto, you seem in good spirits.”
“It has been a while,” Doctor Mephisto said with a slight nod. He gave Kyoya a sidelong glance.
“Well, ah, thanks.” Kyoya’s smile was as stiff as his voice. “Sorry for barging in like this. You must be busy.”
“Not right now. I’m on a break.”
Sayaka showed the two to a pair of chairs. They were in the hall of the United Nations Philanthropic Hospital. Its sponsorship meant that the facilities lacked for nothing.
The patients moved in electric wheelchairs or on self-propelled walkways, leisurely coming and going. If they couldn’t move on their own, human or robotic nurses were there to assist. The “rehab light” pouring down from the ceiling accelerated muscular rejuvenation and protected against aging and cellular deterioration.
This was one byproduct of the large-scale research groups the United Nations had sent into Demon City. And the investigations were still underway.
Mephisto said with an entirely straight face, “In any case, we should have called ahead first. But Izayoi-kun here said he wanted to see you.”
Kyoya jumped as if hit by an electric shock. “W-what are you are going on about? He just made that up.”
“Well, either way, here we are. That should be sufficient, no?”
“Sufficient, my—” Kyoya started to say, when he became aware of the sad eyes looking into his.
“You really didn’t want to come here that badly?”
“No, no, no. Nothing like that. Really. This guy’s just messing with me.” Kyoya turned away in a huff. The tendons in his neck stood out.
“How are your patients doing?” Mephisto calmly asked, stepping in to rescue the conversation.
“They’ve increased in the last two or three days. The gale that blew through the city the night that building appeared has affected many people.”
“A nuclear explosion.”
“I think so.”