"Her pulse is quite fast," Shoko noted, looking back at her. "I want to be sure."
She immediately clipped a pulse oximeter to Mayu's finger, which began measuring her vitals. The pulse read 129 beats per minute, oxygen saturation was at 97%, and her blood pressure measured 165 over 110 mmHg. I wasn't exactly an expert, but those numbers looked far too high—aside from the oxygen, which seemed okay. But the beeping sound of her heartbeat was much too fast.
"I really don't like this," Shoko muttered, matching my thoughts, sending an icy chill through my veins. "Normal resting values are actually between 60 to 80 beats per minute, and blood pressure is usually at 120 over 80 mmHg. These values do go up with fever, but what Mayu is showing us here is too high, even for that!"
She immediately rummaged through a drawer and pulled out an ear thermometer. A few seconds later, she had the result and frowned deeply.
"39.8. I could've sworn it felt even higher. I hope there's a change soon."
39.8 degrees?! Even though the wound had now disappeared? I stepped closer to the examination table and placed my hand on Mayu's leg, which was still burning hot. Had Shoko missed an injury?
"What does that mean?" I asked, worried.
"Okay. I don't want to scare you, Satoru, but for such a high fever, she's way too lethargic. She's not responsive anymore, barely reacts if at all. Her pulse is much too high, as is her blood pressure, and her oxygen saturation is gradually decreasing."
I looked at the monitor again. Just now, the saturation had been at 97%, now it read 91%.
"Was she injured anywhere else?"
"She didn't mention anything," I replied, frozen as I stared at the monitor and watched the spiking pulse line. 142 beats per minute.
"Your methods are getting more questionable by the day," Shoko muttered, shaking her head, and reached for the hem of Mayu's skirt.
"What are you doing?" I asked, shocked, glancing at determined Shoko.
"Well, checking if she's got more injuries you don't know about."
So Shoko pushed the skirt up to the edge of Mayu's underwear, and I couldn't help but look too.
But nothing to see.
She also examined her arms from every angle. Turned Mayu slightly toward herself to feel her back. It was as if life had left her — she allowed herself to be laid and turned into any position without resistance. In fact, Shoko had to support her, or she would have rolled right off the table.
"She's burning up," Shoko noted grimly, "but no other visible injuries. And luckily, she's sweating, which means the body is at least trying to regulate the temperature," she concluded as she rebuttoned the uniform after checking her torso and covered her again with the clothes.
The heart tones were no longer just seemingly faster — her pulse had now reached a constant 149 beats per minute, and the saturation had dropped to a minimum of 84%.
Shoko grabbed the thermometer again for another reading.
"Holy shit," she hissed, stunned, "40.4!"
...!
It had risen even more?! At this pace?!
Shoko, who had just stepped away from the examination table, rummaged through various utensils in one of the cabinets opposite us, while panic and fear tugged at my pant leg. This had to be a bad nightmare!