The Garden of Sinners - Chapter 4: The Hollow Shrine

I'll open the door.

What's her condition?

Her consciousness level is JCS3 and blood pressure is 60 by palpation.

Secure an infusion line and get an electrocardiogram.

Okay.

Ryougi-san? Can you hear me, Ryougi-san?

I'm sorry. Please wait here.

One, two, three!

Line secured.

How are her vitals?

Her blood pressure is low, but everything else is stable.

Can you run a cross-match test?

Yes.

She's intubated. We'll start preoperative treatment.

Ryougi-san, I'm cutting your kimono.

She's bleeding badly...

Let's prepare some extra blood packs.

Okay.

I'm taking an X-ray photo with the portable.

Okay.

There was no end.

All right, your leg is next.

Is this death...?

Nice to meet you, Mikiya-kun.

Thank you, Chief Aozaki.

What's wrong?

Um... I just thought that you seemed different when I spoke to you on the phone.

Like this?

Yes, that's...

In a business like this, there are times when you need to change as the situation demands.

It's a simple charm.

I'm switching my personality depending on how I view things.

Are you making yourself look more important or playing innocent?

I'll leave that to your imagination.

Black...?

No way...

Doctor! Please come quickly!

Ryougi-san is...

Ryougi-san is...!

How do you feel, Ryougi-san?

Does it hurt anywhere?

This is a rare case.

But it's a miracle that she regained her consciousness.

This is great.

I'm going to take your pulse.

We'll arrange your rehabilitation plan after a diagnostic work-up.

We'll contact your family for now.

Kokutou-san!

Ryougi-san has regained her consciousness.

But she just woke up and she's still confused...

We're not allowing any visitors except her family members.

Hey, did you hear?

A new counselor is coming starting today.

She's replacing Araya-sensei from today on, isn't she?

Jeez, I'm nervous.

I hope she's nice.

She's in charge of "that" girl, right?

Are her eyes all right now?

She didn't lose her eyesight.

I hear she's starting to settle down.

Then puppy-kun will be able to see her soon.

Oh, you mean "that" puppy-kun, right?

I'm concerned too.

It's been two years, you know?

He's been waiting for a whole two years.

She's so lucky.

Yeah. I want someone who'd love me like that too.

I'm Aozaki, the speech therapist.

I've been expecting you. She's in the room over there.

Hi, what's up?

Wow, I thought you'd look worn out, but your skin is quite smooth.

I pictured you to be like a ghost under a cherry tree when I heard about you, so I wasn't really up for this job, but...

You're just my type, cutie. Aren't I lucky?

How do you do? I'm Aozaki Touko, a speech therapist.

I came to help you recover from your aphasia.

Pleased to meet you.

Who has aphasia?

It's all right. I know...

I know that it's a misdiagnosis and that you're lazy.

But you're at fault too, you know?

After all, you injured your brain in the accident.

It's natural that they think you have aphasia if you don't say anything.

So... Why am I here?

It's a long story, but...

That was close. I was about to lose my job only a minute into it.

You...

Yes?

You're not a doctor, are you?

Nope, I'm actually a sorcerer.

I have no business with a magician.

You're right.

A magician can't fill the hole in your chest.

The only ones who can fill it are normal people.

The hole in my chest?

That's right.

You've already realized that you're alone now, right?

I guess I came here too early, so we'll stop here.

I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.

Is Shiki doing okay?

Yeah, at least for now.

What do you mean by "for now"?

Oh, it's so cold.

Let's have some tea upstairs.

Hey, Touko-san.

You've already realized that you're alone now, right?

It's not like you'll die.

You shouldn't go see her yet.

She's okay, right?

Yes.

I'm going in.

It's so beautiful here.

It's so happy,

but humans are so alone.

Please give these to Ryougi-san.

All right, I'll take them.

The woman who called herself a counselor visited me every day.

I realized that I had become dependent on my conversation with her.

I see.

So it's not that SHIKI-kun didn't have initiative over the body, but it's just that he didn't use it.

The two of you are getting more interesting.

There's nothing interesting about a dual personality.

The two of you don't exist as something as simple as a dual personality.

The two of you exist at the same time, each having their own experiences and will.

And yet, the actions you take are the same.

There isn't any other case of such a complex and bizarre personality.

It should be called composite individual personalities.

Composite individual personalities...?

Yup, but that still leaves some unanswered questions.

If it's composite individual personalities, there's no need for SHIKI-kun to sleep.

You say he's always sleeping, but that's what bugs me...

His name is the only name I can't remember...

She's empty.

Her chest is open, just like a hole.

But no matter how much she can't feel herself, she's still Ryougi Shiki.

She probably doesn't even have a sense of being alive,

but there will come a time when she'll realize that she's Shiki.

A rose is born as a rose.

It won't turn into another flower just because it was grown using a different kind of soil or water.

Touko-san...

Ultimately, you have to fill the hole with something.

Not with memories. You have to build on the present and start building a new self.

No one can help her build that "temple".

Basically, you just have to interact with her like you've been doing.

Yes. As long as he's gone, you can't regain the lapse in your memory.

Now we really have no way of finding out how Ryougi Shiki was concerned with the murders two years ago.

But there was no reason for SHIKI-kun to disappear.

Eh?

Because you, Shiki-san, would have disappeared instead if he didn't do anything.

So why did he wish for himself to disappear?

I don't know.

Anyway, what about the scissors?

Oh. As I expected, they didn't let me bring them.

You have a previous offense, so they're prohibiting any kind of blades.

By the way, what do you want with them?

I just want to cut my hair.

Then I can call for a hairdresser.

It'll be a celebration for your recovery.

I can bring a skilled hairdresser.

No.

I don't even want to think about someone else touching my hair.

You're so cute.

I'll get going now.

I may come as a different person starting tomorrow, so please give her your best regards.

Your resilience continues to surprise me.

You're fine now.

You can leave the hospital tomorrow.

Congratulations, Ryougi-san.

And we can take the bandage off your eyes by tomorrow morning...

No.

So please take care for the rest of today.

No...

No...

No.

No!

I don't want to see such a world again!

I'll do anything except fall into that darkness.

Hold it.

You make decisions too quickly.

What did you see?

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, huh?

It'd be a waste to lose those eyes, Shiki.

First of all, even if you poke your eyes out, you'd still see what you're meant to see.

Are you human?

I'm a magus.

Is that you, Touko?!

I thought...

I thought I'd teach you how to use those eyes.

All things have flaws.

Nothing is perfect, so everything has a desire to break down and rebuild from scratch.